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justtwomorechapters's review against another edition
2.0
Disclaimer: was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for a review
The noir crime genre is one I’ve never explored before and I’m not entirely sure it was my cup of tea. Whilst the action was fast paced I personally wasn’t interested in the content in the plot and found descriptions and the narrative quite wordy.
I can imagine if this is a genre that you’re into that you’ll find great pleasure in this book!
The noir crime genre is one I’ve never explored before and I’m not entirely sure it was my cup of tea. Whilst the action was fast paced I personally wasn’t interested in the content in the plot and found descriptions and the narrative quite wordy.
I can imagine if this is a genre that you’re into that you’ll find great pleasure in this book!
beetleandbooks's review against another edition
3.0
(GIFTED)
For underworld enforcer Richard "Rico" Sanders, it seemed like an ordinary job: retrieve his gangster boss's stolen goods, and teach the person responsible a lesson.
But the chase quickly goes sideways and takes Rico from the mean streets of Chicago to sunny Honolulu. There, the hardened hit man finds himself in uncharted territory, when innocent bystanders are accidentally embroiled in a crime. As Rico pursues his new targets, hunter and prey develop an unlikely respect for one another. Soon, he is faced with a momentous decision: follow his orders to kill the very people who have won his admiration, or refuse and endanger the life of the woman he loves?
***
Firstly, as always I would like to thank Kelsey and the team at @bookpublicityservices for the #gifted copy!
Pigeon-Blood Red is action packed and fast paced! I do not usually read storylines about gangsta’s however I enjoyed the narrative very much and would be interested to try more!
The characters went through fazes of being unlikeable to likeable which created an exciting yet tense read as you did not know where the book was heading and how you would feel towards the end.
The only reason why I gave the book 3 stars was because I felt like it was a little rushed. It was quite a small book of 203 pages and I felt like there were moments where there could have been potential character background stories to showcase emotion and development.
Overall, this is a fun quick read! If you enjoy gangsta’s, crime, romance etc… this is for you.
meloches's review against another edition
3.0
All my reviews can be found on Clues and Reviews
www.cluesandreviews.wordpress.com
Richard “Rico” Sanders, a hit man from Chicago sets off for a normal job. He must recover a pigeon blood red ruby necklace from a double-crosser and teach him a lesson. When Rico follows his target from his hometown to sunny Honolulu, some bystanders get embroiled into the situation and soon mayhem ensues. Rico is faced with a decision: does he follow his order and kill all those involved (even if they are innocent) or does he refuse and endanger the woman he loves?
Pigeon Blood Red, a gangster style thriller from Ed Duncan, was something completely outside of my comfort zone. I don’t usually read military or gangster style thrillers so I was excited to step outside of my box and see what this one had to offer.
The novel opens in the midst of the action. Robert is down on his luck, an alcoholic and gambling addict, he’s racked up quite the hefty bill with gangster Frank Litvak. Robert, struggling to figure out a way to bide time, and come up with the money he owes before he’s taken out by Litvak’s henchman, Rico, steals a necklace from home and flees to Honolulu with his wife. This is all within the first five chapters!
Although the idea was great and the plot had strong points, I struggled with the execution. So much happens and it is very character centered. However, we are not provided with much backstory or previous information to how these characters connect or what they are about. I found it very hard to keep characters straight or root for anyone. The novel is narrated in the third person, which I also felt added a bit of strain to the plot; if we are not given any back story and the characters are not given narrative voice to explain their motivations, it leaves the reader responsible for making these connections and, I, personally, was not able to.
That being said, this novel was very fast paced. I read it easily in a couple of sittings and it read like a movie. I could certainly see it being well received on screen.
I think that lovers of gangster style novels would welcome this novel into their repertoire or if connecting with characters are not important to you, you may enjoy this one!
Thank you to the publisher and the author for a copy of this book; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review.
www.cluesandreviews.wordpress.com
Richard “Rico” Sanders, a hit man from Chicago sets off for a normal job. He must recover a pigeon blood red ruby necklace from a double-crosser and teach him a lesson. When Rico follows his target from his hometown to sunny Honolulu, some bystanders get embroiled into the situation and soon mayhem ensues. Rico is faced with a decision: does he follow his order and kill all those involved (even if they are innocent) or does he refuse and endanger the woman he loves?
Pigeon Blood Red, a gangster style thriller from Ed Duncan, was something completely outside of my comfort zone. I don’t usually read military or gangster style thrillers so I was excited to step outside of my box and see what this one had to offer.
