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| 1473629128
| 9781473629127
| B0723HDLY5
| 4.01
| 1,596
| Mar 27, 2018
| Mar 22, 2018
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really liked it
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After reading 13 novels and a handful of short stories and novellas about Hap Collins and Leonard Pine, I do not just feel like I know them . I'm feel
After reading 13 novels and a handful of short stories and novellas about Hap Collins and Leonard Pine, I do not just feel like I know them . I'm feeling like I am a part of their East Texas town. Hap and Leonard would be the two guys my parents would tell me to steer clear of and the first person they would call, reluctantly, if they got into a jam. As police chief Marvin Hansen would say, they are assholes and hardheads but he would trust them with his life. Jackrabbit Smile has all the fixings of a Hap and Leonard novel. The duet is fronting their own detective agency, owned by Hap's old time girlfriend and brand new wife Brett. They are given a job to find a missing woman, Jackie aka Jackrabbit. Hap and Leonard are hired by Jackie's extremely racist mother and brother who gay and black Leonard pounces on like a cat and treat in his psychologically aggressive style like a chew toy. The job takes them to Hap's childhood stomping grounds Marvel Creek and they find out that the town has added a bunch of questionable characters that includes a white supremacist called Professor. Of course, the big question is; is Jackrabbit missing or dead and how was she involved in Marvel Creek's chaotic mix of low life schemers and racemongers? There are always social issues of race and class lurking in a Hap and Leonard novel but novel #13 really brings them to the forefront which goes far to make it one of the best book of the series in a long while. We get all the snappy dialogue and hard ass action we would expect. Brett plays a minor role which is OK since the meat of the plot is always centered around the rapport of liberal and idealistic Hap and conservative and overly aggressive Leonard. But here is where I need to discuss something that is both disturbing and exciting that I am catching in the last two novels. As the series goes, we always expect Leonard Pine to be the one most likely to kick ass. Hap kicks ass too but it is usually reluctantly. Yet as the last two novels plays out, and all the novels are in the first person perspective of Hap Collins, Leonard is more blatantly expressing a darkness that was always there. Hap realizes it and seems to know that he has no control over Leonard and that darkness. The thing is, after 13 novels, where is Joe R. Lansdale leading us? Will this bode well or ill for the macho bromance that is Hap and Leonard. I hope the author follows through on this because it could be taking the series out of its very popular formula and leading us in new and very tense territory. For this book, it is one of the thing that vaults this book out of the formula and keeps me guessing where the two friends may be headed. Do the other readers of the series agree with me or do they think I'm off the rails a bit? Let me know. The Hap and Leonard series is one of those series that I highly recommend starting from the beginning. However if you are reluctant to do that, this one is stand alone enough to enjoy on its own merits. Ten to one odds though, after you are through you will be picking up the rest of them. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 06, 2018
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Apr 09, 2018
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Apr 06, 2018
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Kindle Edition
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| 1250144841
| 9781250144843
| 1250144841
| 3.76
| 283,795
| Mar 23, 2017
| Mar 13, 2018
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it was amazing
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" My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me: 1. I’m in a coma. 2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore. 3. Sometimes I lie " My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me: 1. I’m in a coma. 2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore. 3. Sometimes I lie." Alice Feeney from the first page of Sometimes I Lie lets us know we are dealing with an unreliable narrator. How unreliable may be unimaginable even by the most savvy thriller reader. As warned by the author, Amber Reynolds is indeed in a coma. That is the first fact we can accept. Through Amber's first person narration we learn she does not know how she ended up in a coma, at least not at the beginning. Amber can hear the people who visit her in her hospital room and soon learn there was an accident but she has no memory of it. To make things more complex, her perceptions on what is happening to her may be muddled by hallucinations and incomplete input while in the coma. But she is sure that her husband have fallen out of love with her and she suspects he may have had something to do with why she is where she is. Alternating with her experiences in the coma, we get more info from other chapters that cover the days before the accident and a diary that was written twenty years earlier. All of this hold key clues on what is really happening, Asides from Amber, we learn about key players; not only her husband Paul but Amber's sister Claire, a returning ex-boyfriend Edward, and Amber's very unsympathetic colleague Madeline who works at the local radio station with her. And none of this adequately prepares you for what is actually going on. Sometimes I Lie is a spider web of a novel. Each passage is a fine thread that works with the others to trap you in its web. I cannot tell you how many times this novel surprised me and not one of the surprises felt forced. It's fairly impossible to tell you any more about the book without giving too much away. It's sort of a cliche nowadays to say you are better off going into a book cold but that cliche is more true here than in most suspense novels I have read. What I can tell you is that the twist and turns within this novel are impeccably timed to leave you disoriented and anxious for more. In the present state of the psychological thriller, unreliable narrators and alternating chapters of time and perception are the rage but I have never seen this pulled off as well as in this book. Amber is empathetic in her predicament and reasonably paranoid about the people who visit her and what she hears. Yet She has her own secrets which are revealed throughout the book. She is the focus though most of the novel but the other characters become more solid and three dimensional as time goes on. Alice Feeney is as much as a juggler as a novelist and it is amazing to watch her go through her paces without dropping a pin. More amazing is how the novel transcend its tricks and gimmicks and allows you to become totally absorbed in the character and emotionally mesmerized by the outcome. It's a stunning outcome that I predict will be leaving some people confounded and thinking "what did I just read?"...in a good way. To be honest, I'm not a very good predictor of commercial success in novels. But I feel I am reasonably safe to say this will be the first blockbuster thriller of 2018 and will deserve every bit of its acclaim. I feel more safe stating, in this early stage of the year, this will be a top contender on my best of the year list for best novel. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 08, 2018
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Mar 12, 2018
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Feb 10, 2018
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Hardcover
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| B0DWVDH2K6
| 3.93
| 2,114
| May 29, 2018
| May 29, 2018
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really liked it
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Isaiah Coleridge is muscle for the mob. He is half Maori, very big, and amazingly intelligent for a man whose job it is to hurt people. He lived most
Isaiah Coleridge is muscle for the mob. He is half Maori, very big, and amazingly intelligent for a man whose job it is to hurt people. He lived most of his life in Alaska working for the Anchorage branch of the Mafia but has recently barely escaped execution after foiling a made man's scheme to slaughter walruses and profit from the black market in ivory. He is given a reprieve though and is sent to a farm in the East Coast near New York which can best be described a retirement home / rehab for forcibly retired gangsters temporarily resting before they are hit again. While there, he meets a young girl who also had her share of trouble. After Coleridge saves her from an abduction she ends up missing. Not the kind of man to stay out of trouble, he begins to search for her and gets into another spider web of black ops mercenaries, crooked cops, viscous gangs, and spoiled rich brats. Blood Standard is a rough edged story of the crime underground but is particularly one about a man who precariously leans between feeling at home with the violence and wondering if he has his own moral code that is more important than that of the mobs. Coleridge is a fascinating protagonist and there is lots of background that rounds him into a person you can admire in a way. Mystery literature is full of anti-heroes but here is a particular good one whose darkness and violent ways struggles to be in balance with his own personal code. Coleridge is talented in the witty comeback manner shared by many of the best hardcore stalwarts of the mystery genre and he has his share of sidekicks of the dubious variety. He is a bit like a Jack Reacher on the wrong end of the law. But what really sets this crime noir thriller apart is Laird Barron's very literary style that comes out like a cross between Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammet with a rural twist. The author is mostly known for his horror novels and this is his first mystery. That probably explains his darker than usual turn on the genre that is only lightened up a little by a wise guy sense of humor. The main joy here is watching Coleridge battle against the odds and the guns. While he has the crime solving smarts, in most cases he just barges in like a organized crime Conan the Barbarian. Unlike Conan though, he has his tender side and can count without using his fingers. He even has some literary creds in his choice of reads. This appears to be the first of the series but stands alone with no real "cliff hanger". My guess is you will heartily welcome the second Isaiah Coleridge novel when it comes along. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 22, 2018
