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steve_sanders's review against another edition
4.0
The first ninety percent of this book is near letter-perfect. But the ending feels rushed and the identity of the bad guy/institution felt a bit Deus ex machina.
zeroiv's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
sbaunsgard's review against another edition
4.0
Recommended if you like detective noir, especially Chandler. This is from the 80s, is more explicit than Chandler, and definitely not PC. The writing's pretty great. I wish I hadn't read the bulk of it on public transportation with an allergy headache.
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Part of my sudden interest in reading James Crumley was the news from this past spring which suggested Mel Gibson’s interest in adapting this book with famed Chinatown screenwriter Robert Towne. Gibson described the story as “basically Chinatown set in a 7-11 in 70s Montana, with a lot of cocaine.”
First and foremost, Mel Gibson is a lousy human being whose continued popularity in the film industry is a national disgrace. I hope he doesn’t make this movie. But I hope someone less vile than him does (the Coens, perhaps? They like westerns and noir.). Because Gibson’s description is accurate.
Like Chinatown, the plot is impossibly dense, to the point where the protagonist jokes about it in what has to be a meta moment. I didn’t really know what was going on until the end and even still, I don’t have a full grasp of it.
But I don’t read Crumley for the plots or mysteries, although this may be his best yet. I read him for the lush depictions of a northwest setting and fun dialogue. This isn’t different from other Crumley reads, except more convoluted. But it’s fun from start to finish. And it says a lot about what war does to the human condition.
I’ve now resolved myself to reading the entirety of the man’s canon and my only disappointment is there are but a handful of books left. I’m not a fan of Milo per se but I like his world and I find him to be an interesting enough tour guide.
First and foremost, Mel Gibson is a lousy human being whose continued popularity in the film industry is a national disgrace. I hope he doesn’t make this movie. But I hope someone less vile than him does (the Coens, perhaps? They like westerns and noir.). Because Gibson’s description is accurate.
Like Chinatown, the plot is impossibly dense, to the point where the protagonist jokes about it in what has to be a meta moment. I didn’t really know what was going on until the end and even still, I don’t have a full grasp of it.
But I don’t read Crumley for the plots or mysteries, although this may be his best yet. I read him for the lush depictions of a northwest setting and fun dialogue. This isn’t different from other Crumley reads, except more convoluted. But it’s fun from start to finish. And it says a lot about what war does to the human condition.
I’ve now resolved myself to reading the entirety of the man’s canon and my only disappointment is there are but a handful of books left. I’m not a fan of Milo per se but I like his world and I find him to be an interesting enough tour guide.
piccoline's review against another edition
4.0
Funny, tough neo-noir set in Montana, Idaho, Washington. I'm glad I stuck with it. The narrator/protagonist has a great voice, but felt a bit off-putting at first, especially in his relations with women. I wouldn't say he's redeemed, necessarily, by the end, but many aspects of the narrative have been cast in a new light by then, and you look back and see rather a lot of female characters with a lot of internal life, motivations, and approaches to morality. Which, any reader of noir/detective stuff will tell you, is rather refreshing.
The narrative is littered with a lot of funny vignettes and good stretches of dialogue. Worth a look for sure.
The narrative is littered with a lot of funny vignettes and good stretches of dialogue. Worth a look for sure.
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