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The Smack
Rowan Petty is a conman down on his luck. Tinafey is a hooker who's tired of the streets. Their paths cross one snowy night in Reno, and they hit it off.
An old friend of Petty's turns up with a rumor about a crew of American soldiers who smuggled two million dollars out of Afghanistan and have stashed the money in an apartment in Los Angeles. He thinks Petty's just the guy to steal the cash. "You wouldn't even have to grab all of it for it to be a great score," the friend says. "Getting your hands on just some would make you a happy man."
Petty decides to drive down to L.A. to investigate. Tinafey decides to go with him. Bad move, Petty. Bad move, Tinafey.
An old friend of Petty's turns up with a rumor about a crew of American soldiers who smuggled two million dollars out of Afghanistan and have stashed the money in an apartment in Los Angeles. He thinks Petty's just the guy to steal the cash. "You wouldn't even have to grab all of it for it to be a great score," the friend says. "Getting your hands on just some would make you a happy man."
Petty decides to drive down to L.A. to investigate. Tinafey decides to go with him. Bad move, Petty. Bad move, Tinafey.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published July 13, 2017
About the author
Richard Lange
12 books311 followersAuthor of Joe Hustle, Rovers, The Smack, Sweet Nothing, Angel Baby, This Wicked World, and Dead Boys.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
August 3, 2017
"You can't cheat an honest man," Petty said.
"Oh, fuck that," Don said. "I can cheat anybody."
Lange's Sweet Nothing: Stories was one of the best books I read in 2015, so I was really looking forward to reading his new novel. And, yippee! -it's another great effort, so good that I hadn't even finished this one before I went online, and ordered the rest of the man's titles.
Con man Rowan Petty is bumming around Reno when he gets wind of a really big score - two million bucks sitting in a safe in L.A. Petty heads for the City of Angels accompanied by his new pal - a hooker witha heart of gold the name of a former SNL cast member - Tinafey. But, other people are after the money, and Petty finds himself in a deadly treasure hunt for the cash he so desperately needs. More than once he will ask himself the question that troubles all grifters now and then:
"Am I taking or being taken?"
This is a well written thrill ride that I suggest you take.
Thanks to the publisher for an advance reading copy of this book.
"Oh, fuck that," Don said. "I can cheat anybody."
Lange's Sweet Nothing: Stories was one of the best books I read in 2015, so I was really looking forward to reading his new novel. And, yippee! -it's another great effort, so good that I hadn't even finished this one before I went online, and ordered the rest of the man's titles.
Con man Rowan Petty is bumming around Reno when he gets wind of a really big score - two million bucks sitting in a safe in L.A. Petty heads for the City of Angels accompanied by his new pal - a hooker with
"Am I taking or being taken?"
This is a well written thrill ride that I suggest you take.
Thanks to the publisher for an advance reading copy of this book.
July 9, 2017
Working at a bookshop after college, I was expected to be able to recommend a book for any taste. The hardest sort of book for me to recommend to customers was anything in the thriller genre. Classic noir/pulp/detective novels were always a little too sanitized to capture my interest, and current thrillers that I've tried tend to suffer from cardboard characters and cliched dialogue.
I wish that I had known about Richard Lange when I was a bookseller, because without question, he would be my go-to recommendation. If you like crime novels about cons, heists, and chases as opposed to whodunits, you have got to read his books. I was genuinely excited to be offered a galley of this latest in exchange for review by Mulholland Books (and I was glad to receive it on the eve of a weekend where I had nothing planned, because I expected to be lost in it).
As it turns out, The Smack is just as totally engrossing as Angel Baby, and has the unsparing, realistically unsentimental worldview that I was stunned by in Sweet Nothing. Lange continues to impress as a writer who can convey that world of tacky superficial wealth masking day-to-day sadness and just getting by that belongs to gamblers by profession and conmen (if you've been to Las Vegas or Atlantic City, you know exactly the vibe I'm talking about) in a way that seems true, not cheesy. The Smack's antihero Rowan Petty, who spends his days scamming people on Airbnb in between bigger jobs, and his unlikely prostitute girlfriend Tinafey, seem like real people; they could easily have become cartoons in the hands of lesser writers. It helps that Lange has a great ear for dialogue and his prose is so good as to be transparent.
I don't want to say too much about the plot, because 1.) frankly, you can read the book's description for that, and 2.) I don't want to spoil the story's turns. Needless to say, there are a few punch to the gut moments (see what I said above about "unsparing, realistically unsentimental worldview"). There is no guarantee anyone is going to make it out alive by some deus ex machina. True to the world of the conman, there is no guarantee that someone else isn't running a double con.
I gave this four stars, but it's a high four stars, leaning closer to five than four. I will read anything Lange writes in the future. He is criminally underrated.
I wish that I had known about Richard Lange when I was a bookseller, because without question, he would be my go-to recommendation. If you like crime novels about cons, heists, and chases as opposed to whodunits, you have got to read his books. I was genuinely excited to be offered a galley of this latest in exchange for review by Mulholland Books (and I was glad to receive it on the eve of a weekend where I had nothing planned, because I expected to be lost in it).
As it turns out, The Smack is just as totally engrossing as Angel Baby, and has the unsparing, realistically unsentimental worldview that I was stunned by in Sweet Nothing. Lange continues to impress as a writer who can convey that world of tacky superficial wealth masking day-to-day sadness and just getting by that belongs to gamblers by profession and conmen (if you've been to Las Vegas or Atlantic City, you know exactly the vibe I'm talking about) in a way that seems true, not cheesy. The Smack's antihero Rowan Petty, who spends his days scamming people on Airbnb in between bigger jobs, and his unlikely prostitute girlfriend Tinafey, seem like real people; they could easily have become cartoons in the hands of lesser writers. It helps that Lange has a great ear for dialogue and his prose is so good as to be transparent.
I don't want to say too much about the plot, because 1.) frankly, you can read the book's description for that, and 2.) I don't want to spoil the story's turns. Needless to say, there are a few punch to the gut moments (see what I said above about "unsparing, realistically unsentimental worldview"). There is no guarantee anyone is going to make it out alive by some deus ex machina. True to the world of the conman, there is no guarantee that someone else isn't running a double con.
I gave this four stars, but it's a high four stars, leaning closer to five than four. I will read anything Lange writes in the future. He is criminally underrated.
April 30, 2017
Tautly written noir about a down on his luck grifter. Pitch perfect characters, believable situations, story and place all seeming painfully real. One of those read in a single sittings then look for everything else the guy wrote kind of books.
January 10, 2018
Confidence Men, Flim Flam Artists, & Hustlers
Con men! Hustlers! Backstabbers! Scheme after scheme, hatched and unhatched in a Never-ending game to get that big score. It’s a tough life that has you drifting here and there, never trusting anyone, never wanting to get close, always looking over your shoulder.
From the casinos of the little town called Reno to the sun-drenched beaches and taco stands of Los Angeles, Petty thinks he finally has a lead on the score of a lifetime, but it all may be no more than a tall tale in a prison yard, yet another scam. He’s run out all his luck on everything else and has no other leads.
Petty’s got no one to turn to, not his old allies, not the wife who ran off thirteen years ago with another guy, leaving Petty with an eight year old to care for, not the daughter he should have taken care of instead of leaving her with grandma. Well, maybe there’s one person he can trust -a hooker he met on casino row with a violent ex-husband, but, hell, she’s gaming him too, hustling him.
It’s a quick-moving, dark, gritty, nasty tale of trust, mistrust, greed, and vengeance and reading it is just like striking gold -well, sorta.
Con men! Hustlers! Backstabbers! Scheme after scheme, hatched and unhatched in a Never-ending game to get that big score. It’s a tough life that has you drifting here and there, never trusting anyone, never wanting to get close, always looking over your shoulder.
From the casinos of the little town called Reno to the sun-drenched beaches and taco stands of Los Angeles, Petty thinks he finally has a lead on the score of a lifetime, but it all may be no more than a tall tale in a prison yard, yet another scam. He’s run out all his luck on everything else and has no other leads.
Petty’s got no one to turn to, not his old allies, not the wife who ran off thirteen years ago with another guy, leaving Petty with an eight year old to care for, not the daughter he should have taken care of instead of leaving her with grandma. Well, maybe there’s one person he can trust -a hooker he met on casino row with a violent ex-husband, but, hell, she’s gaming him too, hustling him.
It’s a quick-moving, dark, gritty, nasty tale of trust, mistrust, greed, and vengeance and reading it is just like striking gold -well, sorta.
April 18, 2018
My starred review for this super-fun thriller was published online by Library Journal on July 6, 2017:
Professional con man Rowan Petty is at the end of his line: down to his last five grand in Reno, NV, calling rubes on Thanksgiving about a real estate scam for ten percent of the take. Not even a rendezvous with his favorite hooker Tinafey (“Like that white lady on TV, but all one word”) goes right. Then a blast from the past meets Petty with a rumor of a score that could mean early retirement, something about $2 million smuggled out of Afghanistan currently being stored in a wounded vet’s Los Angeles apartment. Petty knows he might be getting played, but the lure—of the money, of the hunt, of spending quality time with Tinafey—is too tempting to ignore. Plus he’ll get to see his estranged daughter Sam, whose medical condition quickly gives him a far more urgent reason to find the money. VERDICT Like his protagonist, Dashiell Hammett Award winner Lange (Angel Baby) knows how to reel in his audience with a seductive story and plenty of misdirection. There’s nothing criminal, however, about this rollicking, diamond-cut thriller shot through with elegance and heart.
Copyright ©2017 Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. Reprinted with permission.
Professional con man Rowan Petty is at the end of his line: down to his last five grand in Reno, NV, calling rubes on Thanksgiving about a real estate scam for ten percent of the take. Not even a rendezvous with his favorite hooker Tinafey (“Like that white lady on TV, but all one word”) goes right. Then a blast from the past meets Petty with a rumor of a score that could mean early retirement, something about $2 million smuggled out of Afghanistan currently being stored in a wounded vet’s Los Angeles apartment. Petty knows he might be getting played, but the lure—of the money, of the hunt, of spending quality time with Tinafey—is too tempting to ignore. Plus he’ll get to see his estranged daughter Sam, whose medical condition quickly gives him a far more urgent reason to find the money. VERDICT Like his protagonist, Dashiell Hammett Award winner Lange (Angel Baby) knows how to reel in his audience with a seductive story and plenty of misdirection. There’s nothing criminal, however, about this rollicking, diamond-cut thriller shot through with elegance and heart.
Copyright ©2017 Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. Reprinted with permission.
July 27, 2017
Casino
Deals
Money
Ex-cons
Army
Veteran
Mucho dineros
Cash
Hustle
In over your head
Divorced
Estranged daughter
Modern noir written in the strain of the masters like Jim Thompson and Raymond chandler.
Desperation intertwined, money intertwined, lives on the line, and just how it will all pan out has you unflinching reading on to the rumination on affairs.
A one or two sitting page burner, clear and crisp, well written dialogue, potent prose and scenes.
The main protagonist has a need, and eventually a real by all means necessary need, he has a quandary of affairs to settle with plenty in the balance lives from past and lives for the future.
Layered in just the write length a noir tale like this needs to be with the right amount of description and not too deep but with a character in too deep.
Some more heart of darkness for end of July 2017 with a diamond in the center of it all.
"The Boulevard by day looked hungover, woozy. Its bruises showed through its powder and rouge. The sidewalks were empty, the trash cans overflowing. Steel roll-up doors decorated with ugly paintings of the stars of black-and-white movies covered the storefronts, and a noisy flock of ravens that was perched on the art deco flourishes of an old building put Petty in mind of vultures waiting for a meal to drop."
"The rain began to beat down again with a hiss like radio static. Petty cracked his window so the windshield wouldn’t fog, and the air that rushed in reeked of gasoline and scorched rubber. Driving a dead man’s car. He was driving a dead man’s car."
review @ http://more2read.com/review/smack-richard-lange/
Deals
Money
Ex-cons
Army
Veteran
Mucho dineros
Cash
Hustle
In over your head
Divorced
Estranged daughter
Modern noir written in the strain of the masters like Jim Thompson and Raymond chandler.
Desperation intertwined, money intertwined, lives on the line, and just how it will all pan out has you unflinching reading on to the rumination on affairs.
A one or two sitting page burner, clear and crisp, well written dialogue, potent prose and scenes.
The main protagonist has a need, and eventually a real by all means necessary need, he has a quandary of affairs to settle with plenty in the balance lives from past and lives for the future.
Layered in just the write length a noir tale like this needs to be with the right amount of description and not too deep but with a character in too deep.
Some more heart of darkness for end of July 2017 with a diamond in the center of it all.
"The Boulevard by day looked hungover, woozy. Its bruises showed through its powder and rouge. The sidewalks were empty, the trash cans overflowing. Steel roll-up doors decorated with ugly paintings of the stars of black-and-white movies covered the storefronts, and a noisy flock of ravens that was perched on the art deco flourishes of an old building put Petty in mind of vultures waiting for a meal to drop."
