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A review by thrifty_librarian
The Hundredth Man by Jack Kerley
2.0
The hook to this book is incredible. I read the first few pages and knew I needed to read the rest. The crimes are interesting at first. Unfortunately, the book as a whole is not good. The writing, especially the dialogue, is overdone. The insane brother is unnecessary and annoying. Most of the plot is taken up by the protagonist melodramatically caring for his alcoholic ladyfriend, rather than doing any actual sleuthing.
Thriller isn't my favorite genre, so maybe those who have a soft spot for thrillers will enjoy this more than I did. I've definitely read thrillers worse than this one, I would chose this over a lot of Patterson's books, for example. And I think Kerley has promise, given that this was his first novel. Some thoughtful editing would've gone a long way to tone down the excessive drama and help Kerley's ideas shine.
Thriller isn't my favorite genre, so maybe those who have a soft spot for thrillers will enjoy this more than I did. I've definitely read thrillers worse than this one, I would chose this over a lot of Patterson's books, for example. And I think Kerley has promise, given that this was his first novel. Some thoughtful editing would've gone a long way to tone down the excessive drama and help Kerley's ideas shine.