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Apr 04, 2018
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Feb 10, 2018
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ebook
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| 1250130921
| 9781250130921
| 1250130921
| 3.83
| 426,583
| Jan 02, 2018
| Jan 09, 2018
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liked it
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Three and a half stars. At the beginning of The Wife Between Us, we quickly become acclimated to three main characters. The first one is Vanessa, the e Three and a half stars. At the beginning of The Wife Between Us, we quickly become acclimated to three main characters. The first one is Vanessa, the ex wife of a wealthy almost perfect catch of a husband. The second is Nellie, a young woman who works two jobs as a school teacher and a waitress and is now the fiance to the catch of a husband. The third is that husband, Richard. Greer Hendrick and Sarah Pekkanen gives us these protagonists in a series of alternating chapters between Nellie and Vanessa,. Nellie's chapters are in third person while Vanessa's are in first person. This goes on for a third to half of the novel. Then Hendricks and Pekkanen throws us a hell of a literary curve ball. What it is will remain unsaid since it is at the center of everything that happens from that point on. Suffice to say, it is downright brilliant leaving the reader disoriented and rushing to keep up. Interestingly Richard doesn't get his own chapters. He is purposely seen from the eyes of the other narrators which is an important point in itself. Overall the pacing, the structure and the twists are all evidence of the authors' brilliant style and plotting. I wish I could say the second half of the novel keeps up but it doesn't. It doesn't fall apart. In fact, we become even more involved in the three characters and how the plot will unravel. It just lags after the big reveal. There are two basic reasons for this. First is a continuous weave of background stories interspersed in the narrations. It is sometimes difficult to tell the present and the past in the narrative and I'm not sure if that is intentional or unintentional on the authors' part. More importantly much of it, but not all, seems like filler and doesn't add to the story. The second reason is an ending that meanders and drags. We get one more twist at the end but this time it feels forced and unrealistic, very much unlike the earlier twist. What does work though works well. Vanessa becomes our main narrator and maybe an unreliable one. We do not know at first if we can believe her side of the story or how stable her mental state is. We are given clues throughout, but the authors' building of the tension keeps us guessing until the very end. You probably notice I've said very little about the plot and more about the structuring of the plot. This is because the less you know, the more you will enjoy it. Basically, it is a story about an ex-wife, a soon-to-be wife and the man connected to both. It is not so much a suspense thriller in the conventional way but more of a tale about human perceptions and psychology. And this is why it works in the final analysis. Despite the problems in the second half, I still enjoyed it. I just wished it stayed as tight in the second half as the first half. Overall though, I believe most readers will become quite involved with the main characters and that is why this novel has the good possibility of being the first blockbuster read of 2018. Even with my hesitation, I do recommend it for those who want a different form of suspense thriller. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 2018
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Jan 05, 2018
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Jan 01, 2018
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Hardcover
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| 1370017537
| 9781370017539
| 1370017537
| unknown
| 4.05
| 38
| Jan 01, 2007
| Mar 05, 2017
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really liked it
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It is New York in 1916. The war in Europe is met with an uncomfortable silence by most Americans. The great ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky has arrived
It is New York in 1916. The war in Europe is met with an uncomfortable silence by most Americans. The great ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky has arrived in New York and is at odds with a number of people in the classical arts including the ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev. In the midst of this, Morgan Vanheusen, the son of a wealthy and important family, meets the dancer and a relationship starts between them. It is a odd relationship between the relatively stable if insecure Morgan and the eccentric and sometimes paranoid Nijinsky but Morgan seems to get something out of it, perhaps because he has his own abandoned dreams of becoming a race car driver and is thwarted at every corner by his overpowering family. While Nijinsky is dancing onstage, his partner for the dance "faints" and it is not until after he carries her off stage that they realize she has died. To some, including a detective and reporter, it may not just be because of a weak heart as the papers reported. Into this mystery Morgan and Nijinsky become involved while dealing with ballet intrigues and backstabbing, possible art fraud, and the exclusionary and sometimes hypocritical practices of America's upper class. As the title A Friend of Mr. Nijinsky suggests, the main protagonist of the novel is Morgan Vanheusan. Nijjinsky plays a supporting role although a very essential one in both plot and theme. When we meet Morgan he is feeling rootless as he goes through the motions of life without any career goals, having been forced to give up his dream due to the death of his brother and the demands of a controlling father. Nijinsky revives that forsaken spirit in him and he and Nijinsky plays a little Sherlock Holmes, to which Nijinsky replies "Who?", as they attempt to discover some of the answers about who the young dancer Galina Perovna really was and why she was murdered. There is also a sub-plot with Morgan's sister Gloria and a reporter that gives us a look at the strict social roles of the times. This is where the novel really shines. The mystery in the novel is rather slight, even forgotten at times, and while it points to a number of other intrigues going on, I suspect it is the era in America just before entering World War I that is the real focus of the author. She brings alive that era in not only the sometimes volatile world of the dance but in the very strong class differences and morals that made the era what it was. The author makes the characters, even the minor ones, alive in their thoughts and reactions. For instance, the upper class fawns over the artists but still sees them as being beneath them. While Morgan is applauded for his connection to Nijinsky, his family and especially his father sees the friendship as not worthy of him and subversive. The relationship between Morgan and the dancer, and eventually the revelations that arise from the death of Galina, reveal many of these complex underpinnings of social norms in the early 20th century. The mystery is entertaining and satisfying but it is the depiction of life in New York in 1916 where the strength of the novel comes through. While we read to decipher the murder's mystery, we are also aware that World War I will soon be placing a coda on the New York of that era. Of course, if one is interested and knowledgeable in Nijinsky and ballet it is a real plus and will go far in the enjoyment of the book. Yet it is not necessary as Caro Soles does a fine job in introducing us to the essential details of the discipline in an entertaining fashion. But for me, having a pretty good knowledge of the arts and being able to recognize most of the actual historical figures that pop up among the fictional ones, the part that surprised me was the accurate information on early auto racing. Like i said, the author has a flair in bringing to life many things from ballet to auto racing. The author did her homework in almost every aspect of this historical mystery. Those who are into mysteries with an historical connection will enjoy A Friend of Mr. Nijinsky. In fact anyone who like historical novels will find this worth looking into. You get not only a mystery but a time capsule into a world whose odd mixture of innocence and class separation has long passed. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 03, 2017
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Aug 10, 2017
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Aug 03, 2017
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ebook
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| 1594749744
| 9781594749742
| 1594749744
| 3.19
| 1,626
| Jul 11, 2017
| Jul 11, 2017
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liked it
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Three and a half stars. The title of Ten Dead Comedians is going to sound very familiar to anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of murder mysteries. The Three and a half stars. The title of Ten Dead Comedians is going to sound very familiar to anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of murder mysteries. The best selling mystery of all times is Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None which was also titled Ten Little Indians and in its first printing was given the title Ten Little *insert N word*. Fortunately saner heads won out in later years. Fred Van Lent's very funny take-off on the Christie novel can be called a pastiche or even a tribute to the classic book but, like all good tributes, it adds something of its own and makes its own statement. Fred Van Lente is primarily known as a writer of comic books and graphic novels. This is his first novel and I guess it is a compliment that it didn't make me think of graphic novels at all. It made me think of someone who has a first hand knowledge of the business of stand-up comedy and the psychological make-up of anyone who wishes to go into that brutal business. I am not sure whether he has that experience but he made me feels like he did. The premise of Ten Dead Comedians, as it is in the Agatha Christie book, involves ten people who are invited to a secluded island for somewhat vague reasons. One by one, they end up being murdered. Since it is established that no one else is on the island, the murderer has to be one of the ten. And we are off to the races. All of Van Lente's unsuspecting victims are comedians. In fact, they are sort of a sampling of comic stereotypes. Some of them are thin disguises of well known comics such as Joan Rivers and Larry the Cable Guy. A few seem to be a combination of individuals. For instance, prop comic Oliver Rees aka Orange Baby Man appears to be a mixture of Carrot Top and Gallagher. Others seem to be more of a capsule of a particular type of comic style than any one person. The use of comic archtypes works well in this story. They shape the characters and their issues. as they play against the mysterious personage of Dustin Walker, a legend who all ten comics have a connection to and the one who invites them to his island. Walker is sort of the McGuffin in the novel. He explains via videotape why they are all there and then kills himself. Guessing the connections to Walker and how he is pulling off this mass extinction of funny people is half the fun. Of course a book like this needs to be funny. But not so funny or outlandish that we lose the structure of the mystery. Intermittent slices of each comic's routines helps us along as we follow this who-will-do-it and who-will-croak-it. All in all it is a clever take-off on a very weird profession. Van Lente offers lots of droll and witty one liners as each comic engage each other in a competition of words and wits. I can't say any one character is very sympathetic but since we are dealing with archtypes rather than rounded characterizations, it tends to work. When we do get to the ending, we get a satisfactory if far fetched solution. It is actually no more unrealistic than many of the convoluted endings we expect from the masters like Christie. This ends up as a satire of a particular type of mystery as well as being a parody of comics. The author takes care of the loose ends adequately and we are left with a smile on our face. I'm not sure how much more a reader of a book titled Ten Dead Comedians should expect. If you love Christie styled mysteries you will enjoy the spin.. If you love stand up comedy you will enjoy the in-jokes and the inside look at comic psyches. And if you just enjoy funny novels, you should definitely give this a try. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 05, 2017
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Jul 10, 2017
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Jun 27, 2017
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Hardcover
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| 1250122465
| 9781250122469
| 1250122465
| 3.89
| 143,670
| Feb 09, 2017
| Jul 18, 2017
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liked it
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Three and a half stars, teetering into four star territory. Cass is headed home to her cottage and husband when she passes a car on the road. She is dr Three and a half stars, teetering into four star territory. Cass is headed home to her cottage and husband when she passes a car on the road. She is driving on a secluded road, a "shortcut", in the middle of a relentless rain storm. She sees a woman sitting in a car but can't tell who it is. She pulls over but is afraid to get out, partially due to the storm but more because of her fear that it may be a set up for a robbery or worst. The woman in the car remains sitting there. Cass drives away promising herself she will call the police when she gets home. She forgets to call and wake up that next morning to discover on the news that the woman was murdered that night. She is engulfed by guilt and, worried how others will see her actions, tells no one including her husband or the police. Shortly after this, she finds her memory failing. She forgets a number of things ranging from where she left her coffee cup to where she parked her car. She doesn't remember buying things like a baby pram or ordering the installation of a house alarm. She believes that someone is in her house or sees what she thinks may be the murder knife on the kitchen table but the police find nothing when they arrive. And then there are the constant phone calls from someone who doesn't respond when it is picked up. Cass fears that she is being stalked by the murderer of the young woman but she is just as afraid that she may be having a mental breakdown or is beginning the descent into dementia. The experienced reader of suspense and mystery novels will catch on to a tried and true theme in The Breakdown very quickly. it is about a woman that appears to be mentally deteriorating . The experience with the woman in the car is the catalyst and we read to see how they relate to each other and if they relate at all. The author, B. A. Paris, plays it like a fiddle. We read the narration in Cass' perspective so we do not get the clues until she does. Cass is a young woman who is in love with her husband and life in general but is constantly worried about suffering the fate of her mother which was early onset dementia. We can instantly identify with the potential loss of her dreams to an unforgiving ailment. Paris pays into that well and it is what makes The Breakdown so involving. But while this is what holds us, it is the familiarity of the plot that may hinder our full enjoyment. This is well traveled territory and, while the author tries hard to place some new twists into it, sooner or later it becomes formulaic. Most readers will figure out what is going on early if not necessarily all the whos and hows. Fortunately those whos and hows is what keep us in the read. Paris uses a nice gimmick near the resolution to feed us the loose ends while our protagonist wraps up the ending. It all works but it doesn't knock me out of my seat and eventually makes the great beginning and slow build up a little less effective. While it doesn't break any new ground, it is still an entertaining novel and a solid psychological thriller made most effective by its study of a woman potentially losing her mind to her life long fears. It still gets a strong three and a half stars and my solid recommendation for an entertaining suspense read. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 17, 2017
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Jul 19, 2017
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Jun 27, 2017
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Hardcover
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| 0544968840
| 9780544968844
| 0544968840
| 4.26
| 65,112
| Jun 27, 2017
| Jun 27, 2017
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it was amazing
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2017 appears to be the year of the suspense thriller. There has already been a number of quality ones out there and a few more of them usually show up
2017 appears to be the year of the suspense thriller. There has already been a number of quality ones out there and a few more of them usually show up during the summer. The term "Summer Read" seems to be tailor made for the mystery and suspense audience. For the most part, they are diverting and fun reads for the beach but occasionally a few goes past the quick read and amazes us with their combination of mystery, psychological suspense and even a dose of horror. The first one to wow me this year was Final Girls by Riley Sager. And now dead on its heels is The Fourth Monkey by J. D. Barker The Fourth Monkey is one of those books that dares you to read it in one sitting. The suspense rarely lets up and there are a pair of very interesting and troubled protagonists that keep our interest. It is a serial killer novel that comes at a time when the sub-genre seems to be getting thin and predictable. Barker's novel manages to take a number of well worn ideas, such as the detective and killer duel of minds and the race against time to save the victim. Yet the author is able to keep it interesting and fresh. Homicide detective Sam Porter is recovering from the death of his wife but is pulled back to work when a six year old serial killer case that he has been on from the beginning seems to be coming to a head. The Four Monkey Killer (4MK as the officers not-so-affectionately call him) has been hit and killed by a bus. How do they know it is him when no one knows his identity? He had in his procession when he died a box with his victim's ear in it, signifying the first monkey "Hear no evil", and a diary proclaiming him to be that killer. 