Mystery Crime Books

The strangest of the Bond novels.
We get a view of Bond from a Bond girl's eye so to speak.
In fact it is much more than that it proves quite effortlessly that Ian Fleming COULD write... fans of the bang/crash/wallop films maybe will find hard to digest but it is an excellent piece of literature... thriller literature if you want... simply a classic book in my humble opinion.
It is hard to believe it was written just after THUNDERBALL... Disco Volante, US Nuclear Submarines, Atomic bombs and the whole paraphernalia...
Fleming at his most intimate (and caustic observation and detail of an American motel thrown in for good measure).
A MUST READ

ADB

I have read all of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels and this novel was the least enjoyable. It almost seems as if Fleming was having sometime of life crisis or personal issue while writing this book.

The book is written in 3 parts, like 3 separate short stories. The main character is not James Bond, but a 20-something woman named Vivienne Michel. The first part of the book is about her past, the second part is about her present situation, and the third part is about her rescue.

You read through half the book before James Bond makes an appearance. What is unusual is that the book is mostly written from Vivienne Michel's point of view.

Usually I can read one of Fleming's Bond books in 3 to 4 nights because they hold my interest. This book was a struggle to get through. All the novels written before and after this book were far more superior. Not sure what happened to Fleming when he was writing this novel, but I am glad some resolution came before his next book.

If you want to get to the action, read the last chapter of the second part and the entire 3 part. If you are having trouble sleeping, start at the beginning (good luck and sweet dreams).

It takes all of one word to see that Ian Fleming's tenth James Bond novel, The Spy Who Loved Me, is exceptionally out-of-the-ordinary. The first word of the book is "I". Immediately, it is obvious that unlike any other Bond book, this one will be narrated in the first person. Even more extraordinary is that the narrator is not Bond but a young woman named Vivienne Michel.

Vivienne is working at an off-the-beaten-track motel in the backwoods of upper New York. How she got there is the substance of the book's first part. Essentially, she is running after having a pair of bad love affairs, first with a college age boy who is willing to tell her anything just to sleep with her, then with an almost stereotypical German who summarily dismisses her after she disrupts the order of his life.

All this took place in England. Coming back to North America (she is Canadian) to escape her past, she winds up with a temp job at the Dreamy Pines Motor Court. After the motel has closed for the season, she winds up alone at the place while awaiting the arrival of the owner. Instead, on a dark and stormy night, two hoodlums arrive, intent on rape, murder and theft. Fortunately, by chance, another person arrives: James Bond.

Of course, as any Bond fan knows, this will end only one way, with bad guys vanquished and Vivienne falling for Bond. The title alone says it all, and points out one of the basic themes that run through many Bond books: no matter how damaged a woman is, a love affair with a real man (Bond) will cure all. This rather blatantly sexist message is definitely a product of Fleming's era and his target audience of men and comes off as more quaint than truly offensive.

If you enjoyed the movie, you will find the book unrecognizable; of all the Fleming books, this one shares only its title with its cinematic counterpart. While reasonably well-written, it is also a lesser Bond book. It has its appeal, but not as a Bond novel. The first part of the novel is pure soap opera and Bond himself doesn't appear until after the halfway point in the book. Nonetheless, if you're willing to read an offbeat Fleming novel, you should enjoy this book.

The Spy Who Loved Me is very different from the other books, as the story is told from the point of view of a woman, who eventually runs afoul of a couple of gangsters.

A long way into the book Bond turns up and has a confrontation with the crims and gets the girl. With SPECTRE finished, they are still looking for Blofeld.

When I found out that the content of this novel was entirely different from the content of the Moore flick, I decided to read the novel, and boy, am I glad I did. This is a moving, exciting, totally absorbing book, with terrific characterization and surprising tenderness. I couldn't have asked for a better "light" read, and I recommend it to just about anybody.

I loved Bone Collector, but I think that was Deaver's only success, at least for me. I've read two other Rhyme novels after that and found them dry and boring, this one included. The same `walking the grid', and `walk me through-it' Sachs from BC, here and with the same outcome. Rhyme having Sachs enter the mind of the killer and then suddenly (only after his guidance) comes into so many insights, how incredibly unrealistic is this after so much time together? She is not yet able to make these insightful conclusions on her own with his leading her to them? It's trite and more of the same.

The characters are incredibly boring, the antagonist "The Ghost", come on. We don't even have a name for him (it's easy to figure out his true identity I realized what it was only 35 pages or so into the novel). The victims, the family pursued by the Ghost, we never really have an understanding of them or any compassion. It just didn't develop for me. I was aching while reading this, thinking of all of the books I had waiting for me on the shelves that were interesting, with people and plots that I felt compelled to discover.

I do not know if I will try another Deaver novel after this, that is two poor outings in a row. Sachs and Rhyme are a great partnership but it's a partnership that never grows (later they become lovers which is a complete joke!) It continues with Rhyme being the real expert and Sachs, only involved because she so understands him, not because she has the ability to understand and analyze things on her own. It's more of the same, and now it's just boring. When she was a rookie, it was great, he was in the role of a teacher, but after so many cases to follow the same `I lead you follow' rule is not only unrealistic, it's an affront to Amelia's character and her lack of real development. I suppose curing Rhyme of his paralysis and having them become lovers was the only way Deaver could come up with for a change in the dimension of their relationship, which I think is so completely ridiculous it's an affront to their partnership completely. A much older, unattractive man that has always been a father figure to her, a teacher, she is a young, attractive police officer, and then they eventually become lovers because what else is there when you lack the imagination to be creative? Disappointing! She simply cannot exist without him and now it's not just crime scenes, it's the bedroom. Is Deaver writing about these characters or living out his own fantasties? It just does not follow any true road, its contrived. More of the same.

Avoid this, or not, it's your decision of course. There are many readers who love more of the same novels, like music fans that love a band who puts out the same CD over and over. If that is what you love, you might enjoy this.

I received the Stone Monkey a Hardcover book on 7/3/08. The book looked new, it is in very good shape. I have not read it yet. But I was very happy with the service I received.

Is Jeffery capable of writing a bad novel?

The research is yet again amazing, he talks to the reader instead of over them, and there are tremendous plot twists that take nothing away from the story.

This story of a Chinese immigrant smuggler is both informative and entertaining. It is impossible not to get sucked into the story and care about the characters, which is the sign that you are reading a novel from a polished author.

Deaver is a tremendous writer and I am always impressed with each one of his novels. This is highly recommended.

The Stone Monkey by Jeffery Deaver is loaded with suspense from first page until the very end you find yourself trying to figure out who the Ghost is, but this is one that can stump the guys who always figure out who done it by the second chapter. Every time you think you've got it figured out, someone gets killed and it all goes in another direction. This one has a medium pace and is easy to put down and pick back up, but the story is interesting and holds your attention. The villain has real depth and his presence whispers through the story keeping you on the lookout for a character that fits his shadowy presence. Like all Deaver's work, an enjoyable read.

In this novel, the duo of Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are on the case of an evil people trafficer, known only as the 'ghost'. The 'ghost' has just deliberately scuttled a cargo ship carrying his illegal immigrants, after locking them in the hold. However, a couple of families have escaped, and now he is ruthlessly on their trail, in the city of New York.

I found this novel a good read, if not quite a page turner. The combination of Rhyme and Sachs is always interesting, although, I feel, the large cast of characters, around them, from the different law enforcement agencies, can sometimes be a bit unwieldy, and on few occasions I had to think as to which character, belonged to which agency.

I thought there were a couple of small drawbacks to the book. Firstly, there seemed to be an awful lot of action/events going on in the space of just a few days, and, secondly, I felt some of the Chinese characters in the novel, were a bit too stereotyped. All in all, though, a fairly good book. Three and half to four stars.

I must admit I have been a big fan of J.A. Jance and her detective JP Beaumont for quite some time now. Not only are her mysteries top rate but her realistic setting in parts of Seattle are amazing. If you are from Seattle you have to read all of the books in the Beaumont series. I'm especially proud of the way she has memorialized the Doghouse, a popular Seattle restaurant that has since been closed.

This specific book is the 10th in the Beaumont series. It involves the murder of a fellow SPD officer and his family. Detective Beaumont teams up with Junior, the only family survivor, as well as Internal Affairs in an effort to get to the bottom of the murders. In this book Jance also gives a special recognition to local Seattle Radio Station KLSY and the Teddy Bear Patrol. Two fantastic organizations who have done a lot of good in the greater Seattle Community.

Buy this book and all the other Beau stories.
Read them from the first to the last.
Best read you'll ever have!
I love JP Beaumont!

This was my third J. A. Jance book and I will definitely be reading more.

Although I did get a feeling for Detective Beaumont in this book, I would have liked to be a little closer to the rest of the characters. Junior, for example, seems rather unbelieveably blah and emotionally capable of dealing with his situation. This seemed peculiar to me. I did not get a sharp understanding of several of the police officers' personalities.

I found myself reading along and hoping that in the next few pages, the pace would pick up and I would begin to feel the excitement that needs to accompany a thriller. Unfortunately, this never happened.

I do think the story shows the importance of the work done by organizations such as King County's Teddy Bear Patrol and supporting merchants and radio stations such as KLSY. For this reason alone I would recommend reading this book. Perhaps others will find it more to their liking if they have a different expectation than I did.

Detective Beaumont must clear the name of a fellow police officer and protect the officer's son from the sadistic killers who mudered the boy's family.

In the process of doing this he finds that the "brotherhood of the badge" might not hold for all officers.

J.A. Jance is a teriffic writer and you should enjoy this page turner.

A policeman and his family are brutally murdered. When J.P. Beaumont begins his investigation, he finds out some unsettling things about the slain policeman's association with known gang members. He also discovers that the man had been investigating some crooked cops. Which group murdered Ben Weston and his family and what was their motive? We see a softer side of Beaumont as he deals with a small boy who is the only survivor of the massacre. Jance is a reliable author and you can count on a good read in this series.

Ex Machina volume 6 bringgs back the high quality of the series that I thought volume 5 was lacking. The story is much more exciting, and gets you much more involved. However, it's frustrating thatit kind of hinted that all of the questions about Mitchell's past would be revealed, and it only raised more. Although, I guess that's what will keep readers coming back.

Ex Machina is one of those titles that should never work in the comic book medium. Former and short-lived superhero abandons his super-persona to become mayor of New York. And that happens before the start of the series. Let's be honest, if anyone but writer Vaughan and Harris were involved, this series simply wouldn't have worked.

Ex Machina: Power Down is a return to greatness for the creative duo. The storyline deals with Mayor Hundred struggling against a city-wide power outage just as a mysterious visitor takes his mother hostage in order to deliver Hundred an important message. That message has fascinated me and worked expertly as a bit of foreshadowing. In addition, as always, we are given flashbacks to Hundred's involvement with 9/11 as well as some back-story during his training days.

The Ex Machina series started with a bang, utterly captivating me with every panel. However, the last storyline in particular focused a little too much on Hundred's mayoral duties and not quite enough on the more fantastic elements of the series. Power Down is back to what makes Ex Machina work best--an equal blend of the realistic world of politics and the surreal world of super heroics.

Furthermore, let's not forget about the art! Harris' artwork is extraordinary and this series simply wouldn't be as enjoyable as it is without him. He gets better with every issue he draws, and he was excellent to begin with! Moreover, Mettler, the often-ignored colorist, is truly responsible for giving this book in particular much of its flavor. The colors demand your attention in such an unassuming yet powerful manner; it's astounding.

Finally, Power Down also offers a "special features" section in the back of the book with some background information given by both Vaughan and Harris. Very fun stuff if you're into the production aspect of the book.

Ex Machina is a must-read series for all lovers of literature.

~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant

This sixth trade paperback collects issues #26-29 of the acclaimed series. The August 2003 NYC blackouts are the backdrop for this segment. A mysterious visitor's appearance coincides with Mayor Hundred's loss of super-abilities. While enjoyable, this plot seemed slower than previous story arcs. Intermittent episodes reveal more of The Great Machine's actions on 9/11, including his diversion of the second plane.
The last 22 pages are 'Inside The Machine'. This collection of staged artwork and scripts expands on the material at the end of the first Ex Machina trade paperback. For the price, I would have rather seen DC include this material as a bonus instead of displacing the normal fifth issue.

This doesn't seem to integrate as nicely as the others. It starts slow but picks up the pace about 1/3 in. Still a great Sin City tale.

Sin City was a little weak in the middle, especially in Book 6, but with this volume Frank Miller finishes with a bang. The art is wonderful and the story intrigued me. There were also hilarious images referencing other famous comics in a scene in the middle of the book that made me laugh out loud. "Give 'em hell, boy!"

A new character is introduced here. Wallace is a struggling artist, just trying to get along. He rescues a woman, and gets into a whole lot of trouble for it.

Finding himself in the middle of a conspiracy, his high level of talent at the killing thing holds him in good stead, as does his Vietnam war background.

Frank Miller's Sin City is always full of surprises, with its gritty dialogue and creative/graphic violence. Book 7 of 7, Hell & Back is a love story. This book is quite different then the others, some color is shown and you'll see what I mean if you read it. I hope you enjoy this book!

The final book in the Sin City series, HELL AND BACK is a solid conclusion that neither reaches the heights of some of the earlier books though, thankfully, also does not reach some of the low points we have seen. Any reader who makes it through everything will not be disappointed.

HELL AND BACK's main character is new to the Sin City collection. Wallace is a war vet with fighting skills that rival those of Marv. Like Marv, he is motivated by an altruisitic, indeed tender, concern for others that he deems worthy of his troubles. The girl he just meets and saves, Esther, is worthy enough. When Esther is kidnapped, Wallace kills about...oh, exact numbers are hard to come by, but an awful lot of scum bags to get her back.

We once again encounter Delia, the beautiful yet deadly assassin introduced in Book 6, BOOZE, BROADS & BULLETS and we get a better understanding of exactly what kind of organization she works for. Let us just say, not many people will be busted up over the pile of bodies left in Wallace's wake. I do not know if there are any plans to make this book into a Sin City movie, but if there are, some of the more tender-hearted may experience some sleeping problems after seeing it.

Given that HELL AND BACK introduces new and interesting characters, it is hard to complain that the book is considerably bigger than the others in the series. (Who would do so anyway?) If Frank Miller ever writes more of these stories, picking up right here would be a-ok.

If you love Monk on TV, you will love these books. They follow the series exactly. Good reads. Mr. Monk in Outer space is the fifth title in this series. Two more are coming soon.

Although I've been watching the tv series of Mr Monk for several seasons, I only found out about the novels 2 weeks ago at my local library. I borrowed one and then hoarded the next three before anyone else got them. I was surprised how well written they were and how many crimes there were. Most normal crime novels devote their entire length to solving a single crime. In Lee Goldberg's Mr Monk, Monk hilariously solves anything from five to a dozen! Written from the first person aspect of Natalie Teager, the first four novella were, in some ways, actually more fun than the tv series. You cant see the actual compulsions so excellently and accurately portrayed on tv, but as there are no hourly time limits, Goldberg is free to include more shenanagans and raise Natalie's and Stottlemeyer's blood pressure just that little bit more!

Which leads me to book five- Mr Monk in Outer Space.

Obviously, Mr Monk isnt really in Outer Space per se. He'd have a coronary just thinking about it (although if he actually got there, he'd probably love the peace and quiet imho). But the crime committed happens just outside a scifi convention of Beyond Earth, a 1970's sci fi tv show.

This fifth novel was brilliant in some ways, but a little disappointing in others. I never like it when I solve the crime way in the beginning. It's like in Mr Monk and the Two Assistants, and he reads the mystery books and solves them after reading the first few pages. I also thought it was a bit unusual for Mr Monk to actually have to plan to draw the killer out at the end. That seemed a bit out of character.

Still, there's enough fun for the whole family, so to speak, and I am now about to dive into the sixth installment, Mr Monk Goes to Germany.

So overall, not the best of the series, but if this is a "bad one", then that says volumes about the quality of the others.

221. I've not read any other Mr. Monk books.

222. I've not seen a single episode from the television series.

223. I did find Mr. Monk in Outer Space, by Lee Goldberg, witty and, first and foremost, a mystery novel.

In Mr. Monk in Outer Space, "murders" at the headquarters of Burgerville (i.e., Burger King) and at the sci-fi convention for Beyond Earth (i.e., Star Trek), take Mr. Monk and his assistant, Natalie, to adventures involving revolving doors, four-breasted alien females, coffee stains, and animal heads.

The diatribe between Mr. Monk and... everyone else... is always interesting. When Monk's brother gets involved, Mr. Monk finds someone to pity.

I will look for another book in the series, and an opportunity to watch two or four episodes!

Just like the other Monk books, this one had me laughing out loud and making everyone around me jealous.

Mr. Monk is an obsessive-compulsive - and also a great detective who consults for the San Francisco Police Department. They only call him in for the really tough cases, like the murder of Conrad Lorber, CEO of fast-food giant Burgerville. And then the murder of Conrad Stipe, creator of the cult television hit Beyond Earth. But the corpses don't stop piling up there. Mr. Monk's incredible skill is needed!

The story is told by Natalie, Adrian Monk's long suffering assistant. A single mother with a 12 year old daughter, Monk seems to be Natalie's second parental responsibility.

Monk has enough quirks, neuroses and phobias to get his own chapter, if not volume, in the DSM. But his unique skills are needed to solve all these murders which have an oddness of their own. Lorber, for example . . . well, I don't want spoil it for you. So I won't tell you much about Conrad Stipe's murderer except that he has an odd nose and ears.

Though Monk can't make it through a revolving door, won't go to odd-numbered floors, counts the parking meters on streets, is afraid of elevators and so much more, his powers of deduction are so great, that solving the most baffling of murders is child's play for him.

But this time, he needs not only Natalie's help, but that of his brother as well. Ambrose Monk is an agoraphobic (panic disorder in today's lexicon) who hasn't left his house in years. But Ambrose is a successful writer of all manner of things like installation manuals. He is also the author of the authoritative history of Beyond Earth and understands Drach, the entirely made up language of one of Beyond Earth's characters. (If you get the impression that Beyond Earth is a send up of Star Trek, you're absolutely right - and it is very funny.)

Adrian Monk, for once, has to acknowledge his brother's worth, which is mildly heartwarming.

All in all, Mr. Monk solves a bunch of murders in his inimitable way and everyone lives neurotically forever after.

Lee Goldberg has turned out another very humorous installment of the Mr. Monk saga.

Jerry

I enjoyed this book, but unfortunately it lacked what was most interesting about the first book--the bad guys. I got tired of constantly being told how good Cadel was, and how perfect his girlfriend was, and frankly, all the details of the project he was working on in the story bored me out of my skull.

Nonetheless, as a whole the book is still a decent read, and I honestly didn't predict a couple of the twists towards the end.

i was very happy with this second book.it was every thing i hope it to be and more. i just can't wait until the next book.

Book Lover

This book is definitely for anyone who's a fan of the original Evil Genius. Interesting plot but the book lacked some of the better twist and turns of the original. The characters also feel a little less convincing / powerful when compared to the original. Not to give anything away but I felt Cadel really got turned into shadow of his old self and have none of the cunnings we saw earlier. (Uh oh, found myself agreeing with English on that front...)

Overall, interesting read. Well worth the time and effort. I am looking forward to the next one.

The first book in the series was pretty good.
I would recommend it to people who like crime,technology.
I ordered this book and it arrived on time

Cadel Piggott returns in this action-filled sequel to EVIL GENIUS, but he's not the same teen. The Cadel readers knew in the first book loved to create havoc just for the fun of it. However, after his life-threatening experiences at the Axis Institute with his father, Prosper English, he just wants to be a good person --- and even happy. He is helped in this change of conscience by his best friend, the paraplegic math genius, Sonja. In GENIUS SQUAD, other allies help fight Prosper and his evil, but he also finds more layers of enemies and surprises.

Cadel has an earnest social worker named Fiona who tries to protect him in a new foster home. He can go nowhere without police protection, though, as authorities are aware that Prosper once tried to kill him. He is now a key witness to the evils that went on at the Axis Institute and to Prosper's many illegal activities. Prosper is behind bars, though Cadel knows that barrier is nothing to another genius like himself and has seen the lengths to which Prosper will go. But he still feels that he's safe; after all, Prosper did not kill him when he had the chance before.

Prosper is always good at making trouble, and he is now denying that he's Cadel's father. This means that Cadel has no father on record, and with a dead mother, no citizenship in any country. So he cannot leave Australia, though the country will not recognize him. He is not allowed to take classes of any kind and is desperately bored. The foster home is run by well-meaning parents, but they are also the caretakers for a couple of other children, including the bully Mace. While Cadel tries hard to stay on the path of good, Mace pushes his buttons too far, and he develops a strategy to hurt him while still looking innocent. Mace promises revenge.

In the meantime, the very smart and stubborn Detective Saul Greeniaus has been assigned to Cadel's case and stops by frequently to give him updates on Prosper's situation and how it may affect him. When visiting Sonja one day, Cadel is approached by some adults who run the new Clearview House, a cover for Genius Squad, a group of gifted teens who will work to bring down GenonMe, a company linked to the deceased P. Drakkon and his minions, which included Prosper. They offer Sonja and Cadel $50,000 each and a home while they work on the computer hacking and coding with the other teens to find out what happens at GenonMe and who is behind it. The money and offer of living with Sonja are too good to pass up; the cash would buy Sonja good care well into the future. The problem is that they cannot tell Fiona or the detective. So Cadel begins a secret life again, but this time he seems to be working for good.

As the team works to bring down GenonMe, Prosper gets more active, even from prison. Cadel has to stay on his guard and trust his new allies to keep himself and Sonja safe.

GENIUS SQUAD is even more fun than EVIL GENIUS as Cadel Piggott is more likable when he is working for good. His new allies and friends add another layer of good guys to root for as well. The evil of Prosper English knows no bounds, even with the Axis Institute demolished. Without that school, it is harder to identify his helpers, despite clues throughout the book. The spy games and suspense are complicated at times, but the surprises will inspire readers to keep turning pages right until the end, when the next installment in the series is unveiled.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

King wrote this story as a vehicle to say that some mysteries have no conclusion. Fine, but those are the ones that don't become novels. The result is simply the impression that King copped out and just rambled on without knowing how to end this thing.

The three characters are ok but can't contend with the pointless ending.

Be warned, read the description and understand that the question asked on the cover does have an answer and that answer is NO.

Old stager stiff story.


A story about telling a story, in some ways. A couple of old stager journos recount to a young woman in the same industry the discovery of a body that takes some time to identify.

Being King, this is of course set in a slightly out of the way place in Maine.

A nifty little book.

On a trivia note, when you look up or listen to interviews with the publisher, you discover they approached King for a blurb for a book, thinking he might like their style I suppose.

Presumably there was some falling off charis when he said 'nope, won't do that. Will write you a book though.

A fair bit of rumination on the mystery of unsolved mysteries here.


3.5 out of 5

I felt SK was just experimenting again, but it did leave me (a devotee) dissapointed. It wont stop me from reading his future books though. He's dissapointed me before, but I keep coming back. It is good story up until it just "stops" being told.

This drivel is an insult to the Hard Case Crime library. It isn't pulp fiction, in fact, it just hasn't any style except more Z-grade Stephen King. To summarize the first 20 or so pages: waitress gets big tip. Next 25 pages, two old (but supposedly cool) codgers sit around and tease their young intern. Yessir, this is a real page turner! Problem is I'm turning several pages at once to see if anything gets interesting. It doesn't. One of my rules of thumb: the more hyperbolic major news media reviews, the crappier the subject matter. My theory continues to gain ground. Back in the Eighties, I was a Stephen King fan. Since then, I would say the only decent book he's written was The Green Mile. Occasionally, he writes something so bad (The Cell) that I've read it because I'm fascinated by the sheer awfulness of it. The Colorado Kid isn't even that readable. For example, take one of the main characters. For some inexplicable reason he is named "David Bowie". OK, sometimes he's "Dave Bowie" but then every time a "David Bowie" gets thrown in, I'm like WTF? When did he get in the story--oh, yeah, it's one of those old guys. So yo, Stephen, why don't you just name the other old dude, Keith Moon or something cool like that? Then you won't have to think so hard. Oh, and quit writing from a female point of view. It's just plain weird, man. Or is Tabitha ghostwriting this junk for you? That would explain a lot.

