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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!
feilcabinet's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this! It was a quick and easy read and I'm planning to read the rest of the series in the near future.
I appreciated the dig at the Cubs in the beginning of the book (as a White Sox fan myself) and knew I'd like it from there.
I appreciated the dig at the Cubs in the beginning of the book (as a White Sox fan myself) and knew I'd like it from there.
bookber's review against another edition
1.0
Thank you to Book Publicity Services for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is more crime noir/hit man vibes than I'm used to but I was happy to give it a try due to it's fast pacing and the promise of suspenseful crime drama. Unfortunately, this ended up really not being my thing.
It is fast paced and I liked that we got to see multiple POVs even if only for a few pages. There's lots of action interspersed with interesting character back stories which felt like a good balance. I also enjoyed the Honolulu sections - especially the luau - as they were pretty atmospheric.
However, the portrayals of the female characters in this book were pretty awful. There were a few redeeming scenes for Jean and Evelyn, but as a whole I felt the female characters were there to be objectified and sexualised. The constant descriptions of women as “firm”, “petite”, “perfectly contoured”, dressed in sexy lingerie, revealing a bare thigh etc. etc. was too much.
The male characters were constantly ogling at women or getting distracted by their bodies. I'm sorry but how is Rico meant to be this world-class hit man if he gets distracted by women in bikinis on the beach...
There were even a few scenes where the female characters were distressed/angry and the men would still be thinking about how good they looked... ew ew ew.
Some plot points seemed very unrealistic or needed a re-read to fully understand what was going on, and by the end of the series I hadn't warmed to Rico at all so I won't be continuing this series.
This book is more crime noir/hit man vibes than I'm used to but I was happy to give it a try due to it's fast pacing and the promise of suspenseful crime drama. Unfortunately, this ended up really not being my thing.
It is fast paced and I liked that we got to see multiple POVs even if only for a few pages. There's lots of action interspersed with interesting character back stories which felt like a good balance. I also enjoyed the Honolulu sections - especially the luau - as they were pretty atmospheric.
However, the portrayals of the female characters in this book were pretty awful. There were a few redeeming scenes for Jean and Evelyn, but as a whole I felt the female characters were there to be objectified and sexualised. The constant descriptions of women as “firm”, “petite”, “perfectly contoured”, dressed in sexy lingerie, revealing a bare thigh etc. etc. was too much.
The male characters were constantly ogling at women or getting distracted by their bodies. I'm sorry but how is Rico meant to be this world-class hit man if he gets distracted by women in bikinis on the beach...
There were even a few scenes where the female characters were distressed/angry and the men would still be thinking about how good they looked... ew ew ew.
Some plot points seemed very unrealistic or needed a re-read to fully understand what was going on, and by the end of the series I hadn't warmed to Rico at all so I won't be continuing this series.
no_more_shelf_control's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
It is a million degrees here and I am so grateful for stories that take my mind off the sanity that is seeping out of my skin.
@bookpublicityservices
alerted me to PIGEON-BLOOD RED by Ed Duncan and narrated by Dave Keyser and it was a crime thriller that grabbed my attention!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rico is a paid enforcer and is charged with retrieving the "Pigeon-Blood" Ruby necklace and eliminating the ones who took it. Unfortunately, the idiot who did take it is in Honolulu with a mess of his own. When the hit goes awry, Rico has to figure out how to clean up the mess with ever higher stakes.
This was a fast-paced story with more layers than I expected. Multiple POV's give a fuller picture of the action and the characters were complicated and gritty. It felt like a perfect hot summer crime read. The narration was also gritty and dark, lending this story the atmosphere it seemed to deserve, especially when they returned to Chicago.
I needed a complete 180 after a heavy family drama hangover, and this was a fantastic choice!
Thank you @ricostays
For sharing the audiobook and letting me give my thoughts! This is available on @audible now and there are 2 more books in this series that I will have to check out!
@bookpublicityservices
alerted me to PIGEON-BLOOD RED by Ed Duncan and narrated by Dave Keyser and it was a crime thriller that grabbed my attention!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rico is a paid enforcer and is charged with retrieving the "Pigeon-Blood" Ruby necklace and eliminating the ones who took it. Unfortunately, the idiot who did take it is in Honolulu with a mess of his own. When the hit goes awry, Rico has to figure out how to clean up the mess with ever higher stakes.
This was a fast-paced story with more layers than I expected. Multiple POV's give a fuller picture of the action and the characters were complicated and gritty. It felt like a perfect hot summer crime read. The narration was also gritty and dark, lending this story the atmosphere it seemed to deserve, especially when they returned to Chicago.
I needed a complete 180 after a heavy family drama hangover, and this was a fantastic choice!
Thank you @ricostays
For sharing the audiobook and letting me give my thoughts! This is available on @audible now and there are 2 more books in this series that I will have to check out!
crimethrillerbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Pigeon Blood Red is a really detailed & fast paced crime fiction novel! I really enjoyed it throughout there’s plenty of action in it to keep you entertained & also a really likeable protagonist. Being a shorter book it is the perfect read if you feel like reading something fast paced & full of action!