The novel opens in the midst of the action. Robert is down on his luck, an alcoholic and gambling addict, he’s racked up quite the hefty bill with gangster Frank Litvak. Robert, struggling to figure out a way to bide time, and come up with the money he owes before he’s taken out by Litvak’s henchman, Rico, steals a necklace from home and flees to Honolulu with his wife. This is all within the first five chapters!
Although the idea was great and the plot had strong points, I struggled with the execution. So much happens and it is very character centered. However, we are not provided with much backstory or previous information to how these characters connect or what they are about. I found it very hard to keep characters straight or root for anyone. The novel is narrated in the third person, which I also felt added a bit of strain to the plot; if we are not given any back story and the characters are not given narrative voice to explain their motivations, it leaves the reader responsible for making these connections and, I, personally, was not able to.
That being said, this novel was very fast paced. I read it easily in a couple of sittings and it read like a movie. I could certainly see it being well received on screen.
I think that lovers of gangster style novels would welcome this novel into their repertoire or if connecting with characters are not important to you, you may enjoy this one!
Thank you to the publisher and the author for a copy of this book; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review.
bookedupblog's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to Book Publicity Services for providing me with a free copy of Pigeon-Blood Red in exchange for an an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Pigeon-Blood Red takes readers into the world of heists, adultery, and double-crossers. Written as a high-intensity crime thriller, this was totally unfamiliar territory for my reading tastes. I was excited to see where hitman “Rico” Sanders would take me-and what he would do to whoever got in his way. Filled with quick-tempers, each character finds themselves in the middle of a con gone wrong. Ed Duncan writes a story that could easily be set in the early 1900’s rather than the early 2000’s, showing that some stories can stand the test of time. This would be a good read for anyone who is a fan of the Bourne trilogy. There's action, adventure, shootouts, and crime-everything a thriller could ask for.
The plot follows Rico’s attempts to retrieve his gangster boss’s pigeon-blood red ruby necklace and send a message to whoever stole it in the first place. As with any good crime thriller, the job doesn’t go as planned. Rico is forced to to travel from Chicago to Honolulu, leaving him uncertain about what he will encounter. Things continue to run amuck as two innocent bystanders ultimately get tangled up in Rico’s job. I could really feel the emotion as tensions continued to rise. With literal lives on the line, Duncan takes his readers for an edge-of-your-seat adventure across the country.
I’ve got to be honest, I was a bit confused for the first fifty pages or so. The plot was intriguing, but the more I started to read the more confused I became. It took me a good portion of the book to truly understand what was happening with each character and how they were connected to each other. Duncan does a great job of immersing you in the story, but a bit of exposition to set the scene before jumping in media res would have done the plot some good. Once I made all of the connections, there was no putting the book down!
There weren’t many redeeming qualities of most of the characters, and I’m not someone who typically needs to like the characters she is reading about. This time, I think it would have been nice to have someone to root for. If you’re someone who needs to have at least one relatable character, you may not want to pick this one up. As a reader, I felt like I did a lot of the heavy lifting in connecting the dots for who a character was.
Overall, I think this story worked well-especially considering it’s the first in a trilogy. I imagine we will get more of a backstory and character development in the subsequent novels. I gave it a solid three stars in the hopes that those who have more experience with this genre find it intriguing, but it wasn’t one that won me over into reading more.
TL/DR: If you’re looking or a modern gangster adventure-this book is for you.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Pigeon-Blood Red takes readers into the world of heists, adultery, and double-crossers. Written as a high-intensity crime thriller, this was totally unfamiliar territory for my reading tastes. I was excited to see where hitman “Rico” Sanders would take me-and what he would do to whoever got in his way. Filled with quick-tempers, each character finds themselves in the middle of a con gone wrong. Ed Duncan writes a story that could easily be set in the early 1900’s rather than the early 2000’s, showing that some stories can stand the test of time. This would be a good read for anyone who is a fan of the Bourne trilogy. There's action, adventure, shootouts, and crime-everything a thriller could ask for.
The plot follows Rico’s attempts to retrieve his gangster boss’s pigeon-blood red ruby necklace and send a message to whoever stole it in the first place. As with any good crime thriller, the job doesn’t go as planned. Rico is forced to to travel from Chicago to Honolulu, leaving him uncertain about what he will encounter. Things continue to run amuck as two innocent bystanders ultimately get tangled up in Rico’s job. I could really feel the emotion as tensions continued to rise. With literal lives on the line, Duncan takes his readers for an edge-of-your-seat adventure across the country.
