Flash and Dazzle, The Hearts of Men

From the New York Times–bestselling author of The Forever Year, a “poignant” novel about best friends in crisis (Long and Short Reviews).

Rich Flaster and Eric Dazman—aka Flash and Dazzle—have been friends since their college days, and they remain as tight as ever as their work starts attracting praise and attention in the advertising industry. Now Rich is being wooed by a high-profile agency in downtown Manhattan—but they have no interest in hiring his creative partner.

Before Rich can bring himself to tell his best friend about the job offer, Eric receives a far more devastating piece of news: an upsetting medical diagnosis. His shy, beautiful sister arrives to give him support, and Rich is faced with an emotional challenge. He’s deceived his friend—however, there are a lot of things Eric hasn’t shared with him either. Suddenly, breaking up this two-man team takes on a more painful meaning—and, with time a precious commodity, Flash and Dazzle have to get past the superficial and connect on a deeper level.

Flash and Dazzle is a story of men who have known the best of times as they come to grips with the worst of times, and of the friends and lovers who enter their orbit in relationships both brief and enduring. It is a story of legacies, burdens, and the kinds of secrets that are only revealed when there’s nothing left to tell. Funny, moving, and honest, it will inspire you to call everyone you care about and thank them for what they’ve given you.

“A master storyteller. . . . He stirs emotions and senses that bring tears and laughter.” —Long and Short Reviews

“A dynamic contemporary novel . . . fully engaging and worthwhile reading. Lou Aronica is a talented writer who uses subtlety rather than explicit description to depict the normalcy, quirkiness and fluctuations of honest characters.” —Crystal Book Reviews

“Rich Flaster and Eric Dazman are so real; the reader will feel like they are part of the duo’s close knit friends.” —Literarily Illumined