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shotclocker's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
radballen's review against another edition
4.0
This book has so many things about it that I like. It's a fast-paced thriller/cop novel set in the Seattle area. The characters are well-drawn and have some depth to them. The villain is so ferocious but oddly believeable as a complete sociopath. As the book churns along it continues to pick up pace and ends at a breathtaking pace. I've been reading some good crime novels lately (Sjowall and Wahloo, Don Winslow, others I can't remember at this late hour), and this one stands alongside them all in my humble opinion. I look forward to reading more by this young Seattle author,
ebgwa's review
5.0
This book was so great that I lost the battle not to read it too fast. As previously mentioned when I first started: "on the edge of my seat but trying not to read it so fast." Scene: Pacific Northwest, Plot: Decent people making bad choices results in fast-paced action told through lyrical prose. I can't wait for more from this author.
kellyhager's review
4.0
This book has been compared to No Country For Old Men, and that’s a fair comparison. The plot and writing style are both similar and I say that as a huge, huge compliment, because I loved NCFOM (book and movie). In The Terror of Living, we follow several different narrators as they circle around each other. It’s primarily the story of a drug drop gone bad and (like NCFOM) is an excellent cautionary tale of why getting involved in things like this is a bad idea.
Phil and an accomplice (never named) are supposed to pick up a packet of heroin. Unfortunately for them, Bobby Drake (and that would be Deputy Bobby Drake, if we are being formal) is hunting nearby. When he sees the helicopter drop off what could only be drugs, he goes to find the people responsible for picking them up. Phil manages to escape; the kid’s not so lucky. So now Phil is being trailed by the law.
This wouldn’t be so bad except that he’s ALSO being hunted by Grady Fisher, the scariest man ever. Grady’s got a fondness for knives, you see. And that’s all I want to say about that because it’s late at night.
The pacing is excellent. You know going in that things are going to fall apart, so most of the book is spent going from unease to actual dread. I loved Phil and Bobby and feared Grady the way I have feared few people not featured in a Stephen King novel.
And speaking of Stephen King, he calls this “a hell of a good novel.” I couldn’t agree more.
Recommended.
Phil and an accomplice (never named) are supposed to pick up a packet of heroin. Unfortunately for them, Bobby Drake (and that would be Deputy Bobby Drake, if we are being formal) is hunting nearby. When he sees the helicopter drop off what could only be drugs, he goes to find the people responsible for picking them up. Phil manages to escape; the kid’s not so lucky. So now Phil is being trailed by the law.
This wouldn’t be so bad except that he’s ALSO being hunted by Grady Fisher, the scariest man ever. Grady’s got a fondness for knives, you see. And that’s all I want to say about that because it’s late at night.
The pacing is excellent. You know going in that things are going to fall apart, so most of the book is spent going from unease to actual dread. I loved Phil and Bobby and feared Grady the way I have feared few people not featured in a Stephen King novel.
And speaking of Stephen King, he calls this “a hell of a good novel.” I couldn’t agree more.
Recommended.
ranaelizabeth's review
2.0
I'll admit I skimmed most of this book, partly because I was distracted and partly because the characters and story just wasn't sticking with me.
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