My Favorites of 2012:

2012 was a good year for reading for me, mostly because I discovered some writers who wrote novels I really, really dug. Along with them, I also enjoyed novels from writers I had discovered over the last couple of years and have become a loyal fan of theirs. So without further delay.....

Best Novel I read in 2012: TOLLESBURY TIME FOREVER by Stuart Ayris

This one really made a huge impression on me and the author is a top notch gent. Find out more about Stuart, TTF, his other novels, and where you can purchase them at his blog HERE 

Most Entertaining Novel I read in 2012: LOST VEGAS by Steve Brewer

Discovered Steve Brewer via facebook, and he has become one of my favorite writers. Lost Vegas was tremendous. so much so I also read, and really enjoyed his novels, The  Big Wink, and Calabama. I will surely be reading more from Steve. You can learn more about him and his novels at his blog HERE

Great "5 Star"  Reads: 

THE COLD COLD GROUND by Adrian McKinty

Adrian McKinty has consistently delivered the goods with every one of his novels and TCCG is no exception. He is one of my favorite authors and you can too can find out more about him and his novels at his excellent blog HERE

COLLUSION by Stuart Neville

If I had to pick one novel that absolutely changed the type of novel I like to read, and influenced me in both the genre and style I aspired to write in, it would be Stuart Neville's THE GHOSTS of BELFAST. It was truly a game changer. COLLUSION is the follow up to TGoB and it was a great read. Loved it. Find out more about Stuart and his novels HERE

TUMBLIN' DICE by John McFetridge

Rock 'n Roll, motorcycle gangs, and crime equal all the ingredients I love in a story. Been a fan of John's for a while now, and like McKinty, Neville, and Brewer, he seems to always deliver and writes in a style I love. Check out John and his novels HERE

THE OBITUARIST by Paul Waters

I found out about Paul by following his excellent blog and when I read that he had published a novel and read the description, I was intrigued. I read the sample, it was great, and purchased it. I really enjoyed this very much, for the unique premise, story, and writing style. Check out Paul's blog HERE

SAVAGES by Don Winslow

WOW. This one blew me away, for the story, but ultimately, for the writing style. This was the definition of cool.  Consider me a huge fan of Winslow, but it will be hard to top this one. Check out Don's site HERE

So there you have it. These picks are subjective of course and follow my tastes in reading when it comes to story, style, and entertainment factor. Hope you might give the authors and their novels a try, and visit their blogs / websites! 

Review: The Cold, Cold Ground

Finished Adrian McKinty's THE COLD, COLD GROUND ( kindle version) over the weekend and posted the below review on Amazon US & UK. I'm certainly no reviewer and will only post a review of something I like, or I think others with similiar tastes might enjoy. If I don't dig a book, then it's,  "whatever you say, say nothing"  ;) You can get your copy HERE

 5 Stars: While I was chugging beers and wearing a Devo hat...

"In 1981 I was 16, without a care in the world, while across the Atlantic in Ireland...

Having read and enjoyed all of McKinty's previous crime novels, and based on the description of this one, I was pretty confident that it would be discretionary entertainment dollars well spent. However, no author I have read, no matter how much I have enjoyed their past work gets a free pass. In fact, with each novel, the stakes and expectations are raised and as soon as I feel they are relying on old tricks or mining tired, predictable and clichéd themes, I'll move on. This was billed as a police procedural and I'm not really a fan of that genre, so a level playing field was set.

What I experienced was a fearless, hard-hitting, and dare I say, important and perhaps groundbreaking novel. It also enlightened me as to what my aversion of the procedural genre stemmed from. The story takes place in 1981 where the cops for the most part, relied on detective work and instinct, rather than technology. This is a world before cell phones, DNA, and all the other crutches that are so commonplace in modern crime fiction. Sean Duffy is a great character and if you took the best qualities of John Thaw's Inspector Morse and The Sweeney's John Regan, added a jigger of cool, and a splash of very entertaining wit, you'll get an idea of what he is all about.

The first person narrative was done superbly and I felt like I was side-by-side with Duffy and his excellent supporting cast of characters- in the Land Rover, on the streets, at the station, and all the other locations the story took me to.

I am well-versed in the "Troubles" or at least as much as you can be from reading numerous non-fiction and historical fiction regarding the subject, but the superb writing, excellent story, and McKinty's intimate first-hand knowledge and experience, enabled The Cold, Cold Ground to take me to a time and place, like none of that reading possibly could.

A great read and I was pleasantly suprised to find the first chapter of the next "Duffy" installment was included in my kindle version. And what a opener it was!"

