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jennrocca's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. It succeeds in being pure Eoin Colfer (which is awesome) while still being a story for adults. (profanity, sex, drugs, prostitution, etc. - not for kids.)
Action adventure. Mild mystery elements.
Action adventure. Mild mystery elements.
applegnreads's review against another edition
4.0
hysterical. easy to read. a fun main character. may he write many more (when not writing artemis)
jefferz's review against another edition
1.0
This is a chaotic novel and not in an exciting bombastic way; rather a mess that feels made up on the fly. Described as a violent and unpredictable noir, the unpredictable part is the only aspect that hit the mark for me (and that's not a good thing as you soon will see). Perhaps I have high standards as a crime/mystery thriller is one of my favorite genres to read, but the tone of the book didn't work for me. It jockeys between trying to be a darker grisly man on the run story and a buddy cop/anti-hero slapstick comedy and doesn't do a particularly good job in either direction. The plot is also nonsensical with things happening with no rhyme or reason and it has a habit of throwing in random flashbacks that derail whatever story is happening in the present instead of seamlessly transitioning back and forth with context. After the first 100 pages or so I stopped reading this as a mystery/crime investigation and as a "what ridiculous things from left field are they going to throw at the wall next". How a soldier's training allows a retired veteran to kill someone by impaling them with a door key is beyond me.
Unfortunately the characters are also thin and undeveloped. The club Daniel McEvoy works at has a host of coworkers and thugs in the area but they're barely involved and they all start to blend together. Towards the end the book drops a surprise that two of Daniel's coworkers are gay and in a relationship but there's absolutely no hint or clue and I could barely remember who both of them even were. The trend also carries to the resolution and unveiling of the whodunnit. For me the unveiling landed with a dull shoulder shrug and the killer's motive was even more lacking than the buildup to the reveal (or really the lack of of buildup in general). The one bright spot is the Irish flavor and humor Colfer injects into Daniel, however the character still feels generic and boring even with the accent.
I think this best way to sum up my experience reading Plugged was that I constantly wished I was reading a better thriller instead (the Kyle Achilles series by Tim Tigner or Dirk Gently by Douglas Adams come to mind). Colfer's more recent adult novel Hellfire also shares the anti-hero, slapstick comedy tone but feels like a refinement and step up from what Plugged was trying to do. I grew up and still love Eoin Colfer's novels but this one felt like a misfire.
Unfortunately the characters are also thin and undeveloped. The club Daniel McEvoy works at has a host of coworkers and thugs in the area but they're barely involved and they all start to blend together. Towards the end the book drops a surprise that two of Daniel's coworkers are gay and in a relationship but there's absolutely no hint or clue and I could barely remember who both of them even were. The trend also carries to the resolution and unveiling of the whodunnit. For me the unveiling landed with a dull shoulder shrug and the killer's motive was even more lacking than the buildup to the reveal (or really the lack of of buildup in general). The one bright spot is the Irish flavor and humor Colfer injects into Daniel, however the character still feels generic and boring even with the accent.
I think this best way to sum up my experience reading Plugged was that I constantly wished I was reading a better thriller instead (the Kyle Achilles series by Tim Tigner or Dirk Gently by Douglas Adams come to mind). Colfer's more recent adult novel Hellfire also shares the anti-hero, slapstick comedy tone but feels like a refinement and step up from what Plugged was trying to do. I grew up and still love Eoin Colfer's novels but this one felt like a misfire.
not_hermione's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty fast-paced and engaging. Involves a lot of Irish speak, which might be off-putting for some. The plot line at a few places seems flimsy, but the amount of humour at the required places is on point. Overall, worth a read. It's fun.
ogreart's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting characters. Interesting plot. Almost always caught me by surprise. I am looking forward to listening to more of these in the future.
laertes's review against another edition
4.0
I started reading Eoin Colfer when I was about 12, and his Artemis Fowl series was one of the things that helped to make me a life-long reader. This being the case, I was delighted when I saw that he'd written a novel for adults.