I’ve got to be honest, I was a bit confused for the first fifty pages or so. The plot was intriguing, but the more I started to read the more confused I became. It took me a good portion of the book to truly understand what was happening with each character and how they were connected to each other. Duncan does a great job of immersing you in the story, but a bit of exposition to set the scene before jumping in media res would have done the plot some good. Once I made all of the connections, there was no putting the book down!
There weren’t many redeeming qualities of most of the characters, and I’m not someone who typically needs to like the characters she is reading about. This time, I think it would have been nice to have someone to root for. If you’re someone who needs to have at least one relatable character, you may not want to pick this one up. As a reader, I felt like I did a lot of the heavy lifting in connecting the dots for who a character was.
Overall, I think this story worked well-especially considering it’s the first in a trilogy. I imagine we will get more of a backstory and character development in the subsequent novels. I gave it a solid three stars in the hopes that those who have more experience with this genre find it intriguing, but it wasn’t one that won me over into reading more.
TL/DR: If you’re looking or a modern gangster adventure-this book is for you.
Rating: 3/5 stars
bookmarkedbybecky's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Pigeon-Blood Red is an action-packed thriller filled with murder, a stolen ruby necklace, and unsavory characters. The hunt for the stolen necklace travels from Chicago to Honolulu. I love all the Chicago details that Duncan adds to the story. Rico is simply the perfect morally gray anti-hero!
Pigeon-Blood Red is book one in the trilogy, and I look forward to discovering what becomes of Rico and his love interest Jean.
mdtreadwell's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
This book was interesting and a fast read. It was in 3 parts and did a good job at keeping the story flowing. There was a few chapters that I wasn't sure how it played into the story, it seemed like mindless details, but in the end of the chapter, the details tie in to the main story and adds mild suspense. I feel this would make a good movie. It was fast and interesting. It is currently free on Amazon for Kindle, check it out and see what you think!
This book was interesting and a fast read. It was in 3 parts and did a good job at keeping the story flowing. There was a few chapters that I wasn't sure how it played into the story, it seemed like mindless details, but in the end of the chapter, the details tie in to the main story and adds mild suspense. I feel this would make a good movie. It was fast and interesting. It is currently free on Amazon for Kindle, check it out and see what you think!
booknallnight's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.5
Pigeon-Blood Red is a crime chase suspense with a little soul searching along the way. Here is what I loved:
✔️Quick Chapters
✔️ Multiple POVs
✔️ Morally Grey Killer
✔️Great Side Characters
While I did enjoy this one overall, it took a little bit to get into. Once I did, it was an easy read with a fun storyline. I especially enjoyed that this was more than just crime...it was also Rico's journey within himself.
I would recommend this one for fans of crime fiction with emphasis on a mob type feel. Thank you to the publisher and Book Publicity Services for the review copy. My options are my own.
✔️Quick Chapters
✔️ Multiple POVs
✔️ Morally Grey Killer
✔️Great Side Characters
While I did enjoy this one overall, it took a little bit to get into. Once I did, it was an easy read with a fun storyline. I especially enjoyed that this was more than just crime...it was also Rico's journey within himself.
I would recommend this one for fans of crime fiction with emphasis on a mob type feel. Thank you to the publisher and Book Publicity Services for the review copy. My options are my own.
thetasigma906's review against another edition
5.0
Rico is a hit man who travels to Honolulu, seemingly to do what should be an easy job. Retrieve his boss’s necklace and get rid of the liar who stole it. From there, things go downhill quickly, and what should have been an easy, quick job turns into a trickier situation when an innocent couple gets caught up in the kill. Rico, who prides himself on not killing anybody innocent, has to figure out how to get the necklace back, ideally without killing anybody innocent.
I went into this book slightly apprehensive, purely because this is not the type of book that I usually read. I am so glad that I gave it a chance, I thoroughly enjoyed it! The first part of the story was mostly background and world building, getting to know (and mostly like!) the characters. Rico, despite being one of the ‘bad guys’, was very likeable, as were the main two characters, Paul and Evelyn. There were a few twists and turns that I did not see coming, and these kept me on the edge of my seat, and made me want to keep reading the next chapter to find out what would happen next.
I am looking forward to reading the second book in this series!