4MK has killed a number of young girls in the past years. Since he mailed boxes with bodies parts in them before he finally kills them, Porter surmises there is one more victim who is still alive. Sam Porter and his partner Nash now needs to find her with only a few clues and the killer's diary to guide them. And this is where it gets interesting. We follow the tracks of the detective as they uncover each clue. There are plenty of red herrings and twists to entertain even the most jaded mystery fan. However, in alternating chapters we read the diary in which 4MK essentially tells us about his childhood and his origins giving us another thriller and mystery as it goes along. We know these two stories will come together at some point and the way it happens is the intricate web that the author weaves. The killer and detective appear to be continuing their battle of wits even beyond the grave as the diary haunts Porter and brings up a few ghosts of his own. This is a hardcore cop and killer tale and one of the best I have read in a long time. I caught a few of the surprises and missed a few more which is good because it kept me guessing. Yet Sam Porter is the character that keeps the novel from just being a who-dunnit puzzle. He is tough and determined but vulnerable to the point you wonder if he will keep it together. 4MK is also a vital protagonist and the gimmick of using his diary to egg on and tease Porter works so well I stopped thinking of it as a gimmick especially since 4MK's back story is as riveting as the central plot. We also never lose the tension of the race against time which is often so important in books like this. J.D. Barker wrote a monster of a serial killer story and it may be hard to top it. But my money is on Barker to do so in his very promising career. He has the skills and the imagination to continue with a string of great thrillers. For right now, The Fourth Monkey will more than suffice. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 23, 2017
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Jun 28, 2017
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Jun 23, 2017
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Hardcover
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| 1101985364
| 9781101985366
| 1101985364
| 3.82
| 232,288
| Jul 11, 2017
| Jul 11, 2017
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it was amazing
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The term “Final Girl� is a movie term referring to the final woman to confront the killer and survive in a slasher/horror movie. It is a well-known cl
The term “Final Girl� is a movie term referring to the final woman to confront the killer and survive in a slasher/horror movie. It is a well-known cliché that is prevalent in slasher films like Halloween, Friday the 13th and countless others but in real life it is virtually a non-existent event. Certainly it is common to anyone who has ever seen a slasher film. In the book of the same name by Riley Sager we are invited to contemplate the existence of three final girls and how the events afterward will affect them. In Final Girls, Quincey Carpenter went to a cabin five years ago with five friends. She becomes the only survivor of a gruesome bloodbath. Before Quincey went through her nightmare, there were previously two similar but different incidents where two other women, Lisa and Samantha, survived a psychotic killer to be the only survivor. The media dubs all three “Final Girls� and, although they never met in person, there is a sense of unity and support between them as members of a club no one wants to be in. Quincy appears to be surviving well with help from her boyfriend and Coop, the police officer who saved her that night and became a sort of guardian for her. However her safety net starts to unravel when Lisa is reported to have committed suicide and Sam shows up on Quincey’s doorstep unannounced and for reasons not clearly apparent. This sets up what is so far the best thriller to see light in the year of 2016. It is beautifully paced, constantly riveting, and pulls the reader into a tangled relationship that is not clearly revealed until the final chapter. Quincey is both strong in her willingness to survive but also fragile. She does not remember entirely what happened that night and has avoided confronting it, preferring to hide herself in her baking blog and letting her boyfriend and her guardian cop protect her. When Sam arrives it is both welcomed and questioned. Both of them are tough but not totally stable and the reason why Sam has chosen this particular time is constantly on Quincey’s mind. Yet they seem to connect because they went through a similar hell. Sam does indeed have an agenda but what it is will become slowly apparent as various twists and turns occur. Sam seems to be eager to get Quincey to remember the event of five years ago while Quincey feels safe and guarded in her loss of memory. The game between Quincey and Sam deepens while the reader is given flashbacks to Quincey’s horrific night five years ago. These flashbacks gives us more clue to the connection between past, present and the final girls. I cannot overemphasize how deeply this tale of suspense grabbed me. Quincey is a beautifully complex character with levels of conflicts that one would see in anyone who went through such a nightmare. Sam is more of a mystery but she still rings true as one whose past is overwhelming her. The question forming the mystery are several. What really happened in the death of Lisa? What really happened five years ago at Pine Cottage where Quincy became the only survivor? And what is Sam’s real reason for showing up in Quincey’s life. The answers to these and other questions will probably not be the ones you expect but that is the wonder of a suspense mystery like this. Final Girls is probably destined to be compared to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train but that may be unfair. I became fascinated by both Quincey and Sam in a way I did not in the other two best sellers. The twists and turns of Final Girls came on swift and natural but surprisingly. It is a clockwork of suspense hitting all the right alarms in your head. I feel comfortable in saying that we are looking as not only the big summer hit but one of the best, if not the best, thriller for 2017. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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May 08, 2017
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May 16, 2017
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May 17, 2017
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Hardcover
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| 147362908X
| 9781473629080
| 147362908X
| 4.03
| 1,832
| Feb 23, 2017
| Feb 23, 2017
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it was amazing
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We are now to the 12th installment of the Hap and Leonard series by Joe R. Lansdale and they just don't seem to wearing out their welcome. If they wer
We are now to the 12th installment of the Hap and Leonard series by Joe R. Lansdale and they just don't seem to wearing out their welcome. If they were real I would invite them to every party I held. Hap and I seem to be kindred spirits in our cautious liberalism and Leonard would keep the party lively assuming he doesn't kick the ass of everybody else at the party. I would just have to be careful I didn't provoke him into his habit of indiscriminate urinating...But I digress. The last couple of books were fun but there was signs of a formula showing through. That isn't in itself a bad thing. All mystery series have formulas. But if it starts to show too much it doesn't feel fresh. Rusty Puppy feels fresh. There may be a number of reasons for this. First, Lansdale has added a new character in the form of Hap's daughter Chance. While her role in this book is minor, she still gives Hap something to reflect on and reveal new sides of him. Then there was that very close shave with death in Honky Tonk Samurai. I don't think it's just me to think Hap is a little more cautious and aware of his mortality (and others) in this book. Leonard is still Leonard but that is what makes him a delight in every single novel The basic idea here is that a black woman persuades Hap to investigate the murder of her son. At first he and Leonard simply plan to question a potential witness who claims he saw the police kill her son. Of course it gets much more complicated as they come to task with corrupt cops, an old acquaintance of Leonard who once beat him in a boxing match ("By points" Leonard reminds everyone), a vindictive bartender, and a four hundred year old vampire midget (or maybe just a foul-mouthed little girl) As for the varied and sundry things that show up in every Hap and Leonard novel that gives it uniqueness, everything fits like a brass knuckle. The Lansdale wit is there, the dialogue is as snappy as a Texas turtle, and minor characters like Marvin Hansen shines when the time comes. Oh. And Leonard has a new boy friend from an unlikely source. Rusty Puppy is one of the best in the series and proves that there is still plenty of life in the East Texas odd couple. If you are already into the series you will not be disappointed and if you are not...What's holding you back? ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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May 03, 2017
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May 12, 2017
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May 03, 2017
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Paperback
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| 1503942856
| 9781503942851
| 1503942856
| 3.72
| 7,965
| Feb 01, 2017
| Feb 01, 2017
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really liked it
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The first thing I recommend if you plan to read The Winter Over by Matthew Iden, is to turn your thermostat up. You are bound to feel more chilled tha
The first thing I recommend if you plan to read The Winter Over by Matthew Iden, is to turn your thermostat up. You are bound to feel more chilled than usual as you read this mystery/adventure novel set in the nine month long winter of Antarctica. The biggest strength of Iden's thriller is how he makes the dark and cold Antarctic environment and the seclusion of those inhabiting a research station come alive. The detail he puts in describing the compound and all the work needed to keep something like that operating is quite impressive. And they become very important details as we continue reading. Cassie is a new worker at the Shackleton station. She is a hired as a vehicle mechanic but takes on a number of tasks in the station as many of the maintenance workers do. There is a bit of a class chasm between maintenance crew and scientists but the station keeps operating well despite of it. The long winter is about to start and the overall staff has been cut down to about 40 to keep the station going throughout the dark months and the well under freezing temperatures. The last plane is about to leave and there will be no way to leave the station after that. It's a yearly event which no one worries too much about except there is a seemingly accidental death just days before the last plane leaves. Cassie discovers some things to make her wonder about that death but it is not until well into the dark and cold isolation that she starts to put it all together. I'm tempted to be corny and say, "But is it too late?" but won't because I think you get the idea. This is one of those stories that benefit from the reader knowing little about it before they dive into the pages. In basic plot ideas, The Winter Over is essentially one of those mysteries in which a finite number of people are trapped and you are wondering if any will make it out. But there are quite a few differences in this particular "And Then There Were None" scenario, of which many would make Agatha Christie envious. Iden spends a lot of time setting the scene well through half of the book. This leads a number of readers to call the book slow but I would rather call it " well planned". It isn't a case of "nothing happened" as much as a lot of little things are happening. Sooner or later though, all of frozen hell breaks out and it all makes sense. Lots of hints are scattered about and I suspect the savvy mystery buff will figure it out by the halfway point. Yet it is a very satisfying mystery that is weaved around a tight and well conceived setting. Like i said. Keep that thermostat up. Many might consider this novel typical of a summer read and if you live in the desert like i do, it would probably a wise one when the temperature gauge hits 12oF.. But it's early in the year so let's call this a winter read perfect for around the fireplace. It is sort of a "Who Goes There?/The Thing" without the alien although there are monsters of a variety, the kind you meet every day. Mystery and adventure fans in particular will like this but anyone who loves good storytelling should give it a try. ...more |
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1
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Mar 02, 2017
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Mar 08, 2017
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Mar 02, 2017
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Paperback
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| 1612968074
| 9781612968070
| 1612968074
| 3.98
| 7,648
| Jan 19, 2017
| Jan 19, 2017
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it was amazing
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Suspense novels that deal with abduction, torture, and rape have a fine line to tread. The good ones must shock and scare but not cross over the line
Suspense novels that deal with abduction, torture, and rape have a fine line to tread. The good ones must shock and scare but not cross over the line into gratuitousness. At the beginning of the novel I worried Doll House would do just that. It is certainly shocking and gruesome but John Hunt manages something quite impressive. The gory descriptions of violence do manage to shock but they also serve to strengthen the character and her resolve to overcome her ordeal. Doll House eventually becomes a story of bravery and perseverance. We meet Olivia and her father on the first page They are likeable and admirable people. Olivia is headed to college yet almost immediately she is abducted. That sets up the nightmare and the reader is thrown into a whirlwind of violence and terror. The author does a brilliant bit of paradox as Olivia is imprisoned in a room that is almost all pink. It's like a pretty doll house which is the farthest thing to that which she will be subjected to. That contradiction nicely serves to disorient the reader to the emotions and actions that will follow. If this nightmare continued through the entire book it just may be too much for most people. Fortunately , through incidents that will remain unspoken to prevent spoilers, we do get a reprieve from the horrors. That does not mean the tension is over. The suspense is still carried on by Hunt's excellent storytelling skills and the book becomes more of a mystery and a portrayal of physical and emotional survival. But what keeps this tale so riveting is the relationship between the characters. Olivia and her father is the linchpin but even seemingly less important interactions like that of the victims (Yes, there's more than one victim. I'll let that little teaser out!) and even the interaction between the kidnapper are important. A good horror-suspense tale to some extent must make the reader uncomfortable. It is about those things you do not want to experience in real life. Horror and suspense are indeed cathartic. Hunt packs a huge punch in this book, teetering over the boundary sometimes perhaps, but redeems himself by making the protagonist of the novel someone you cannot help but root for. Doll House is the first great suspense novel I've read this year. ...more |
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1
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Feb 20, 2017
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Apr 15, 2017
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Feb 20, 2017
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Paperback
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| 1787050416
| 9781787050419
| 1787050416
| 4.12
| 8
| Feb 01, 2017
| Feb 01, 2017
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really liked it
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Bernard Quist is a private investigator although he prefers the term "Consultant detective". He recently hired a young 19 year old black youth by the
Bernard Quist is a private investigator although he prefers the term "Consultant detective". He recently hired a young 19 year old black youth by the name of Watson to be his assistant. Lately the detective trade has been centered around tracking unfaithful spouses and working divorce cases. But when a somewhat seedy thug asks them to prove his fiancee did not die of a suicide, it takes them into serial killer territory with a string of murders involving employees of a pharmaceutical company. Does Bernard Quist remind you of anyone in particular? Cat Flap is a clever take-off on the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. But while Quist has a lot in common with the great detective there is plenty of reasons Quist is his own man. Ian Jarvis is clearly making a tribute of sorts to Sherlock Holmes but he is also successfully creating a detective that can stand on its own. This is a modern mystery complete with all the fixings of contemporary England but Quist seems slightly out of place. There is a reason for this but that must be kept a secret for now. Enter 19 year old Watson, a thoroughly contemporary but sometimes naive British lad with a sense for all the modern things that Quist seems clumsy around. There is an vast array of secondary and minor characters that add to the plot, perhaps too many. But it all makes sense in the end and the reader realizes that this was one clever ride. But what really makes this novel work is the humor. It is a clever dry wit that shows up in the dialogue whether Quist is giving his eager assistant back-handed compliments or commenting on that which no one else gets. When the mystery takes a supernatural turn, the author is right there gauging the reactions of the characters and making a few odd quirks in the plot instantly understandable. Overall, Cat Flap is a fun novel. It's hard to take it too seriously but easy to get caught up in the fun. While the Holmes pastiche beginning helps one get hooked, the novel soon becomes its own story. In fact, now that the character are introduced and developed, it might be good to dump the Holmes connection altogether in the next inevitable books. Quist is too interesting to play second fiddle. ...more |
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Feb 02, 2017
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Feb 10, 2017
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Feb 10, 2017
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Paperback
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| B0DTWG2RSQ
| 3.40
| 50
| unknown
| Jan 24, 2017
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it was ok
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In the world of suspense and mystery, plausibility is an big issue. The task for most mystery writers is to make the implausible plausible. A good mys
