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Frank Corso #1
Fury
What fires the blood, freezes the heart, twists the mind and drives a person to kill?
G. M. Ford, author of the critically acclaimed Leo Waterman mystery novels, returns with a stunning tale of serial lies, corruption, and murder -- and throws an unforgettable new pair of investigators into the mad cosmopolitan mix of present-day Seattle.
Frank Corso is a difficult man. A defrocked journalist vilified for allegedly making up "facts" on a major crime story while working for the sacrosanct New York Times, he now lives in virtual seclusion on a boat moored on the opposite end of the country -- surviving on the substantial royalties from a bestselling book and on his pay for the occasional column in a local tabloid, the Seattle Sun. Yet it's Corso whom the slow and sheltered Leanne Samples asks for when she walks into the Sun offices and announces that her courtroom testimony, which put Walter Leroy Himes on Death Row, was a lie.
Several years earlier, eight Seattle women were slain over the course of eighty days, their bodies carefully displayed in Dumpsters throughout the city by a maniac whom the press dubbed "the Trashman." Leanne Samples would have been victim number nine, she claimed at the time, had she not barely escaped from the clutches of Walter Himes, a large, unwashed, prime sociopathic example of wasted humanity Now Himes is only six days away from execution and everyone wants him dead: the victims' families, the police, the general populace ... even the mayor himself. And Himes will die, unless Frank Corso can quickly change a public opinion that the public does not want changed.
But this death train may be impossible for Corso to derail, even with the able assistance of photographer Meg Dougherty. Despite Leanne's shocking confession, the authorities seem unusually keen on having Himes disposed of permanently. And highly situated members of the Seattle PD refuse to consider requesting a stay of execution -- even in the face of the most startling evidence of all: a brutal new murder that bears the Trashman's unmistakable signature.
With the clock relentlessly ticking down to Lethal Injection Day, Corso and Dougherty have suddenly made powerful, perhaps deadly, new enemies by getting themselves deeply into something that goes far beyond right, wrong, truth, and justice. And the key to a case that again threatens to devastate a city now ties in a hastily scrawled "tag" on an alley wall: the first three spray-painted letters of one angry word ... Fury.
G. M. Ford, author of the critically acclaimed Leo Waterman mystery novels, returns with a stunning tale of serial lies, corruption, and murder -- and throws an unforgettable new pair of investigators into the mad cosmopolitan mix of present-day Seattle.
Frank Corso is a difficult man. A defrocked journalist vilified for allegedly making up "facts" on a major crime story while working for the sacrosanct New York Times, he now lives in virtual seclusion on a boat moored on the opposite end of the country -- surviving on the substantial royalties from a bestselling book and on his pay for the occasional column in a local tabloid, the Seattle Sun. Yet it's Corso whom the slow and sheltered Leanne Samples asks for when she walks into the Sun offices and announces that her courtroom testimony, which put Walter Leroy Himes on Death Row, was a lie.
Several years earlier, eight Seattle women were slain over the course of eighty days, their bodies carefully displayed in Dumpsters throughout the city by a maniac whom the press dubbed "the Trashman." Leanne Samples would have been victim number nine, she claimed at the time, had she not barely escaped from the clutches of Walter Himes, a large, unwashed, prime sociopathic example of wasted humanity Now Himes is only six days away from execution and everyone wants him dead: the victims' families, the police, the general populace ... even the mayor himself. And Himes will die, unless Frank Corso can quickly change a public opinion that the public does not want changed.
But this death train may be impossible for Corso to derail, even with the able assistance of photographer Meg Dougherty. Despite Leanne's shocking confession, the authorities seem unusually keen on having Himes disposed of permanently. And highly situated members of the Seattle PD refuse to consider requesting a stay of execution -- even in the face of the most startling evidence of all: a brutal new murder that bears the Trashman's unmistakable signature.
With the clock relentlessly ticking down to Lethal Injection Day, Corso and Dougherty have suddenly made powerful, perhaps deadly, new enemies by getting themselves deeply into something that goes far beyond right, wrong, truth, and justice. And the key to a case that again threatens to devastate a city now ties in a hastily scrawled "tag" on an alley wall: the first three spray-painted letters of one angry word ... Fury.
323 pages, Hardcover
First published April 24, 2001
144 people are currently reading
524 people want to read
About the author
G.M. Ford
34 books219 followersGerald M. Ford was the author of the widely praised Frank Corso novels, Fury, Black River, A Blind Eye, Red Tide, No Man's Land, and Blown Away; six highly acclaimed mysteries, featuring Seattle private investigator Leo Waterman; and the stand-alone thriller Nameless Night. A former creative writing teacher in western Washington, Ford lived in San Diego.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
July 14, 2012
Fury is a perfectly competent crime thriller, well written and structured, and it passes a pleasant few hours. The plot is tight, the characters well drawn, and the dialogue and relationships realistic. But there is little to make it stand out from the pack. The story did carry a certain amount of tension, but is fairly predictable and the characters familiar. And, for the most part, the investigative and police procedures seem credible, though there were a few points at which I had to suspend belief. In a crowded market I guess it’s difficult to find a niche and produce something truly original. That said, Corso is a fairly interesting lead character, as the tired, jaded, cynical former journalist who lives a loner life on a boat. Overall, an enjoyable read that runs with the pack.
November 21, 2018
I don’t know about this guy being the Raymond Chandler of Seattle, as he is billed in a review from the San Antonio Express-News (from the hard cover edition) but he is a very capable writer. And this is a pretty entertaining read compared to many books receiving good reviews in Goodreads these days (alas). Although I enjoyed Mr. Ford’s “Leo Waterman, #6” offering more, mainly because it was funnier, I think I’ll read another in the Frank Corso series, and that is the best endorsement an unbiased, not a “having received an advance copy for an honest review” (bah) reader can give, lol.
July 25, 2019
This first installment of Frank Corso's adventures almost delighted me:
- It's very pleasant to read.
- The main characters who lead the investigation have a beautiful depth and are rather original.
- The pace of the book is very nice, especially at the beginning.
- The plot is very well worked, and solid.
- It's rather intelligent, and there are hints of humor well done.
- The conclusion is rather well found.
However, some aspects of the book did not please me:
- The suspense is relatively low for a book of this type, especially in its last third.
- Some minor points of view do not have much interest, especially that of Fury.
- The dialogues in slang or in spoken language are too present and sometimes become painful.
- The book is centered on a serial killer story that is not very original.
- The construction of the book is based on the countdown of a capital execution, but the process is a little wobbly, and already seen.
In the end: it is an atypical thriller that suffers from unusual defects for the genre (lack of suspense) but which also has rare qualities (solid and credible plot, interesting characters).
I will read the following one.
- It's very pleasant to read.
- The main characters who lead the investigation have a beautiful depth and are rather original.
- The pace of the book is very nice, especially at the beginning.
- The plot is very well worked, and solid.
- It's rather intelligent, and there are hints of humor well done.
- The conclusion is rather well found.
However, some aspects of the book did not please me:
- The suspense is relatively low for a book of this type, especially in its last third.
- Some minor points of view do not have much interest, especially that of Fury.
- The dialogues in slang or in spoken language are too present and sometimes become painful.
- The book is centered on a serial killer story that is not very original.
- The construction of the book is based on the countdown of a capital execution, but the process is a little wobbly, and already seen.
In the end: it is an atypical thriller that suffers from unusual defects for the genre (lack of suspense) but which also has rare qualities (solid and credible plot, interesting characters).
I will read the following one.
October 23, 2010
I really enjoyed this, and will look for the next in the Corso series. I already have the Waterman series on my "to read" list. Like the Corso character a great deal, but loved the Dougherty character. I usually don't share info about the books I'm reading with my husband, but when I read what makes Dougherty so unique, I had to tell my husband about it. So imaginative!