Thank you to Book Publicity Services and the author for the complimentary ebook copy.
I went into this book slightly apprehensive, purely because this is not the type of book that I usually read. I am so glad that I gave it a chance, I thoroughly enjoyed it! The first part of the story was mostly background and world building, getting to know (and mostly like!) the characters. Rico, despite being one of the ‘bad guys’, was very likeable, as were the main two characters, Paul and Evelyn. There were a few twists and turns that I did not see coming, and these kept me on the edge of my seat, and made me want to keep reading the next chapter to find out what would happen next.
I am looking forward to reading the second book in this series!
Thank you to Book Publicity Services and the author for the complimentary ebook copy.
frostyknives's review against another edition
3.0
Pigeon-Blood Red is the debut novel from author Ed Duncan. It is an action packed crime novel set in Chicago that centers around an enforcer named Rico who has to retrieve a stolen necklace worth an untold price for his boss, Frank Litvak.
As an urban crime novel, this is usually not the type of read that would draw my attention; however, I found myself compelled by Rico and carried along with him on his journey as he attempted to retrieve the necklace. The book was action packed from beginning to end, and was fast paced throughout, and as I was carried along by the narrative of plots and hits, I found this pace to be both its greatest asset and its biggest weakness.
It is not usual that a reader states a book that he or she reads is too short, but in this case, I feel this novel could have benefited from another one hundred or even one hundred and fifty more pages. There is a lot of great action sequences found within, as well as a wonderful cast of main and supporting characters and I found myself wishing the author had spent more time delving into the emotions and intricacies of each of these characters. The characters never really felt alive as the narrative whisked you along from setting to setting, and I wish the story had been slowed down to allow these characters time to breathe and grow on their own. For example, one of the secondary characters is a lawyer who gets caught up in the middle of this cat and mouse game of assassins, yet in the end he comes to admire Rico, even though Rico's motives and actions are less than ethical. It's this sense of moral ambiguity that I would have loved to see the lawyer wrestle with during the last third of the book; how he was able to admire a man who worked on the fringes of society and somehow fit that admiration into his own personal code of ethics of someone who has sworn an oath to defend the law. If the characters had been given the time to shine and grow over the preceding pages, this type of ethical dilemma might have carried more of an emotional resonance that it actually did.
Overall, and despite these flaws, this was still a fast paced and enjoyable read for those who enjoy crime thrillers or urban noir novels. This would also make for a fantastic television series or crime file.
A copy of this book was provided from Kelsey at Book Publicity Services for free in exchange for an unbiased review.
As an urban crime novel, this is usually not the type of read that would draw my attention; however, I found myself compelled by Rico and carried along with him on his journey as he attempted to retrieve the necklace. The book was action packed from beginning to end, and was fast paced throughout, and as I was carried along by the narrative of plots and hits, I found this pace to be both its greatest asset and its biggest weakness.
It is not usual that a reader states a book that he or she reads is too short, but in this case, I feel this novel could have benefited from another one hundred or even one hundred and fifty more pages. There is a lot of great action sequences found within, as well as a wonderful cast of main and supporting characters and I found myself wishing the author had spent more time delving into the emotions and intricacies of each of these characters. The characters never really felt alive as the narrative whisked you along from setting to setting, and I wish the story had been slowed down to allow these characters time to breathe and grow on their own. For example, one of the secondary characters is a lawyer who gets caught up in the middle of this cat and mouse game of assassins, yet in the end he comes to admire Rico, even though Rico's motives and actions are less than ethical. It's this sense of moral ambiguity that I would have loved to see the lawyer wrestle with during the last third of the book; how he was able to admire a man who worked on the fringes of society and somehow fit that admiration into his own personal code of ethics of someone who has sworn an oath to defend the law. If the characters had been given the time to shine and grow over the preceding pages, this type of ethical dilemma might have carried more of an emotional resonance that it actually did.
Overall, and despite these flaws, this was still a fast paced and enjoyable read for those who enjoy crime thrillers or urban noir novels. This would also make for a fantastic television series or crime file.
A copy of this book was provided from Kelsey at Book Publicity Services for free in exchange for an unbiased review.
thrillerlover's review against another edition
4.0
Great plot, fast paced, action-packed crime thriller with some unexpected twists thrown in! I literally couldn't put this book down! I really enjoyed Rico and Jerry. Both were such well-developed characters. Loved Ed Duncan's writing style. This was such a well-written crime novel. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy!