Reviews

A Conspiracy of Tall Men by Noah Hawley

idp12399's review against another edition

I'm sure it was a great satire when written but in 2022, it simply hit too close to home.

kdurham2's review against another edition

3.0

Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings

Linus Owen is a professor who lives in a conspiracy. He questions everything in front of him and wonders always if there is more at work. He has two friends who encourage and live in this type of a world and all of his work is proven right when his wife is mysteriously on a flight from New York to Brazil when she is supposed to be visiting her mother in Chicago.

meganstreb's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this, even though I usually struggle with books where I don't like the characters. Maybe there was something endearing about the levels of conspiracy they believed in?
I'm extremely glad I'm reading it 17 years after publishing. It allowed you to focus on the story, and not on the capabilities of the technology.

cdeane61's review against another edition

5.0

Could be a new contender for my favorite book ever, displacing the venerated "White Noise" by Don DeLillo.

Both have the same quality of elevating the absurdities of the world around us. Of taking unfunny subjects and making them hilarious.

Perhaps this one just speaks to me in this age of internet conspiracy, and the surrounding lunacy, even though the book is now two decades old.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed it, couldn't wait to get back to it when I did put it down.

Will be delving in to his other works

quinndm's review against another edition

3.0

Noah Hawley is one of my literary and filmmaker role models. I will always be there to read his books and watch his shows and movies because he tells stories that stand out and create characters that stay with you. A CONSPIRACY OF TALL MEN is his first book, and I was thrilled when I found a copy. Thrilled and excited. And, for a first novel, it is good. But, for a Noah Hawley novel, it just didn't live up to his greatness. Yes, we all need to start somewhere, and this was definitely a strong start and, even though I was a little disappointed and frustrated by the book, I am still left in awe of his skills and talent.

kerry123's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

jenniferw88's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

corrompido's review against another edition

2.0

I gave up on this book after about 100 pages, too much crazy ramblings by the main characters.

briface's review against another edition

2.0

This was a weird one, I like Hawley but this felt like a first book. Entertaining but I would not recommend.

jhscolloquium's review against another edition

3.0

It's the end of the 20th century and Y2K is fast approaching. Linus Owen, a young professor of conspiracy theory at a small college just outside San Francisco, and his wife, Claudia, an advertising executive, live in nearby San Rafael. Linus believes that his is a happy marriage and when Claudia goes to Chicago for a few days to visit her mother, he is not suspicious. Until, that is, two FBI agents arrive at his office with news. Claudia has been killed. A plane bound from NYC to Brazil exploded, killing all on board. They insist that Claudia was on the plane with a man named Jeffrey Holden and Linus must accompany them to Florida to identify her body. Holden was the vice president of a pharmaceutical company. So begins a fast-paced adventure with quirky Linus to discover what really happened to Claudia -- Why was she in NYC, much less on a plane headed for Brazil? What was the nature of her relationship with Holden? Who would want to blow up the plane -- and why? Linus's two bestimmplifriends are eccentric fellow conspiracy theorists, Edward and Roy. They spring into action to assist Linus, and the three men find themselves embroiled in a mystery involving several agencies of the U.S. government, as well as a cast of supporting characters -- some nefarious -- each of whom holds a piece of the puzzle. Their journey takes them into the Southwest desert regions in search of a mysterious fringe group led by a former radio talk show host who disappeared years ago, as well as isolated regions of Nevada where locals are mysteriously disappearing and turning up dead. Linus knows that he is not crazy -- he has stumbled onto a conspiracy in which officials at the highest levels of government and industry are implicated, but he has to stay alive long enough to gather and publicize the details. The result is an epic, breakneck-paced journey for all three men that will keep readers guessing until the final shockingly dramatic page! And leads readers wondering whether Hawley's plot could be real. Although the story is set nearly a decade ago, it is no less relevant now than it was then. In fact, in light of current events, including headlines about foreign government cyber hacks, it is arguably more alarming -- and entertaining.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book!