Hard Knocks

by Howie Carr

Following the lead of Boston crime-thriller writers like Dennis Lehane and Chuck Hogan, New York Times bestselling author and radio sensation Howie Carr delivers a hard-hitting tale of survival, betrayal, deceit, and murder…in other words, a fictional odyssey through the last thirty years of crime in Boston.

Jack Reilly, a dodgy ex-Boston cop, is trying to make ends meet as a private investigator. When a client is killed, execution style, Reilly finds himself in a whole world of pain. Someone wants him dead—but why? To find out, Reilly must weed through thirty years of duplicity, corruption, and killing…a web of politicians dirtier than mobsters and criminals nobler than senators. He needs to uncover the dangerous truth behind the bribery, blood, and backdoor deals that define the highest levels of both organized crime and State House politics—before it’s too late.

Genres: Mystery Thriller, Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Howie Carr is a columnist for the Boston Herald and hosts a radio talk show syndicated throughout New England. He is the New York Times bestselling author of the true crime biographies The Brothers Bulger and Hitman, and author of the crime novel Hard Knocks. In 1985, Carr won a National Magazine Award, and in 2008 he was elected to the National Radio Hall of Fame. He lives in suburban Boston with his wife and their three daughters.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/howiecarr
http://www.facebook.com/howiecarrshow

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was a lot of fun, definitely not PC, & twisty as hell. There's no mystery about the murder except who might be next & why which is plenty. Our hero has some very flexible morals & a checkered history which make for quite a tour through Boston politics. I suppose that's the right term. Some might call it organized crime, but it's so difficult to tell where the line is or if there even is a line, hence the need for flexible morals which I can guarantee no one will care for in some cases. It's practical & believable which is why this got bumped up a bit for all the tongue-in-cheek tough guy patter. Great as an audio book!

[Darcia Helle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book at all. Jack Reilly is one of, if not the most, unlikable main characters I have ever come across. He is bitter about his family, his ex-wife, his job, and the changes within the city of Boston. In fact, he didn't seem to enjoy anything in his life.

I found the racial slurs highly disturbing. The main character and many of the other characters tossed crude remarks around as if their opinions were fact. They insulted various races, as well as gay people and "illegals" on a constant basis. The author portrayed Boston to be a city of intolerant, narrow-minded losers.

As for the plot, I grew up and spent most of my life in the suburbs of Boston, so I understood the references to the various parts of the city. I'm not sure these things would translate well to readers unfamiliar with the area. There are many characters and a lot of activity going on, making the plotlines difficult to follow. The entire government of Boston, all officials and the police departments, are corrupt. No one can be trusted because they are all owned by mobsters and/or hungry for power. The extent of the corruption vastly stretched believability for me.

The only good thing I can say about this book is that the writing itself, style and sentence structure, is very good. The dialogue is crisp and you get a strong sense of each character's personality. But I didn't like any of them.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Reilly; ex-cop turned investigator (PI doesn’t seem to exist in this day) has a brother in jail and a client who ultimately gets killed. And now someone is gunning after him. What he finds is a bunch of corrupt politicians and cops. (Gee, that’s new).

But Howie Carr writes about Boston with such grittiness, that he brings it alive. Jack Reilly is a tough character, but likeable. There is action, humor and a plot that wants you to keep reading. Although, some of the dialogue is a little rough, it made the story believable. I really enjoyed this thriller.

[Tomasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Finding out the author went from this to promoting DJT was hardly surprising, I'd say). So - there's this guy who rags on minorities and gays and illegal aliens and gun control and whatever else GOP deems carpet-bombing-worthy, who's so dumb he regularly uses his face to stop other people's fists, and is such a paragon of virtue he even got tossed out from the police. Therefore, he works as a crap-stirrer, AKA private investigator, for Boston pols. Surprisingly enough, despite the protagonist's rants, all the crime is being done by good ole white boys. Still, the stench of cellar-dweller is strong in this one, and the pages are light on sense (and sensibility).

[Robert LoCicero · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read as author Carr weaves an intriguing story that moves along well and presents characters who are real in this version of mobsters, dirty cops and corrupt politicians. The story line is of ex-cop and mayoral fixer, Jack Reilly, working for a rival politician to a state Speaker of the House. The job is to find out about a bank robbery and murders that have implications of corruption and worse. The drama and complications of Reilly's search is what makes this volume exciting and a book that one rushes through to read. There are meetings with journalists, mobsters and a bevy of local characters in gin mills and city hall that serve to illuminate for Jack Reilly what the original robbery was about. The ending is worth the wait and establishes Howie Carr as interesting a writer as he is a columnist and weekly radio guest. I liked this book and would recommend it to others.

[M.E. Roche · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read about an ex-cop on disability, now a down-and-out private detective, who gets client referrals from his brother in prison. His most recent referral is murdered after their first meeting at a local bar, wherein the client's instructions are decidedly less than clear. Given that the detective has multiple contacts following his history of work with both the police department and the mayor's office and now has a newspaper reporter hungry for a story, there is a convoluted path to resolving the mystery.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read, fun as a tribute to old gumshoe stories and interesting to read about Boston locales. I give it three stars for the story. However, even despite Boston's reputation as a racist city, often the "authenticity" of comments by characters felt less "authentic" and more like less-than-subtle political commentary, often quite offensive.

[Scott Murdock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a guys book, If you enjoy Spencer series this is up your Alley.
I enjoyed his since of humor, Very few writer can get me laughing.
He told a really good story, Keep you hooked & worked it well.
Does he have a series with this character?

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure what to say... Up and down book. some parts very good others???

[Rjj · Rating 1 out of 5]

The racism and homophobia made me unable to finish the book

[Sandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Howie Carr is in top form as his protagonist Jack Reilly, a dodgy ex-Boston cop, rummages through the dirty linen of crime bosses and their equally dirty cohorts among the political elite in HARD KNOCKS, his expose encompassing 30 years of political corruption in Boston thinly disguised as a novel. The book is written in a terse and concise style propelling the plot along at an accelerated sprint and guaranteeing that lovers of "40's style noir" and subtly sinister scenarios won't be disappointed in nor bored by this engrossing read.

Carr's Reilly character is vaguely reminiscent of Mickey Spillane's hard boiled private eye Mike Hammer, complete with wise cracks and pithy observations. With lines like "The Speaker was quoted in both papers as saying he was "deeply gratified" by the "overwhelming" vote. The taxpayers could not be reached for comment", or his scrutiny of the Boston rapid transit system "In the front of the car, a grimy Gabby Hayes look alike had removed his boots and was cutting his toenails, which were ricocheting around the car at the speed of sound" and finally Reilly's perception of the state of health care in the country with "Have you been to a hospital emergency room lately? If you speak English and appear to be an American citizen, you are indeed a stranger in a strange land."

Like all good suspense novels that provide not only a goodly amount of drama but also afford the reader with behind the scenes information, Carr strikes a nice balance between the a tale of political corruption and the life of his protagonist, whose personal baggage and occasional bouts of self-awareness are a pleasure for the reader to observe.

Personally I loved HARD KNOCKS. It was filled with plenty of action and enough "s" turns to keep the reading wanting more. In the time-honored tradition of the old Bogart movies, this is a book that would easily translate to the big screen. I see Bruce Willis as Jack (he's the right age and has just the right mixture of humility and bravado to pull this off). I am not ashamed to say that Jack Reilly is an anti-hero who could easily become the man of my dreams and I am anxiously awaiting Howie Carr's next chapter in Jack's life.

[Douglas Lord · Rating 1 out of 5]

Carr (The Brothers Bulger) gives us old school Boston; everyone is crooked, politics are closed door, and barrooms are sticky. The grit isn’t enjoyable long before an undercurrent of unapologetic racism became so distracting that I really couldn’t help wondering, “What is this crap?” Jack Reilly is a “Mr. Fixit” who makes your ugly problems go away for a price. Alas, he’s trapped in a no-win situation over some stolen Mob loot, and he’s also taken a job to help randy old city councilor-at-large “Slip” Crowley bring down a rival pol. These guys aren’t so concerned with what the Pulitzer committee is thinking; if Chang-Rae Lee showed up, he’d get some teeth broken. A typical wake-up call for Jack goes like this: “Knocko pointed a finger at me. ‘Don’t fuck with me!’ he said. ‘You fuck with me, you’re a fuckin’ dead man. You got that, you fuckster, you?’” Unfortunately, this is killed by too few of the titular hard knocks, Byzantine politics, and douchebaggy intolerance from the (ahem) fucksters, like when one grumpster sums up no-fault divorce: “Nowadays, if a broad catches her husband with a gal pal, he owes her a million bucks. If a guy catches his wife with a boy toy, he owes her a million bucks. It’s as simple as that. Worst deal in the world for white guys, worse than affirmative action, even.” Ex-wives aside, Real Dudes aren’t concerned with what color you are, only that you show up on time and swing your hammer straight.
Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal. Copyright Library Journal.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ultra-gritty crime novel

Published in 2012 by Forge Books

Hard Knocks is among the grittiest of gritty crime novels. It is set in Boston and in ex-cop turned private investigator Jack Reilly's world, everything is ran by a political machine, the mafia or both. Everyone is on the take, it's just that some people get caught and others are a bit luckier or smoother.

Jack Reilly is not like his brother, an unlucky small time mafia wannabe that rotates in and out of prison. But, he's retired (with a "disability") after he was tainted as being the mayor's bag man who picked up bribes. Reilly is quite clear that he was not a bag man (except when no one else could do it) but he did a lot of work for the mayor as the man who could dig up dirt on anyone and make sure it made it into the right hands - a wife, a reporter, a political opponent.

Reilly gets dragged into a case by Bucky, a lock-picking friend of his brother from prison who discovered a lot of information and incriminating paperwork about local mafia types and political big shots while he was breaking into safe deposit boxes during a bank heist. Bucky doesn't know what to do with it and is scared that the powers that be on both sides of the law will be gunning for him. Turns out Bucky was right...

Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/...

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Reilly is an ex-cop in Boston who is trying to make it as a P.I.

Jack's trying to live down the embarassment of his younger brother, Marty, being in jail. As the story opens, a person Marty knew in jail who is now out of jail, hires Jack. However, the man is gunned down shortly after the meeting he had with Jack.

One of Jack's former classmates at the academy, Plain View Johnson, is in charge of the investigation and doesn't mind letting Jack know he thinks Jack is involved in a crime, possibly involving the mob.

As Jack begins his investigation, we can't help but think of another Boston, P.I., Robert Parker's wonderful character, Spencer. With Jack's wise guy approach, it appears that the author is influenced by Mickey Spillane and in Reilly, we see a new, and improved Mike Hammer.

The humorous but complicated plot eventually comes together nicely and the reader is drawn into the action as the suspense mounts.

I was impressed with the realistic dialogue and setting in the South Boston area filled with politicians on the take and corrupt lawmen.

The author has given the reader a vision of the hard streets of Boston and a modern P.I. who knows how to survive in those mean streets.

[Kevin Symmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first novel by noted Boston radio personality Howie Carr. It was frankly better than I expected. There are numerous plot twists and many familiar scenes as I would have expected from a Bostonian like Mr. Carr. I found some of the numerous and convoluted plot twists a bit hard to follow as the novel progressed but all in all it was an enjoyable "lose yourself in the story" kind of novel. If you enjoy film noir and old school things like Sam Spade and the more recent Robert B. Parker Spencer books you'll like Hard Knocks.

[Jean-Paul Adriaansen · Rating 2 out of 5]

You have to be accustomed to the Boston area to enjoy this book. It took me a while to figure out who was who in the Boston neighborhoods and its suburbs and the use of "insiders' slang" of police and criminals didn't make it easy. The more I read the more I got the picture, and the more I got hooked on the story.
Hopefully this is a book of fiction, the politicians in this novel are worse than the criminals of the Mob.

[Minsta · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Howie Carr's talk radio show you will like this book - you can hear his voice throughout the entire novel. There were some violent scenes I skimmed, and the bad guys do not get the punishment they deserve (IMHO), but overall a good, gritty and fast-paced read with a decent plot twist at the end.

For any reader who is not familiar with Boston politics you can read Howie Carr's non-fiction books first before reading this novel.

[Anthony Capobianco · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like Howie Carr and have enjoyed all of his previous books but Hard Knocks is not close to his others. Its basically the story of Whitey Bulger, Steve Flemmi, John Connolly, etc with names changed and a few other ideas mixed in. A lot of it is actually incidents written about by Bulgers underlings (doghouse,etc) I couldn't even finish it.

[Roman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a good "filler" in between some more meaty novels. Had some good humor and light-hearted fun, even though Jack was always in danger of being tortured and/or killed.
One thing I didn't like was his lust for a younger woman. Jack seemed really old and Katy, way too young for him. Also, Jack was kind of a wimp in certain situations.
Overall, a decent read.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Hard Knocks" by Howie Carr. Amusing romp thru political machinations - compellingly written, it succeeds in educating & entertaining. 2nd reading & will again when I need a fun "underdog wins" novel. Well characterized (different voices for personalities) by Peter Burkrot (?sp) and recommended.

Warning - it is NOT a PC novel. But neither am I. Text 2011 — audio 2012.

[Stephen Hughes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Howie's non-fiction books, but this novel was disappointing. I think he's got a great novel in him, but this isn't it. He should force himself to avoid the Beacon Hill stuff in his next book because it's become too redundant. He is definitely capable of a Friends Of Eddie Coyle without it.

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me to really enjoy a book, that has an anti hero as the protagonist , I usually need to like the "hero". In this case I certainly could not, I could imagine a Red Trump hat on him. And he certainly seemed to think like a deplorable. But I admit I did like the Boston underworld setting.

[Nicki]

Won through Goodreads First Reads program! :)

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Howie Carr's debut of fiction and what a debut! I ripped through the pages while holding my breath to reach the conclusion. I can't wait for his follow up!

[Bryan Leahy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh...rather disappointed with the book. There were too many parallels between the book and his book about Whitey Bulger. You kinda knew what was going to happen 1/3 the way through the book.

[Chester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gangsters, mobsters, politician, reporters, and a private detective like no other. This Private Dick buys and sells shit. Entertaining.

[Sherry Wheeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting story about a private investigator, politics, and the Mob. It had enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.

[MaryAlice Baker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn't rush out and get his other novel. His non fiction maybe. But I live in MA, and hate to know things are that corrupt.

[MM32 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio book...

[Jason Anthony · Rating 2 out of 5]

If your idea of a Boston ex-cop is a White, Irish, racist, homophobic, sexist pig who reminisces about the good old days ... this book isn't going to change a thing. Thinly drawn characters and a basic template storyline of corruption in the statehouse don't make up for an unlikeable main character and constant bad jokes and narrative dislike of any minority group you can think of (your anti-PC bingo card will fill with the n-word, r-word, f-word slur for gay men etc.) You know it's rough when you start rooting for a minor character to just put everyone behind bars including the supposed reckless hero.