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To Sleep Gently
When career criminal Jack Dempster gets caught and put away for five years in prison, he finds time to seriously reconsider his chosen line of work. Before he can make any serious decision, some old acquaintances track him down with a proposal. They want him to go to Santa Fe, New Mexico. With the help of an inside man, he's to lead a small group of professionals on a daring robbery of the El Dorado Hotel, one of the finest, and most secure establishments in the Southwest.
Double-crosses, love triangles, and immersion in his own self-destructive past conspire to lead him to ruin. It's not easy to sleep when searching for normalcy in the heart of a brutal past.
Double-crosses, love triangles, and immersion in his own self-destructive past conspire to lead him to ruin. It's not easy to sleep when searching for normalcy in the heart of a brutal past.
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First published August 30, 2011
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About the author
Trent Zelazny
38 books120 followersTrent Zelazny was an American author of crime, horror, and fantastical fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 26, 2012
A startling allegorical reference to Pre-Babylonian life, remarkably juxtaposed to modern themes.
April 12, 2020
Единствената книга на Трент Зелазни, която може да се изнинджи из мрежата (а, търсих и знам къде).
Романът е ню ноар с неприлично добре развити за жанра персонажи и чудесен мрачен финал. Съдейки по стила, с кеф бих прегледал и други неща на Трент, особено хорърите му. Обещал съм си да не го сравнявам с баща му, та направо към съдържанието:
Джак Демпстър е дребен престъпник току що излежал петгодишната си присъда. В затвора е успял да навакса с четенето, което му дава разни идеи за завършване на гимназия и нормален живот. Животът обаче го подхваща още на изхода на панделата, където двама бивши негови сътрудници го подхващат за обир на казино/хотел в Санта Фе. Задачата подозрително мирише на провал, но имаш ли избор?
Вкарайте в микса и две фатални мацки - добрата и красивата, няколко аматьорчета с гореща кръв и кръвожадна конкуренция и миксът е готов за една чудесна кримка.
Романът е ню ноар с неприлично добре развити за жанра персонажи и чудесен мрачен финал. Съдейки по стила, с кеф бих прегледал и други неща на Трент, особено хорърите му. Обещал съм си да не го сравнявам с баща му, та направо към съдържанието:
Джак Демпстър е дребен престъпник току що излежал петгодишната си присъда. В затвора е успял да навакса с четенето, което му дава разни идеи за завършване на гимназия и нормален живот. Животът обаче го подхваща още на изхода на панделата, където двама бивши негови сътрудници го подхващат за обир на казино/хотел в Санта Фе. Задачата подозрително мирише на провал, но имаш ли избор?
Вкарайте в микса и две фатални мацки - добрата и красивата, няколко аматьорчета с гореща кръв и кръвожадна конкуренция и миксът е готов за една чудесна кримка.
October 22, 2011
Jack Dempster grew up in a small place with friends and, of course, a “best” friend. He did all right until he got caught after robbing a bank and went away for five years to pay for his sin. You’d think that reading as many books as he did for those five years, thinking about becoming a priest, really wanting to change it would have worked for him.
Fate had other plans. The first thing Jack does upon release is go visit some old friends. They talk him into one more heist in New Mexico. He gets three “assistants” who can barely assist themselves to the john but, you take what you can get. They plan on robbing a hotel/casino in Santa Fe.
Meanwhile, Jack has met his old friend and also a young woman whom he is attracted to but has serious conscious issues about. She doesn’t have – much of a conscious, I mean! As always happens his past comes back in spades and life suddenly isn’t as simple as it was yesterday.
This was my first Zelanzy book, but I doubt it will be the last. The character of Jack pulled me and I found myself feeling bad for him. Try it out. If you haven’t read and of the prior books by this author, I suggest you try them as well. Enjoy!
Fate had other plans. The first thing Jack does upon release is go visit some old friends. They talk him into one more heist in New Mexico. He gets three “assistants” who can barely assist themselves to the john but, you take what you can get. They plan on robbing a hotel/casino in Santa Fe.
Meanwhile, Jack has met his old friend and also a young woman whom he is attracted to but has serious conscious issues about. She doesn’t have – much of a conscious, I mean! As always happens his past comes back in spades and life suddenly isn’t as simple as it was yesterday.
