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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
This was a quick, enjoyable audiobook that I flew through in just a couple of days. It follows morally-gray Rico, a gang enforcer tasked with retrieving a stolen necklace for his boss. The book had a gritty noir vibe to it, with plenty of action. I was definitely captivated by the story throughout and was really interested to see what would happen to the characters. I also really liked the narrator's deep voice and thought it really added to the atmosphere of the story.
Pigeon-Blood Red is the first installment of the trilogy and it did not disappoint.
Richard (Rico) Sanders is a hitman for hire and is the go-to person when ruthless loan-shark and crime boss, Frank Litzak needs a job done. When Litzak’s rare pigeon-blood red ruby necklace is stolen, Rico is tasked with recovering the necklace and punishing the sleaze ball that stole it. An easy enough job. But it soon becomes complicated when innocent bystanders become entangled in Rico’s hunt for the rare necklace.
Mr. Duncan’s storytelling skills shine through in this novel. Who would think that anyone would admire a hitman? But Duncan has managed to weave a story with characters not unlike those in the series, The Sopranos. An excellent crime thriller, Pigeon-Blood Red is a page-turner for sure. You’ll find that your latest hero is none other than Rico Sanders — the hitman. Five stunning stars.
I received a paperback copy of the book from Ed Duncan through Book Publicity Services. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
Richard (Rico) Sanders is a hitman for hire and is the go-to person when ruthless loan-shark and crime boss, Frank Litzak needs a job done. When Litzak’s rare pigeon-blood red ruby necklace is stolen, Rico is tasked with recovering the necklace and punishing the sleaze ball that stole it. An easy enough job. But it soon becomes complicated when innocent bystanders become entangled in Rico’s hunt for the rare necklace.
Mr. Duncan’s storytelling skills shine through in this novel. Who would think that anyone would admire a hitman? But Duncan has managed to weave a story with characters not unlike those in the series, The Sopranos. An excellent crime thriller, Pigeon-Blood Red is a page-turner for sure. You’ll find that your latest hero is none other than Rico Sanders — the hitman. Five stunning stars.
I received a paperback copy of the book from Ed Duncan through Book Publicity Services. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
This intrigued me as I definitely grew up on John Grisham books and had no trouble getting into a good crime story.
The first 50 pages had my interest as we began to understand a few characters connected to a crime boss but then it started to lose me. There were too many storylines told in different ways that didn’t mesh together, and didn’t add to the story. For me, the writing just wasn’t to the level I expect and that took away from the book.
I think there was an interesting plot and the book and characters have potential but it just didn’t get there for me.
Thank you book publicity services for the copy in exchange for my honest review.
Let me start by saying I really enjoyed this book and would have finished it within 2 days if I didn’t have a full time job
This isn’t my usual read, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was an quick, action packed read. My favorite thing about the book is the amount of detail the author put into the book. It made it more of an experience and allowed for me to see the story in my head. It’s like a film experience in a book. Some of the dialogue could use a little work, but overall a good experience while reading. Would definitely recommend this book to friends and family who like action films.
** Kelsey, Book Publicity Services, and the author Ed Duncan sent me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you all! **
** Kelsey, Book Publicity Services, and the author Ed Duncan sent me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you all! **
3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
I was kindly gifted a copy of this book and I immediately found it easy to read. Unfortunately, I found that the introduction quite weak and I think it would have benefitted from more careful editing. However, the story began to gain momentum a few chapters in and I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline - themes of theft, assassins and murder.
In the end I enjoyed this book, and would give it 3.5 stars but the book’s editing let it down. It definitely has the potential to be a really good read!
I was kindly gifted a copy of this book and I immediately found it easy to read. Unfortunately, I found that the introduction quite weak and I think it would have benefitted from more careful editing. However, the story began to gain momentum a few chapters in and I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline - themes of theft, assassins and murder.
In the end I enjoyed this book, and would give it 3.5 stars but the book’s editing let it down. It definitely has the potential to be a really good read!
I really enjoyed this! It was a quick and easy read and I'm planning to read the rest of the series in the near future.
I appreciated the dig at the Cubs in the beginning of the book (as a White Sox fan myself) and knew I'd like it from there.
I appreciated the dig at the Cubs in the beginning of the book (as a White Sox fan myself) and knew I'd like it from there.