"The rain began to beat down again with a hiss like radio static. Petty cracked his window so the windshield wouldn’t fog, and the air that rushed in reeked of gasoline and scorched rubber. Driving a dead man’s car. He was driving a dead man’s car."
review @ http://more2read.com/review/smack-richard-lange/
July 19, 2017
This is written for people who don't actually care about what they are reading.
This is maybe the laziest writing I have ever read. It's a genre book, where the author makes zero effort in any character development. Each situation is pre-ordained by a cookie cutter character, so how they act, their reactions, etc. are cliche and without any motivation being established prior. Lange seemed to feel needed no substance or building to anything. He takes the laziest short cuts to move the plot without making any effort beyond hey, this girl has a heart of gold, this girl hates him but you know for the story they got to reconcile, of course there's the threatening ex, etc. It's like a JJ Abrams movie - he knows what a good scene looks like, but has zero narrative ability to tell a story to make that scene actually impactful, or give the characters motivation to do what they do other than hey that looks cool and pushes them into another scene.
What is so bitterly disappointing is I love Lange's more literary short stories, and know he can do wonderful things with characters. Here he's either just selling out or cashing in.
This is maybe the laziest writing I have ever read. It's a genre book, where the author makes zero effort in any character development. Each situation is pre-ordained by a cookie cutter character, so how they act, their reactions, etc. are cliche and without any motivation being established prior. Lange seemed to feel needed no substance or building to anything. He takes the laziest short cuts to move the plot without making any effort beyond hey, this girl has a heart of gold, this girl hates him but you know for the story they got to reconcile, of course there's the threatening ex, etc. It's like a JJ Abrams movie - he knows what a good scene looks like, but has zero narrative ability to tell a story to make that scene actually impactful, or give the characters motivation to do what they do other than hey that looks cool and pushes them into another scene.
What is so bitterly disappointing is I love Lange's more literary short stories, and know he can do wonderful things with characters. Here he's either just selling out or cashing in.
October 10, 2017
My son had just read this book and recommended it to me as he thought it would be too my liking.
Rowan Petty is a grifter and conman who is down on his luck and is scrabbling about trying to find his next score when an old partner tells him about a rumour that he heard about a group of soldiers who have been syphoning money from Afghanistan and stashing it in L.A. With nothing to lose Petty heads off to see if the rumour is true and if so, how can he grab a piece of the action. He takes Tinafey, a hooker who he has just met, along for the ride. Things take a turn for the worse when his estranged daughter, who is living in L.A., takes ill and ends up in hospital and Petty tries to do the right thing by her. Petty confirms that the rumours of the stash are true but he's not the only one after the cash and initially decides the risk is too big. However with potential astronomical medical bills for his daughter's future care looming he sees that the cash offers him and his daughter a secure future.
This book had me hooked from the start as we read about the various scams that Petty and his various acquaintances have used over the years and Richard Lange must have had someone 'in the know' in order to research these cons both old and new. Petty comes across initially as a man with no conscience, as he is prepared to scam anyone to get the cash but his relationships with his estranged daughter and Tinafey, which goes initially from lust to eventually love, show he does have a heart. Petty can work a con but is not so good at the strong arm stuff and uses his tongue rather than the gun. There are also a fine cast of supporting characters all of which add additional colour to the plot. My only criticism would be that I felt that there was a lull in the pace of the story towards the middle of the novel when Petty is dealing with his daughter's illness but the story reaches a thrilling climax with an added twist at the end
Rowan Petty is a grifter and conman who is down on his luck and is scrabbling about trying to find his next score when an old partner tells him about a rumour that he heard about a group of soldiers who have been syphoning money from Afghanistan and stashing it in L.A. With nothing to lose Petty heads off to see if the rumour is true and if so, how can he grab a piece of the action. He takes Tinafey, a hooker who he has just met, along for the ride. Things take a turn for the worse when his estranged daughter, who is living in L.A., takes ill and ends up in hospital and Petty tries to do the right thing by her. Petty confirms that the rumours of the stash are true but he's not the only one after the cash and initially decides the risk is too big. However with potential astronomical medical bills for his daughter's future care looming he sees that the cash offers him and his daughter a secure future.
This book had me hooked from the start as we read about the various scams that Petty and his various acquaintances have used over the years and Richard Lange must have had someone 'in the know' in order to research these cons both old and new. Petty comes across initially as a man with no conscience, as he is prepared to scam anyone to get the cash but his relationships with his estranged daughter and Tinafey, which goes initially from lust to eventually love, show he does have a heart. Petty can work a con but is not so good at the strong arm stuff and uses his tongue rather than the gun. There are also a fine cast of supporting characters all of which add additional colour to the plot. My only criticism would be that I felt that there was a lull in the pace of the story towards the middle of the novel when Petty is dealing with his daughter's illness but the story reaches a thrilling climax with an added twist at the end
October 23, 2017
Meh. It's OK. Basically The Smack is a caper book (not, IMHO, Noir), with Elmore Leonard like dialogue and plotting. Where it differs from Leonard is there appears to be genuine hearts in some of the characters, in particular con man (and main character) Rowan Petty, his girlfriend and former prostitute, "Tinafey," and Petty's daughter, Sam. You would think that would be a strength, but it isn't. When it came to characters, Leonard held back by design. You saw the hard surfaces, and the general goood-bad-inbetween drift of each character, but the inner soul (if any) was for the reader to ponder. I found myself largely bored by The Smack, often wondering if this was yet another book that was totally geared toward a possible movie. It would probably make a good movie, but also a forgettable one. Kind of like the book. The various "cons" were not memorable, the violence, when it erupted, was pretty cool and messy, but the competing machinations for the dirty millions ripped off from Afghanistan were tenuous and too often coincidental. (The nearly novel long "sick bed" thread was too precious for my tastes.) I found the dialogue to be the best part of this book, but it wasn't enough to float me.
December 14, 2017
I really liked Angel Baby, Richard Lange's previous book. So when I saw he had a new one out, I was very happy to begin reading. This new one is as good, if not better, than his last, and I would give it 4.5 stars. For those readers who enjoy a well-written, fast-paced noir thriller (not so easy to find), try this one. There is a blurb on the back of the book that I would totally agree with by Gerald Petievich: " The Smack is much more than a crime novel. It is a novel about life itself. Lange's sensitivity and pacing are reminiscent of Raymond Carver, Charles Willeford and Jim Thompson".
When the novel opens, Rowan Petty is a down on his luck con man, swindling people with a phone scam. He meets a hooker (with the handle Tinafey) whom he actually likes, and a relationship of sorts starts up between them. But things are looking very grim for Rowan until he agrees to a meeting with an old friend, who tells him about a big score of two million dollars. This score involves army money smuggled out of Afghanistan, and on the chance this rumor has credence, Rowan (and Tinafey, unaware of this big score) head to LA to investigate this story. Rowan also tries to rekindle a tattered relationship with his grown daughter, which adds a poignancy to this story.
There is a humanity inserted into all these bad guys (and girls), and somehow Lange pulls it off. The plotting and characterization are very good, and I look forward to his next one.
When the novel opens, Rowan Petty is a down on his luck con man, swindling people with a phone scam. He meets a hooker (with the handle Tinafey) whom he actually likes, and a relationship of sorts starts up between them. But things are looking very grim for Rowan until he agrees to a meeting with an old friend, who tells him about a big score of two million dollars. This score involves army money smuggled out of Afghanistan, and on the chance this rumor has credence, Rowan (and Tinafey, unaware of this big score) head to LA to investigate this story. Rowan also tries to rekindle a tattered relationship with his grown daughter, which adds a poignancy to this story.
There is a humanity inserted into all these bad guys (and girls), and somehow Lange pulls it off. The plotting and characterization are very good, and I look forward to his next one.
September 5, 2017
Richard Lange rarely disappoints but in this case I'm giving him 3.5 stars. THE SMACK, his fifth book and third novel, centers around Rowan Petty, a down and out con man who finds himself desperate for a big score. That's when an old friend tells him about a rumor surrounding a possible two million dollar payoff, ripe for the picking. As Petty begins to track down the legitimacy of the tale, he runs afoul of a psychotic soldier; an ungrateful nemesis and several other unwelcome folks from his past. To complicate matters, Petty falls deep for a hooker with a feisty mouth and Buddha-like wisdom. Oh, and his beloved but estranged daughter is seriously ill.
Dizzy yet? No worries because Lange is a master of juggling colorful characters while keeping his story moving along. The reader won't be bored but they may feel a bit used. There's a plot point at the end that had me shaking my head, calling "foul." But my biggest complaint was with his depiction of Petty: I never felt I had a strong sense of who he was. I realize that's often the case with noir fiction but in this case I came away disappointed.
Overall I think I'm a bigger fan of Lange's earlier work. If you haven't read DEAD BOYS and/or THIS WICKED WORLD, do yourself a favor and pick one or both of them up. You won't be sorry.
Dizzy yet? No worries because Lange is a master of juggling colorful characters while keeping his story moving along. The reader won't be bored but they may feel a bit used. There's a plot point at the end that had me shaking my head, calling "foul." But my biggest complaint was with his depiction of Petty: I never felt I had a strong sense of who he was. I realize that's often the case with noir fiction but in this case I came away disappointed.
Overall I think I'm a bigger fan of Lange's earlier work. If you haven't read DEAD BOYS and/or THIS WICKED WORLD, do yourself a favor and pick one or both of them up. You won't be sorry.
February 1, 2020
I feel like this should of worked more for me than it did. Good plot and characters but I just wasn’t a fan of the pacing.
July 23, 2017
The Smack, Richard Lange's new novel, is the story of Rowan Petty, a street smart, down-on-his-luck grifter, who is drawn into a swindle involving US currency stolen in Afghanistan by a Marine, and shipped to Los Angeles. The Los Angeles setting recalls the best of Raymond Chandler, updated to the present time. Lange's ear for dialogue is as pitch perfect as Elmore Leonard's. His characters, even his minor characters, are brilliantly painted with a deft touch. All this adds up to a bleakly optimistic story in the best tradition of LA Noir. Petty is the man who finds himself in middle age with a failed marriage, a daughter on dope, and a wallet of maxed out credit cards. A great read.
February 12, 2018
Very slick and entertaining caper of a book where professional con man Rowan Petty sets out to steal $2 million that has been smuggled out of Afghanistan and may be hidden in LA. Along the way he forms an odd, but somewhat heartwarming alliance with a hooker, runs afoul of a hitman or 2 looking for the same big score and reconnects with his long estranged daughter. Full of action and with quirky, yet compassionate characters, this was a full, fun read.
July 17, 2017
(4)-Thanks to Mulholland Books for providing me with an advanced reading copy of "The Smack". I've enjoyed Richard Lange's books since his first release, "Dead Boys", a collection of short stories published in 2007. I've found his prior books to be riveting with brutally honest portrayals of people living on the fringes of society. I think that this is lighter (just a little) than much of the author's previous work, but the characters, a cast of low level grifters and con-artists, are well-drawn and complex, especially the middle aged protagonist desperate for an elusive big score and his unlikely female companion. The vivid descriptions of the cheap motels, dives, casinos and other places in the world these characters inhabit add depth and authenticity to the story. While the plot seemed a bit of a stretch at times, I thought everything ultimately worked together to make this a fast-moving, solid and entertaining read.
February 28, 2019
Je reviens le 27 jour de sa sortie vous en parler plus longuement 😊
July 11, 2017
I found this to be a fast-paced, touching, action-filled crime caper and overall a great read.
It's a little noir, a little crime caper, a little family drama, and a lot of fun. This was the first book by Lange I have read, and it was a nice introduction to this author.
Rowan Petty is a down-on-his-luck antihero scammer. He's middle-aged and his best years seem to be behind him, when he is approached by an old colleague who offers him a scenario that may or may not be true: there is a cool 2 mill sitting in a safe of a particular army veteran. Rowan at first says no go; family complications urge him to take the deal and see if that money exists and if he can extract it.
Rowan, his girlfriend Tinafey, and the cast of characters here are finely drawn and realistic. The dialogue is zippy and true-to-life as well, and the exploits fun to follow. I recommend it highly.
Thank you to the author and publisher for a review copy.
It's a little noir, a little crime caper, a little family drama, and a lot of fun. This was the first book by Lange I have read, and it was a nice introduction to this author.
Rowan Petty is a down-on-his-luck antihero scammer. He's middle-aged and his best years seem to be behind him, when he is approached by an old colleague who offers him a scenario that may or may not be true: there is a cool 2 mill sitting in a safe of a particular army veteran. Rowan at first says no go; family complications urge him to take the deal and see if that money exists and if he can extract it.
Rowan, his girlfriend Tinafey, and the cast of characters here are finely drawn and realistic. The dialogue is zippy and true-to-life as well, and the exploits fun to follow. I recommend it highly.
Thank you to the author and publisher for a review copy.
July 8, 2017
Richard Lange is one of the best crime writers in the business. Think of Don Winslow and Michael Connelly; then add Mr. Lange to the list. I just had the great privilege of reading an early copy of his newest effort, The Smack. I loved it. That is all that I can say. And that is all that needs to be said. Oh, one more thing; the book is available on July 18th. Do yourself a solid and buy it now so that you can start it the day it is available.
Rowan Petty is a con man looking for a big score. He needs money like a junky needs smack. And Petty will do just about anything to secure his future. In the way are gangsters, thieves, others wiling to kill to get their hands on more money than they have ever seen. If you have ever had thoughts about pulling a con job read The Smack. Richard Lange has written a wonderful book and that is no con job.
Rowan Petty is a con man looking for a big score. He needs money like a junky needs smack. And Petty will do just about anything to secure his future. In the way are gangsters, thieves, others wiling to kill to get their hands on more money than they have ever seen. If you have ever had thoughts about pulling a con job read The Smack. Richard Lange has written a wonderful book and that is no con job.
November 13, 2017
A decent if fairly simplistic con, excellent flow and readability, and tremendously likable protagonists make this a solidly entertaining read.
My one gripe was a plot point near the end that was crushingly sad and absolutely didn't need to be there, which I felt betrayed the spirit of the book and left me feeling a touch disappointed.
My one gripe was a plot point near the end that was crushingly sad and absolutely didn't need to be there, which I felt betrayed the spirit of the book and left me feeling a touch disappointed.
August 15, 2017
(3 1/2). This was a slightly disjointed ending away from 4 stars. Lots of fun action, some of it scam, some of it street. A terrific protagonist, a tear jerker (of sorts) aspect to the plot and an unlikely love interest. This one turns and turns and turns. A real solid read.
July 25, 2017
In my personal opinion, Richard Lange is to Los Angeles as George Pelecanos is to D.C. or Richard Price is to New York City. This is my first full novel by this author and I am not surprised I liked it as much as I did. I have read a ton of Lange's short stories. This novel does read like a longer version of his shorts. The Smack clocks in at a little over 350 pages but they truly fly by. I read the whole book in a couple of days because the writing just flows and the story keeps you engaged.
The story centers around a low-level con man named Rowan Petty. Petty is in Reno and is down on his luck. He only has a few thousand left in the bank and his current source of income is a crappy phone scam that he isn't even running himself but taking scraps from those higher up in the game. Petty catches wind of a possible large score in Los Angeles that involved smuggled money brought in by some soldiers in Afghanistan. Petty is skeptical but has nothing to lose and decides to go check it out. Once Petty arrives in LA, he not only learns that the money exists but also reconnects with his estranged daughter at a time when she needs him most. Lange is a master of writing characters that have plenty of faults, in a world that is not fair but still manages to humanize them in a way that you can help but pull for their success. The world is unforgiving in The Smack, but love is there in the form of a new girlfriend, who is a great character by the way, as well as re-engagement with his daughter, who's love he didn't appreciate until the circumstances of the book unfold. It is just great noir/crime story telling at its finest.
As I said before we aren't dealing with heroes here. We are following con men, hookers, and grifters yet just like everyone else they need love too. The following passage is from The Smack and feel encompasses the narrative of the book: "He hoped the kid would find a way out of the mess he was going to be in when his cousin and his crew showed up for their money, but if he didn't, whatever happened next was his own fault. He crossed a line when he agreed to hold the money. He stepped out of the village and into the jungle, where every tree hid a tiger and where, if you weren't smart enough or quick enough, you were going to get clawed, get bit, and get eaten up.
So yeah, still a fan of Lange and I will continue to check out his work. If you like any of the authors I mentioned above such as Pelecanos or Price then pick up The Smack by Richard Lange. I will also recommend it to fans of Jason Starr or the new amazing novel by Jordan Harper called She Rides Shotgun. If you like any of the stuff I mentioned you will not be disappointed with Lange's work
The story centers around a low-level con man named Rowan Petty. Petty is in Reno and is down on his luck. He only has a few thousand left in the bank and his current source of income is a crappy phone scam that he isn't even running himself but taking scraps from those higher up in the game. Petty catches wind of a possible large score in Los Angeles that involved smuggled money brought in by some soldiers in Afghanistan. Petty is skeptical but has nothing to lose and decides to go check it out. Once Petty arrives in LA, he not only learns that the money exists but also reconnects with his estranged daughter at a time when she needs him most. Lange is a master of writing characters that have plenty of faults, in a world that is not fair but still manages to humanize them in a way that you can help but pull for their success. The world is unforgiving in The Smack, but love is there in the form of a new girlfriend, who is a great character by the way, as well as re-engagement with his daughter, who's love he didn't appreciate until the circumstances of the book unfold. It is just great noir/crime story telling at its finest.
As I said before we aren't dealing with heroes here. We are following con men, hookers, and grifters yet just like everyone else they need love too. The following passage is from The Smack and feel encompasses the narrative of the book: "He hoped the kid would find a way out of the mess he was going to be in when his cousin and his crew showed up for their money, but if he didn't, whatever happened next was his own fault. He crossed a line when he agreed to hold the money. He stepped out of the village and into the jungle, where every tree hid a tiger and where, if you weren't smart enough or quick enough, you were going to get clawed, get bit, and get eaten up.
So yeah, still a fan of Lange and I will continue to check out his work. If you like any of the authors I mentioned above such as Pelecanos or Price then pick up The Smack by Richard Lange. I will also recommend it to fans of Jason Starr or the new amazing novel by Jordan Harper called She Rides Shotgun. If you like any of the stuff I mentioned you will not be disappointed with Lange's work
March 8, 2019
Richard Lange a planté le décor de son nouveau roman dans le Los Angeles qu’il connait si bien. Il revient avec une histoire plus noire que ses précédents livres.
Nous sommes loin des voyous bling bling et des criminels comme le sait si bien les filmer Martin Scorsese avec « Casino », « Les Affranchis » …..
Dans « La dernière chance de Rowan Petty », l’auteur nous décrit des loosers, des paumés, des ratés….. de l’arnaque.
Rowan Petty, le personnage principal, fait justement partie de ces petits arnaqueurs. Par exemple, pour se faire de l’argent facile et assez rapidement, il poste en ligne de fausses annonces pour des locations « bidons ».
Cette fois-ci, on lui propose une belle combine à deux millions de dollars : c’est du lourd, l’arnaque de sa vie. Il est obligé d’accepter, même si l’affaire lui paraît très louche. Il a besoin de cet argent car sa fille, Sam, est gravement malade.
Mais les choses se corsent, trop de protagonistes qui ne jouent pas dans le même camp. Et cette fois-ci, l’arnaqueur devient l’arnaqué. Il va devoir user de toutes les ruses possibles et imaginables pour se sortir de ce foutu « bordel ». Il doit sauver sa peau et se débarrasser des chacals qui sont à ses trousses.
Ce roman est, pour moi, inclassable. Il nous parle plus largement de l’Amérique.
Car Richard Lange fait un pas de côté, dans son histoire, pour parler de la fille de Rowan, Sam. Pour elle, et en tant que père, il est obligé d’affronter sa relation avec sa fille. Elle est très compliquée. Elle est vécue d’un côté comme de l’autre avec beaucoup de tensions : elle a été une première fois abandonnée par sa mère, puis par son père quelques années plus tard. Pour Sam, son père est à son chevet comme un cheveu sur la soupe. Cela fait très longtemps qu’elle se débrouille très bien, seule dans la vie. Et ses parents ne font pas partie de cette vie.
Cette dernière est hospitalisée pour une tumeur et l’auteur en profite pour démontrer l’inhumanité du système de santé américain.
En marge de son intrigue policière, l’auteur nous montre à voir la Cité des Anges sous des aspects très loin de ce que nous vantent les publicités sur papiers glacés.
Plus qu’un roman noir, Richard Lange, dans « La dernière chance de Rowan Petty » écrit sur des héros oubliés, des types à terre, sur cette Amérique du self made men, broyant tous les Américains ne rentrant pas dans cette case.
En quatrième de couverture, T.C. Boyle ne nous trompe pas : « Richard Lange est le Raymond Carver des bas-fonds de Los Angeles. Lisez-le et vous serez éblouis »
Je tiens à remercier le #PicaboRiverBookClub et les #EditionsAlbinMichel avec sa collection #Terresd’Amérique pour m’avoir permis de lire un auteur tout nouveau pour moi.
Nous sommes loin des voyous bling bling et des criminels comme le sait si bien les filmer Martin Scorsese avec « Casino », « Les Affranchis » …..
Dans « La dernière chance de Rowan Petty », l’auteur nous décrit des loosers, des paumés, des ratés….. de l’arnaque.
Rowan Petty, le personnage principal, fait justement partie de ces petits arnaqueurs. Par exemple, pour se faire de l’argent facile et assez rapidement, il poste en ligne de fausses annonces pour des locations « bidons ».
Cette fois-ci, on lui propose une belle combine à deux millions de dollars : c’est du lourd, l’arnaque de sa vie. Il est obligé d’accepter, même si l’affaire lui paraît très louche. Il a besoin de cet argent car sa fille, Sam, est gravement malade.
Mais les choses se corsent, trop de protagonistes qui ne jouent pas dans le même camp. Et cette fois-ci, l’arnaqueur devient l’arnaqué. Il va devoir user de toutes les ruses possibles et imaginables pour se sortir de ce foutu « bordel ». Il doit sauver sa peau et se débarrasser des chacals qui sont à ses trousses.
Ce roman est, pour moi, inclassable. Il nous parle plus largement de l’Amérique.
Car Richard Lange fait un pas de côté, dans son histoire, pour parler de la fille de Rowan, Sam. Pour elle, et en tant que père, il est obligé d’affronter sa relation avec sa fille. Elle est très compliquée. Elle est vécue d’un côté comme de l’autre avec beaucoup de tensions : elle a été une première fois abandonnée par sa mère, puis par son père quelques années plus tard. Pour Sam, son père est à son chevet comme un cheveu sur la soupe. Cela fait très longtemps qu’elle se débrouille très bien, seule dans la vie. Et ses parents ne font pas partie de cette vie.
Cette dernière est hospitalisée pour une tumeur et l’auteur en profite pour démontrer l’inhumanité du système de santé américain.
En marge de son intrigue policière, l’auteur nous montre à voir la Cité des Anges sous des aspects très loin de ce que nous vantent les publicités sur papiers glacés.
Plus qu’un roman noir, Richard Lange, dans « La dernière chance de Rowan Petty » écrit sur des héros oubliés, des types à terre, sur cette Amérique du self made men, broyant tous les Américains ne rentrant pas dans cette case.
En quatrième de couverture, T.C. Boyle ne nous trompe pas : « Richard Lange est le Raymond Carver des bas-fonds de Los Angeles. Lisez-le et vous serez éblouis »
Je tiens à remercier le #PicaboRiverBookClub et les #EditionsAlbinMichel avec sa collection #Terresd’Amérique pour m’avoir permis de lire un auteur tout nouveau pour moi.
December 13, 2017
The Smack
Mysterious Book Report No. 314
by John Dwaine McKenna
The mean streets of Los Angeles are the setting for a new kind of novel that combines action with the troubles of the real world. It’s about people on the hustle, people who swindle others out of their money . . . they’re called grifters. Grifters have no conscience, no guilt, they’re only interested in parting the suckers from their money. Have you ever gotten a telephone call about a free vacation, an inheritance from an unknown relative, or a plea for help from an imaginary grandchild? If so you’ve been targeted for a scam.
The Smack, (Muholland Books, Little Brown & Co, $26.00, 352 pages, ISBN 978-0-316-32762-6) by Richard Lange is about a grifter named Rowan Petty. He’s a con man who’s flat broke, living in cheap hotels, wondering how he got there and looking for his next big score. Petty’s working as a telephone scammer in Las Vegas when an old acquaintance turns up with a rumor of a huge cash hoard in Los Angeles. And quick as a wink, Petty and his girlfriend head for the City of Angels. His target is two million bucks that have been squirreled out of Afghanistan by a tough US Army sergeant. He stole the money a few thousand at a time over a period of years from the US and Afghanistan governments, shipped it back to LA where he has it stashed in his old ‘hood’, and guarded by one of his gang-banger buddies. It’s a compelling, fast-paced noirish adventure with a bunch of gun battles and dead bodies in the rear view mirror. Petty is an anti-hero for the ages . . . tough, smart and utterly despicable. He’ll cheat an old woman out of her life savings, while at the same time he’ll fascinate any reader of crime fiction. This novel is edgy, smart and timely and the first in a series featuring an unlikely antihero. I couldn’t stop reading . . . it’s a rush!
Mysterious Book Report No. 314
by John Dwaine McKenna
The mean streets of Los Angeles are the setting for a new kind of novel that combines action with the troubles of the real world. It’s about people on the hustle, people who swindle others out of their money . . . they’re called grifters. Grifters have no conscience, no guilt, they’re only interested in parting the suckers from their money. Have you ever gotten a telephone call about a free vacation, an inheritance from an unknown relative, or a plea for help from an imaginary grandchild? If so you’ve been targeted for a scam.
The Smack, (Muholland Books, Little Brown & Co, $26.00, 352 pages, ISBN 978-0-316-32762-6) by Richard Lange is about a grifter named Rowan Petty. He’s a con man who’s flat broke, living in cheap hotels, wondering how he got there and looking for his next big score. Petty’s working as a telephone scammer in Las Vegas when an old acquaintance turns up with a rumor of a huge cash hoard in Los Angeles. And quick as a wink, Petty and his girlfriend head for the City of Angels. His target is two million bucks that have been squirreled out of Afghanistan by a tough US Army sergeant. He stole the money a few thousand at a time over a period of years from the US and Afghanistan governments, shipped it back to LA where he has it stashed in his old ‘hood’, and guarded by one of his gang-banger buddies. It’s a compelling, fast-paced noirish adventure with a bunch of gun battles and dead bodies in the rear view mirror. Petty is an anti-hero for the ages . . . tough, smart and utterly despicable. He’ll cheat an old woman out of her life savings, while at the same time he’ll fascinate any reader of crime fiction. This novel is edgy, smart and timely and the first in a series featuring an unlikely antihero. I couldn’t stop reading . . . it’s a rush!
May 30, 2022
Talk about perfect execution - the con, and the writing.
I’m no stranger to Richard Lange’s fiction - his collection DEAD BOYS smacks of brilliance, and his latest novel ROVERS was a delicious combination of horror and crime.
So obviously I wanted to read more of one of the best crime writers in the game. THE SMACK could have easily fallen into cliches of a con-man and a once in a lifetime heist - the Big One, they call it. The one that gets you enough cash to quit the life. You know the trope. Stephen King used it terribly in his latest, BILLY SUMMERS.
But Lange, man oh man. Mostly it’s because his down and out lowlife and low-level con man Rowan Petty is so likable and believable that the chance to do the “job to end all jobs” is more to him. Lange makes him reluctant at first - too much risk involved, you know? Not until his estranged daughter is in the hospital that Petty needs that money. What follows is a fast-paced con filled with great characters, double-crosses, and heart and grit.
It’s easy in crime fiction to be too hard, too rough. Bleak as hell (which I like). And it’s another thing to be too tender in fiction which comes off as gushy and cheap. Lange, right here, finds the perfect balance. Petty’s love for his daughter and his newfound love interest, a fast talking pro, gives this story depth that’s tender without being overly sentimental. It’s perfect execution. Humanize the conman. Flip the standard noir script on its head regarding femme fatales. Make the novel fun.
And that’s what THE SMACK is. Fun as hell and compulsively readable. You reading Richard Lange? If not, you damn well should be.
I’m no stranger to Richard Lange’s fiction - his collection DEAD BOYS smacks of brilliance, and his latest novel ROVERS was a delicious combination of horror and crime.
So obviously I wanted to read more of one of the best crime writers in the game. THE SMACK could have easily fallen into cliches of a con-man and a once in a lifetime heist - the Big One, they call it. The one that gets you enough cash to quit the life. You know the trope. Stephen King used it terribly in his latest, BILLY SUMMERS.
But Lange, man oh man. Mostly it’s because his down and out lowlife and low-level con man Rowan Petty is so likable and believable that the chance to do the “job to end all jobs” is more to him. Lange makes him reluctant at first - too much risk involved, you know? Not until his estranged daughter is in the hospital that Petty needs that money. What follows is a fast-paced con filled with great characters, double-crosses, and heart and grit.
It’s easy in crime fiction to be too hard, too rough. Bleak as hell (which I like). And it’s another thing to be too tender in fiction which comes off as gushy and cheap. Lange, right here, finds the perfect balance. Petty’s love for his daughter and his newfound love interest, a fast talking pro, gives this story depth that’s tender without being overly sentimental. It’s perfect execution. Humanize the conman. Flip the standard noir script on its head regarding femme fatales. Make the novel fun.
And that’s what THE SMACK is. Fun as hell and compulsively readable. You reading Richard Lange? If not, you damn well should be.
May 8, 2019
I just read several other critiques of this novel, and I'm left scratching my head. It's so hard to read a book that I found very well executed on so many levels then read a series of readers rate the book with a 'meh' or label it 'lazy'. No doubt, Lange's voice may be for everyone. He's distinctive and particular. But dang, I was blown away by the quality of his writing. His imagery is so carefully selected, so deftly sifted and distilled I found it humbling to read something just that damn good.
For readers who appreciate quality writing with imperfect characters, this is the book for them. For readers who want cardboard cutouts with easy-to-read summer-style books that go down like vanilla milkshakes, this may not be the book for them. On a truly personal level, I'm excited to find another writer who approaches crime writing as I do -- I'm going to read all of his stuff, maybe read an hour before I write my next scene or chapter to get in the mood, as it were. Perhaps most thrilling about this book was the experience of finding the first author (ever) who writes in a tone similar to mind. I love how he carefully crafts each sentence and layers the images over one another to create this rich setting, a panoply of complexity and depth.
Personal opinions aside, I recommend this book for readers who love noir. Lange is Chandler done better IMHO (hope I don't offend too many people with that bold statement...)
For readers who appreciate quality writing with imperfect characters, this is the book for them. For readers who want cardboard cutouts with easy-to-read summer-style books that go down like vanilla milkshakes, this may not be the book for them. On a truly personal level, I'm excited to find another writer who approaches crime writing as I do -- I'm going to read all of his stuff, maybe read an hour before I write my next scene or chapter to get in the mood, as it were. Perhaps most thrilling about this book was the experience of finding the first author (ever) who writes in a tone similar to mind. I love how he carefully crafts each sentence and layers the images over one another to create this rich setting, a panoply of complexity and depth.
Personal opinions aside, I recommend this book for readers who love noir. Lange is Chandler done better IMHO (hope I don't offend too many people with that bold statement...)
February 21, 2019
I'd previously read some of Lange's short stories about down-and-out no hopers working dead-end jobs in and around LA, and thought that his style might work better in a novel, and so I picked this up. It's a very well-executed crime story about a middle-aged grifter down to his last $5,000 when he hears a tall tale from an old family friend about a $2 million score.
Readers who require a "likable" protagonist are unlikely to enjoy Rowan Petty, who has a kind of personal code he follows, but is a scam artist with no real human connections. Hence a ridiculous plot contrivance that makes his seeking out the $2 million plausible and worth our rooting for. Along the way he teams up with a hooker who doesn't exactly have a heart of gold, but she's not too far away from that trope and serves as another narrative mechanism for balancing Petty's character.
The story revolves around Petty trying to find the money in East LA and get it into his hands safely. That doesn't work out so well, because naturally there are other folks after the money, and they don't mind a few dead bodies along the way. There's a whole moderately cheesy subplot about Petty's estranged daughter, but at the heart of the book is a very tightly plotted crime story. There's not really any humor to it, and I could see a very self-serious director like Michael Mann making a fine movie out of it.
Readers who require a "likable" protagonist are unlikely to enjoy Rowan Petty, who has a kind of personal code he follows, but is a scam artist with no real human connections. Hence a ridiculous plot contrivance that makes his seeking out the $2 million plausible and worth our rooting for. Along the way he teams up with a hooker who doesn't exactly have a heart of gold, but she's not too far away from that trope and serves as another narrative mechanism for balancing Petty's character.
The story revolves around Petty trying to find the money in East LA and get it into his hands safely. That doesn't work out so well, because naturally there are other folks after the money, and they don't mind a few dead bodies along the way. There's a whole moderately cheesy subplot about Petty's estranged daughter, but at the heart of the book is a very tightly plotted crime story. There's not really any humor to it, and I could see a very self-serious director like Michael Mann making a fine movie out of it.
September 29, 2018
I wish that this site allowed for fractions of stars as I would have rated it as 4.25 or 4.5, but I did not want to round up & give it a full-on 5. 8=(
I liked the premise & the characters a lot & I hope that they return in future novels. As the dust cover mentioned, it is rare that a book about a career grifter can also offer a measure of poignancy. The plot revolves around not only the aforementioned grifter, but also a courtesan with whom he embarks on a cross-country adventure involving U.S. Army Afghanistan vets & purloined funds. We end up meeting his former wife & her current beau as well as his daughter over the course of the novel. In Jim Thompson's "The Grifters", we only met the protagonist's mother, but that was enough. Here, it was the estranged daughter who lent the poignancy to the otherwise standard criminal machinations as they played out. I returned the book to the library with a tear in my eye and a heavy heart, not just for the daughter, but also for the veterans, being a GW1 combat veteran myself. Definitely worth a read & I even learned a new bar game, which gives the book its title.
I liked the premise & the characters a lot & I hope that they return in future novels. As the dust cover mentioned, it is rare that a book about a career grifter can also offer a measure of poignancy. The plot revolves around not only the aforementioned grifter, but also a courtesan with whom he embarks on a cross-country adventure involving U.S. Army Afghanistan vets & purloined funds. We end up meeting his former wife & her current beau as well as his daughter over the course of the novel. In Jim Thompson's "The Grifters", we only met the protagonist's mother, but that was enough. Here, it was the estranged daughter who lent the poignancy to the otherwise standard criminal machinations as they played out. I returned the book to the library with a tear in my eye and a heavy heart, not just for the daughter, but also for the veterans, being a GW1 combat veteran myself. Definitely worth a read & I even learned a new bar game, which gives the book its title.
September 14, 2017
Rowan Petty is the kind of lowlife you can't help but enjoy following. He cons, he swindles, he doesn't talk to his daughter. When an opportunity arises to go to LA and steal two million dollars, he jumps at the chance. Do things go according to plan? Absolutely not.
There are elements of heist and noir here, but other parts are so absurd that you can't help but go along for the ride. (The African-American prostitute named Tinafey is a delight, and her character arc was unexpectedly rich.) We swing from the strange to the tragic so quickly that you can't see the punch coming. One moment you're smirking, and the next, you're reminded of the grit and blood so heavily involved in crime. It's a clever balance, and for me, Lange hits the spot.
I am grateful to Mulholland Books for providing me with a copy of the book. I loved Sweet Nothing, and The Smack proved to me that Lange is an absolute talent.
There are elements of heist and noir here, but other parts are so absurd that you can't help but go along for the ride. (The African-American prostitute named Tinafey is a delight, and her character arc was unexpectedly rich.) We swing from the strange to the tragic so quickly that you can't see the punch coming. One moment you're smirking, and the next, you're reminded of the grit and blood so heavily involved in crime. It's a clever balance, and for me, Lange hits the spot.
I am grateful to Mulholland Books for providing me with a copy of the book. I loved Sweet Nothing, and The Smack proved to me that Lange is an absolute talent.
September 26, 2017
this is my first read of a book by Richard Lange and I loved it. I think after a couple so so books, this was just what I needed. The plot and main character engaged me right from the beginning. The writing was so good that every conversation felt real, not contrived or in place just to move the plot but how real people would talk. Main character is con man Rowan Petty and while not a great guy as he separates rubes from their money for his livelihood, you do end up rooting for him. We have seen this plot before involving a score that is probably too good to be true and too risky to pull off, but somehow it all works and I settled in to what was just a great page turner with character moments and consequences the author made feel real. It wasn’t totally perfect, but what is likely a 4.5 stars I rounded up to 5. I think most of you would enjoy this one, highly recommended.
September 23, 2018
A modern LA masterpiece
I've read Angel Baby and several of Lange's short stories before, they were pretty good (the stories especially), but this is on another level.
He takes a lot of crime fiction archetypes and turns them on their head. The plot moves fast, slows down into a character study at times with entertaining detours, then goes wherever you least expect it. His dialogue rings true, so do the characters behind the words.
With this book he is making a claim for greatness alongside Don Winslow, Ken Nunn, Newton Thornburg and others who have done the Californian crime genre at its best. I was planning on savouring this one but ended up tearing through it over the weekend instead.
I've read Angel Baby and several of Lange's short stories before, they were pretty good (the stories especially), but this is on another level.
He takes a lot of crime fiction archetypes and turns them on their head. The plot moves fast, slows down into a character study at times with entertaining detours, then goes wherever you least expect it. His dialogue rings true, so do the characters behind the words.
With this book he is making a claim for greatness alongside Don Winslow, Ken Nunn, Newton Thornburg and others who have done the Californian crime genre at its best. I was planning on savouring this one but ended up tearing through it over the weekend instead.
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