"The Colorado Kid" is Stephen King's contribution to the fine Hard Case Crime series. I haven't read much of King's recent work, but I love the Hard Case Crime series and was curious to see what King would do within this series. Unfortunately, the book was a bit of a disappointment, although I give King major credit for helping to bring attention to this series. The book starts with a bit of a riddle; two old journalists for a small-time newspaper on an island off Maine meet with a reporter from the Boston Globe. When the Globe reporter departs, he leaves $100 to pay for the lunch. The Maine journalists take the money and then ask the fourth partner in the lunch, a young female intern, to explain why she thinks they're taking the money. Their riddle is a test for the intern, as is the main "mystery" of the Colorado Kid.

It turns out that the two Maine journalists, Dave Bowie (65-year-old editor) and Vince Teaugue (90-year-old founder of the paper), are mentors of sort to the intern, and they are trying to figure out whether she is worthy of their hard work. The intern is a beautiful 22-year-old midwesterner, Stephanie McCann. She's been at the paper for a few months, covering local happenings for the Arts and Things column. In other words, she's writing glamorous stories about barn dances and church picnics. However, she's eager to learn and actually seems to understand that these two old coots have some important lessons to teach her. Something the Globe reporter failed to see when he talked to the two old men about local mysteries. The more patient Stephanie asks the men if they have ever come across a true unsolved mystery, and they begin to tell her the story of the Colorado Kid, which takes the rest of the novel to unfold. The Colorado Kid was a dead man found on a beach on their small island. At first, it appears that he died of natural causes by choking on a piece of steak; no one is able to identify the man or get further information. However, slowly over time, the two journalists work the story and figure out who the man was, which unleashes a bigger mystery.

As others have explained, "The Colorado Kid" doesn't contain many answers. The two old journalists explain to Stephanie that most people prefer mysteries with only one or two unknown elements. This book contain many "unknowns," so expect some ambiguity. Unfortunately, the main "mystery" is not as compelling as I'd like and the two old journalists tend to blend together into one character (especially on the audio version I'm reviewing). The cover is also a bit misleading, as this book is not a sexy hard-boiled crime novel. However, I appreciated some of the ideas explored in the book; plus, I suspected a bit of a shaggy dog story from the beginning, so I was perhaps less disappointed than others might be. In the end, "The Colorado Kid" comes up short - a noble failure for a worthy press.

I really enjoyed Caught Stealing, and was ready to find out how the story continued in Six Bad Things. While exciting, and an equally fast read, Six Bad Things doesn't quite live up to the original. Hank started out as an almost lovable everyman in Caught Stealing, but that softer edge was missing here. His feelings for his parents felt a little forced, and the situations he found himself in were over the top. I had to try pretty hard to suspend disbelief a couple times.

On the positive, Huston did a nice job setting up the final book in the series, which I will definitely read. All in all, this is still a fun roller coaster of a book, its just that Caught Stealing was so good, it made it hard for Six Bad Things to live up to it.

Crime is probably my favorite genre, be it literature or film, and this book came strongly recommended. After letting it gather dust on the shelf for over a year, I finally dove into it and was instantly hooked. The story kicks off with protagonist Hank lounging on a quiet Mexican beach, hiding out from all manner of villains seeking him and the $4.5 million he made off with following a rather violent and complicated weekend in New York three years previously. I loved how the book just launched in without spending too much time explaining the specifics of what had brought Hank to this point. However, after about fifty pages I started to have a sneaking suspicion that this ultraviolent backstory had all been detailed elsewhere. So I checked online and discovered that this is the second book in a trilogy, and that the first (Caught Stealing) follows Hank's journey from nice catsitter to FBI Most Wanted list. Unfortunately, this violates one of my pet peeves, which is reading a series out of order. But already committed to the book, and having absorbed enough of Hank's backstory to make reading Caught Stealing redundant, I read on.

The book is basically one long chase scene, hurtling from Hank's hideaway on the Yucatan Peninsula, to Tijuana, to suburban California, to Vegas. Hank's problem is that the Russian mob has finally tracked him down and threatened the lives of his parents, so he's forced to make a move. A move that involves sending his cash to his one friend back in the U.S. and going back to his parents' house. It's not really clear why (other than sentiment), after being so cautious, careful, and crafty, he would make the colossally stupid move of showing up back home -- but the chase must go on. It's all very Tarantinoesque, or perhaps Pekinpaughesque -- there are Russian mobsters, a corporate blackmailer, a pair of psycho surf burnouts, and a truckload of white trash vigilantes after Hank and his loot. Many of these highly colorful supporting characters will die along the way, as will many of the equally memorable people Hank enlists in his bid to keep his parents safe. It's not just the outsize characters and violence that remind one of Tarantino though, it's also the dialogue, which is snappy and permeated with dark humor (which is also somewhat reminiscent of Elmore Leonard).

Ultimately, one's appreciation of the book will more or less depend on your taste for shoot 'em ups. That, and the extent to which you find Hank a sympathetic enough character to follow in his blood-soaked wake. Hank is enough of an everyman to be likable, but he's also killed in cold blood and caused the deaths of several innocent people. And while he wrestles with this at length, going so far to tattoo hash marks on himself to reflect the number of deaths he's caused, it feels kind of proforma, as if all the agonizing is there to keep him sympathetic to the reader. As entertaining as the lengthy chase is (for those who like such frenetic hijinks), my major problem is that the book shouldn't be a standalone. It ends in limbo, and one really has to read the next book (A Dangerous Man) to finish Hank's story. The trilogy should really have been published a a single longer volume and having it split up among three books feels like profiteering by the publisher (ie. I don't blame the author).

Six bad things is one of my favorite books. At first I read the german edition when I was visiting my family in Germany and Dad brought a stack of his books for me to read. He warned me that it was "violent"... I read the whole thing in one day!
Coming back to the US I had to get the first book in the trilogy, "Caught stealing", as I was dying to know the story from the beginning! Then I read "Six bad things" again, this time in english!
It keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time you're reading, you suffer and cringe with Hank as he gets pummeled and stumbles from one bad situation into another! Bud, the cat, is my second-favorite character... he's just too cool! Of course I had to get "A dangerous man", too, to know how it continues... Great writing, Charlie!
A true fan.

If you're looking for some fast-paced, relatively believable, hard-boiled fiction, look no further than ANY of the Charlie Huston novels. WOW!

*** WARNING ***
*** THIS IS THE SECOND IN A TRILOGY ***
*** OF HANK THOMPSON STORIES! ***
*** IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE FIRST BOOK, "CAUGHT STEALING" **
YOU MAY WANT TO READ MY REVIEW ON THAT FIRST, AND THEN READ THAT BOOK, BEFORE READING THIS REVIEW, SO THIS REVIEW WON'T GIVE AWAY THE ENDING OF "CAUGHT STEALING.
***************

Like all of Charlie Huston's prior books, the writing style and tone of the story starts off at warp speed, and though it doesn't seem possible, things actually increase in speed and violence from there! When we last left Hank, he had made his way from New York in to Mexico with 4 million dollars of Russian Mob money and his beloved cat Bud. Hank settles into a serene life on a Mexican beach and after a bout with alcoholism, he gets sober, smokes a lot, including a cigarette in "EACH-EAR" after his daily swims. Despite his tranquil routine, he is always looking over his shoulder, and through his dreams/nightmare's, awaiting numerous un-named mercenaries after his life and his money.

When Hank decides to try to go back to California to see his parents, the fact that Hank has evolved into an "urban-legend" with books written about him and TV programs spotlighting him, completing that trip successfully "may be" a problem. Without giving away too much to future readers, let me summarize that the death toll that follows Hank from Mexico to California would keep an accountant busy full-time. By the time Hank gets to Las Vegas in an attempt to re-claim his fortune, you would need an entire staff of accountants, to not only add up the dead bodies, but to calculate the total consumption and types of drugs involved.

Once you start reading this book, it's like being in an Indianapolis 500 Race Car made of death and drugs, and your car has no breaks! This is a must read book for anyone who enjoys un-throttled speed and excitement!