The Dishwasher by Dannie M. Martin (a.k.a. Dannie Martin)

(hb; 1995)

From the inside flap

“’The Dishwasher’ of the title is Bill Malone, a stoic, tough-as-nails ex-con who just finished a stretch of fourteen hard years in prison for bank robbery. What he wants more than anything is peace and refuge from the chaos and mortal danger of penitentiary life. Release in Fresno, he quickly finds a room at the Star Motel on the edge of town and a job as a dishwasher at Ferrarro’s restaurant. The motel owner is Bail, a retired exotic dancer and wife of Tough Tony, Malone’s friend from the joint. Gail and her ravingly nubile thirteen-year-old daughter, June, take Malone under their wing; Leona, a bluntly sensual black waitress, ministers to Malone’s aching need for sex. He seems finally to have arrived at a safe place.

“The safety disappears at once when Malone is forced to take brutal revenge against a Mexican drug dealer who rapes June. That moment of explosive violence sets him on an inexorable collision course with the Sandinos, a dysfunctional Mafia family in stark decline. Somebody is going down─and Malone is determined to stand his ground.”

Review

Dishwasher is an impressive first novel, moving along at a streamlined clip, with well-written and interesting characters, a consistently sharp, brutal tone (effectively balanced with an underlying sense of kindness and respect). Martin takes a familiar ex-con-pulled-back-in setup and works it in a way that is fresh and new. This is an excellent book, one worth owning, especially if you are a fan of Edward Bunker’s writings.

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Dishwasher is the basis for the notably different 2014 film A Bluebird in My Heart, scripted and directed by Jérémie Guez.

Roland Møller played Danny. Lola la Lann played Clara. Veerlee Baëtens played Laurence. Lubna Azabal played Nadia. Jonathan Robert played “Young Dealer.” Steven Struyven played “Homeless Guy.” Bashkim Topojani played “Mean Guy.”