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nghia's review against another edition
1.0
This is the 10th book in the Garrett P.I. series. Like all series, I suppose, what was once novel, intriguing, and interesting has been worn down to a tired patina of retreads over the course of time. Angry Lead Skies offers up what you come to expect from a Garrett book: he gets involved in some weird case, sleeps with a half dozen women (okay, only four), is knocked unconscious a full dozen times, never kills anyone, and generally comes up smelling roses at the end of it all. Along the way you'll get cameos from all the secondary characters and/or sex toys that have accumulated over the years: Alyx Weider, Tinnie Tate, Belinda Contague, Winger, Saucerhead Thorpe, the groll brothers, etc. Mara gets name checked but otherwise seems to have dropped out of the picture entirely. The sexy librarian is about the only one I don't recall even being mentioned.
Through it all you wonder not only what do these women see in Garrett, but what do his alleged friends see in him? And what does he see in them? Why, for instance, is he friends with Winger?
While this kind of continuity is what sets it above much of the other series-trash I've read in the past -- the world of Tun Faire has changed over the years with the end of the Cantard war, the end of the City Watch, references to The Call -- a lot of it seems to show up only perfunctorily.
I think what made this book especially disappointing is that the core "mystery" gets essentially wrapped up off-screen. The two fugitives that spark all the action are never seen. Somehow the three factions of Visitors all make-up via telepathy or something. I dunno. They come and then they're gone. In a post-modern kind of way I guess that is nifty. But the way Cook handles it, it just feels sloppy. Like he's too busy planning out Garrett's newfound wealth and business empire and got bored with doing anything with the Visitors. Suddenly Casey is just going to file a TPS report and everything is okay again. Or something.
The entire book just felt more formulaic, more just-so, and more self-obsessed than previous entries in the series. I guess this is where I give up and find things to read that give me a higher return-on-investment.
The Garrett series were never high-quality fiction. They're like the book equivalent of Psych or Monk. Quirky detective TV shows whose plots don't hold up too well under inspection...but they're not meant for that either. A half-dozen or ten books worth of enjoyment isn't a bad run and no doubt there are still fans out there hungrily waiting for new installments.
Through it all you wonder not only what do these women see in Garrett, but what do his alleged friends see in him? And what does he see in them? Why, for instance, is he friends with Winger?
While this kind of continuity is what sets it above much of the other series-trash I've read in the past -- the world of Tun Faire has changed over the years with the end of the Cantard war, the end of the City Watch, references to The Call -- a lot of it seems to show up only perfunctorily.
I think what made this book especially disappointing is that the core "mystery" gets essentially wrapped up off-screen. The two fugitives that spark all the action are never seen. Somehow the three factions of Visitors all make-up via telepathy or something. I dunno. They come and then they're gone. In a post-modern kind of way I guess that is nifty. But the way Cook handles it, it just feels sloppy. Like he's too busy planning out Garrett's newfound wealth and business empire and got bored with doing anything with the Visitors. Suddenly Casey is just going to file a TPS report and everything is okay again. Or something.
The entire book just felt more formulaic, more just-so, and more self-obsessed than previous entries in the series. I guess this is where I give up and find things to read that give me a higher return-on-investment.
The Garrett series were never high-quality fiction. They're like the book equivalent of Psych or Monk. Quirky detective TV shows whose plots don't hold up too well under inspection...but they're not meant for that either. A half-dozen or ten books worth of enjoyment isn't a bad run and no doubt there are still fans out there hungrily waiting for new installments.
wmhenrymorris's review against another edition
I know that it's the point, but so, so silly.
lottpoet's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
eclipse777's review against another edition
4.0
The only flaw to this books for me is that every beautiful girl wants to bed Garrett it's getting a bit tiring now but I do enjoy this series immensely
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