This was my first Zelanzy book, but I doubt it will be the last. The character of Jack pulled me and I found myself feeling bad for him. Try it out. If you haven’t read and of the prior books by this author, I suggest you try them as well. Enjoy!
March 31, 2012
Jack Dempster is a great character. He's done a lot of bad things in his life (some possibly unspeakable) but he wants to be good. He's trying hard to be good now. But just like in life there are obstacles, and Jack finds several obstacles trying to keep him from simply being a good person.
This is a heist book. And a very good one. There really is an El Dorado Hotel in Santa Fe. It reminded me a bit of some of the classic noir movies like Asphalt Jungle, or High Sierra. Having read and listened to interviews with Zelazny he is clearly a big fan of film noir and it shows clearly in this one. Interesting love triangle created here, one that seems very real to me, love vs. lust. And by the time the heist takes place, strap yourself in tight because you won't be putting it down until you've finished. I felt like I'd had a Red Bull after all the action.
Great characters, intense action, smart and well thought out, check out To Sleep Gently. you will have a great time and I don't think you will find another character quite like Jack Dempster.
This is a heist book. And a very good one. There really is an El Dorado Hotel in Santa Fe. It reminded me a bit of some of the classic noir movies like Asphalt Jungle, or High Sierra. Having read and listened to interviews with Zelazny he is clearly a big fan of film noir and it shows clearly in this one. Interesting love triangle created here, one that seems very real to me, love vs. lust. And by the time the heist takes place, strap yourself in tight because you won't be putting it down until you've finished. I felt like I'd had a Red Bull after all the action.
Great characters, intense action, smart and well thought out, check out To Sleep Gently. you will have a great time and I don't think you will find another character quite like Jack Dempster.
April 3, 2012
This book was a lot of fun to read! It was a bit of a departure from other Trent Zelazny books that I have read, but it was very well written. There was a lot of great character development, story elements, and emotion evoked. There was definitely the same dark feeling of his books, but it was different from most books I've read, as I've not delved into many crime fiction/noir books, but I highly enjoyed it! Be sure to check out this book and all his others!
January 13, 2012
Full Review: http://thetbrpile.weebly.com/1/post/2...
Once the job starts that was when everything starts getting good. The action from that point on was unrelenting and I found it really hard to put the book down. The ending was explosive and very exciting! A good thriller that I recommend for readers who like a slow build up and an explosive ending!
Once the job starts that was when everything starts getting good. The action from that point on was unrelenting and I found it really hard to put the book down. The ending was explosive and very exciting! A good thriller that I recommend for readers who like a slow build up and an explosive ending!
June 1, 2017
Trent Zelazny's father is the renowned science fiction writer, Roger Zelazny. They are both great writers, but their subject matters are entirely different.
To Sleep Gently is a perfect example of the kind of noir fiction that was published in the late fifties and early sixties. Indeed, if you take the cellular telephones and the security cameras out of the story (and they are not a major part of the story), there is no way to know that the story was crafted in modern times, not fifty years ago.
It's a story of a man who has stepped out of prison after five years and, immediately, he is asked to drive out to Santa Fe for a job, but a real sweet job with a target of a very exclusive hotel in high season. It's all arranged and the others working the job have all been hired as well as the fence. All Jack has to do is show up and lend his professional experience to the task.
Although it is perhaps not the brightest idea to immediately turn to criminal behavior, it all seems to be professionally arranged, that is, until Jack meets his partners in the enterprise.
Much of the book concerns Jack's drive cross-country from Ohio to Santa Fe, the people he meets along the way, and the several days he spends in Santa Fe prior to actually executing the job. Not much of what occurs is dull, including the women he meets along the way, the barroom brawls he engages in, or the aftermath of the crime. The story also includes reminisces of Jack's "idyllic" childhood and the job that put him behind bars.
It is a perfectly executed story from beginning to end with great pacing throughout. The actual robbery and the getaway are high-octane intensity that puts in mind the idea of turning this into a major motion picture. I highly recommend this book.
March 22, 2017
A bit longish in the middle section, but still quite good.
January 14, 2012
This is the story of Jack. A basically good guy who got put away for 5 years after an armed robbery. He bides his time in jail, reading and deciding on going straight. On coming out however Fate has other ideas. He is put in the path of an old friend who persuades him to do one last job. He agrees, and via a love triangle and meeting up with an old school friend the job begins....
This started off very slowly, almost to the point of me giving up but being the tenacious type of person I am, I stuck with it. I am glad I did because about a third of the way through it grew wings and flew along. The development of Sandra and Jacks relationship was quite sweet, with them keep meeting by chance and then losing touch again. His regret at having to do the job, since he met her was tangible. The meeting with Carla, and her interference in his relationship with Sandra, and regret because his heart was with Sandra was real. Once the job starts that was when everything started to go a bit awry. The action from that point on was unrelenting and I found it really hard to put the book down. The ending was explosive and very exciting!
A good thriller that I recommend for readers who like a slow build up and an explosive ending!
This review was originally written for the TBR Pile.
http://thetbrpile.weebly.com/1/post/2...
This started off very slowly, almost to the point of me giving up but being the tenacious type of person I am, I stuck with it. I am glad I did because about a third of the way through it grew wings and flew along. The development of Sandra and Jacks relationship was quite sweet, with them keep meeting by chance and then losing touch again. His regret at having to do the job, since he met her was tangible. The meeting with Carla, and her interference in his relationship with Sandra, and regret because his heart was with Sandra was real. Once the job starts that was when everything started to go a bit awry. The action from that point on was unrelenting and I found it really hard to put the book down. The ending was explosive and very exciting!
A good thriller that I recommend for readers who like a slow build up and an explosive ending!
This review was originally written for the TBR Pile.
http://thetbrpile.weebly.com/1/post/2...
January 19, 2012
Someone wants Jack Dempster to go to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Eldorado Hotel, one of the finest hotels in the Southwest, where the biggest names in business and the biggest names in Hollywood stay. With the help of an inside man, Dempster's job is to lead a small group of "professionals" in knocking the place over. But there are many complications, both in the man's personal and professional life.
Nail-biting, it's hard to put this one down once you've started. Great characters, great plot, action packed. Another reviewer said this has a hell of a movie in it. I couldn't agree more. Zelazny is an original, and a very good one at that. This book is refreshing, dark, fun, romantic. I can't recommend it enough.
Nail-biting, it's hard to put this one down once you've started. Great characters, great plot, action packed. Another reviewer said this has a hell of a movie in it. I couldn't agree more. Zelazny is an original, and a very good one at that. This book is refreshing, dark, fun, romantic. I can't recommend it enough.
April 2, 2013
While the plot and genre of this book were a little different to my expectations, I found comfort in the economy of words which read with a satisfying noir ambiance. The story is basically a not so touching tale of love and loyalty, violence and treachery. The characters seemed a little under developed and I would have liked to know more about some of them at times. But, this also adds mystery to the novel and kept me turning the pages.
Overall I found it a rewarding read which needed very little commitment.
Overall I found it a rewarding read which needed very little commitment.
May 23, 2012
Fantastic story filled with twists and turns and the kind of characters you can really identify with. Zelazny has this amazing way of getting underneath your skin, totally penetrating you and not letting you shake free until the final word is on the final page! Though even after I was done I wasn't ready to let the story go. This novel was full of action and I would LOVE to see this put on the big screen!
January 4, 2012
To Sleep Gently is a fantastic Noir/Mystery that compels you to keep turning the pages, even when it's way past bedtime. Jack Dempster is a an awesome anti-hero who, in spite of several flaws, you can't help relating to. I loved this book. When I read it again (not IF, WHEN) I hope to treat it more like a fine wine, savoring the prose and the characters. I can't recommend this one enough.
December 7, 2011
INCLUDES SYNOPSES OF TO SLEEP GENTLY, A CRACK IN MELANCHOLY TIME and FRACTAL DESPONDENMCY http://www.examiner.com/books-in-denv...
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August 26, 2013Fiction Z493t 2012
December 11, 2014
This is the first I've read of Trent's work, and I will now be looking for more. Wonderful noir work. It had the feel of "The Asphalt Jungle" but totally unique.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews