Reviews

Mr. Clarinet by Nick Stone

Only show reviews with written explanations

guyro's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

read this years ago very good

kcfromaustcrime's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

In Nick Stone's debut book, MR CLARINET, ex-cop, ex-PI, most recently convicted of manslaughter, Max Mingus is contacted whilst still in jail by the desperate father of a child kidnapped in Haiti. Despite offering millions of dollars as a reward, Allain Carver, part of the powerful and rich elite of Haitian society, has to pester Mingus in jail and after release, to take up the search for his son. Mingus has a reputation of getting to the bottom of kidnappings and disappearing children, and of taking those searches very much to heart. Carver has been trying, with various other PI's for 3 years, to find his missing infant son. Charlie Carver is not the only child to go missing in Haiti, and a lot of previous investigators have died or been left scarred trying to work their way through a violent and dysfunctional society.

Stone's Haiti is a country very much on the edge, with occupation forces patrolling streets and gangs controlling others, society conventions are disrupted, there is economic meltdown and increasing slum living conditions, confrontational voodoo practices and rituals are being openly used and discussed, and drug lords enforce their brand of tribal law.

This is a big, elaborate thriller of a book, with action, violence and ritual liberally interspersed throughout. A little judicious editing would have been of some benefit as some of the middle sections of the book drag slightly, and some of the voodoo rituals, whilst perhaps thought to add some colour, came across as pointlessly gratuitous.

All round, a good thriller which, despite showing some weaknesses, indicates promise for a second book.

ali5on's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

Si se ahorraba un par de cosas quedaba mejor (toda la primera mitad)

pillywiggin's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This is a good thriller with an intriguing mystery, and an interesting main character. I haven't decided if I like Max Mingus yet. As a warning to others, I will say that there are some very graphic descriptions of violence in the book. The Haitian setting and atmospheric descriptions are interesting, though.

laus3012's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

This was a very solid debut novel. I found the authors writing style flowed easily and was fantastic use of description embedded me in the Haitian environment.

I'm usually one who is good at predicting the outcome or perpetrator in a novel; however, on this occasion I did not. (I'm not going to give it away)

The reason I gave it 4 not 5 stars is that it took me about 50 pages to really get into the book.

A great debut which makes me want to check out more by the author.

harbeequinn's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The author, having lived in Haiti, paints a picture so vivid that it is easy to lose yourself, to step off the plane in Max's shoes and experience the country. The writing is filled with adjectives - some over-used and some uncommon delights - but, rather than detract from the story as some 1-star reviews critique, I believe that it enhances it; Mr. Stone has laid out a smorgasbord for the senses in his descriptions - if you just sit back and let yourself be sucked into the story, you will be richly rewarded. For a debuting novel, Mr. Stone's work is amazing; it is powerfully written and the whodunit will keep you guessing until the end. It is a book for my keepers shelf. Highly recommended.