Plugged relates the story of Daniel McEvoy, an Irishman living in New Jersey. He has a troubled military past, and now works as a doorman in a seedy casino. When one of the casino's hostesses, Connie, is murdered, and Daniel's best friend, Zeb, go missing, circumstances draw McEvoy into an increasingly dangerous chain of events.
All well and good, you'd think, except that this novel tries to mix crime with comedy. The resut is uneasy, at best. Usually I love Colfer's wit, and this novel does have its genuinely funny moments, but a lot of the humour here really seems misplaced. During the showdown at the end of the novel, for example, McEvoy and Madden spend an inordinate amount of time comparing their hair implants, and it is this, along with the threat of a murdered mother, that eventually make Madden spare Dan and his friend. Unlikely, you might think, from a man who seems to have no problem kneecapping people. The final resolution of Connie's murder is similarly absurd -- killed with a sparkly bootheel by another of the hostesses after a fairly weak-sounding argument. Hmm.
Add to this McEvoy's mad upstairs neighbour, a cop-killing policewoman, and an ass-licking (literally) drugs lord, and you've got yourself a genuinely disconcerting read. Part of it is the inconsistency of the characters -- both the policewoman, Deacon, and Madden strike deals with Daniel, go back on them, and then settle for an even softer truce. Perhaps this is part of the humour, but it makes the characters seem hollow and spineless, and, consequently, it fell a bit flat with me.
There are aspects of Plugged which are brilliant. Colfer has an undisputed way with words, and you can really hear Dan's Irish accent, even though it's not written in dialect. The story flows well, and the resolution of Connie's murder comes as a complete surprise (although perhaps a little too much out of left-field for it to really seem credible). I think the real problem with this book is that it doesn't know what it wants to be -- at times, it reads like a serious crime novel (as when Daniel confronts Barrett at Zeb's office), at other times it seems to be entirely spoof. It's an interesting and entertaining read, but I'm just not sure that it really works.
Plugged relates the story of Daniel McEvoy, an Irishman living in New Jersey. He has a troubled military past, and now works as a doorman in a seedy casino. When one of the casino's hostesses, Connie, is murdered, and Daniel's best friend, Zeb, go missing, circumstances draw McEvoy into an increasingly dangerous chain of events.
All well and good, you'd think, except that this novel tries to mix crime with comedy. The resut is uneasy, at best. Usually I love Colfer's wit, and this novel does have its genuinely funny moments, but a lot of the humour here really seems misplaced. During the showdown at the end of the novel, for example, McEvoy and Madden spend an inordinate amount of time comparing their hair implants, and it is this, along with the threat of a murdered mother, that eventually make Madden spare Dan and his friend. Unlikely, you might think, from a man who seems to have no problem kneecapping people. The final resolution of Connie's murder is similarly absurd -- killed with a sparkly bootheel by another of the hostesses after a fairly weak-sounding argument. Hmm.
Add to this McEvoy's mad upstairs neighbour, a cop-killing policewoman, and an ass-licking (literally) drugs lord, and you've got yourself a genuinely disconcerting read. Part of it is the inconsistency of the characters -- both the policewoman, Deacon, and Madden strike deals with Daniel, go back on them, and then settle for an even softer truce. Perhaps this is part of the humour, but it makes the characters seem hollow and spineless, and, consequently, it fell a bit flat with me.
There are aspects of Plugged which are brilliant. Colfer has an undisputed way with words, and you can really hear Dan's Irish accent, even though it's not written in dialect. The story flows well, and the resolution of Connie's murder comes as a complete surprise (although perhaps a little too much out of left-field for it to really seem credible). I think the real problem with this book is that it doesn't know what it wants to be -- at times, it reads like a serious crime novel (as when Daniel confronts Barrett at Zeb's office), at other times it seems to be entirely spoof. It's an interesting and entertaining read, but I'm just not sure that it really works.
kcfromaustcrime's review against another edition
4.0
Not having read any of Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books, I'm guessing from the author's own description of that series as "Die Hard with fairies", that PLUGGED has a hefty dose of the same sort of humour but this time for adults.
Certainly part of one blurb I read "the crime caper so outlandish, so maniacal, so wickedly funny, it could only come from the mind that brought you Artemis Fowl" set expectations pretty firmly.
There's definitely something deliciously perverse about the scenario of this book - an Irish, ex-pat bouncer whose girlfriend is murdered in the car park of the seedy casino that he's just won in a game of Poker. Not that I'd agree with the use of "girlfriend" - that seems a little more what Daniel McEvoy hoped was going on with Connie than what she'd actually agreed to. Winning your own business also might seem like an opportunity, and Dan certainly starts off with the best interests of his new employees at heart, but he's distracted. Partially by his barking mad upstairs neighbour who seems to think he's her long lost husband. But really his major problem is his dodgy hair transplant surgeon has gone missing and Dan's new hair plugs itch. Well maybe that and the fact that he's managed to make an enemy of one of New Jersey's most ruthless drug-dealers, he's been framed for a crime he didn't commit, his only ally seems to be a cop-killing female cop, and all this getting shot at is likely to start him pulling out his hair - which he really cannot afford to be doing right now.
So, a slightly manic plot and a slightly bizarre situation which, luckily proved hugely entertaining and very very funny at points. The crying with laughter bit helps a lot as well as this is such a busy busy plot, there are some rather desperate attempts to keep the whole thing on track and tied up at points. Which frankly I didn't much care about.
This is a good old fashioned caper novel, with a wonderful, try hard sort of bloke at the centre who truly is a very likeable character. There is a good cast of equally eccentric individuals surrounding him, but somehow, they seem to sort of work in the world that they inhabit. Definitely intended as sheer entertainment, PLUGGED, really delivered that component in spades. It is a caper though, it is intended to be funny, so don't look too closely at the details. PLUGGED probably should have come with a warning that reading in an area with other people may get you some startled looks because you really should find yourself laughing out loud frequently.
Certainly part of one blurb I read "the crime caper so outlandish, so maniacal, so wickedly funny, it could only come from the mind that brought you Artemis Fowl" set expectations pretty firmly.
There's definitely something deliciously perverse about the scenario of this book - an Irish, ex-pat bouncer whose girlfriend is murdered in the car park of the seedy casino that he's just won in a game of Poker. Not that I'd agree with the use of "girlfriend" - that seems a little more what Daniel McEvoy hoped was going on with Connie than what she'd actually agreed to. Winning your own business also might seem like an opportunity, and Dan certainly starts off with the best interests of his new employees at heart, but he's distracted. Partially by his barking mad upstairs neighbour who seems to think he's her long lost husband. But really his major problem is his dodgy hair transplant surgeon has gone missing and Dan's new hair plugs itch. Well maybe that and the fact that he's managed to make an enemy of one of New Jersey's most ruthless drug-dealers, he's been framed for a crime he didn't commit, his only ally seems to be a cop-killing female cop, and all this getting shot at is likely to start him pulling out his hair - which he really cannot afford to be doing right now.
So, a slightly manic plot and a slightly bizarre situation which, luckily proved hugely entertaining and very very funny at points. The crying with laughter bit helps a lot as well as this is such a busy busy plot, there are some rather desperate attempts to keep the whole thing on track and tied up at points. Which frankly I didn't much care about.
This is a good old fashioned caper novel, with a wonderful, try hard sort of bloke at the centre who truly is a very likeable character. There is a good cast of equally eccentric individuals surrounding him, but somehow, they seem to sort of work in the world that they inhabit. Definitely intended as sheer entertainment, PLUGGED, really delivered that component in spades. It is a caper though, it is intended to be funny, so don't look too closely at the details. PLUGGED probably should have come with a warning that reading in an area with other people may get you some startled looks because you really should find yourself laughing out loud frequently.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
Bouncer Daniel McEvoy's life spins out of control when the girl he loves winds up dead, his friend turns up missing, thugs all over town are gunning for him, and his crazy neighbor may be in love with him. Worse yet, he's going bald...