In the world of suspense and mystery, plausibility is an big issue. The task for most mystery writers is to make the implausible plausible. A good mystery novel is often loaded with coincidences and those coincidences must be such that the reader is willing to suspend belief at least for a little while as the author patches them up to create a believable whole and a believable conclusion. The issues with Isolation is all about plausibility. The plot starts with an unlikely premise and is then loaded with one thing on top of another. To a certain extent it works. The author, Neil Randall, has a lightning style that keeps throwing weird things at you and leave you wanting for more...and a resolution. The set-up is certainly irresistible. Nigel Randolph is an unassuming man who works in a government office taking safety complaints. He receives a photograph of what appears to be a murder scene. At first he thinks it is a prank but changes his mind when the exact same scene shows up on the news. He reports it to the police and becomes more involved when it is discovered the two murdered women were,along with Nigel, part of a therapy group ten years earlier when he was having mental health problems. Pretty soon there are other deaths of people Nigel knew and they all seem to be related to that therapy group. There are other strange clues. A drawing of an great horned owl keeps showing up coupled with a Native American myth. A new girl friend comes into his life while an old girl friend is writing things about Nigel that is the opposite of what he remembered. And of course, he is quickly becoming the police's prime suspect. It all mounts up quite well until a situation involving Nigel going to a house to investigate a complaint really stretches my ability to suspend disbelief. It never quite recovers from that point. But the storytelling skills of Randall is good enough to keep my interest until... The ending. Oh, that ending. I certainly do not want to ruin it but it is a cliche. It explains the piling of coincidence but in the least original way possible. What the author meant to be a shock become merely a groan and deadens any enthusiastic for wanting the author to wrap up all the loose ends. It's too bad since I really did like the build-up regarding of the heightening of the implausibility. Yet that style of build-up always risks falling off the edge and this edge is off the Empire State Building, so to speak. It isn't that an ending like this can't work. It simply doesn't. In order for it to work we need an inkling of a clue so when we get there we can say, "Why didn't I see that coming." We do not get it. What should feel like a surprise feels more like a cheat. It is too bad because the plot really grabbed me at least for a while. Neil Randall writes well and to some extent there was good structuring of his plot. Yet if an author piles on the implausible there must be a climax that pulls it off. That is what's missing and why I can not recommend Isolation ...more |
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1
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Dec 26, 2016
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Dec 28, 2016
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Dec 26, 2016
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Kindle Edition
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| 1596068043
| 9781596068049
| B01MTZWS14
| 3.71
| 395
| 2017
| Jan 31, 2017
|
liked it
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The saga of Hap and Leonard continues with this barely-a-novella, Coco Butternut. In case you are wondering, Coco Butternut is a dead dachshund. Its b
The saga of Hap and Leonard continues with this barely-a-novella, Coco Butternut. In case you are wondering, Coco Butternut is a dead dachshund. Its body has been dug up and held for ransom to be paid by the previous owner of the dog. To be more precise, the son of the previous owner who was his deceased mother. It seems like a simple task for the lads; pay the ransom and collect the coffin and the canine "pickled"corpse ("Embalmed and wrapped like a mummy..Not pickled" says the dog owner's son Farmer to Leonard). But something doesn't seem right and when they complete the deal, it becomes obvious to them why it doesn't seen right... As far as Hap and Leonard stories go, this is a barely inconsequential one. I am tempted to call it my least favorite book but my least favorite Lansdale work is still better than 90% of other writer's best works. It is short, sweet and simple...and doesn't really give us any new insight to the duo and their extended family. We now have Chance, Hap's daughter, in the gang but nothing is really added here except maybe that Chance is spending too much time around Leonard and picking up a little attitude. There is nothing amiss with the story either, except we really do not learn much of what happened after Hap's flirtation with death in the last substantial novel, Honky Tonk Samurai. I think we may need to wait for the next substantial novel, Rusty Puppy for the details. Basically, the Hap and Leonard novellas that has recently bridged the gap between novels are diversions. They are entertaining and well written as is anything Lansdale puts to paper. But they are not essential. This one may be the least essential of them all. It still merits three stars. I love this series and can't even think of rewarding it less but I really hope no Hap and Leonard novice starts with this book. That would be dismaying. ...more |
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1
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Dec 2016
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Dec 02, 2016
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Dec 02, 2016
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Kindle Edition
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| B01GQDECJY
| 3.97
| 2,564
| Jun 15, 2016
| Jun 21, 2016
|
it was amazing
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Sometimes covers and descriptions for novels can be slightly deceptive. Blister is a good example of this. From the somewhat disturbing cover it appea
Sometimes covers and descriptions for novels can be slightly deceptive. Blister is a good example of this. From the somewhat disturbing cover it appears to be a horror story. The description on the book tends to confirm this. Yet after reading this alternatively funny and intense book, I think that is too simplistic a term. Blister is a constantly entertaining tale that has large parts of comedy, horror and mystery and maybe even a love story. Blister centers on a sometimes immature but successful cartoonist named Jason Tray. Due to one of those immature moments, he is persuaded to retreat to his agent's cabin near a small lake town. While at a bar, his new drunk friends take him to peek at the local scary legend, a hideously burned and damaged woman who is kept secluded by her father. Jason is shocked by what he sees and also shamed by his actions. He goes back the next day to apologize and finds , as we should already know, that what we are is not necessary apparent on the surface. This is what Blister is about but it is also about closely guarded secrets and decisions that haunt us for a long time. We find out early what happened to the burned woman yet that doesn't mean we know everything, as least not yet. The characters of Blister range from well-intended to ghoulishly crazy yet they all seem real enough to involve us in the tale. Strand's big gift is the ability to make us laugh at even the strangest and most twisted moments. There is a lot of humor in this novel yet when the serious stuff starts, the humor doesn't put us off. It a natural humor that comes from acknowledging the bad as well as the good. There are two authors that seems to have a real gift at portraying wit in a natural dialogue that sees the humor in even the scariest times. One is Joe R. Lansdale and the other is Jeff Strand. Blister despite its horror designation works best as a mystery and as a story about unlikely friendships. I say this not to put off the horror fans, to which I owe a great part of my readership to, but to encourage those who do not like horror that much to give it a try, Yes I know there are a few of those out there. Hi mom! You guys! Ignore the scary cover and be prepared to laugh, to cry...just read the damn thing okay? ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 30, 2016
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Jul 2016
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Jul 01, 2016
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| 1616961910
| 9781616961916
| 1616961910
| 4.06
| 576
| Mar 15, 2016
| Mar 01, 2016
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it was amazing
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After nine novels and a handful of short fiction pieces, Hap Collins and Leonard Pine has finally busted out from cult favorites to prime time. Well,
After nine novels and a handful of short fiction pieces, Hap Collins and Leonard Pine has finally busted out from cult favorites to prime time. Well, I'm not sure The Sundance Channel counts as prime time but it is close enough. The TV series Hap and Leonard premiered to generally good responses and critical applause. Of course, the media being the media, it calls for a crossover hype and that is why we have this very welcomed compilation of the Hap and Leonard novellas and short stories complete with a TV show tie-in and photos. It should be noted that nothing in the book, Hap and Leonard, ties in with the plot of the first season of the TV series. If you want that, you need to get the first book, Savage Season, of which the first season follows closely. On a logical note, it would have made better sense to just reissue the first book with all those nice photos. I'm sure there is a perfectly good business reason this was not done that eludes me. But if that happened, then we would not have received this nifty collection of shorts. So let’s put away the speculation and talk about content. A quick summary for those who don’t know Hap and Leonard. Hap Collins is a somewhat liberal and idealistic white straight male who spent time in prison for refusing be drafted during the Vietnam War. His experiences up to the present time challenged his idealism but did not extinguish it. Leonard Pine is a black conservative gay Vietnam vet with a more cynical (he would say "practical") look at human nature. He's not above busting