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lynguy1's review
3.0
If you are you looking for a unique police procedural and crime thriller with some horror, then Final Price by J. Gregory Smith may be the answer to your search. Set in and around Wilmington, Delaware, it features state police homicide detective Paul Chang, his friend Nelson Rogers, and car salesman Shamus Ryan. I believe it is better to go into this book without reading the synopsis.
Chang is logical and tenacious, but he also has emotional turmoil and anger issues. I had trouble connecting with him. Rogers is somewhat unstable, but he has great powers of observation and can read subtle clues on others’ faces and through their body language. He is the most interesting character in the book. Shamus has anger issues as well and blames everyone but himself when things don’t go as he would like.
Rather than the first book in a series, this felt like it was several books into it. While there are references to some of what happened when Chang and Rogers were detective partners are New York, there seemed to be a lot that was missing. I would have liked to have read about those events first.
The story is told from the points of view of Chang and Shamus. It’s very descriptive so there are some graphic and disturbing scenes as well as plenty of suspense. The dark humor that occurs occasionally isn’t enough to offset these but provides some relief. The plot is full of action, over-the-top scenes, and descriptive settings combined with unsettling and distressing images that kept me turning the pages. The ending sets up a twist to the series. Themes include murder, racism, politics, competitiveness, and much more.
Overall, this is a fast-paced and perturbing thriller with some dark humor to break the suspense occasionally. It grabbed my attention and kept me engaged throughout the story.
I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was January 1, 2009.
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My 3.48 rounded to 3 stars review is coming soon.
Chang is logical and tenacious, but he also has emotional turmoil and anger issues. I had trouble connecting with him. Rogers is somewhat unstable, but he has great powers of observation and can read subtle clues on others’ faces and through their body language. He is the most interesting character in the book. Shamus has anger issues as well and blames everyone but himself when things don’t go as he would like.
Rather than the first book in a series, this felt like it was several books into it. While there are references to some of what happened when Chang and Rogers were detective partners are New York, there seemed to be a lot that was missing. I would have liked to have read about those events first.
The story is told from the points of view of Chang and Shamus. It’s very descriptive so there are some graphic and disturbing scenes as well as plenty of suspense. The dark humor that occurs occasionally isn’t enough to offset these but provides some relief. The plot is full of action, over-the-top scenes, and descriptive settings combined with unsettling and distressing images that kept me turning the pages. The ending sets up a twist to the series. Themes include murder, racism, politics, competitiveness, and much more.
Overall, this is a fast-paced and perturbing thriller with some dark humor to break the suspense occasionally. It grabbed my attention and kept me engaged throughout the story.
I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was January 1, 2009.
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My 3.48 rounded to 3 stars review is coming soon.
cristinanovak's review against another edition
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
thereaderofbooks's review against another edition
2.0
The book was ok. There were a few stereotypes that weren't needed. There were a few pieces of the story that were not fully developed or followed through on. Interesting story idea but not well developed.
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