February 11, 2022
I'm not a fan of "one man stands alone as a force of moral and physical righteousness" stories, but I know I'm in a minority there. But Frank Corso, the maverick superstar reporter who's the voice of this debut in a new Seattle-set series by private-eye writer G.M. Ford, is so frontloaded with bristling perfection as to fail any possible test of suspended disbelief. He's not only a man's man, he's a woman's man, a man of the people, a victim, a force of moral fury, and he somehow has the stones and the support behind his lone-wolf crusade to reduce every authority figure — police captains, FBI agents, newspaper executives, et cetera — to quivering heaps of surrender. in his ticking-clock quest to stop a wrongly convicted murderer's execution.
It's fun if your goal as a reader is to put yourself in Frank's shoes as a way to mainline-channeling your own impotence with authority or gravitas. And it's less fun if, like me, you look for a semi-realistic reflection of the ills of the world, and semi-realistic people to carry that weight, in your crime fiction as a way of making sense of the world.
Either way, G.M. Ford writes with brisk skill and brusque outrage in the best tough-guy, knight-errant tradition, and the pages fly with ... well, fury. And, to be fair, more than a little hardboiled heart: "The way Corso saw it, if you had the nerve to insert yourself into such moments of personal tragedy, the least you could do was not watch from the bleachers."
It's fun if your goal as a reader is to put yourself in Frank's shoes as a way to mainline-channeling your own impotence with authority or gravitas. And it's less fun if, like me, you look for a semi-realistic reflection of the ills of the world, and semi-realistic people to carry that weight, in your crime fiction as a way of making sense of the world.
Either way, G.M. Ford writes with brisk skill and brusque outrage in the best tough-guy, knight-errant tradition, and the pages fly with ... well, fury. And, to be fair, more than a little hardboiled heart: "The way Corso saw it, if you had the nerve to insert yourself into such moments of personal tragedy, the least you could do was not watch from the bleachers."
June 15, 2020
I read the second Frank Corso novel a few weeks ago, and it was good enough to make me want to start at the beginning. This one is similarly a near-perfect thriller, with a six-day race against time to find the real serial killer before the wrongly convicted man is executed. Sounds like the standard ginned-up suspense, but in this case it doesn't quite work out that way. Vivid characters, convincing dialogue, and a Seattle that is even darker and wetter than I remember.
November 17, 2023
Frank Corso is reporter and author with a past. Accused and clear for making things up, he felt the need to get as far away from New York City as possible. Winding up in Seattle, he latches on to the newspaper and quickly develops an audience.
He is approached by the paper yo cover a story that will save a convicted man from being executed.
Well written. First book by this author-but not my last.
He is approached by the paper yo cover a story that will save a convicted man from being executed.
Well written. First book by this author-but not my last.
June 14, 2019
Quel autre commentaire que 'j'ai lu d'une traite " pour qualifier ce 1er opus des enquêtes de Corso ?
à déguster comme un menu de Grand Chef avec des caractères bien trempés, un style riche et efficace, et une intrigue complexe qui vous tient en haleine jusqu'au bout
à déguster comme un menu de Grand Chef avec des caractères bien trempés, un style riche et efficace, et une intrigue complexe qui vous tient en haleine jusqu'au bout
June 11, 2024
I have read and enjoyed all the Leo Waterman books so I thought I would jump back to Ford’s earlier series about investigative journalist Frank Corso - turned out to be a good decision
May 6, 2018
I thought this was an outstanding, well-written start to a new series. I have read all of the Leo Waterman books, which put Mr. Ford on my must-read list. I was very happy to see this book and will certainly read the rest in the series. While some people might think the title (Fury) was strange because it was such a minor character (although it was, of course, not the boy's name, just his "tag"), I think they missed the point that it also epitomizes the rage that drives some people, especially serial killers, to do what they do.
The author has a real knack for turning a phrase and great insight into the human condition. The characters, to me, are not cliches at all. I found them very life-like and believable. For me, this was one of those 'unputdownable' books, and kept me up late reading. Great story, great characters and great writing. What more can you ask for in a book?
The author has a real knack for turning a phrase and great insight into the human condition. The characters, to me, are not cliches at all. I found them very life-like and believable. For me, this was one of those 'unputdownable' books, and kept me up late reading. Great story, great characters and great writing. What more can you ask for in a book?
December 28, 2007
FURY - Ex
Ford, G.M.- 1st in new series
Frank Corso was a rising New York Times journalist until a libel suit ended his career. These days he's covering stories for the third-rate Seattle Sun. He owes the owner, Natalie Van Der Hove, and now she's calling in her marker.
A killer on death row might be innocent. If that's the truth, Natalie wants the story-before the guy fries in six days. Corso won't stop until he's got all the facts. And when he goes to press, Seattle's going to rumble with fury.
2001 TOP 10 - 6 days from execution, primary witness says she lied. This was an exciting, race-again-time read. Corso is an interesting protagonist but Meg, the photographer who helps him, is the character about whom I really found myself wanting to know more.
Ford, G.M.- 1st in new series
Frank Corso was a rising New York Times journalist until a libel suit ended his career. These days he's covering stories for the third-rate Seattle Sun. He owes the owner, Natalie Van Der Hove, and now she's calling in her marker.
A killer on death row might be innocent. If that's the truth, Natalie wants the story-before the guy fries in six days. Corso won't stop until he's got all the facts. And when he goes to press, Seattle's going to rumble with fury.
2001 TOP 10 - 6 days from execution, primary witness says she lied. This was an exciting, race-again-time read. Corso is an interesting protagonist but Meg, the photographer who helps him, is the character about whom I really found myself wanting to know more.
July 21, 2015
#1 in the Frank Corso series.
Frank Corso disgraced ex-reporter is now a best selling author and columnist for the Seattle Sun. Three years earlier he had written a column criticizing the case against a convicted serial killer; the backlash put the paper in financial trouble. Six days before the execution, the sole witness recants her story and Frank's publisher wants him to follow up on the story.
Frank Corso disgraced ex-reporter is now a best selling author and columnist for the Seattle Sun. Three years earlier he had written a column criticizing the case against a convicted serial killer; the backlash put the paper in financial trouble. Six days before the execution, the sole witness recants her story and Frank's publisher wants him to follow up on the story.
May 26, 2012
I put myself on the waiting list for the next book about half way through this one. Great characters, interesting plot, quick read. My only quibble was that some things were too neat & tidy. So excited to have a new author's works to devour this summer! Highly recommended for those who like Alex Delaware, Harry Bosch, Jack Reacher, Myron Bolitar and their multifaceted crime-solving brethren.
October 14, 2012
Ford can certainly turn a phrase: "You could find a conspiracy at a yard sale." This is the first of the Frank Corso series, set in Seattle. Leo Waterman makes an appearance at the beginning, as if to hand off the baton. This is a bit darker than the Leo Waterman stories. The action is good, the language is great, and the ending is sublime.
September 13, 2024
Fury by G. M. Ford is the first book of the Frank Corso mystery series set in contemporary Seattle. Walter Leroy Himes is on Death Row, 6 days from execution for serial murder. Then Leanne Samples, the key murder trial witness, contacts former newspaperman Frank Corso, to admit she lied when she identified Himes as the murderer in the "Trashman" killings.
Seattle Sun newspaper owner/publisher Natalie Van der Hoven begs Frank Corso to find the true serial killer and write the story. Frank is reluctant, but committed to seeking the truth. He teams up with photographer Meg Dougherty. They're working against the clock, clearly identified by date and time countdown (to execution) starting each chapter.
Corso and Dougherty take plenty of dangerous risks, such as climbing a shaky, rusted fire-escape to covertly observe a crime scene, or breaking & entering a suspect's home to hunt for evidence. The evidence, and the deadly shootout, is enough for the police to close the case. But Corso isn't done. In a surprise plot twist, he sees a discrepancy and follows up - once again with deadly results.
An exciting start to the series. Plenty of memorable quotes:
A habitual cuff shooter who kept the Rolex double diamond tastefully in view at all times. After all, when one tilled the personal injury end of the legal field, it was merely good business to look as prosperous as possible.
The hunted develop an eye for detail. An inner lens for imprinting the lay of familiar land or the fall of shadows on a certain day.
By the time you figured out he was about three times as smart as you imagined, it was too late.
"I remember when thirty sounded so old," Corso mused. "Yeah, me too," Leo said miserably. They stood for a moment, sharing a silent grimace with the rain.
