What do you think?
Rate this book
Dial 999
It's 1977, and Jon Hunter has followed his passion for punk rock across the pond to London. But when his life begins to resemble the chaos in his favorite lyrics, it's up to this Yank to figure out who's responsible for the murder & mayhem.
220 pages, Paperback
First published September 4, 2010
1 person want to read
About the author
Hyacinthe L. Raven
5 books3 followers
Hyacinthe Raven
(b. 1976) is an American poet and mystery writer, and the proprietor of Via Dolorosa Press. Her many books include Dial 999 and Razorwire Embrace. Raven received her undergraduate education at Shimer College, a Great Books college in Illinois, and at Cleveland State University. She holds a master's degree in philosophy. (from Shimer College Wiki)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 20, 2011
Punk rock mystery! Gets an extra star for that, but why does anything punk have to be set in the 1970's? Punk is still going strong. I can ignore the simple writing, the lack of character development (no interior to any character as well), and the confusion when the plot falters a bit, but I cannot--and this is a big spoiler so don't read on if you think you might want to read this:
I cannot accept the "sell-out" moment at the end when the main character--who spent a lot of the book wishing he could change the world for the better--decides to work with the police because change can come from the "inside." Gaacckkkk! So, just ditch all your ethics and values because one cop helped you out? Please.
I cannot accept the "sell-out" moment at the end when the main character--who spent a lot of the book wishing he could change the world for the better--decides to work with the police because change can come from the "inside." Gaacckkkk! So, just ditch all your ethics and values because one cop helped you out? Please.
February 9, 2011
H. L. Raven, Dial 999 (Reality Asylum Books, 2010)
Some of the reviews I've seen of Dial 999 seem to kind of miss the point. The first, and most important, thing to know about this book is that it's a mystery novel. Nothing more, nothing less, and more to the point, it doesn't try to be. This is straight-up genre fiction. If you walk into it expecting Cormac McCarthy (or Joyce Carol Oates), you're going to be disappointed. Genre fiction, by and large, is plot-driven rather than character-driven, and this distinction is writ large in mystery oftentimes; pick up any ten books published in the last decade by Five Star, Poisoned Pen, Leisure's mystery line, etc. etc., and you'll be able to level the same criticisms at them. It's like attacking Ed Lee novels for having too much gore—you can do it, but why bother? All you're doing is letting the people who are looking for gore and/or fast, plot-driven novels know that this is where they want to go for their next fix.
Set in London's burgeoning punk scene in 1977, Dial 999 is the story of Jon Hunter, an American expatriate who's fallen in with a group of ne'er-do-wells. They hold jobs during the day that give them just enough money to buy punk records and drink heavily at night while listening to them, and all is right with the world—until some of those on the fringes of the group start dying of heroin overdoses. Suspicion is immediately focused on the homeless, possibly schizophrenic dealer who supplies the harder-core folks, but when a woman who's never used drugs before is found overdosed, Jon, his girlfriend Mary, and their two closest mates decide it's time to take matters into their own hands.
The action starts off fast and gets faster as you go along; the book only knows two modes, full speed ahead and stop, and somewhere along the way it loses the brakes. This isn't a criticism by any means; if you're looking for a book that will keep you awake turning pages, look no further. I finished it in two sittings. Yes, some character dimensionality is sacrificed along the way in service to the breakneck pace, and I do wish there would have been one more clue dropped towards the beginning of the book as to the killer's identity (to be fair, there may be one I missed, but I don't recall seeing anything), but overall it's as good a mystery as you'll get from the bigger mystery-only imprints. The subtitle hints that this is the beginning of a series, as do a couple of scenes towards the end; I'm looking forward to book two. ***
Some of the reviews I've seen of Dial 999 seem to kind of miss the point. The first, and most important, thing to know about this book is that it's a mystery novel. Nothing more, nothing less, and more to the point, it doesn't try to be. This is straight-up genre fiction. If you walk into it expecting Cormac McCarthy (or Joyce Carol Oates), you're going to be disappointed. Genre fiction, by and large, is plot-driven rather than character-driven, and this distinction is writ large in mystery oftentimes; pick up any ten books published in the last decade by Five Star, Poisoned Pen, Leisure's mystery line, etc. etc., and you'll be able to level the same criticisms at them. It's like attacking Ed Lee novels for having too much gore—you can do it, but why bother? All you're doing is letting the people who are looking for gore and/or fast, plot-driven novels know that this is where they want to go for their next fix.
Set in London's burgeoning punk scene in 1977, Dial 999 is the story of Jon Hunter, an American expatriate who's fallen in with a group of ne'er-do-wells. They hold jobs during the day that give them just enough money to buy punk records and drink heavily at night while listening to them, and all is right with the world—until some of those on the fringes of the group start dying of heroin overdoses. Suspicion is immediately focused on the homeless, possibly schizophrenic dealer who supplies the harder-core folks, but when a woman who's never used drugs before is found overdosed, Jon, his girlfriend Mary, and their two closest mates decide it's time to take matters into their own hands.
The action starts off fast and gets faster as you go along; the book only knows two modes, full speed ahead and stop, and somewhere along the way it loses the brakes. This isn't a criticism by any means; if you're looking for a book that will keep you awake turning pages, look no further. I finished it in two sittings. Yes, some character dimensionality is sacrificed along the way in service to the breakneck pace, and I do wish there would have been one more clue dropped towards the beginning of the book as to the killer's identity (to be fair, there may be one I missed, but I don't recall seeing anything), but overall it's as good a mystery as you'll get from the bigger mystery-only imprints. The subtitle hints that this is the beginning of a series, as do a couple of scenes towards the end; I'm looking forward to book two. ***
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews