Free Fall

Book Description

Elvis Cole is just a detective who can't say no, especially to a girl in a terrible fix. And Jennifer Sheridan qualifies. Her fiance, Mark Thurman, is a decorated LA cop with an elite plainclothes unit, but Jennifer is sure he's in trouble - the kind of serious trouble that only Cole can get him out of. Five minutes after his new client leaves the office, Cole and his partner, the enigmatic Joe Pike, are hip-deep in a deadly situation as they plummet into a world of South Central gangs, corrupt cops and conspiracies of silence. And before long, every cop in the LAPD is gunning for a pair of armed and dangerous killers - Cole and Pike.

Customer Reviews:

Another Three-Star Effort from Crais.......2005-10-16

It's a shame that a writer as talented as Robert Crais fell into a rut so early in his career. I'm just now reading the entire Elvis Cole series, in order, and as I finished Free Fall, the 4th book, I felt like I was reading the same ending from the previous three books. Crais just can't come up with an ending that doesn't involve our two heroes Elvis Cole and Joe Pike in the middle of some huge shoot-out with dozens of heavily-armed bad guys, miraculously managing not to get killed or even badly hurt.

There are other plot points that carry over from the other novels as well; Elvis always seems like he's going to fall in love with his female client (or the wife of his male client, or the secretary of his male client, etc) but he normally manages to pull back just at the last moment. There is also the standard moment where Elvis is in big trouble, Joe Pike is nowhere to be found and suddenly, poof, Pike shows up to save the day. Another thing that made this book somewhat annoying was the very preachy tone about racial violence and the extremely unrealistic way Crais has his characters discussing it.

All in all, Crais is too good a writer and Elvis Cole is too hilarious a character for these books to suffer from so many little problems, and yet they do. I'm hoping things get better as I move slowly through the series...

Free Fall.......2005-05-13

Robert Crais is one of my favorite authors;I always look forward to reading one of his books. If you have never read one then don't start with this one,it doesn't have the writing quality of his other novels. It almost seemed like it was written by a Crais "wanna-be". I checked the copyright to see if it was his first Elvis Cole book,thought that might explain the lack of pizazz. As Randy Jackson would say,"It just didn't do it for me."

Interesting and at the time, timely..........2005-02-04

Another solid story. It is a bit dated now, but still a good thriller and mystery. Elvis again proves his mettle and morals. Pike continues to impress. Not the best of the books, but you can't help but love Elvis. Crais describes all parts of LA beautifully. I still want to know more of Elvis' backstory and the lack of info is a bit frustrating, but this is only the 4th novel. I'm off the read the 5th.

Elvis Cole and Joe Pike take on the LAPD!.......2005-01-16

Elvis cracks me up! A woman wants him to investigate her boyfriend, who happens to be a member of the LAPD's elite REACT squad. The trails leads to South Central L.A. where Elvis must deftly navigate through gang land. I enjoyed every minute of this book. Crais' pace is right on target and every touch of humor is refreshing. I liked this better than his first book, "The Monkey's Raincoat."

Free... way.......2005-01-04

The story of the book is simply good. You will twitch your lips sometimes, but you can be sure that you will know every freeway and every street in LA and surroundings and that is a loss of time while reading. If you keep out all driving directions you will have a book of 200 pages, definitely not the best book written by RC.

Average customer rating:

Another one you cannot put down
Almost a five
Totally awful
Not Up To The Author's Standard
GOOD-BUT NOT AS GOOD AS BOLDT

Hard Fall
Ridley Pearson
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 078689007X

Book Description

The tragic bombing of EuroTours Flight 1023 was big news. To FBI Agent Cam Daggett it was more than that.It was personal.His parents and son were on that plane.And for two years he's been after the killer who did it.All he has to go on is a name: Anthony Kort...and the knowledge that Kort is in the United States with a detonator no airport security can detect.HE MUST BE STOPPED. Daggett's colleagues at the Bureau and his girlfriend tell him his vendetta has become an obsession.They suggest he leave the investigation to other agents, in order to keep it objective.But having painstakingly constructed a portrait of the terrorist, Daggett believes he's now the only one with any chance of predicting Kort's next target.A novel of madness and revenge, Hard Fall begs readers to fasten their seatbelts.

Customer Reviews:

Another one you cannot put down.......2006-02-24

Ridley Pearson just keeps turning them out and they are all GREAT! Read it....you will like it.

Almost a five.......2004-05-30

I wish Amazon would change their grading system to a 10 point scaled for better gradation. HARD FALL was a great read, a good thriller with wonderful human interest stories. It was not the interplay between action and people which was almost seamless or that Daggett was so likable or that Carrie, Lynn and Monique were interesting characters who were brilliantly portrayed or that the plot was credible. All that is true but what kept harking back to me was the seemingly silly effort to give the mass murderer a "human face", justifications for doing evil because he had experienced grand tragedy. Take away 1/2 point.

There is no excuse for purposely murdering innocent people. On the other hand he shows how a political movement (ecology in this case) can become the germ for terrorism. + 1/2 point. The setting is good, the murky European background handled well, the madness and genius of the killer aptly described. The dual love stories and the father-son bond were superb tales in themselves and the way it all intertwined was a joy to behold. A little dated but still an excellent read.

Totally awful.......2002-04-28

The very start has an egregious writing fault:

Cam Daggett shook his watch, questioning its accuracy, and glanced a
quarter-mile ahead at the dirty, exhaust-encrusted sign that indicated the
lane change for National Airport. Heat waves rose in fluid sheets from the
pavement, distorting the distance, carrying gray exhaust into the canopy of
smog. Given this traffic, they would never make it in time.
News radio explained that . . . (etc)

First the minor stupidity: 1/4 of a mile is 440 yards, I'd like to know how
he could even read a sign from that distance, let alone see that it was
'exhaust encrusted'.
Secondly, heat waves cannot distort 'the distance' they distort your view of
distant objects.
Third, and worst by far, the last NOUN mentioned is the heat waves carrying
the gray exhaust. Then he writes 'they would never make it in time'. What?
The heat waves would never make it in time? What bloody tripe. The writer,
three sentences later, talks about the car occupants who must be 'they' but
you can't relate a pronoun to a LATER sentence, that's a basic mistake.
Maybe his editor was on holiday all the time this book was being produced. .
.

Page 3:

Dagget was thinking: To come all this way - to within a mile or two of
finally interrogating Bernard - and now this loaf taps me on the shoulder
and steals the dance.
** LOAF? Maybe he meant to write 'OAF' instead. Ever been tapped on the
shoulder by a loaf?

It's terribly overwritten. Page 2:

Impatience gnawed at Daggett like a stray dog at the mailman's heel. (THE
mailman? When were we introduced to the mailman character?)

Page 4:

He grabbed for the button but missed, which held significance for him.

(Pardon? what "significance"? Perhaps Pearson's readers are prescient.
This reader isn't.)

Frankly this novel is absolutely unreadable. Besides the crummy plot, the
cardboard characters, the overwriting, the cliches, and the stereotypes, it
is heavily loaded with passive voice and wishy-washy 'to be' verb
constructions. This writer should find another occupation, one that doesn't
involve inflicting rubbishy sentences on unsuspecting readers. Unbelievably
he has published 5 other books. What a waste of paper.

Not Up To The Author's Standard.......2002-03-23

The hero detective chases a man who booby traps airplanes and causes crashes. Maybe this is a more true-to-life story than most I've read since the hero's girlfriend is seduced by the villian and the end of the story tells you that the bad guy may well get away with his depredations - BUT - I get enough of that kind of disillusion in real life. I don't need it in my fiction where the good guy is supposed to win and the evil twisted genius is supposed to be punished. Pearson writes real well; he just didn't write a book that I liked.

GOOD-BUT NOT AS GOOD AS BOLDT.......2001-12-18

Hard Fall was pretty good but I did not like it as well as I do the Lou Boldt series. Maybe because I have become more familiar with the characters in the Boldt group. Hard Fall will hold your attention, expecially the last half of the book. The sex parts were a little to graphic for me but to each his on. I feel for Cam Daggett and his son Duncan. It made me sad to read about them but that means the author is doing his job. Cam is good and you pull for him to find the bomber before he strikes again. Cam is lucky to have two women after him. I guess that is luck as it is hard to make one happy. Pearson will have you feeling like you are there and going through the feelings with the characters. All in all pretty good--the new man Bradley Levin was good also.

Camelback Falls: A David Mapstone Mystery

Average customer rating:

Just ok
The Return of David Mapstone in "Camelback Falls"
This desert gem deserves a national audience
An enjoyable read.
interesting police procedural

Camelback Falls: A David Mapstone Mystery
Jon Talton
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312304048

Book Description

When his friend the sheriff is nearly killed by a sniper, historian-turned-deputy David Mapstone can't keep a cool, academic distance. And he'd better not: A cryptic note scrawled by his friend before the shooting forces Mapstone to con-front his own personal history, which has drawn him unwit-tingly into danger. As Mapstone soon discovers, the past can have deadly conse-quences. The mean streets of the New West have never been more sinister.

Customer Reviews:

Just ok.......2006-03-03

I bought this book because of the glowing reviews, but found it to be an average read, and only then because I am from Phoenix. If I were not from Phoenix, I would have found it boring.

The Return of David Mapstone in "Camelback Falls".......2005-03-11

Three years after the events depicted in the "Concrete Desert" Deputy Sheriff David Mapstone is doing less teaching and more work for the Sheriff's Department in Phoenix, Arizona. Engaged to Deputy Lindsey Faith Adams, David Mapstone is finally finding his place in life and a little peace as he stands on a stage in the County Supervisor's Auditorium. He is there along with a number of dignitaries, family members and the rank and file of the Sheriff's Office to witness the swearing in of the new Sheriff, his old friend and training officer, Mike Peralta.

The joyful mood is shattered when suddenly Mike Peralta is gunned down by a sniper's bullet in front of everyone and Mapstone is covered in Peralta's blood. Critically wounded, Peralta survives the shooting by a thread and slides into a deep coma. While Mapstone is aware of some of the political factions in the department and the subsequent void in control by Peralt'as shooting, he is totally unprepared by the suggestion by those political forces that he run things as Sheriff until Peralta's fate is known one way or the other. Having received the message loud and clear that he can't say no, he agrees and begins to assist with the investigation into the shooting of Peralta as well as trying to lead a department that includes some actively working against him behind the scenes.

History was a major component of the first novel of the series and is an issue here as well as Mapstone uncovers clues that lead him back to a case from more than twenty years ago when Mapstone was a rookie and Peralta was his training officer. As more officers die who are linked to that same violent night, Mapstone and Lindsey must not only do everything they can to survive but to find a band of criminal rogue cops who thought their secrets were long buried.

As in the first novel, the fast read is gritty and at times intense with a noir style and feel. Violence is at most a page or two away throughout the work and usually appears in a brutal fashion. While not disturbingly graphic as compared to somebody like author Patricia Cornwell or others, death and its resulting aftermath in smell and appearance are described frequently in the book.

As befitting a sequel with heft, the David Mapstone characters and others are fleshed out a bit more in this novel. While events of the past are discussed and discussed again, it is done with a subtle finesse and style, which does not slow down the read at all. The authors' sense of style and pace remain true as does his ability to create an intense interesting mystery well worthy of the read and the series.

Book Facts

Camelback Falls (A David Mapstone Mystery)
By Jon Talton
Thomas Dunne Books
www.minotaurbooks.com
2003
ISBN # 0-312-30404-8
Hardback
212 Pages

Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
(a real person)