She had an odd way of stepping back inside herself. Almost like she had a closet back there somewhere where she could go to hide.
"And you know as well as I do, that's why local law enforcement hates working with them. No matter who breaks the case, they take credit. Hell, it was a couple of Oklahoma troopers who pulled Timothy McVeigh over and made the collar. You remember seeing those good old boys up at the podium when they announced the arrest?" Before the older man could open his mouth, Corso said, "Yeah...me neither."
Natalie Van Der Hoven used class the way Leo used big. As a shield.
"I remember the first time anybody ever told me life wasn't fair," Corso said. "I was three or four...something like that. I was pissisng and moaning about something not being fair and my aunt Jean leaned over the dinner table and told me how I might as well shut up and get used to the idea."
a remnant of an age when signs on the freeway implored the last person leaving town to please turn out the lights
The truth was that as long as they got a check once a month, most reporters couldn't care less about circulation. Reporters don't write stories to sell papers, they write stories to get their name above the fold on the front page. If the paper has a fold, that is.
LO-retta-accent-on-the-first-syllable Himes was an immense woman with dyed, cat-black hair and a penchant for wildly flowered tops. No more than a couple of biscuits and a piece of rhubarb pie from four hundred pounds, she sat there every day, frowning and fanning herself with a white plastic fan that had "Jesus Is Coming" stenciled on the back.
Hawes gave him a smile thin enough to pass for a scar. "Nothing like proving yourself right, is there, Corso?" Corso pretended to think about it. "There's simultaneous orgasms and a good piss when you really gotta go." Hawes made a "maybe" face and said, "Yeah, but the glow doesn't last as long."
The Freedom of Information Act was a joke. Whether it was midtown Manhattan, or Husk, North Carolina, if what you wanted was something the folks in the courthouse didn't particularly want you to have, gird your loins, Bevis, because, like it or not, you were about to dance the bureaucratic boogie. Eventually, after enough attorneys fattened their retirement kitties, you'd get some part of what you'd originally asked for. The rest? Lost. Funny how they never lost parking tickets.
"We have absolutely nothing that would warrant a request for a stay of execution. Not to mention that it's and election year. Governor Locke would rather be set on fire than have to stop the execution. He'll take less heat for juicing Himes by mistake than he would for letting him go, even if Himes really was innocent."
She was like a beautifully appointed room, its walls lined with a series of doors, which presumably led to other wings of what must surely be a mansion. Surprise was, though, that it didn't matter which door you chose to open, because all doors led to the backyard. What you see is all there is.
Big dogs eat; little dogs go home hungry. That's just the way it is.
They walked carefully down the dock. Ten feet ahead, the concrete disappeared into the fog. The air was heavy and still. On both sides, masts and rigging appeared ghostly in the filtered light, as if they were strolling among the skeletal remains of a drowned forest. In the empty slips, the water lay still and black, like obsidian.
"It seems that a great many of our fellow citizens are in favor of executing Mr. Himes whether he's guilty or not. That's what idiots do, isn't it? Whenever reality fails to match their little preconceptions, they demand that reality forthwith be changed."
Seattle Sun newspaper owner/publisher Natalie Van der Hoven begs Frank Corso to find the true serial killer and write the story. Frank is reluctant, but committed to seeking the truth. He teams up with photographer Meg Dougherty. They're working against the clock, clearly identified by date and time countdown (to execution) starting each chapter.
Corso and Dougherty take plenty of dangerous risks, such as climbing a shaky, rusted fire-escape to covertly observe a crime scene, or breaking & entering a suspect's home to hunt for evidence. The evidence, and the deadly shootout, is enough for the police to close the case. But Corso isn't done. In a surprise plot twist, he sees a discrepancy and follows up - once again with deadly results.
An exciting start to the series. Plenty of memorable quotes:
A habitual cuff shooter who kept the Rolex double diamond tastefully in view at all times. After all, when one tilled the personal injury end of the legal field, it was merely good business to look as prosperous as possible.
The hunted develop an eye for detail. An inner lens for imprinting the lay of familiar land or the fall of shadows on a certain day.