I heard Eoin Colfer speak at BoucherCon 2011 and he was so hilarious I had to immediately snap this one up. I was not disappointed.
Plugged is a damn fine adult novel from Colfer, much better than the Hitchhiker's Guide sequel he wrote a couple years ago. Daniel McEvoy is a great lead character; funny without being a smart ass, not particularly handsome or bright, and more than a little worried about going bald, hence his hair transplant. See, the title has more than one meaning. Plugged as in shot or as in hair transplant. Get it? Nevermind.
The characters other than McEvoy aren't as well developed but are still an interesting bunch. There's Zeb, the unlicensed doctor, Mrs. Delano, Daniel's crazy neighbor, Detective Deacon, Vic, Irish Mike, the list goes on and on. For most of the book, the reader is as much in the dark as Daniel.
While Plugged is a good mystery with plenty of twists and turns, the humor is by far the draw. It's chock full of dark Irish wit and self-deprecating humor. I could easily see it being optioned for a movie starring Simon Pegg.
Plugged is an easy four star book. However, it wasn't without some rocky patches. The who killed Connie subplot seemed forgotten and the bit with Irish Mike wasn't quite firing on all cylinders.
Like I said, Plugged is an easy four. I'll be watching for more novels by Colfer in the future.
I heard Eoin Colfer speak at BoucherCon 2011 and he was so hilarious I had to immediately snap this one up. I was not disappointed.
Plugged is a damn fine adult novel from Colfer, much better than the Hitchhiker's Guide sequel he wrote a couple years ago. Daniel McEvoy is a great lead character; funny without being a smart ass, not particularly handsome or bright, and more than a little worried about going bald, hence his hair transplant. See, the title has more than one meaning. Plugged as in shot or as in hair transplant. Get it? Nevermind.
The characters other than McEvoy aren't as well developed but are still an interesting bunch. There's Zeb, the unlicensed doctor, Mrs. Delano, Daniel's crazy neighbor, Detective Deacon, Vic, Irish Mike, the list goes on and on. For most of the book, the reader is as much in the dark as Daniel.
While Plugged is a good mystery with plenty of twists and turns, the humor is by far the draw. It's chock full of dark Irish wit and self-deprecating humor. I could easily see it being optioned for a movie starring Simon Pegg.
Plugged is an easy four star book. However, it wasn't without some rocky patches. The who killed Connie subplot seemed forgotten and the bit with Irish Mike wasn't quite firing on all cylinders.
Spoiler
I also have an issue with a floppy disk being able to hold an entire video of a hair transplant operation. It seems like Colfer should have used a thumb drive or similar device to serve as the McGuffin.Like I said, Plugged is an easy four. I'll be watching for more novels by Colfer in the future.
adamrshields's review
3.0
Short Review: This is Eoin Colfer's first adult book. And it feels a bit like he is trying to make up for having written young adult books for the rest of his career. There is a lot of swearing and violence in this books and some sex. But a lot of the adult content feels like filler more than really necessary to the plot. On the whole though the problem with the book is that the characters do not feel believable. The main guy is good. But why has he spent a decade working as a bouncer as a seedy club. The bad guys are pretty two demential. And in the end the twist made me feel like I had wasted my time with the book. I really like Colfer's Artemis Fowl series, but I think I will stick to his young adult books from now on.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/plugged-a-novel-by-eoin-colfer/
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/plugged-a-novel-by-eoin-colfer/
ericbuscemi's review against another edition
3.0
This book's biggest strength -- its narrative voice -- is also, at points, its biggest weakness. The voice of Daniel McEvoy, the middle-aged Irish bouncer protagonist, is humorous, neurotic, and rings true. But on a few occasions, Colfer tries a bit too hard to be funny, like making fun of descriptions he just gave, or with the banter between the narrative voice and the second voice the narrator hears in his head (that will make sense if you read the book, I promise).