The Trouble with Mental Wellness

"A client's suicide almost spells disaster for a hapless therapist in Colicchio's punchy second novel. In Jersey City, N.J., crusty Nicky Finnuche runs a counseling practice out of what used to be his dad's Central Avenue meat market. . . . Colicchio sets up a comic contrast between Finnuche's attempts at professionalism and his coarse take on his clients' various maladies, and his minor characters—cute, crazy patient Lilly, Foreigner-loving pal Mo—are decidedly eccentric. . . . Colicchio's descriptions have economical virtuosity—the detective is 'both youthful and aged; fit, yet primed for early cardiac arrest.'" Publisher's Weekly.

"An endearing story. . . . Colicchio imbues his absorbing narrative with the city's [Jersey City's] sights and people, gracefully highlighting the grit and hidden charm" -- Library Journal

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High Gate Health and Beauty

MOSTLYFICTION.COM: TOP TEN NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2000

"The cover of this novel is a street drawing of High Gate. I like this because it not only serves as a reference for events in the novel, but captures the essence of the size of the world in which they live. Throughout the novel they walk up and down these streets going to work, to funerals, to sun themselves, to help out Uncle Vic, past the High Gate Health and Beauty, to Clay's house, the Community College, the Police Department, the funeral home, and so on. Colicchio not only portrays the people in [this Jersey City]neighborhood but leads us through a surprising psychological drama. Whatever it is that makes me like the HBO's series, The Sopranos, is in this book as well. Perhaps it is the way Colicchio gets at the heart and soul of these ordinary New Jerseyites through compelling dialogue and insightful descriptions that, with each page, lead us deeper into the story until it's startling end," Mostly Fiction

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AS TOLD BY MONK

"As Told By Monk is a book like no other. Monk is a 9 year-old Jersey City kid who tells his story in that gritty city's vernacular. It is a gem. How it could be overlooked by critics (let alone publishers) working not much than a mile away in Manhattan is a literary tragedy. Any one who grew up in Jersey City will wallow in its familiarity and be much moved by its story. These are our people and our places. But any reader will be equally touched and moved by Monk's story. I recommend it without reservation.," Ron Semple, author of Black Tom: Terror on the Hudson.

Amazon: As Told By Monk