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liberrydude's review against another edition
3.0
More like 2.5 stars. Crumley writes in the so called “hardboiled” crime genre. I found it too over the top at times with the macho testosterone fueled violence, drinking, and drugs. The plot stretched the limits of credulity at times as well. The love and hate bromance between the two protagonists got old too quickly for me. It tries to be too cute and witty.
So we have two guys (Milo and Sughrue) who have been on both sides of the law and are now seeking vengeance and also a stolen inheritance. They wander all over Texas and California leaving a trail of bodies. And they are the good guys who always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or a day late and a dollar short. Crumley alternates with each character telling the story. They are so much alike you find yourself checking “ who is the narrator again?” Milo is supposed to have lost his inheritance but he never seems to run out of money. Profligate spenders they would never think of staying in a Motel 6. It all ends in a violent, bizarre confrontation in Old Mexico. I’ll take Don Winslow’s narcoficante fiction any day over this hardboiled misadventure.
So we have two guys (Milo and Sughrue) who have been on both sides of the law and are now seeking vengeance and also a stolen inheritance. They wander all over Texas and California leaving a trail of bodies. And they are the good guys who always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or a day late and a dollar short. Crumley alternates with each character telling the story. They are so much alike you find yourself checking “ who is the narrator again?” Milo is supposed to have lost his inheritance but he never seems to run out of money. Profligate spenders they would never think of staying in a Motel 6. It all ends in a violent, bizarre confrontation in Old Mexico. I’ll take Don Winslow’s narcoficante fiction any day over this hardboiled misadventure.
danpeachey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
doctortdm's review against another edition
4.0
Of the seven Milo / CW novels this is my least favorite. Like a snake, there are too many twists and turns. There are also few references to humanity.
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
James Crumley made his bones with his novel The Last Good Kiss. In between the publication of that and the publication of this, he wrote one Milo and one Shugrue book respectively over the course of 18 years. Aside from a short story collection, that’s it.
I don’t know Crumley’s deal; I’ve only read a couple of interviews he’s done but my guess is he caught lightening in a bottle with TLGK and knew he couldn’t write it again, though he wanted to. He must’ve gotten to a point where he just said Screw It because this is basically The Last Good Kiss only if it involved his two private eye protagonists.
I’ve read the other two books in the Milo and Shugrue series respectively and despite liking the books, I’m not a fan of either character. Both function best as tour guides through the world Crumley creates rather than the hardened, tough talking, hard drinking, women screwing vets he wants us to empathize with. That’s what makes The Last Good Kiss such an effective book; it’s basically a road trip novel with a mystery tacked on.
And that’s firmly in Crumley’s wheelhouse. This one has another ungainly plot that’s difficult to follow but the gist of it is: our two heroes both have problems to deal with so they decide to team up and fight them together, only to find their problems may or may not be related. As he did with Dancing Bear, which is my personal favorite Crumley novel, he has meta moments where the protagonists wonder out loud why they’re doing what they’re doing and who they’re supposed to be chasing.
So while I normally don’t care for books like this, Crumley is Crumley and his road trips are so much fun. Southwest America comes alive through starry nights, long drives, dive bars, and quirky characters. And his dialogue and inner rumination are top notch as always. I didn’t really care how the book ended, I just enjoyed the trip getting there. Crumley has a way of making things feel vivid and lived in. It’s a great skill to have and it makes up for his inability to hold a plot.
I don’t really need more of these two men in my life and I’m kind of glad they only have one book each left but I’m also sad that there won’t be many more of these road trips.
I don’t know Crumley’s deal; I’ve only read a couple of interviews he’s done but my guess is he caught lightening in a bottle with TLGK and knew he couldn’t write it again, though he wanted to. He must’ve gotten to a point where he just said Screw It because this is basically The Last Good Kiss only if it involved his two private eye protagonists.
I’ve read the other two books in the Milo and Shugrue series respectively and despite liking the books, I’m not a fan of either character. Both function best as tour guides through the world Crumley creates rather than the hardened, tough talking, hard drinking, women screwing vets he wants us to empathize with. That’s what makes The Last Good Kiss such an effective book; it’s basically a road trip novel with a mystery tacked on.
And that’s firmly in Crumley’s wheelhouse. This one has another ungainly plot that’s difficult to follow but the gist of it is: our two heroes both have problems to deal with so they decide to team up and fight them together, only to find their problems may or may not be related. As he did with Dancing Bear, which is my personal favorite Crumley novel, he has meta moments where the protagonists wonder out loud why they’re doing what they’re doing and who they’re supposed to be chasing.
So while I normally don’t care for books like this, Crumley is Crumley and his road trips are so much fun. Southwest America comes alive through starry nights, long drives, dive bars, and quirky characters. And his dialogue and inner rumination are top notch as always. I didn’t really care how the book ended, I just enjoyed the trip getting there. Crumley has a way of making things feel vivid and lived in. It’s a great skill to have and it makes up for his inability to hold a plot.
I don’t really need more of these two men in my life and I’m kind of glad they only have one book each left but I’m also sad that there won’t be many more of these road trips.
beasley's review
4.0
This was rollicking good fun. The plot was nearly incomprehensible, but no more so than, say, "The Big Sleep." I read Crumley for the experience of going on an adventure with characters like Milo and Sughrue, seeing the world through their eyes, and hearing Crumley's incomparable voice. Not for plot.
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