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jinmichae's review against another edition
4.0
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
I very much enjoyed this book. It was fast paced, but not so much so that I ever felt strained or uncomfortable with the speed in which things were unfolding. The author did a great job of balancing action with slower scenes, not that the plot ever stopped evolving--the breathers gave time for character relationships to strengthen and for the protagonist to puzzle through his situation.
What I enjoyed the most about this book was the writing, and through that, the voice of the main character. I thought it read very cleanly and easily, but never did I find myself bored. The protagonist always has a quip or two to toss in, even when it might be better for him to bite his sharp tongue. All of the characters were interesting and very well written, which made for a vibrant reading experience. And the plot itself was engaging, with plenty of misdirection and wrong turns, leading to a satisfying ending.
I would definitely recommend this book to fans of the mystery/thriller genre, but really, I think it has something for everyone. The top of the front cover reads 'A Cordell Logan Mystery', which I hope means this is just the first of many adventures with this intriguing protagonist.
I very much enjoyed this book. It was fast paced, but not so much so that I ever felt strained or uncomfortable with the speed in which things were unfolding. The author did a great job of balancing action with slower scenes, not that the plot ever stopped evolving--the breathers gave time for character relationships to strengthen and for the protagonist to puzzle through his situation.
What I enjoyed the most about this book was the writing, and through that, the voice of the main character. I thought it read very cleanly and easily, but never did I find myself bored. The protagonist always has a quip or two to toss in, even when it might be better for him to bite his sharp tongue. All of the characters were interesting and very well written, which made for a vibrant reading experience. And the plot itself was engaging, with plenty of misdirection and wrong turns, leading to a satisfying ending.
I would definitely recommend this book to fans of the mystery/thriller genre, but really, I think it has something for everyone. The top of the front cover reads 'A Cordell Logan Mystery', which I hope means this is just the first of many adventures with this intriguing protagonist.
cdbaker's review against another edition
1.0
I quit with about 1/5 of the book left. This book is an example of why I've started becoming more wary of trying new (to me) male mystery writers. While there are plenty of excellent ones out there, so many of the dude mystery novelists write protagonists who are just balls of racism and/or misogyny lightly masked with an overly macho 'sense of humor'.
It's certainly not the worst example of the genre, but it's not interesting. If the story had been more plot driven than character driven, I probably could have at least finished it. And generally, I am fine with writers following some (or most!) of the standard conventions of the genre (I like the genre, after all), with the detective who is down on his luck; but with a heart of gold; former military/black ops; 'tells it like it is'; always right, despite the world doubting his brilliance; incredibly hot/former model ex/love interest. This one just didn't seem to add *anything* new or interesting. I mean -- he tried a bit by making the protagonist a pilot with a really surface-level interest in Buddhism. Not enough to make it interesting to me, especially when the main character spends every interaction with his ex-wife whinging, moaning, and only seeming to view her as former property.
And I found his jokes annoying, not amusing.
It's certainly not the worst example of the genre, but it's not interesting. If the story had been more plot driven than character driven, I probably could have at least finished it. And generally, I am fine with writers following some (or most!) of the standard conventions of the genre (I like the genre, after all), with the detective who is down on his luck; but with a heart of gold; former military/black ops; 'tells it like it is'; always right, despite the world doubting his brilliance; incredibly hot/former model ex/love interest. This one just didn't seem to add *anything* new or interesting. I mean -- he tried a bit by making the protagonist a pilot with a really surface-level interest in Buddhism. Not enough to make it interesting to me, especially when the main character spends every interaction with his ex-wife whinging, moaning, and only seeming to view her as former property.
And I found his jokes annoying, not amusing.
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. David Freed’s debut novel Flat Spin is an intriguing and enthralling mystery that is rife with humor, remarkable characters and a plot that is full of twists and turns. To read my review in its entirety, please visit http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy.com/2012/05/01/flat-spin/
susieq17's review against another edition
5.0
So great to find this author. A great character and book. I look forward to reading more from Mr. Freed!
kirby2002's review against another edition
1.0
Quick synopsis: Cordell Logan is a former military assassin now working as a flight instructor. He gets a call from his ex-wife to investigate the death of her current husband and his former colleague/friend.
Thoughts: If I had a dollar for every time I rolled my eyes I would be rich. Let’s start with Cordell, he was part of a super-secret military team of assassins. He’s handsome, fit, total smart ass, overall badass, and a sexist pig. Oh, and he’s now a Buddhist. He checks every box of the stereotypical “hero” normally found in zombie novels. His ex-wife Savanah is a beautiful former model who goes from being a damsel in distress to vicious bitch in seconds. There are other secondary characters full of every stereotype imaginable. A young good/trusting cop, an older cranky/untrusting cop, a Jewish wisecracking old landlady who wears spandex and cooks, a super-rich father-in-law, a shady foreign business partner and so on. Now the story, Cordell is just a flight instructor, not a retired cop or even a PI, yet everyone gives him all the information he could need. He interviews people, goes to crime scenes, has shoot outs and car chases. There are even explosions. He goes about solving the case as if he’s a detective and everyone just goes along with it. I know this is a work of fiction, but it was WAY too unrealistic for me.
Thoughts: If I had a dollar for every time I rolled my eyes I would be rich. Let’s start with Cordell, he was part of a super-secret military team of assassins. He’s handsome, fit, total smart ass, overall badass, and a sexist pig. Oh, and he’s now a Buddhist. He checks every box of the stereotypical “hero” normally found in zombie novels. His ex-wife Savanah is a beautiful former model who goes from being a damsel in distress to vicious bitch in seconds. There are other secondary characters full of every stereotype imaginable. A young good/trusting cop, an older cranky/untrusting cop, a Jewish wisecracking old landlady who wears spandex and cooks, a super-rich father-in-law, a shady foreign business partner and so on. Now the story, Cordell is just a flight instructor, not a retired cop or even a PI, yet everyone gives him all the information he could need. He interviews people, goes to crime scenes, has shoot outs and car chases. There are even explosions. He goes about solving the case as if he’s a detective and everyone just goes along with it. I know this is a work of fiction, but it was WAY too unrealistic for me.
srsanderson's review against another edition
1.0
if it wasnt for the audio book narration i would have never finished this book. ray porter does a fabulous job, per usual, and it amazes me the number of voices he has in his arsenal.
with that being said, this book was 12 hours of a man's crime fantasy. it was cliche, sexist, and irritating. the main character, cordell logan, despite having a pretty cool name, was simply obnoxious. he was supposed to be this funny, jaded, cynical good guy, but after the same spiel over and over again he just came off as an ass. his relationship with his ex wife, was overdone and inappropriate, and at the end downright unfulfilling because NOTHING came of their strained interactions throughout the book. (maybe that is set up for future novels but i wont be reading them). if logan said one more time "hey, i am a guy afterall" after saying something wildly demeaning about his ex wife / a random woman, i was going to throw my phone in the ditch.
oh and the ending was a "this is everything that happened behind the scenes" type moment. there weren't really any clues through the book to steer the reader in right direction towards guessing the 'who-dunnit', and that is pretty elementary of mystery writers.
kinda annoyed i didnt DNF sooner, but dammit, ray porter is just too good. his voice is like honey. live and learn i guess.
with that being said, this book was 12 hours of a man's crime fantasy. it was cliche, sexist, and irritating. the main character, cordell logan, despite having a pretty cool name, was simply obnoxious. he was supposed to be this funny, jaded, cynical good guy, but after the same spiel over and over again he just came off as an ass. his relationship with his ex wife, was overdone and inappropriate, and at the end downright unfulfilling because NOTHING came of their strained interactions throughout the book. (maybe that is set up for future novels but i wont be reading them). if logan said one more time "hey, i am a guy afterall" after saying something wildly demeaning about his ex wife / a random woman, i was going to throw my phone in the ditch.
oh and the ending was a "this is everything that happened behind the scenes" type moment. there weren't really any clues through the book to steer the reader in right direction towards guessing the 'who-dunnit', and that is pretty elementary of mystery writers.
kinda annoyed i didnt DNF sooner, but dammit, ray porter is just too good. his voice is like honey. live and learn i guess.
sssnoo's review against another edition
4.0
Solid intro to a series. If you like wisecracking, macho but soft, ex-Military protagonists with funny landlords and not enough money. A little on the too-macho side with some plane flying details and dumb-blond jokes, but it is SoCal and LA and pretty dead on from a local culture perspective (I've been a SoCal'er for 16 years now so I feel I can say that. Great option for this mystery/crime thriller genre. I am ready to read #2.
danlewisfw's review against another edition
4.0
I will say I did not see the twist about who the murderer was coming. Entertaining thriller. I have been reading a lot of sci-fi and wanted a break from it and this served it pretty well. As a thriller it works fairly well it could have used a little more action though, especially involving airplanes since that is what the cover seems to imply. Its more that the main character is a pilot not that much of anything happens regarding a flying incident past the opening and its not relevant to the story.
elaine_angello's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this easy read, sarcastic,funny and interesting!!! Recommended...
avoraciousreader68's review
3.0
*Book source ~ Library
Cordell Logan is a flight instructor just barely keeping his business afloat when his ex-wife suddenly walks back into his life asking him to talk to the police about her current husband’s recent murder. She believes he was killed because of his past employment, something that he and Cordell shared. Because Cordell and Arlo were part of a special black ops unit, Cordell is reluctant to tell the police, or anyone, anything about their shared work history. Eventually he gives in and things go into a flat spin from there.
The best part about this story is the mystery of who is behind it all. The rest is so-so. Cordell himself is actually not very likeable. He’s a smartass without the charm of Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden or the wiliness of JP Sloan’s Dorian Lake, both fantasy characters, I know, but Logan reminds me a bit of them. He does have a bit of the bulldog stubbornness to pull off his own investigation of Arlo’s murder not to mention the inside track with their past history and help from a techie friend in his old unit. The writing is a bit dry with some action thrown in here and there. Because he’s a flight instructor there is a LOT of flying info included. Great if you’re a fan of flying, not so much if you aren’t. Logan does have a cat though, and he cares for his landlady, so he’s not all bad. I’m just not interested enough to continue with the series.
Cordell Logan is a flight instructor just barely keeping his business afloat when his ex-wife suddenly walks back into his life asking him to talk to the police about her current husband’s recent murder. She believes he was killed because of his past employment, something that he and Cordell shared. Because Cordell and Arlo were part of a special black ops unit, Cordell is reluctant to tell the police, or anyone, anything about their shared work history. Eventually he gives in and things go into a flat spin from there.
The best part about this story is the mystery of who is behind it all. The rest is so-so. Cordell himself is actually not very likeable. He’s a smartass without the charm of Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden or the wiliness of JP Sloan’s Dorian Lake, both fantasy characters, I know, but Logan reminds me a bit of them. He does have a bit of the bulldog stubbornness to pull off his own investigation of Arlo’s murder not to mention the inside track with their past history and help from a techie friend in his old unit. The writing is a bit dry with some action thrown in here and there. Because he’s a flight instructor there is a LOT of flying info included. Great if you’re a fan of flying, not so much if you aren’t. Logan does have a cat though, and he cares for his landlady, so he’s not all bad. I’m just not interested enough to continue with the series.
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