Thank you to Book Publicity Services for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is more crime noir/hit man vibes than I'm used to but I was happy to give it a try due to it's fast pacing and the promise of suspenseful crime drama. Unfortunately, this ended up really not being my thing.
It is fast paced and I liked that we got to see multiple POVs even if only for a few pages. There's lots of action interspersed with interesting character back stories which felt like a good balance. I also enjoyed the Honolulu sections - especially the luau - as they were pretty atmospheric.
However, the portrayals of the female characters in this book were pretty awful. There were a few redeeming scenes for Jean and Evelyn, but as a whole I felt the female characters were there to be objectified and sexualised. The constant descriptions of women as “firm”, “petite”, “perfectly contoured”, dressed in sexy lingerie, revealing a bare thigh etc. etc. was too much.
The male characters were constantly ogling at women or getting distracted by their bodies. I'm sorry but how is Rico meant to be this world-class hit man if he gets distracted by women in bikinis on the beach...
There were even a few scenes where the female characters were distressed/angry and the men would still be thinking about how good they looked... ew ew ew.
Some plot points seemed very unrealistic or needed a re-read to fully understand what was going on, and by the end of the series I hadn't warmed to Rico at all so I won't be continuing this series.
This book is more crime noir/hit man vibes than I'm used to but I was happy to give it a try due to it's fast pacing and the promise of suspenseful crime drama. Unfortunately, this ended up really not being my thing.
It is fast paced and I liked that we got to see multiple POVs even if only for a few pages. There's lots of action interspersed with interesting character back stories which felt like a good balance. I also enjoyed the Honolulu sections - especially the luau - as they were pretty atmospheric.
However, the portrayals of the female characters in this book were pretty awful. There were a few redeeming scenes for Jean and Evelyn, but as a whole I felt the female characters were there to be objectified and sexualised. The constant descriptions of women as “firm”, “petite”, “perfectly contoured”, dressed in sexy lingerie, revealing a bare thigh etc. etc. was too much.
The male characters were constantly ogling at women or getting distracted by their bodies. I'm sorry but how is Rico meant to be this world-class hit man if he gets distracted by women in bikinis on the beach...
There were even a few scenes where the female characters were distressed/angry and the men would still be thinking about how good they looked... ew ew ew.
Some plot points seemed very unrealistic or needed a re-read to fully understand what was going on, and by the end of the series I hadn't warmed to Rico at all so I won't be continuing this series.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It is a million degrees here and I am so grateful for stories that take my mind off the sanity that is seeping out of my skin.
@bookpublicityservices
alerted me to PIGEON-BLOOD RED by Ed Duncan and narrated by Dave Keyser and it was a crime thriller that grabbed my attention!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rico is a paid enforcer and is charged with retrieving the "Pigeon-Blood" Ruby necklace and eliminating the ones who took it. Unfortunately, the idiot who did take it is in Honolulu with a mess of his own. When the hit goes awry, Rico has to figure out how to clean up the mess with ever higher stakes.
This was a fast-paced story with more layers than I expected. Multiple POV's give a fuller picture of the action and the characters were complicated and gritty. It felt like a perfect hot summer crime read. The narration was also gritty and dark, lending this story the atmosphere it seemed to deserve, especially when they returned to Chicago.
I needed a complete 180 after a heavy family drama hangover, and this was a fantastic choice!
Thank you @ricostays
For sharing the audiobook and letting me give my thoughts! This is available on @audible now and there are 2 more books in this series that I will have to check out!
@bookpublicityservices
alerted me to PIGEON-BLOOD RED by Ed Duncan and narrated by Dave Keyser and it was a crime thriller that grabbed my attention!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rico is a paid enforcer and is charged with retrieving the "Pigeon-Blood" Ruby necklace and eliminating the ones who took it. Unfortunately, the idiot who did take it is in Honolulu with a mess of his own. When the hit goes awry, Rico has to figure out how to clean up the mess with ever higher stakes.
This was a fast-paced story with more layers than I expected. Multiple POV's give a fuller picture of the action and the characters were complicated and gritty. It felt like a perfect hot summer crime read. The narration was also gritty and dark, lending this story the atmosphere it seemed to deserve, especially when they returned to Chicago.
I needed a complete 180 after a heavy family drama hangover, and this was a fantastic choice!
Thank you @ricostays
For sharing the audiobook and letting me give my thoughts! This is available on @audible now and there are 2 more books in this series that I will have to check out!