Rocco Salentino

One of the supporting characters in the Jim Buchanan Novels is Rocco Salentino or 'Rocky' as everyone calls him. Rocky is a 1st generation Italian-American. His parents immigrated to Brooklyn, New York from a town called Avellino which is near Naples. Arriving in the 1950's with just the shirts on their backs, Rocky's parents moved in with relatives and took whatever jobs they could find. Shortly thereafter, Rocky was born. Rocky's dad borrowed some money and opened a restaurant. Success came easy for the hard-working Salentino's and Rocky grew up making meatballs and kneading pizza dough. Now in his 30's, a six-footer with crew-cut, black hair and a muscular build, Rocky is the Assistant County Sheriff of Sanders County. Rocky is Jim's old Air Force buddy and although they are best of friends, Rocky longs to be back home in Brooklyn where he used to sing street-corner ballads with the rest of his friends. If you ever met Rocky and he liked you, he might bond with you and call you Paesano but watch out. If you came across with not too much on the ball, he might refer to you as a googootz, a stounad, or a cabbadost.