Scan barcode
hannahmaybookreviews's review
4.0
Title: Pigeon-Blood Red
Author: Ed Duncan
Pages: 203
Rating: 3.5/5
A huge thank you to the author and Kelsey from Book Publicity services for providing me with a copy of the book to review.
Synopsis:
Rico is an underworld enforcer who is given the task of retrieving his gangster boss’s priceless pigeon-blood ruby necklace. Along with the retrieval, he must teach the back stabbing cheat who stole it a lesson, this part of the job he has done numerous times. Thinking this would be an easy task, Rico’s mission quickly goes sideways and he finds he has to play a game of Cat and Mouse to locate the necklace. He finds himself in uncharted territory and innocents soon find themselves also embroiled in the crime. Despite this, Rico goes ahead and continues to pursue his new targets but the events that follow leave Rico facing his toughest decision yet. Kill the couple who save his life or refuse and risk the life of the woman he loves.
Review:
The description of this book hinted thar this could be an action packed read that you could sink your teeth into. The reviews also looked promising and I was eager to find out. I have to say my initial thoughts on the description were correct!
When starting chapter 1 we are thrown straight into the action, the book kicks off with a bang and I found as I read on this showed no signs of slowing. At first however I did struggle to get my head round who was who, however this got easier as I soon got into the swing of the story.
The book is split into 3 parts and I felt each part was the perfect length. The chapters were also short and snappy which kept the story moving at a perfect, fast pace. I connected with the author’s writing style straight away and enjoyed the author’s tone. I was able to visualise everything the author wrote and the scenes he set; parts really had me wanting to be on holiday!
Pigeon-blood Red is full of twists and turns. There is plenty of backstabbing and betrayal and the action this brings does not relent, making this a very dramatic read, something I love. The business Rico was in often meant things would go round in a vicious circle, you knew something would always be coming.
Rico despite some of the ‘jobs’ he has carried out was not unlikeable. He had so much potential and so much more he could be and it frustrated me how he didn’t see this. He was a bad guy you couldn’t help but warm to and I feel this was the author’s clever idea for him. As for the other characters, all I will say is do not get attached because the author can be rather ruthless.
The story is told in third person, it can be confusing in places but it did a good job at letting you into the characters head. My one complaint would be that the past events and flash backs could have been made clearer by a heading or a change in font, just to separate past from present because I did find myself lost at times.
This read had a clever and cunning plot with an ending that was unexpected. I breezed through this book in 2 sittings because it was such an easy read. It had an old school gangster feel to it and I did worry at first whether I would connect but I was pleasantly surprised and this was a very enjoyable crime thriller. Pigeon-blood Red is a good place to start for those exploring the crime thriller genre for the first time.
Author: Ed Duncan
Pages: 203
Rating: 3.5/5
A huge thank you to the author and Kelsey from Book Publicity services for providing me with a copy of the book to review.
Synopsis:
Rico is an underworld enforcer who is given the task of retrieving his gangster boss’s priceless pigeon-blood ruby necklace. Along with the retrieval, he must teach the back stabbing cheat who stole it a lesson, this part of the job he has done numerous times. Thinking this would be an easy task, Rico’s mission quickly goes sideways and he finds he has to play a game of Cat and Mouse to locate the necklace. He finds himself in uncharted territory and innocents soon find themselves also embroiled in the crime. Despite this, Rico goes ahead and continues to pursue his new targets but the events that follow leave Rico facing his toughest decision yet. Kill the couple who save his life or refuse and risk the life of the woman he loves.
Review:
The description of this book hinted thar this could be an action packed read that you could sink your teeth into. The reviews also looked promising and I was eager to find out. I have to say my initial thoughts on the description were correct!
When starting chapter 1 we are thrown straight into the action, the book kicks off with a bang and I found as I read on this showed no signs of slowing. At first however I did struggle to get my head round who was who, however this got easier as I soon got into the swing of the story.
The book is split into 3 parts and I felt each part was the perfect length. The chapters were also short and snappy which kept the story moving at a perfect, fast pace. I connected with the author’s writing style straight away and enjoyed the author’s tone. I was able to visualise everything the author wrote and the scenes he set; parts really had me wanting to be on holiday!
Pigeon-blood Red is full of twists and turns. There is plenty of backstabbing and betrayal and the action this brings does not relent, making this a very dramatic read, something I love. The business Rico was in often meant things would go round in a vicious circle, you knew something would always be coming.
Rico despite some of the ‘jobs’ he has carried out was not unlikeable. He had so much potential and so much more he could be and it frustrated me how he didn’t see this. He was a bad guy you couldn’t help but warm to and I feel this was the author’s clever idea for him. As for the other characters, all I will say is do not get attached because the author can be rather ruthless.
The story is told in third person, it can be confusing in places but it did a good job at letting you into the characters head. My one complaint would be that the past events and flash backs could have been made clearer by a heading or a change in font, just to separate past from present because I did find myself lost at times.
This read had a clever and cunning plot with an ending that was unexpected. I breezed through this book in 2 sittings because it was such an easy read. It had an old school gangster feel to it and I did worry at first whether I would connect but I was pleasantly surprised and this was a very enjoyable crime thriller. Pigeon-blood Red is a good place to start for those exploring the crime thriller genre for the first time.
lyndajdickson's review against another edition
5.0
Robert McDuffie is a chronic gambler who, on a whim, steals a priceless necklace of pigeon-blood red rubies from loan shark Frank Litvak. Frank sends his goon Rico after Robert in an attempt to recover it. The action moves from Chicago to Hawaii, where Robert follows his estranged wife Evelyn who is on holiday with her friend Rachel. Also in Hawaii is Paul Elliott, who bumps into Evelyn, his old college girlfriend. A game of cat and mouse ensues as Rico chases them around Hawaii and then back to Chicago.
It's a pleasure to read a book with such excellent sentence structure, fine vocabulary, and near-flawless editing. Even though it is written in the third person, we can see inside everyone's head at one point or another. This is a bit disconcerting at first, but the author uses the technique very effectively. He has a great storytelling ability, creating not only an interesting plot, but providing us with extensive back stories for each character. While not all of it is relevant to the story, the characters are given so much depth that they feel like real people. The author keeps us guessing as to how all the disparate characters and events relate to each other, but it all comes together neatly in the end.
I would love to see this book made into a movie.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (19 November): https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com/2016/11/pigeon-blood-red-by-ed-duncan.html
It's a pleasure to read a book with such excellent sentence structure, fine vocabulary, and near-flawless editing. Even though it is written in the third person, we can see inside everyone's head at one point or another. This is a bit disconcerting at first, but the author uses the technique very effectively. He has a great storytelling ability, creating not only an interesting plot, but providing us with extensive back stories for each character. While not all of it is relevant to the story, the characters are given so much depth that they feel like real people. The author keeps us guessing as to how all the disparate characters and events relate to each other, but it all comes together neatly in the end.
I would love to see this book made into a movie.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (19 November): https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com/2016/11/pigeon-blood-red-by-ed-duncan.html
bellesbooks__'s review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I really enjoyed this! i devoured the whole book in 2 sittings! it’s a very quick read at under 250 pages but this short length does not take away from depth or a good solid storyline.
it follows a morally grey main character called rico, who’s a gang enforcer tasked with retrieving a stolen necklace for his boss.
we meet characters along the way who unknowingly become intertwined with this stolen necklace, with a little background into their lives.
i loved the vibe of this book & it was certainly packed with plenty of action. this book got great really quickly & i was invested in each of the characters storylines, desperate to know what happened to them next!
overall i thoroughly reccomend this book if you’re looking to get out of a reading slump or just to spice up your genres if you’re like me and fancied something a little different.
it follows a morally grey main character called rico, who’s a gang enforcer tasked with retrieving a stolen necklace for his boss.
we meet characters along the way who unknowingly become intertwined with this stolen necklace, with a little background into their lives.
i loved the vibe of this book & it was certainly packed with plenty of action. this book got great really quickly & i was invested in each of the characters storylines, desperate to know what happened to them next!
overall i thoroughly reccomend this book if you’re looking to get out of a reading slump or just to spice up your genres if you’re like me and fancied something a little different.
sunnys_shelf's review against another edition
4.0
This was a quick, enjoyable audiobook that I flew through in just a couple of days. It follows morally-gray Rico, a gang enforcer tasked with retrieving a stolen necklace for his boss. The book had a gritty noir vibe to it, with plenty of action. I was definitely captivated by the story throughout and was really interested to see what would happen to the characters. I also really liked the narrator's deep voice and thought it really added to the atmosphere of the story.
cyireadbooks's review
5.0
Pigeon-Blood Red is the first installment of the trilogy and it did not disappoint.
Richard (Rico) Sanders is a hitman for hire and is the go-to person when ruthless loan-shark and crime boss, Frank Litzak needs a job done. When Litzak’s rare pigeon-blood red ruby necklace is stolen, Rico is tasked with recovering the necklace and punishing the sleaze ball that stole it. An easy enough job. But it soon becomes complicated when innocent bystanders become entangled in Rico’s hunt for the rare necklace.
Mr. Duncan’s storytelling skills shine through in this novel. Who would think that anyone would admire a hitman? But Duncan has managed to weave a story with characters not unlike those in the series, The Sopranos. An excellent crime thriller, Pigeon-Blood Red is a page-turner for sure. You’ll find that your latest hero is none other than Rico Sanders — the hitman. Five stunning stars.
I received a paperback copy of the book from Ed Duncan through Book Publicity Services. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
Richard (Rico) Sanders is a hitman for hire and is the go-to person when ruthless loan-shark and crime boss, Frank Litzak needs a job done. When Litzak’s rare pigeon-blood red ruby necklace is stolen, Rico is tasked with recovering the necklace and punishing the sleaze ball that stole it. An easy enough job. But it soon becomes complicated when innocent bystanders become entangled in Rico’s hunt for the rare necklace.
Mr. Duncan’s storytelling skills shine through in this novel. Who would think that anyone would admire a hitman? But Duncan has managed to weave a story with characters not unlike those in the series, The Sopranos. An excellent crime thriller, Pigeon-Blood Red is a page-turner for sure. You’ll find that your latest hero is none other than Rico Sanders — the hitman. Five stunning stars.
I received a paperback copy of the book from Ed Duncan through Book Publicity Services. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
datewithathriller's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wordsbetweenlines's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
This intrigued me as I definitely grew up on John Grisham books and had no trouble getting into a good crime story.
The first 50 pages had my interest as we began to understand a few characters connected to a crime boss but then it started to lose me. There were too many storylines told in different ways that didn’t mesh together, and didn’t add to the story. For me, the writing just wasn’t to the level I expect and that took away from the book.
I think there was an interesting plot and the book and characters have potential but it just didn’t get there for me.
Thank you book publicity services for the copy in exchange for my honest review.
bookswithrebecca_'s review against another edition
4.0
Let me start by saying I really enjoyed this book and would have finished it within 2 days if I didn’t have a full time job
janelbriana's review against another edition
4.0
This isn’t my usual read, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was an quick, action packed read. My favorite thing about the book is the amount of detail the author put into the book. It made it more of an experience and allowed for me to see the story in my head. It’s like a film experience in a book. Some of the dialogue could use a little work, but overall a good experience while reading. Would definitely recommend this book to friends and family who like action films.
** Kelsey, Book Publicity Services, and the author Ed Duncan sent me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you all! **
** Kelsey, Book Publicity Services, and the author Ed Duncan sent me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you all! **
emilyleah's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
I was kindly gifted a copy of this book and I immediately found it easy to read. Unfortunately, I found that the introduction quite weak and I think it would have benefitted from more careful editing. However, the story began to gain momentum a few chapters in and I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline - themes of theft, assassins and murder.
In the end I enjoyed this book, and would give it 3.5 stars but the book’s editing let it down. It definitely has the potential to be a really good read!
I was kindly gifted a copy of this book and I immediately found it easy to read. Unfortunately, I found that the introduction quite weak and I think it would have benefitted from more careful editing. However, the story began to gain momentum a few chapters in and I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline - themes of theft, assassins and murder.
In the end I enjoyed this book, and would give it 3.5 stars but the book’s editing let it down. It definitely has the potential to be a really good read!