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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
Chilling, gripping. Pretty scary stuff our country does in the name of “intelligience”.
3.5 really. Well-written with an insightful new private-eye narrator. I love the private-eye/missing person genre and this one was that and also went deeper into the morality of the war in Fallujah and the high cost of torture. Can’t wait to start the next Roland Ford.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
This is a well written novel. I really enjoyed the setting and the premise of an upscale insane asylum and a special character. I enjoyed the way “white fire” unfolded. The characters were fun and lighthearted even if the material was pretty heavy.
Detective novels are a love of mine, not just for the tried-and-true formula that can be recreated across time, space, and setting, but for the unique way they provide insight into the author behind them. Whether it's love for a micro-regional cuisine, preference for a uncommon cocktail, or deeply informed insights into a hobby, the loves of a fictional PI are as much an window into the soul of author as they of the character. And in the case of this new California-based detective, we see that the author is likely an old white guy looking for retirement.
Roland Ford loves bourbon, fancy fedoras, and boxing. He is wealthy but lives plainly, barring his multi-cabana rental operation and his penchant for flying a private plan for fun. He loves dancing, hates torture, and has a military AND police background that paint him only as a Good Man. He is written to be in his mid 30s but seemingly has the voice and mannerisms of a man twice his age (I wonder how old the author is...) He has a dead wife and dead parents, is chastely chivalrous to all women he comes across, and has a forehead scar that nags at him in stressful situations. He is a golden-boy Marty Stu desperately trying to be Sam Spade.
As for the book itself, it is cliched, drags in all of the wrong places, and lingers aggressively on political issues (in this case, torture), putting the actual detective work in the backseat. Ford spends most of his time in this novel listening to people wax about their loves or hates, flying a plane, or watching people get shot. Parker spends the remaining time setting up a cast of 'regulars' that are clearly designed to spawn anywhere from three to eighteen sequels, all with their own brand of intensely-specific skill sets and vague backgrounds to ensure no shortage of writing fuel.
And yet...I finished it. I didn't hate it. The setpieces were engaging to pull me from scene to scene, and the characters (as trope-riddled as they were) played off each other well-enough to hook me. Did I buy the sequel? You betcha.
If you like reading the retirement wish-fulfillment detective dream of an author, you can probably do worse than this!
Roland Ford loves bourbon, fancy fedoras, and boxing. He is wealthy but lives plainly, barring his multi-cabana rental operation and his penchant for flying a private plan for fun. He loves dancing, hates torture, and has a military AND police background that paint him only as a Good Man. He is written to be in his mid 30s but seemingly has the voice and mannerisms of a man twice his age (I wonder how old the author is...) He has a dead wife and dead parents, is chastely chivalrous to all women he comes across, and has a forehead scar that nags at him in stressful situations. He is a golden-boy Marty Stu desperately trying to be Sam Spade.
As for the book itself, it is cliched, drags in all of the wrong places, and lingers aggressively on political issues (in this case, torture), putting the actual detective work in the backseat. Ford spends most of his time in this novel listening to people wax about their loves or hates, flying a plane, or watching people get shot. Parker spends the remaining time setting up a cast of 'regulars' that are clearly designed to spawn anywhere from three to eighteen sequels, all with their own brand of intensely-specific skill sets and vague backgrounds to ensure no shortage of writing fuel.
And yet...I finished it. I didn't hate it. The setpieces were engaging to pull me from scene to scene, and the characters (as trope-riddled as they were) played off each other well-enough to hook me. Did I buy the sequel? You betcha.
If you like reading the retirement wish-fulfillment detective dream of an author, you can probably do worse than this!
I was intrigued to start reading this book after reading the summary. It started out fine. Roland is fine as a main lead. Yet, my issues with this book became apparent early on in the story. The story was long and drawn out into why Clay was running. It did not help that I didn't find most of the other characters engaging enough to help peak my interest. This includes Dr. Hulet. Who I did not feel the chemistry between Roland and she. Despite, these factors, I did keep reading in the hopes that the story would pick up. Even with silence, I had a hard time focusing on the book in my hand and the events taking place in that moment. Although, I did notice about half way that the story did start picking up. For me it was too late. This needed to happen way sooner in the story. While, this book may not have done anything for me, it seems other readers did enjoy it. So you might want to check this book out for yourself.
A great, traditional PI novel. Great lead character and a story that unfolds slowly, but holds it's suspense. Hope there's more planned with the character.
This book does a lot of bobbing and weaving, and that's not just a reference to the main character's boxing past. It sets up one view, then offers another. It threatens action and violence, then drowns in exposition and infodumps with only a handful of flashback asides, then jerks back into the fast lane.
I'm intrigued because I didn't pick this book up expecting much, I just wanted to try something random. Again. I did not expect it to be something I actually enjoyed. The book is surprising in the lack of a jingoistic soapbox, which is what I usually find in ex-military crime and actioner novels, and it's about as tired as the main character being a young widower. But the absence of an axe in need of grinding and the characters all being well developed really helped keep me engaged; if the rest are as info-dumpy as this one though, I am not sure I can keep going. But I'll think about it.
I'm intrigued because I didn't pick this book up expecting much, I just wanted to try something random. Again. I did not expect it to be something I actually enjoyed. The book is surprising in the lack of a jingoistic soapbox, which is what I usually find in ex-military crime and actioner novels, and it's about as tired as the main character being a young widower. But the absence of an axe in need of grinding and the characters all being well developed really helped keep me engaged; if the rest are as info-dumpy as this one though, I am not sure I can keep going. But I'll think about it.
Pros: Easy to read with likeable characters.
Cons: Very slow to get to the point. I found it too wordy, too much writing without a lot going on. It couldn't keep my interest and I had to struggle to continue.
I got this book as a free ARC.
Edit: I'm the 4th review here and just read the other 3 reviews which rate it highly. I stand by my review that this book is wordy and slow paced. A lot of time is taken to describe the backstory and the characters (which is why I said I liked them) but the progression of the action is slow. I think the author could have added to the characters while the action was going on but I felt too much time was spent on the buildup. I'm not a big fan of this writing style and I would not recommend this book.
Cons: Very slow to get to the point. I found it too wordy, too much writing without a lot going on. It couldn't keep my interest and I had to struggle to continue.
I got this book as a free ARC.
Edit: I'm the 4th review here and just read the other 3 reviews which rate it highly. I stand by my review that this book is wordy and slow paced. A lot of time is taken to describe the backstory and the characters (which is why I said I liked them) but the progression of the action is slow. I think the author could have added to the characters while the action was going on but I felt too much time was spent on the buildup. I'm not a big fan of this writing style and I would not recommend this book.
Would have benefited from multiple points of view. I wanted to be reading Clay Hickman's version of events, or even Spencer's or Hulet's, but we were stuck in this Ford mono-view, which was possibly the least compelling of all the possible voices.