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Greg's Reviews > Pick-Up
Pick-Up
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COUNTDOWN: Mid-20th Century North American Crime
Book 67 (of 250)
Do NOT look at the final page. No matter what! But when the second to the last line comes around, you might think 1) all this to work up for that reveal? or 2) the entire narrative now spins the story into a different light I hadn't even considered, and just how important, really, is that reveal? Well, it's huge, really, given that most villians in noir books are never given a chance. And the big reveal begs the question: what about the rest of the characters?
HOOK=3 stars: A man and a woman meet in a bar. Standard opener.
PACE=3 stars: Willeford keeps the story steady even after a whopper of a denouement just over half way through the story.
PLOT=4: Man meets woman, they attempt suicide, then there is a murder, then jail time. So far, typical. Then a twist, then another.
PEOPLE=5: Names, oddly, aren't important here: you will remember them for a different reason.
PLACE=3: San Francisco bars, jails, and cheap apartments all feel just right.
Summary: I'm giving this an average rating of 3.8. And I'm questioning the author's final twist. Yes, it gives the book a completely different spin. But at the same time, it neither makes the book itself, the writing, better or worse. A person gets fair treatment, and that is unusual for a noir novel.
Book 67 (of 250)
Do NOT look at the final page. No matter what! But when the second to the last line comes around, you might think 1) all this to work up for that reveal? or 2) the entire narrative now spins the story into a different light I hadn't even considered, and just how important, really, is that reveal? Well, it's huge, really, given that most villians in noir books are never given a chance. And the big reveal begs the question: what about the rest of the characters?
HOOK=3 stars: A man and a woman meet in a bar. Standard opener.
PACE=3 stars: Willeford keeps the story steady even after a whopper of a denouement just over half way through the story.
PLOT=4: Man meets woman, they attempt suicide, then there is a murder, then jail time. So far, typical. Then a twist, then another.
PEOPLE=5: Names, oddly, aren't important here: you will remember them for a different reason.
PLACE=3: San Francisco bars, jails, and cheap apartments all feel just right.
Summary: I'm giving this an average rating of 3.8. And I'm questioning the author's final twist. Yes, it gives the book a completely different spin. But at the same time, it neither makes the book itself, the writing, better or worse. A person gets fair treatment, and that is unusual for a noir novel.
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Reading Progress
July 12, 2018
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Started Reading
July 13, 2018
– Shelved
July 13, 2018
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Finished Reading
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James
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Jul 14, 2018 01:23PM
I've really enjoyed the other Willeford books that I've read, Greg, especially the Hoke Mosley series. I'll look for this one.
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James wrote: "I've really enjoyed the other Willeford books that I've read, Greg, especially the Hoke Mosley series. I'll look for this one."I'll look for the Hoke Mosley series. Many of these books are no longer in libraries, but there is always Amazon. And used book stores. And yard sales. Can you imagine the billions of paperbacks stored away in attics and basements across the world?
Greg wrote: "Can you imagine the billions of paperbacks stored away in attics and basements across the world? ..."Exactly!
Greg, nice review! I just read this book and found the "big reveal" at the end to be pretty nonsensical. There were several instances that you can look back on and see them as clues, but they don't make any meaningful impact on the story. And, given how overly (almost ridiculously) fair the justice system is at the end, it REALLY doesn't work. That being said, I had great fun reading this. The beginning part reminded me of the movie Barfly. Have you read other books by this author?
You, Glenn and many others contribute such beautifully detailed reviews. I just choose the stars, for the most part, and write something terse.
The rarer Willeford novels are damn expensive.
Robin wrote: "Greg, nice review! I just read this book and found the "big reveal" at the end to be pretty nonsensical. There were several instances that you can look back on and see them as clues, but they don't..."I can't find any at my 2 library systems. For my readathon, I only read things at the library because I thought maybe other people might come upon something they'd like to read.
Cbj wrote: "The rarer Willeford novels are damn expensive."They are stupendously expensive! I suppose many of these noir authors didn't have a reprint, but if they did, it would be in French. Anyone up for a book invasion?