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This really is a great read, and if there was an extra star, I would have given TCCG one. After re-reading the review, I hope the John Thaw comparision does not make readers think Duffy is an old geezer because he's a young dude, more of a Sonny Crockett from Miami Vice with the crime solving methods / intelligence of a Morse, and the cowboy mindset of Regan and Crockett.  What really, really made this work for me, and most any story I love (good guys or bad) , was the comraderie of Duffy and his fellow RUC mates.

I think this would make a terrific movie and some of the scenes, if done right would have you on the edge of your seat. I'm thinking a Michael Mann treatment would do it justice.

Johnny Was...McKinty is...

Caught this movie over the weekend, and enjoyed it very much. It's the kind of movie I love: all about the "bad guys", lots of great lines, some huge laughs, violence, tremendous soundtrack, excellent acting, and a super cast, that includes Eriq La Salle, Vinnie Jones, Roger Daltry, Lennox Lewis, and Patrick Bergin who, until I saw the credits did not recognize. I think most will really dig it, if you like the Guy Ritchie \ Tarantino type of story, at least I did. To get more details, click HERE

I have read each of Adrian McKinty's crime novels and enjoyed all of them. If I had to pick a crime author ( that I have read) who always delivers the goods, he is the one. I have been wanting to read his latest, THE COLD COLD GROUND, since it's release, but it was only available in paperback from Amazon UK, which, If you live in the US, can be a bit costly for shipping. I bought his last one FALLING GLASS (loved it) from the UK. In a case of  good timing on my part, as I was about to bite-the-bullet and order from UK, a commentor on Adrian's blog broke the news that CCG was out on Kindle US! One minute later, I had it on my kindle for PC (no nook version yet, but Calibre can covert it to the epub format) and dug right in with a late night session. I'm about 40% done and it is excellent. I'm finding that CCG is a great mix, stylistically, of FALLING GLASS, FIFTY GRAND, and the "Dead Trilogy". The MC, Det Sean Duffy is such a good character, with a great sense of humor (some hugely funny lines already). A full review will be coming and I'm hoping to finish it tonight. (maybe a wee bit or reading is being done at work today...sssshhh)

Adrian hosts a great blog HERE.  You can check out CCG HERE and for all you music fans, he had a great post yesterday that included some fascinating info on a Sex Pistols gig HERE

Falling Glass by Adrian McKinty: A Review

I read Adrian Mckinty's "Dead I Well May Be" about a year ago and I was blown away by it. Since then I have read just about all his crime novels. Still need to check out "Hidded River" and don't know how I missed this, but there is another I just found out about called "Orange Rhymes With Everything" from 1997. Anyway, his latest, "Falling Glass" is excellent and I highly recommend it. Dare I say, I might have liked this Killian cat, more than Michael Forsythe. Here's the review I just posted on Amazon where you can get your copy HERE    * Print is not avail in US yet, but I went through The Book Depository via Amazon site and it was a piece of cake.


Five Stars: McKinty Delivers...Again
Like most others who have provided reviews of this novel or audio book, I have also read and really enjoyed `The Dead Trilogy' as well as Fifty Grand. As mentioned, Michael Forsythe is a minor character, and reading those novels does provide a bit of an insiders view into this one, but you could also read Falling Glass first and go backwards, which I'm sure you would be compelled to do if this was your first exposure to the author's work.

So, what is so good about Falling Glass? Everything. From the first few paragraphs, it felt like getting back together with an old friend (McKinty, not Forsythe) and I was immersed in the story. This novel showcases McKinty's versatility as a writer. The stripped down, no nonsense writing style had me thinking Hemingway right out of the gate and was very different from his other work. The narrative voice even had a less serious, more relaxed feel to it. It was the perfect fit for the not so perfect, not infallable hero, Killian.

It seemed like McKinty let his hair down for this one and it paid off. Not mentioned by many is the fact the main villain, a Russian hit man, is one of the most evil, fascinating characters I have encountered in a long time. The cat and mouse game between Killian and him is tremendous and is what would not let me put this down. Clocking in at a genre standard 300 pages and loaded with excellent dialogue and almost non-stop action / tension, it is a fast read.

The whole Tinker (think Brad Pitt in Snatch) angle was brilliant. Coulter is every bit as intriguing as Charlie Croker in Tom Wolf's A Man in Full, and Coulter's right-hand man Tom, gives Duvall's role in The Godfather a run for his money. As with McKinty's other novels, not only was I highly entertained, but his expert use of setting, cultural references and customs, and history, expanded my knowledge in many ways. A great read that continues to prove McKinty is a huge talent who is here to stay and deserves a seat at the table with the best of modern crime fiction writers.