A review by saltycorpse
Good Samaritans by Will Carver

2.0

This author, or maybe the publisher, really wants him to be the next Chuck Palahniuk, to a point where it's kind of embarrassing. There's a LOT of technique lifted from Palahniuk, and I mean more than is just a nod. And tropes - the insomnia (Fight Club), the repeating, short sentences, and the violence and gore without any kind of point. The thing with Palahniuk is with his books, no matter what your feelings are, is he's usually trying to get at a larger social criticism (though I haven't read anything past Rant, so who knows, maybe he's gone downhill. I know he's certainly lost cultural relevance in recent years). Carver doesn't seem to be getting at anything. He just wants to write weird sex porn and murder porn. It wasn't a bad book, it was entertaining and all, but like a sub-par donut, all empty calories, no real substance, and probably not particularly worth it, enjoyable while you're eating it but followed by vague regret that you finished the whole thing. I think Carver (or the publisher or editor) could benefit by pulling their collective heads out of Palahniuk's ass and stop trying so hard. It's like you can smell the desperation of wanting to be next in line for that particular literary role. Also the overly obvious Ted Bundy play of the dude working for the suicide hotline felt like amateur hour. Congrats, you read something about the most boring serial killer and easter-egged it into your book.

Oh, and the number of sentences he starts with "And" is embarrassing. I'm not the fuckin grammar police and I tend to enjoy when people 'break rules' with language but this was just like holy fucking shit could you structure ONE SENTENCE differently, bud? Like, just for variety?