Thank you to Book Publicity Services & Ed Duncan for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review
Thank you to Book Publicity Services & Ed Duncan for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review
karly_ackley's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Murder, and Stalking
reads_emily's review against another edition
4.0
I was asked to read this book and post my review and wow I enjoyed this. This is the first book I’ve read from Ed and I loved his style of writing. It took a while to get used to as he jumps around different perspectives in different paragraphs but it made the book. It made it fast paced and it made you question the book which for me is an enjoyable read.
I love the characters in this book and now I know there are more books in this series I am definitely reading them all - I love Rico! I think he is such a cool character and makes this story.
I’m very grateful to be given the opportunity to read this book, I love having the opportunity to read books by authors I haven’t discovered yet. I would recommend this book to anyone!
I love the characters in this book and now I know there are more books in this series I am definitely reading them all - I love Rico! I think he is such a cool character and makes this story.
I’m very grateful to be given the opportunity to read this book, I love having the opportunity to read books by authors I haven’t discovered yet. I would recommend this book to anyone!
hyperashley's review against another edition
3.0
This was a super fast, thrilling, keep you on your toes book. If I ever need something "taken care of" I'll be sure to call Rico. After I got used to this author's style of writing it wasn't hard to get into this book. I really like the cover, it's eye-catching without being too colorful.
I liked Rico's character a lot but I thought after awhile he was kind of over-shadowed. This is a book that had a lot of strong characters in it so it wasn't hard to get swept up in their lives. That being said, I got the impression the book was maybe supposed to be following Rico. I loved to hate Robert for being a stupid asshat. Evelyn and Paul were good characters and I'm glad that their stories were told but I did feel like some of their chapters were unnecessary.
I think there was the perfect amount of violence. Rico was a beast and I loved him for it. I loved how sweet and protective he was with Jean (if you can ignore that whole beginning incident). The ending was perfect in my opinion but I do wonder how the series is going to continue. The back of the book says this is the first book in a trilogy but it didn't end in a series kind of way, so I'll be interested to see what happens next.
I recommend this to anyone that likes action, thrillers with a little violence.
I liked Rico's character a lot but I thought after awhile he was kind of over-shadowed. This is a book that had a lot of strong characters in it so it wasn't hard to get swept up in their lives. That being said, I got the impression the book was maybe supposed to be following Rico. I loved to hate Robert for being a stupid asshat. Evelyn and Paul were good characters and I'm glad that their stories were told but I did feel like some of their chapters were unnecessary.
I think there was the perfect amount of violence. Rico was a beast and I loved him for it. I loved how sweet and protective he was with Jean (if you can ignore that whole beginning incident). The ending was perfect in my opinion but I do wonder how the series is going to continue. The back of the book says this is the first book in a trilogy but it didn't end in a series kind of way, so I'll be interested to see what happens next.
I recommend this to anyone that likes action, thrillers with a little violence.
neville_lvr_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Pigeon-Blood Red is a fast-paced thriller about Rico, one of the best assassin’s out there. Rico is definitely an interesting character and I enjoyed getting a look inside his head! Also, as a Chicagoland native, I always love reading books set in the Windy City.
My main issue with the book was that it didn’t fully suck me in and it almost moved *too* fast. I didn’t have time to get super invested in or attached to any of the characters. I also felt like there wasn’t much of a mystery or many twists, since you get PoVs from just about every side of the story.
That said, if you like fast-moving and action packed assassin thrillers, you should check this book out! It’s also a series, so I wonder if I would get more attached and invested in the later novels.
Thanks to @bookpublicityservices for sending me the audio in exchange for an honest review!
My main issue with the book was that it didn’t fully suck me in and it almost moved *too* fast. I didn’t have time to get super invested in or attached to any of the characters. I also felt like there wasn’t much of a mystery or many twists, since you get PoVs from just about every side of the story.
That said, if you like fast-moving and action packed assassin thrillers, you should check this book out! It’s also a series, so I wonder if I would get more attached and invested in the later novels.
Thanks to @bookpublicityservices for sending me the audio in exchange for an honest review!
dapperreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
While this wasn’t the most gripping book I have ever read but for this type of thriller it is great! I love assassin stories and this one has a very solid storyline. It’s written in what felt like a conversational tone, meaning I felt like I was listening in on conversations rather than just hearing a story after the fact. It was interesting and enjoyable.
I was granted access to the audiobook and I can’t complain. I listen at a fast speed and my main complaint was needing to slow it down because at my usual speed I found it sounded almost robotic but slowed down it was fine. However, slowed down I do struggle to pay attention so it took me longer to get through than I was expecting.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I was granted access to the audiobook and I can’t complain. I listen at a fast speed and my main complaint was needing to slow it down because at my usual speed I found it sounded almost robotic but slowed down it was fine. However, slowed down I do struggle to pay attention so it took me longer to get through than I was expecting.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