This desert gem deserves a national audience.......2003-09-06

Talton's second published mystery continues the adventures of failed history professor and erstwhile sheriff's deputy David Mapstone as he climbs the professional ladder to greater responsibility and greater danger. The improbable juxtaposition of academic and law enforcement sensibilities gives Mapstone a somewhat unpredictable and self-deprecating personality (much like the author's) that keeps the narrative fresh and appealing. The story is more violent and racy than its predecessor ("Concrete Desert"), but it continues Talton's signature exploration of the 1950s and 60s history of the town destined to become the nation's fifth largest city. The plot moves along quickly to the inevitable but satisfying conclusion. Talton manages to deftly slip in many editorial comments about the rapid urbanization of Phoenix today, and he also conveys how the current version of the city still preserves some of its earlier close-knit, gossipy feel. Readers not familiar with urban Arizona may find the book's cultural and physical landscapes to be strangely exotic. Those who have visited or lived in the desert southwest will quickly recognize the real landmarks sprinkled through the fabric of the book. It's apparent that Talton is aiming for Tony Hillerman's audience. While he hasn't yet gotten to that level of notoriety, anyone who has enjoyed reading about Hillerman's detectives Joe Leaphorn and Jimmy Chee should immediately order one or both of Talton's books.

An enjoyable read........2003-05-15

I was disappointed by Talton's first novel, _Concrete Desert_, but I am pleased to see that this one is a big improvement. Somewhat implausibly, the narrator goes overnight from being the universally ridiculed historian of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department to its acting head. He quickly finds himself in the middle of a case of corruption, porn and murder, and doesn't know who he can trust. The action moves along briskly and the sense of paranoia increases as more and more attempts are made on the narrator's life. The descriptions of Phoenix, especially the contrast between the Chamber-of-commerce image and the sleazy underbelly, are spot on.

Talton still has trouble creating believable characters. Lindsey in particular seems more like a pin-up poster on some teenage boy's bedroom wall than a real human being. Also the ending was annoyingly formulaic, reminiscent of those James Bond movies where the bad guy has to explain everything before killing Bond.

On the whole however, this is an entertaining read if you have to spend a few hours sitting on a plane. Phoenix provides so much material for detective thrillers - greedy land speculators, hypocritical politicians, ultra-extremist gun nuts and survivalists, you name it - I hope Talton will continue to mine this vein.

interesting police procedural.......2003-01-18

When he was twenty-three, David Mapstone was a rookie working in the Maricopa County Sheriff's office while attending college at night. After four years on the force, he accepts a position of assistant professor at a midwestern college but when he fails to attain tenure he returns to Arizona. He accepts a job with the sheriff's office as a Historian, receiving a set fee for each cold case he solved.

Nobody could be happier than David is when his old partner Mike Peralta is elected sheriff of Maricopa County. However, minutes after Peralta is sworn in, someone shoots the new sheriff who is rushed to the hospital where he lays in a coma. David is selected as acting sheriff because he has no interest in the position permanently. His immediate concern is the murder of former sheriff Dick Nixon who many claim was dirty, and an escaped con probably gunning for David and Peralta. When evidence surfaces that officers, including Peralta, were on the take in the 1970's, David, trusting in the honesty of his friend, concludes that somebody is manipulating events. David investigates the situation, trying to flush the killer out but almost winds up another victim.

Jon Talton is a superb storyteller who is a fresh new voice in police procedurals. His hero is likable and realistic, a person not interested in petty politics or getting ahead professionally. He's more involved in the past than the present but in CAMELBACK FALLS he is forced to work on a current crime because of his friendship. Mr. Talton writes with a discerning eye and a subtle sense of irony that readers will appreciate.

Book Description

Author Jake Brown has woven a tale of intense drama that paved the way for some of the world’s biggest stars, including: Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog. The Suge Knight and Death Row Story details the visionary entrepreneur’s life story, encompassing his meteoric rise to the top of the charts after partnering with Dre to found Death Row Records. It tells you where Suge intends to take Hip Hop in the new millennium and features insightful interviews with business associates, family members and artists who speak candidly about his life.

Customer Reviews:

tight Book.......2006-09-17

Miss the days when Suge's mere pressence would put the Ether on Busters. there are alot of Sponge Bob,Corny Pickle Leaf Turkeys out here who could use a good reminder of Suge Knight. Suge Knight ran a tight ship&had hits when Death Row was going strong. His acts didn't have to be on Rap City all Ashy&desperate to be remembered. Suge Knight kept it real when he was rolling. Suge Knight ran Product never had to be pushed on VH1 Soul, what Death row put out spoke for itself.Suge left Busters hanging over the Balcony, we sure could use that Suge vibe now again.

