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lkdeg's review
4.0
There seems to be a lot happening in the town of New London. Murder, robberies and an elaborate con game involving nicotine addicted beagles. The story moves along at a quick pace. It gets complicated and twisty as you read further. The dialogue is quirky and at times comical. I enjoyed the characters especially the chemistry or lack there of between Manny and Vikstrom. This is an enjoyable read that will keep the reader engaged.
lazygal's review
5.0
This is getting five stars despite my quibbles with the narration moving between omniscient ("if we look to the left, we'd see...") and third person ("Connor walked to the door"). Moving past that, Dobyns has once again written a great mystery - gruesome at times (a biker getting cut in half by a truck!), but also very character oriented. Who is Fat Bob? Why does anyone want him dead? Is it something to do with Connor's brother? Or maybe it's all a mistake? Even better is the relationship between Vikstrom and Streeter, which ranges from passive-aggressive to just plain aggressive. Best? Fundraising for the nicotine addicted beagles and orphans from outer space.
jay_a_dee's review
3.0
A generally enjoyable read. I enjoyed seeing how the eclectic characters connected with each other. It took a while to get into it and may not be for everyone.
johnnyb1954's review
4.0
I saw this book in the library on the "featured books" shelf and picked it up for the title and cover picture. The book fulfilled my expectations. I liked the characters, the plot, the subplots, and, for the most part, the writing. As some other reviewers did, I found the intrusive, meta narrator a bit annoying. I also was put off by Vaughn's malapropism a which just became more numerous and distracting as the book went on. But these two elements did not spoil the story and it was a 4 or 4.5 star dad for me.
Final note, the narration style made me think of Tom Robbins's books, but I haven't read them in a long time and didn't go back to actually compare.
Final note, the narration style made me think of Tom Robbins's books, but I haven't read them in a long time and didn't go back to actually compare.
renee_pompeii's review
2.0
Madcap, tongue-in-cheek, romp joke posing as a police procedural? This wasn't bad, it was just fluffier than I expected/was in the mood for. Dobyns is pretty silly, if you usually read crime fiction but are yearning for something light, this is your book.
jaytak's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
robinhigdon's review against another edition
4.0
this book was crazy and absurd but i loved it! I did the audio and it was well done. I hope he continues on with the series
clambook's review
3.0
Haven't read Stephen Dobyns for quite a while, not since his Saratoga series years ago. Pleased to see he's still at it, but I found this to be trying way too hard to sound like Elmore Leonard. Strained and too long.
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