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duparker's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best in this series. Not sure if the fact that it's Christmas time which is when the book was set or just in general flow but I really enjoyed this novel. The characters are pretty generic in some ways, but I like the way the story jumps around and relies on information you haven't had yet to really flow. It's a creative novel.
dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
The week before Christmas, two men hijack an armored car and go on the run. Can they evade the cops long enough to get the money to their employer?
Easy Death is a quick, suspenseful read. This tale of cops and robbers has a lot of twists and turns, made even more serpentine by Daniel Boyd's use of shifting viewpoints. The action shifts between several groups of characters and I got turned around a couple times.
One thing I really liked was that Boyd went out of his way to show that none of the criminals were all bad. Eddie and Walter cared about each other. I also liked the interplay between Ranger Callie and Officer Drapp. Even Brother Sweetie had more to him than I originally thought.
The 1950's setting eliminates cellphones, computers, and a lot of other technology that makes crime stories in the present day a little problematic. Walter being black and Callie being female also gives us a look at how much times have changed.
The repeated Christmas carol thing wore on me, though, just like in real life. I also thought the transitions were a little jarring in places. Other than that, Easy Death was a fun read and a worthy addition to the Hard Case Crime Series. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Easy Death is a quick, suspenseful read. This tale of cops and robbers has a lot of twists and turns, made even more serpentine by Daniel Boyd's use of shifting viewpoints. The action shifts between several groups of characters and I got turned around a couple times.
One thing I really liked was that Boyd went out of his way to show that none of the criminals were all bad. Eddie and Walter cared about each other. I also liked the interplay between Ranger Callie and Officer Drapp. Even Brother Sweetie had more to him than I originally thought.
The 1950's setting eliminates cellphones, computers, and a lot of other technology that makes crime stories in the present day a little problematic. Walter being black and Callie being female also gives us a look at how much times have changed.
The repeated Christmas carol thing wore on me, though, just like in real life. I also thought the transitions were a little jarring in places. Other than that, Easy Death was a fun read and a worthy addition to the Hard Case Crime Series. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
One of the smartest reading decisions I’ve made in a long time is my commitment to reading at least one Hard Case Crime novel per month. I’ve collected them for the last 7-8 years or so but typically, I only read one or two a year. It makes no sense given that I love the imprint, love crime fiction, and am usually entertained by the stories. I think I take for granted that these books will always be there or that I’ll be around to read them. Morbid, I know.
Anyway, this one was low on my priority list but as it’s the Christmas season and being as I couldn’t find any other one I desperately wanted to read, I picked it up. And oh, am I glad I did.
This might fall just shy of the top notch Hard Case Crime novels but it’s definitely one of the best I’ve read. A Rashomon-style tale of a heist happening in a small midwest city in the middle of a snowstorm five days before Christmas in 1951. I don’t often like those types of stories because it’s tough to keep track of what’s going on but I had a good sense here. It’s clever but not too cute for its own good.
What I appreciated about this one was the characters. Daniel Boyd is the pseudonym for a former police officer and he understands his (their?) characters with a deep sense of empathy. None feel stereotypical; they’re all just working class regulars who get caught in this wild moment in time. Nothing about this feels cliched (well, unless you’re a bigger fan of heist stories than I, maybe it would to you). My investment felt complete up through the unexpectedly moving, profound epilogue.
If you like heist tales, crime tales, or collecting HCC novels, you should put this near the top of your list. Would make a great stocking stuffer for the crime fiction fan in your life.
Anyway, this one was low on my priority list but as it’s the Christmas season and being as I couldn’t find any other one I desperately wanted to read, I picked it up. And oh, am I glad I did.
This might fall just shy of the top notch Hard Case Crime novels but it’s definitely one of the best I’ve read. A Rashomon-style tale of a heist happening in a small midwest city in the middle of a snowstorm five days before Christmas in 1951. I don’t often like those types of stories because it’s tough to keep track of what’s going on but I had a good sense here. It’s clever but not too cute for its own good.
What I appreciated about this one was the characters. Daniel Boyd is the pseudonym for a former police officer and he understands his (their?) characters with a deep sense of empathy. None feel stereotypical; they’re all just working class regulars who get caught in this wild moment in time. Nothing about this feels cliched (well, unless you’re a bigger fan of heist stories than I, maybe it would to you). My investment felt complete up through the unexpectedly moving, profound epilogue.
If you like heist tales, crime tales, or collecting HCC novels, you should put this near the top of your list. Would make a great stocking stuffer for the crime fiction fan in your life.
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