I HAVE NOT RECIEVED THIS PRODUCT.......2005-10-12

IF YOU LOOK AT YOUR RECORDS, I HAVE SPENT WELL OVER SEVERAL THOUSAND WITH YOUR COMPANY IN THE PAST YEAR, I HAVE YET TO RECEIVE THIS BOOK AND I WOULD LIKE AN ANSWER IMMEDIATELY. TRULY YOURS,

BRIAN D. WHITE

Hastily Compiled.......2005-07-19

Is more like a collection of articles on various topics on Suge ( i.e, his incarceration , relationship with 2pac , etc... ) hastily compiled into a book. rather than a 'flowing' autobiography. As well, it's pretty annoying when the author repeats a lot of stuff every few pages. Also , there is too little solid info of the guy ( e.g. too few interviews from people in Death Row or those connected with him. ) Hence, can't really get a solid picture of what the man is really like. Overall, is more like an academic ' analysis ' of Suge Knight based on few, random bits and pieces of information, rather than a solid ' story ' of the guy.

Literary Agent.......2002-05-30

...

Jake Brown has woven a web of interest and intrigue when penning this nonfiction masterpiece. Come one and all...you won't know what you're missing..until the last copy is gone.

[URL]

Best Story in Compton..........2002-05-08

This book explained points of view that I never thought I'd consider. Thank you, Jake Brown, for writing an great book. I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone!

Customer Reviews:

A Naturalist's Journey Takes You With Her.......2000-02-24

Janice Emily Bowers writes from the heart, taking an unflinching look at nature - and herself - reflected in the ecology of Arizona: desert, mountains, peaks and canyons. I felt that I was right along with her on these explorations, and I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy outer - and inner - exploration.

Average customer rating:

Crappy Crap Crap
Best of Chicano Literature, for Chicanos
Rio Grande Fall review
Magical Mystery Tour
Sonny Baca and Raven square off for Round 2!

Rio Grande Fall
Rudolfo Anaya
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0446518441

Customer Reviews:

Crappy Crap Crap.......2006-02-17

This is a perfect example of why "Chicano" literature took so long to catch on. America had to wait until its population was saturated with the Mexican filth. This use of hispanic language is this book was distracting and gratuitous; however, the most disturbing part of the novel was the incessant mention of some act of incest between Sonny, the stories protagonist, and his first cousing. Please excuse me while I vomit. I want to defecate on this book before I turn it back in to the library.

Best of Chicano Literature, for Chicanos.......2003-05-31

I strongly recommend this author and particularly this book. However, care should be taken when reading Some background in spanish is recommended since author likes to throw in a bit of "Spanglish" in,Englis, and Spanish mix, expecting that readers will catch on. A most interesting character Sonny Baca, its very refreshing to read about Latino heros, which go unmention in American Literature.

Rio Grande Fall review.......2002-10-28

Rio Grande Fall is one of my favorite mystery books. The characters are unique and likable, the plot is captivating, and the story is full of the Spanish language and myth that Rudolpho Anaya is known for.

Sonny Baca is an investigator living in New Mexico who journeys into the world of the supernatural during a murder investigation. Through the help of his loving girlfriend and an enchanting curandera he finds the answers he seeks regarding the murder case and his inner self. The action in the book is guided by the existance of mystical beings; An intriguing plot is joined with Catholicism and the spirits of the earth to create an original type of mystery novel.

Rudolfo Anaya's vivid portrayal of Mexican culture and heritage, along with beautiful imagery and, a thrilling mystery plot, ensure the Sonny Baca series to be a long lived one.

Magical Mystery Tour.......2001-12-07

This second book by Anaya, regarding the adventures of his detective hero Sonny Baca and his companion Rita, has wonderful contrasts between the three layers of culture in the Rio Grande valley in New Mexico. We are shown the modern American culture in the setting of this novel during the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Albuquerque, where we encounter modern life and modern villains and some heros as well, even among that modern phenomenon of a homeless population. The Hispanic culture is included in the cantina, the bar, knife fights, and gun battles in the predominantly Spanish barrios in parts of Albuquerque, as well as in the Church of San Felipe de Neri. This book is most appealing in the poetic beauty that Anaya brings to this complex tale by carrying the story deeper into the magical thinking of the mysterious culture of the Native Americans. Anaya brings the magical fantasies in slowly but reaches a grand climax in the heroic battle of good versus evil as if it were out of a Navajo legend. It is great fun to go on such a fast tour through these different cultures. In the end, it leaves you with a greater appreciation of the unreal beauty of the Native American cultures. It is helpful, but not essential, to know a little bit of Spanish to understand the brief interchanges in Spanish between some of the characters. This use of Spanish is at a basic level and never too taxing, since Anaya often explains the action also in English.

Sonny Baca and Raven square off for Round 2!.......2000-09-06

Rio Grande Fall is the second novel featuring the resourceful Alburquerque private eye, Sonny Baca. Rita, Lorenza, Turco, Don Elesio, Howard, and the rest of the unforgetable characters from Zia Summer are featured and so is the diabolical eco-terrorist, Raven!

The Hot Air Balloon Festival of Alburquerque is in danger of being cancelled unless Sonny Baca can figure out who is responsible for the murder of two balloon pilots. It doesn't take Sonny long to realize that his arch rival, Raven is responsible, but Raven has more on his agenda than just vengance. A beautifully written novel with suspense and surprises all set in the mysteriously charming state of New Mexico.

Book Description

In Gumshoe America Sean McCann offers a bold new account of the hard-boiled crime story and its literary and political significance. Illuminating a previously unnoticed set of concerns at the heart of the fiction, he contends that mid-twentieth-century American crime writers used the genre to confront and wrestle with many of the paradoxes and disappointments of New Deal liberalism. For these authors, the same contradictions inherent in liberal democracy were present within the changing literary marketplace of the mid-twentieth-century United States: the competing claims of the elite versus the popular, the demands of market capitalism versus conceptions of quality, and the individual versus a homogenized society.
Gumshoe America traces the way those problems surfaced in hard-boiled crime
fiction from the1920s through the 1960s. Beginning by using a forum on the KKK in the pulp magazine Black Mask to describe both the economic and political culture of pulp fiction in the early twenties, McCann locates the origins of the hard-boiled crime story in the genre’s conflict with the racist antiliberalism prominent at the time. Turning his focus to Dashiell Hammett’s career, McCann shows how Hammett’s writings in the late 1920s and early 1930s moved detective fiction away from its founding fables of social compact to the cultural alienation triggered by a burgeoning administrative state. He then examines how Raymond Chandler’s fiction, unlike Hammett’s, idealized sentimental fraternity, echoing the communitarian appeals of the late New Deal. Two of the first crime writers to publish original fiction in paperbackâJim Thompson and Charles Willefordâare examined next in juxtaposition to the popularity enjoyed by their contemporaries Mickey Spillane and Ross Macdonald. The stories of the former two, claims McCann, portray the decline of the New Deal and the emergence of the rights-based liberalism of the postwar years and reveal new attitudes toward government: individual alienation, frustration with bureaucratic institutions, and dissatisfaction with the growing vision of America as a meritocracy. Before concluding, McCann turns to the work of Chester Himes, who, in producing revolutionary hard-boiled novels, used the genre to explore the changing political significance of race that accompanied the rise of the Civil Rights movement in the late 1950s and the 1960s.
Combining a striking reinterpretation of the hard-boiled crime story with a fresh view of the political complications and cultural legacies of the New Deal, Gumshoe America will interest students and fans of the genre, and scholars of American history, culture, and government.

Fall-Down Artist (Carroll Dorsey Mystery)

Average customer rating:

A good read for a lazy day
An Exciting Book With A Great Ending!
An Exciting Book With A Great Ending!
if you like well-done mysteries, you'll like this book!
An extremely memorable mystery!

Fall-Down Artist (Carroll Dorsey Mystery)
Thomas Lipinski
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0380730626

Amazon.com

Carroll Dorsey was on his way to becoming a basketball star when an injury ended that dream. Now--in Thomas Lipinski's sharply underplayed first mystery--he's a private detective in Pittsburgh, working insurance fraud cases that seem to stand as metaphors for the way we live. Lipinski doesn't bang away at the symbolism--it just hangs there in the air like industrial smog as Dorsey tries to find a little truth and justice in a story that involves local militants who will do anything to save the steel industry.

Book Description

Insurance fraud investigation--trying to outsmart liars and cheats looking for a fast buck by scamming the system--may not be very glamorous, but these days in Pittsburgh, it's food on the table for P. 1. Carroll Dorsey. And with the economy headed south, fake fall-downs have turned into something of a working-class growth industry. Thing is, though, the more Dorsey looks, the more he sees. This phony-injury epidemic is bigger than it seems, and it might involve some of the heaviest hitters in town. If Dorsey makes the wrong move, he's liable to take the big fall-down himself and he's got no insurance. . .

Customer Reviews:

A good read for a lazy day.......2003-11-05

Thomas Lipinski is not only a good professor (I had him as Professor for a creative writing class at Edinboro University) but a good writer. At the end of the semester he gave the class an autographed copy of his first book published "The Fall Down Artist". I took it only because it was free, it didn't seem like my type of book. I later picked it up to read only to judge his writing ability since he spent 15 weeks judging mine, to my amazement I really enjoyed his book. It took a few chapters for things to grab my attention and keep me reading. The name of the book, along with the book description does the book an injustice, with a better name and description I am sure people would be grabbing for his book as a first pick to read. Also, a someone who grew up in and around Pittsburgh, I was very familiar with most, if not all of the locations that he used in his book, and I was able to identify the locations fairly easily. If you are from or around the "Burgh" this is a must read.

An Exciting Book With A Great Ending!.......1999-08-01

Carroll Dorsey emerges as an investigator who likes to do his job and do it right! It was such fun to open the pages of this book and climb inside Carroll Dorsey's Buick. From the very first chapter, we were busy travelling along the well described streets of Pittsburgh trying to unravel this mystery.Thomas Lipinski will take you into the dark alleys and bars of Pittsburgh and then reveal the corruption of high powered people. Lipinski will take you places and excite you as you see the city through a different but realistic lens. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next!I sipped coffee with Carroll Dorsey as he read through his office files and would later find myself "sloshing" down a Rolling Rock beer with him as I anticipated what was to come!Realizing the full involvement of his close family member left me yelling out and throwing this book against the wall; what an ending!

An Exciting Book With A Great Ending!.......1999-08-01

Carrol Dorsey is an investigator who likes to do his job and doit right! It was such fun to open the pages of this book and climbinside Carroll Dorsey's Buick; from the very first chapter, we were busy travelling along the weel described streets of Pittsburgh trying to unravel this mystery. Thomas Lipinski will take you into the dark alleys and bars of Pittsburgh and then reveal the corruption of high powered people. Lipinski will take you places and excite you as you see the city through a different but realistic lens. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next!I sipped coffee with Carrol Dorsey as he read through his office files and would later find myself sloshing down Rolling Rock beer with him as I anticipated what was to come!

if you like well-done mysteries, you'll like this book!.......1999-06-30

You'll probably not hear anything about Lipinski on Oprah's show, or see full page adverts for his writing...more's the pity.

This guy writes solid, intelligent stories populated by believable people.

If you want a book that will entertain and demonstrate the mystery genre, get this or one of Lipinski's other Carroll Dorsey stories.

An extremely memorable mystery!.......1998-01-10

In The Fall Down Artist, Thomas Lipinski offers us not only an exciting and ultimately satisfying mystery, but also insight into the collapse of the steel industry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Through his extremely moralistic and highly loveable character Carroll Dorsey, we are taken on an insider's journey into the heart and soul of southwestern Pennsylvania. PI Dorsey is a complex man with an uncanny ability of coming off as someone the reader has known, and liked, all his life.

This is a very dramatic, moody, heart-felt work that should not be missed by any mystery lover or anyone with an interest in the trials and tribulations the collapse of big business can have on an area and its people.

Average customer rating:
Radio-television the hard way; or, What's a cummerbund? or, 25 years beneath the mast; or, How far does a crab apple have to fall to split a shingle?
Ray C Smucker
Manufacturer: Vantage Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General Broadcasting | Radio | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Television | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00072GAOQ

Average customer rating:

Fantastic

Edgar, please

Off beat and compelling

A Great Read

The Long Fall: A Novel of Crime
Lynn Kostoff
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Hard-Boiled | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0786711655

Book Description

At once authentic and flip, by turns wildly funny and deadly serious, as riveting as it is inventive, The Long Fall twists sibling rivalry inside out and sets the conventional crime novel on its head. In sunbaked Phoenix, Arizona, this never-predictable tale tosses into its antic mix a dead father, his two sons—one a small-time ex-con with a consistent genius for sabotaging his own best interests, the other a straight, uptight solid citizen with a moneymaking chain of dry-cleaning stores and a restive ex-stewardess of a wife named Evelyn—and a sicko cop with a twisted worldview. Recently released from prison—twenty-four months for possession of a truckload of black-market saguaro cacti—and in deep debt to an unforgiving crank dealer, Jimmy Coates returns home only to discover that his brother has cut him out of his inheritance. A not-unjustifiable desire to settle old scores and new sends Jimmy on a robbery spree that wipes out four of his brother’s dry-cleaning establishments. But when he finds himself tumbling for a mutinously sexy Evelyn, the impulse to vengeance reverses itself. Unwittingly, however, Jimmy has already set in motion a series of dangerous consequences—adultery, blackmail, love, betrayal—that culminate in a blueprint for murder. And it could be Jimmy himself who is taking the long fall.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2007-06-05

don't know why more people haven't heard of this one, but if you like crime fiction, especially noirish stuff with a literary bent, get thee to a bookstore, and I mean now. If I give you a one-liner on the story, it'll sound trite, so I won't. Instead, let me say that Kostoff is that rarest breed of stylist who can, in a minimum of space, evoke a whole world. He's earned comparisons to Elmore Leonard, and while they are in some ways apt, his work is all his own, and he brings a lyricism that Leonard generally eschews ("Jimmy remembering all the make-out sessions with Jean, both of them seventeen, the universe running under their skin, and every necessary truth found in tongues and fingers and the sweet ache of breath...").

A dark book with a heart but no promises of happiness, THE LONG FALL is, simply, terrific. Highly recommended.

Edgar, please.......2006-10-10

The Long Fall was my Edgar winner choice on so many levels it was scary. Kostoff does some wonderful things with this story; brother vs. brother, brother and sister-in-law ... coveting both dry cleaning profits and the spouse ... it's a wonderful adventure for the reader from the start (a staged wild west shootout) to the novel's resolution (can't tell you that here). Just great writing and a wonderful story. This novel rocks.

Off beat and compelling.......2003-06-05

Kostoff's novel grabs you from page one. His stunning use of language is a treat. More than this, he tells a compelling tale of losers, loss, and lost causes. Jimmy Coates is the archetypal schlemiel who just can't quite understand what's gone wrong in his life. Why else would he take a job as a doomed bad guy (killed six times daily) with the ludicrous Big and Bigger Jones Old Wild West Park? The comparison of other reviewers to Elmore Leonard is appropriate: this is a page turner with a payoff. Unfortunately, and despite the book's humor, for most of the characters the payoff is a downer. But the reader of Kostoff's second novel is richly rewarded indeed.

A Great Read.......2003-05-13

This is a sensational novel. It's hilarious and harrowing by turns and superbly written from top to bottom. Kostoff's style is reminiscent of Elmore Leonard at his best, and The Long Fall is dark and devilish and all but impossible to put down.

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