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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
I've read a lot of books, especially in the crime fiction genre. You must believe me when I tell you that this was nothing like I've ever read. It's dark as can be, with no morality or human redemption. The book was written (like many of Thompson's) to show the evil in individuals. I cannot recommend this to everyone but if you're looking for something really insane and not like anything you've read before in the genre of crime fiction, then pick this up.
What starts as a fun Sheriff Nick Corey hangout novel (man, all these girls want to sleep with him! He sure does eat a lot! He doesn't enforce the law at all!) ends in him proclaiming himself the resurrected Christ sent to tempt people into their own destruction as the blood of the (at least) 6 dead bodies he's responsible for accumulates at his feet. Thompson is hilarious, Corey's narration nonchalantly going through adultery, murder, framing others for those murders, and the destruction of others with an aw shucks, nonchalant attitude that reveals no hint of the plans he's made nor the gravity of what he's done. Through Corey, and the inability of the town to punish him, Thompson shows the incompetence of the powerful in holding their own accountable because of their own inequities/stupidity and centers in on the heart of policing and the function of American governance as racism, sexism, protecting the rich, and the maintaining of these stupid men in their positions of power.
Imagine if Martin Landau's character from Crimes and Misdemeanors was a hot young Christian sheriff with the opposite arc. Maybe
I don’t remember how this book ended up in my TBR, it was not what I was expecting.
A smart sheriff who likes to play dumb, a sarcastic psyco too. Cold-blooded murder meet comedy, crude and offensive humor, witty at times, mostly not so. For me it was a quick read, not very funny and not as good as I hoped for.
2.5 stars
A smart sheriff who likes to play dumb, a sarcastic psyco too. Cold-blooded murder meet comedy, crude and offensive humor, witty at times, mostly not so. For me it was a quick read, not very funny and not as good as I hoped for.
2.5 stars
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
- twisted, brutal humor circa - the old west
- not as enjoyable as his 'The Grifter's (4/5 stars) which I read last weekhis
- not as enjoyable as his 'The Grifter's (4/5 stars) which I read last weekhis
Whelp. Uh, yeah.
So. Starts off one way, then takes a turn that's pretty damn interesting. And then what made it interesting gets repeated and with every repeat you grow a bit more weary with the schtick. And then, turns out the fella (I wouldn't say protagonist, as there seems to be none) is running on fuel that's based on the vengeance of the Lord, and well I was a lost customer by then.
This book could be a lot of fun, I think I might have liked it more ten or twenty years ago. And I did have fun with it, but grew tiresome of the double-speak and the variety of characters falling for the sheriff's routine over and over again.
So. Starts off one way, then takes a turn that's pretty damn interesting. And then what made it interesting gets repeated and with every repeat you grow a bit more weary with the schtick. And then, turns out the fella (I wouldn't say protagonist, as there seems to be none) is running on fuel that's based on the vengeance of the Lord, and well I was a lost customer by then.
This book could be a lot of fun, I think I might have liked it more ten or twenty years ago. And I did have fun with it, but grew tiresome of the double-speak and the variety of characters falling for the sheriff's routine over and over again.