As bleak and compelling a read as anything he has ever written ... Anyone who has sought salvation by reaching for the bottom of a bottle will see themselves in stark relief here. There have been only a few authors who have handled this type of exploration of dark and tortured souls this well --- James M. Cain and Jim Thompson immediately come to mind --- but Starr is our contemporary master. Read this book and then what has gone before.
A dynamic and spellbinding psychological thriller. It is crammed with edge-of-your-seat suspense and powerful irony ... well-paced, disturbing and anxiety inducing. It is filled with plenty of chills, surprises, desperation, murder and a totally unforeseen ending that will leave you breathless. A hypnotic psychological thriller that you won’t be able to put down.
This Everyman mystery makes us care about a regular but troubled mope who dips his toe in the water but nearly ends up drowning. Author Starr has 14 crime novels and thrillers on his résumé as well as graphic novels for Marvel and DC. The plot is first-rate, the dialogue is sharp, and the conclusion unsettling.
Uneven ... Smart, convincing dialogue compensates only in part for a trite solution to the murder and a denouement that strains credibility. Starr’s fans will hope for a return to form next time.