the bad guy’s head. In fact, he rather enjoys it. What they have in common is a deep bond as "brothers from other mothers" which pulls them out of all the deep shit they end up getting into through the nine novels plus. It is this deep bond that makes Hap and Leonard so different and appealing to their fans. Hap and Leonard are East Texas Everymen with very tough hides. The best way to experience the East Texas odd couple is to start with book one and go from there. But even for Hap and Leonard beginners, this collection may be a great place to start too. We get two novellas,"Hyenas" and "Dead Aim"of which I have already reviewed when they were in book formhere and here. Then you have five shorter tales that add onto the persona and even give a little boyhood background. Also included; a Joe R Lansdale appreciation by Michael Koryta, an interview with Hap and Leonard and an afterword by Lansdale giving a little background on their origins. “Hyena� and “Dead Aim�, the novellas I mentioned earlier, are very typical adventures for the guys. They offer the meat for this dinner. Veil's VIsit, a collaboration between Lansdale and Andrew Vachss, brings us a look at a minor character in the H & L canon but also an important insight. “Bent Twig� starts out as a thriller featuring Hap on his own but doesn’t stay that way. He and his girlfriend Brett are again saving her wayward daughter Tillie. Bret refers to her as not broken but a “bent twig�. Finally of the contemporary short works, there is “Death by Chili�, a lighter and delightful conceit in which Leonard does his own version of Sherlock Holmes. That leaves two other stories which for me are the icing on this literary cake. “Not Our Kind� tells of the meeting of Hap and Leonard as teenagers. It gives us an understanding of their bond at a time when their friendship was not generally accepted. But the masterpiece short in this collection is the “The Boy who Became Invisible�. When I first read I I did not realize it was Hap who was the narrator until almost the end. It stands on its own as a poignant and disturbing look at childhood and the events that may form our view of life when we get older. “Joe R. Lansdale interviews Hap Collins and Leonard Pine� is cute but doesn’t give the stalwart H & L fans any new insight. I’m sure it will be helpful for the neophytes. Finally, “The Care and Feeding and Raising up of Hap and Leonard� is a well needed look at their origins and the author’s development through the years with these two endearing but unusual crime fighters. So altogether, I see this as an essential Hap and Leonard addition and one that would be helpful to those who come across the guys through the TV series. But to be fair, any Hap and Leonard is good for me. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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May 06, 2016
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May 20, 2016
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Apr 08, 2016
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Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0802124887
| 9780802124883
| 0802124887
| 3.53
| 3,249
| May 03, 2016
| May 03, 2016
|
it was amazing
|
The six pieces of short fiction in The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror may not be what some people would call tales of terror. With the exceptio
The six pieces of short fiction in The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror may not be what some people would call tales of terror. With the exception of a shocker at the end of the title story, there is little shock and less violence. More often than not, the terror comes not in what happens at the end of the story but what the reader anticipates will happen. Joyce Carol Oates specializes in the psychological horror tale and the slow simmer. In each of these six works, there is a dark lingering feeling of dread that catches up with you in the end. And usually after you turned the lights out. That is what the author is all about. These are more like character studies with characters that are not quite right or made not quite right by the event about to happen. Take the title piece for instance. It is about a young boy who is attracted to dolls. The "found" dolls are hidden by him and develops on a meaning for him beyond obsession. The result of his "hobby" will probably become clear before the end but it is still a beautifully written climax with a worthy chill. "The Doll-Master" is the closest thing to a tale of terror yet that does not mean the other works are less disturbing. As an author, Oates is character driven. We are drawn to the neurosis and fears of the protagonists that the author has skillfully formed for us. In "Equatorial" we are engulfed in a woman's worries that she is not enough for her older husband. Is he having an affair? Did he convince her to go on this Galapagos Island Cruise with him simply to dispose of her? It is an exquisite paranoia as Oates writes it yet we are never sure if it is only paranoia. "Soldier" has a timely theme in its tale about a man who has either shot someone in self-defense or committed a despicable act of hate. "Gun Accident" depicts an tragic shooting that leads a woman scarred emotionally. The girl, now a woman years from the incident, tells us the story in first person narration and we experience both the child's terror and the older woman's feeling of regret and confusion. These stories succeed because they hit upon universe anxieties and fears. But, aside from the title tale, two other works really stood out for me. "Big Momma" is about a young girl who moves with her neglectful mother into a new school and neighborhood. In spite of her awkwardness and difficulty making friends, she finds a girl and her family who gives her the feeling of belonging she has been missing. But since this is a tale of terror, we know that there is a catch. Like "The Doll-Maker", we can connect to this yearning for something more meaningful and the horror comes in knowing the fulfillment will lead to tragedy. Finally, there is "Mystery Inc.", which is a delight because it is the closest thing to a traditional mystery in the collection. It would fit nicely in any mystery magazine and even feels a little old fashioned. Yet the turns it takes are quite interesting and if it is a tale of terror, it is one that leaves a wicked smile on our face. When it comes to the slow build, no one does it better than Joyce Carol Oates. But she knows to grab us up quickly in writing a protagonist that intrigues us, whether he or she is innocent, damaged or just plain evil. In all cases, we recognize something of theirs in us. It is what makes the author one of the more outstanding writers of our time and a perennial short-lister for the Nobel Prize for Literature. This little collection of six short stories is a good way to experience her talents. While she does not grab you with the shock and awe of more current horror writers, you will find the type of terror that catches up with you long after you have incorporated her strange but irresistible cast of characters into your psyche. ...more |
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1
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Mar 23, 2016
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Apr 07, 2016
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Mar 02, 2016
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 1455561789
| 9781455561780
| 1455561789
| 3.72
| 130,610
| May 31, 2016
| May 31, 2016
|
it was amazing
|
In Before the Fall, we get a novel that works on many layers. It is a mystery, a suspense novel, a portrayal of a man being changed by tragedy, and a
In Before the Fall, we get a novel that works on many layers. It is a mystery, a suspense novel, a portrayal of a man being changed by tragedy, and a social commentary on the nature of our news media. The amazing thing is not that it all works but it does work so effortlessly pulling us into each page right to the tense and surprising ending. A private plane is about to take off. Its passengers include a media mogul and his family, a financial manager who is suspected of money laundering and his wife, a struggling painter, and the three person flight crew. Fifteen minutes after take-off, the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are the painter and the four year old son of the media mogul. This is the premise that drives the novel. While the focus is on Scott, the painter who is trying to get his life back together even before the crash, each character gives us a glimpse of some important facet of the story. Those glimpses into the characters help us find out what happened to the plane as well as throwing us a few red herrings. The novel effortlessly moves back and forth through time as the puzzle is solved. There are a number of incidents and possible culprits that may tell something about why the plane plunged into the ocean. We see a classic ploy here; the idea of a number of unconnected characters merging into a significant and dramatic event. It is a scenario that is common to the literary scene. Yet the meat of the novel involves Scott and the aftermath of the crash. He is trying to define himself as people call him a hero. He does not see himself as a hero and shuns the spotlight. Yet the media alternately labels him hero, villain, and suspect through events beyond his control. He is our main connection with the present as the investigators try to find out what went wrong with only a four year old boy and a down-and-out recovering alcoholic artist as the witnesses. Then there is Bill Cunningham, a news anchorman who is a cross between Glenn Beck and Bill O� Reilly. Frankly there is nothing likable about Cunningham. He represents our modern media where the news is replaced by outrage and innuendos. He is the one who understand that the insatiable appetite of viewers centers on massaging their egos and telling them what they want to hear. Cunningham knows how to do his job and the introverted Scott appears to be a good target. Cunningham first appears to be a minor character but soon become a catalyst to the satisfying climax. The contrast between the intricate government investigators who want the truth and the new media who just want a story is beautifully set up. It is what moves this to being an intelligent mystery to the type of story that becomes a moving commentary on our “Breaking News� society. The author Noah Hawley knows how to structure a story with a wide range of characters, both major and minor. Hawley manages to keep Scott as the center while never losing sight of the mystery and how the rest of the protagonists are involved. This is the type of novel that should appeal to everyone and not just the mystery fans. In fact, I would say the mystery takes a back seat to character development especially in regards to our troubled artist. Nonetheless, when the mystery is solved, it and Scot with his present and escalating problems collide into a shunning ending. So far, this is the book to read this year. ...more |
