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A review by theamyleblanc
Johnny Careless: A Novel by Kevin Wade
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
I wanted to read this because I enjoy procedural mysteries and I went to school in this area. And holy crap, Wade really nails the setting! I'm pretty good at imagining the story I'm reading but I didn't even have to try here. I knew so many of the places he mentioned but his descriptions helped cement me there.
The interplay between the different "tribes" (don't love that) as Jeep calls them feels faithfully captured. There's a visible sense of haves and have nots on the North Shore and it 100% carries over into attitudes and personalities. I thought the characters embodied that nicely without becoming caricatures. Johnny, Niven, Jeep -- they all felt real and genuine. And there's that double-speak that always confuses me, where they're saying one thing but mean something completely different. (Think Succession but toned WAY down.)
I enjoyed the switch between Jeep's third-person present and first-person past PoV! I thought it was unique and added a lovely element to the story. The past portions were more compelling but maybe that's because we knew they were leading to something bad happening to Johnny. I think we needed it because the mystery itself isn't terribly complicated. Very little about this plot surprised me.
This story isn't going to stick with me. It was a quick read, more enjoyable because I have ties to the area. I know people with deeper ties to the North Shore who will probably love it and I've already been talking it up to them! But this is one that I'll selectively recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
The interplay between the different "tribes" (don't love that) as Jeep calls them feels faithfully captured. There's a visible sense of haves and have nots on the North Shore and it 100% carries over into attitudes and personalities. I thought the characters embodied that nicely without becoming caricatures. Johnny, Niven, Jeep -- they all felt real and genuine. And there's that double-speak that always confuses me, where they're saying one thing but mean something completely different. (Think Succession but toned WAY down.)
I enjoyed the switch between Jeep's third-person present and first-person past PoV! I thought it was unique and added a lovely element to the story. The past portions were more compelling but maybe that's because we knew they were leading to something bad happening to Johnny. I think we needed it because the mystery itself isn't terribly complicated. Very little about this plot surprised me.
This story isn't going to stick with me. It was a quick read, more enjoyable because I have ties to the area. I know people with deeper ties to the North Shore who will probably love it and I've already been talking it up to them! But this is one that I'll selectively recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.