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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
What a slog this book was. I couldn't really get a handle on the main protagonist, and the rest of the characters just seemed really poorly defined. It's hard to get through a book when a character is described in one way, then made to act in a completely different way. Just ugh. Once we got to the ongoing, detailed, repetitious torture scenes, I had had enough.
This was a selection for our mystery book club at the library.
Due to the content of this novel, I don't feel that I can use the word "enjoyable" or say that I "liked" it, as those words sound pleasant to me. It was gripping, at times too realistic, it had many well-fleshed out characters, and is apparently the first in what might be a series. The techniques of interrogation referred to were disturbing, because they exist. Scenes involving interrogation were difficult to read. It was a solid read!
Roland Ford is a former police officer, marine, and now a private investigator. He is asked to find an Air Force veteran named Clay Hickman, who has escaped from a posh mental institution. There are various groups interested in finding Clay, and Roland is unsure who to trust, if anyone.
Roland's is a widower. He still lives on the property he and his wife had. Other people live on the property in small cabins, and they add a lot to the characterization and humanity of the book, as well as some surprise skills that come in handy.
It was difficult to stop reading in order to do my daily chores, and even though there were some parts that seemed to push believability, overall, I highly recommend this. Just be aware that there are several scenes that make you wonder how people can treat each other as they do.
Parker might be onto another good series! I think Swift Vengeance is due out in August of 2018.
Due to the content of this novel, I don't feel that I can use the word "enjoyable" or say that I "liked" it, as those words sound pleasant to me. It was gripping, at times too realistic, it had many well-fleshed out characters, and is apparently the first in what might be a series. The techniques of interrogation referred to were disturbing, because they exist. Scenes involving interrogation were difficult to read. It was a solid read!
Roland Ford is a former police officer, marine, and now a private investigator. He is asked to find an Air Force veteran named Clay Hickman, who has escaped from a posh mental institution. There are various groups interested in finding Clay, and Roland is unsure who to trust, if anyone.
Roland's is a widower. He still lives on the property he and his wife had. Other people live on the property in small cabins, and they add a lot to the characterization and humanity of the book, as well as some surprise skills that come in handy.
It was difficult to stop reading in order to do my daily chores, and even though there were some parts that seemed to push believability, overall, I highly recommend this. Just be aware that there are several scenes that make you wonder how people can treat each other as they do.
Parker might be onto another good series! I think Swift Vengeance is due out in August of 2018.
This is a very dark story. But it was compelling and made we want to find out what happens in the end. I have always like T. Jefferson Parker's stories. This one is no exception
“The Room of White Fire” is T. Jefferson Parker’s newest thriller, and a thriller it is. Parker creates a story with complex social significance and a tangled web of community and military despair and anguish.
Private investigator Roland Ford, ex-cop and ex-Marine, is haunted by both his wife’s tragic death, and his experiences in Fallujah. Ford is hired to find Clay Hickman, ex Air Force, who had recently escaped from his ultra-expensive, super-secure residential care facility, Arcadia. Although this seems at first to be a straightforward job, it becomes ever more complicated when Ford unearths secret after secret about Hickman, as well as about Arcadia and the people who run it.
Ford tells the story in his own voice, and we experience all his fears, his ghosts, and his questions. We see his flaws; we see his fabric of life hanging in the balance, and we are on his side. We observe the other characters through his filter. Ford offers us factual descriptions, but emotional opinions and observations. While he thinks that everyone has a morsel of goodness somewhere, we are not so sure. Ford uses all his senses to pull us into the story.
“Maybe it was the slamming of the Dutch door.
Or the wind in the grapes, or the way the tire swing turned on its rope.”
“Shade goes well with a warm day, a cold beer, and a stack of almost-overdue bills…
I paused to look out at the pond and the rolling hills beyond.”
“The Room of White Fire” is a difficult story to read because of the challenging social content. Parker creates a haunting scenario that readers may have read about in newspapers or heard about on TV but may not want to admit might be true. As we read about Ford’s struggle, about Hickman’s struggle, we must also wonder who among us is struggling with the same problems. This is a book we must all read.
The good news is that while this story has a definite end, Roland Ford’s story does not. I think Ford will find his way into another Parker story in the future, and I for one cannot wait.
Private investigator Roland Ford, ex-cop and ex-Marine, is haunted by both his wife’s tragic death, and his experiences in Fallujah. Ford is hired to find Clay Hickman, ex Air Force, who had recently escaped from his ultra-expensive, super-secure residential care facility, Arcadia. Although this seems at first to be a straightforward job, it becomes ever more complicated when Ford unearths secret after secret about Hickman, as well as about Arcadia and the people who run it.
Ford tells the story in his own voice, and we experience all his fears, his ghosts, and his questions. We see his flaws; we see his fabric of life hanging in the balance, and we are on his side. We observe the other characters through his filter. Ford offers us factual descriptions, but emotional opinions and observations. While he thinks that everyone has a morsel of goodness somewhere, we are not so sure. Ford uses all his senses to pull us into the story.
“Maybe it was the slamming of the Dutch door.
Or the wind in the grapes, or the way the tire swing turned on its rope.”
“Shade goes well with a warm day, a cold beer, and a stack of almost-overdue bills…
I paused to look out at the pond and the rolling hills beyond.”
“The Room of White Fire” is a difficult story to read because of the challenging social content. Parker creates a haunting scenario that readers may have read about in newspapers or heard about on TV but may not want to admit might be true. As we read about Ford’s struggle, about Hickman’s struggle, we must also wonder who among us is struggling with the same problems. This is a book we must all read.
The good news is that while this story has a definite end, Roland Ford’s story does not. I think Ford will find his way into another Parker story in the future, and I for one cannot wait.
Having never read this author I didn't know what to expect. I found the story to be gripping enough that I never wanted to put it down and was always ready to jump back into it. There are some strong military torture scenes that might be a put-off for some readers.
I liked the characters although there wasn't a whole lot of character development or arc in the story. Lots of broken characters but that was the point of the story so it worked just fine for me. The story was well developed and moved quickly as a good thriller should.
I would definitely give T Jefferson Parker another read.
Thanks to First to Read for the advance copy.
I liked the characters although there wasn't a whole lot of character development or arc in the story. Lots of broken characters but that was the point of the story so it worked just fine for me. The story was well developed and moved quickly as a good thriller should.
I would definitely give T Jefferson Parker another read.
Thanks to First to Read for the advance copy.
This is a very dark story. But it was compelling and made we want to find out what happens in the end. I have always like T. Jefferson Parker's stories. This one is no exception
Well - I didn't have high hopes for this one, since I picked it up on a whim, but I was thoroughly impressed. I have been reading lots of books this year that I'd consider 'guilty pleasures' - in that they aren't overly 'literary' in scope - and the Gabriel Allon series has been one of my favourites. On the back of that, I decided to give this one a go, and I'm glad I did.
The plot was interesting to me, and the (perhaps embellished, but certainly believable) details of American actions at black sites in recent history was ... interesting isn't quite the word, because it was pretty unpleasant.
A couple of things didn't strike me as completely realistic, but I didn't really mind - I don't come to these books for absolute realism. And I was invested enough to give it a four. Plus the closing scene stayed clear of the neat bow happy ending so I give it points for that.
The plot was interesting to me, and the (perhaps embellished, but certainly believable) details of American actions at black sites in recent history was ... interesting isn't quite the word, because it was pretty unpleasant.
A couple of things didn't strike me as completely realistic, but I didn't really mind - I don't come to these books for absolute realism. And I was invested enough to give it a four. Plus the closing scene stayed clear of the neat bow happy ending so I give it points for that.