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1
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Jun 13, 2016
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Jun 17, 2016
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Jan 21, 2016
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 0316329401
| 9780316329408
| 0316329401
| 3.96
| 2,411
| Nov 24, 2015
| Feb 02, 2016
|
really liked it
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This is the kind of mystery series that I hope never stops. Joe R. Lansdale's Hap and Leonard series is about two loyal if unlikely friends. Hap is a
This is the kind of mystery series that I hope never stops. Joe R. Lansdale's Hap and Leonard series is about two loyal if unlikely friends. Hap is a somewhat liberal straight white guy who did some time in prison for fighting the draft during the Vietnam War. Leonard is a conservative gay black man. Leonard is the cynical type that would rather pound you down to the ground than reason with you while Hap tries to remain optimistic while reluctantly agreeing that a good kick and punch might be necessary more often than not. It is one of those unlikely relationships that quickly become deeper than the bond in most families. Hap and Leonard have been through 9 full novels with at least two novellas and a few short stories on the side. Their relationship continues to be the strength of the series yet they have managed to latch on to a few friends along the way that help round them out, noticeably Hap's girl friend Rhett and private investigator, now police chief, Marvin Hansen. When you have so many books in your series, sometimes the plot can get rather similar. Yet with Joe R. Lansdale manning the pen, it is the characters and the smart-ass dialog that shine through. The real delight in Honky Tonk Samurai is that the friendship between Hap and Leonard is taking on the nature of a family with Rhett being the common sense grounding for the reckless duo. There is also another surprise in the family motif but I won't give that away. Honky Tonk Samurai is typically clever and funny with wonderful examples of the author's folksy humor like "you could have pushed me down with a hummingbird fart." But I fully appreciate the deeper relational aspects that continue to evolve with this pair of East Texas anti-heroes. The plot? While on a stakeout for their work for PI Marvin Hansen, Leonard sees a man kicking his dog. That is enough for Leonard to intervene in his unique style. A older woman records the beat-down and uses the video to "convince" Hap and Leonard to try and find her niece who has been missing for five years. This leads to an investigation involving high price prostitution, blackmail, a murderous motorcycle gang, and a particularly vicious hit-man who collects the ball sacs of his victims. Like I said, fairly typical Hap and Leonard. We also get quite a few cameos from some other characters of the Hap and Leonard novels Yet Honky Tonk Samurai, if a little same in plot, is different in theme and emotional intensity. We get a deeper side of Hap and even maybe a little more sincerity from the unpredictable Leonard. That is not to say the plot is dull or predictable. It is a hoot all the way through. But this book will be most appreciated by the real fans of the series who have followed the duo through thick and thin. Overall, it is a solid endeavor in the series and worthwhile readingfor all mystery fans. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 02, 2016
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Mar 05, 2016
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Dec 29, 2015
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Hardcover
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my rating |
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| 4.01
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really liked it
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Apr 09, 2018
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Apr 06, 2018
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| 3.76
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it was amazing
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Mar 12, 2018
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Feb 10, 2018
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| 3.93
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really liked it
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Apr 04, 2018
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Feb 10, 2018
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| 3.83
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liked it
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Jan 05, 2018
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Jan 01, 2018
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| 4.05
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really liked it
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Aug 10, 2017
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Aug 03, 2017
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| 3.19
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liked it
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Jul 10, 2017
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Jun 27, 2017
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| 3.89
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liked it
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Jul 19, 2017
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Jun 27, 2017
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| 4.26
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it was amazing
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Jun 28, 2017
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Jun 23, 2017
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| 3.82
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it was amazing
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May 16, 2017
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May 17, 2017
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| 4.03
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it was amazing
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May 12, 2017
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May 03, 2017
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| 3.72
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really liked it
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Mar 08, 2017
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Mar 02, 2017
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| 3.98
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it was amazing
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Apr 15, 2017
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Feb 20, 2017
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| 4.12
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really liked it
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Feb 10, 2017
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Feb 10, 2017
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| 3.40
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it was ok
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Dec 28, 2016
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Dec 26, 2016
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| 3.71
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liked it
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Dec 02, 2016
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Dec 02, 2016
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| 3.97
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it was amazing
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Jul 2016
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Jul 01, 2016
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| 4.06
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it was amazing
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May 20, 2016
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Apr 08, 2016
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| 3.53
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it was amazing
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Apr 07, 2016
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Mar 02, 2016
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| 3.72
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it was amazing
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Jun 17, 2016
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Jan 21, 2016
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| 3.96
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really liked it
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Mar 05, 2016
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Dec 29, 2015
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