By the time you figured out he was about three times as smart as you imagined, it was too late.
"I remember when thirty sounded so old," Corso mused. "Yeah, me too," Leo said miserably. They stood for a moment, sharing a silent grimace with the rain.
She had an odd way of stepping back inside herself. Almost like she had a closet back there somewhere where she could go to hide.
"And you know as well as I do, that's why local law enforcement hates working with them. No matter who breaks the case, they take credit. Hell, it was a couple of Oklahoma troopers who pulled Timothy McVeigh over and made the collar. You remember seeing those good old boys up at the podium when they announced the arrest?" Before the older man could open his mouth, Corso said, "Yeah...me neither."
Natalie Van Der Hoven used class the way Leo used big. As a shield.
"I remember the first time anybody ever told me life wasn't fair," Corso said. "I was three or four...something like that. I was pissisng and moaning about something not being fair and my aunt Jean leaned over the dinner table and told me how I might as well shut up and get used to the idea."
a remnant of an age when signs on the freeway implored the last person leaving town to please turn out the lights
The truth was that as long as they got a check once a month, most reporters couldn't care less about circulation. Reporters don't write stories to sell papers, they write stories to get their name above the fold on the front page. If the paper has a fold, that is.
LO-retta-accent-on-the-first-syllable Himes was an immense woman with dyed, cat-black hair and a penchant for wildly flowered tops. No more than a couple of biscuits and a piece of rhubarb pie from four hundred pounds, she sat there every day, frowning and fanning herself with a white plastic fan that had "Jesus Is Coming" stenciled on the back.
Hawes gave him a smile thin enough to pass for a scar. "Nothing like proving yourself right, is there, Corso?" Corso pretended to think about it. "There's simultaneous orgasms and a good piss when you really gotta go." Hawes made a "maybe" face and said, "Yeah, but the glow doesn't last as long."
The Freedom of Information Act was a joke. Whether it was midtown Manhattan, or Husk, North Carolina, if what you wanted was something the folks in the courthouse didn't particularly want you to have, gird your loins, Bevis, because, like it or not, you were about to dance the bureaucratic boogie. Eventually, after enough attorneys fattened their retirement kitties, you'd get some part of what you'd originally asked for. The rest? Lost. Funny how they never lost parking tickets.
"We have absolutely nothing that would warrant a request for a stay of execution. Not to mention that it's and election year. Governor Locke would rather be set on fire than have to stop the execution. He'll take less heat for juicing Himes by mistake than he would for letting him go, even if Himes really was innocent."
She was like a beautifully appointed room, its walls lined with a series of doors, which presumably led to other wings of what must surely be a mansion. Surprise was, though, that it didn't matter which door you chose to open, because all doors led to the backyard. What you see is all there is.
Big dogs eat; little dogs go home hungry. That's just the way it is.
They walked carefully down the dock. Ten feet ahead, the concrete disappeared into the fog. The air was heavy and still. On both sides, masts and rigging appeared ghostly in the filtered light, as if they were strolling among the skeletal remains of a drowned forest. In the empty slips, the water lay still and black, like obsidian.
"It seems that a great many of our fellow citizens are in favor of executing Mr. Himes whether he's guilty or not. That's what idiots do, isn't it? Whenever reality fails to match their little preconceptions, they demand that reality forthwith be changed."
September 16, 2011
Good mystery with many twists. I will have to get used to a Hero that is not the police, in fact Fords police characters are probably closer to truth than fiction.
I will be looking for #2 in the series.
I will be looking for #2 in the series.
January 1, 2014
Great book. I know I've read it before but just had t read it again. When a serial killer is going to be put to death there are questions as to his guilt. Newspaper man Frank Corso gets to the truth.
January 9, 2016
A good first entry for the Frank Corso series. Frank, with the help of his photographer/assistant investigates a group of serial killings. There are quite a few plot twists to keep things interesting. Recommended to mystery fans.
November 5, 2014
this is the first book by G.M Ford that i read and i liked it. The plot is interesting and i liked the final twist which is the best thing in the book.
May 17, 2020
Readable enough, but neither as funny nor as clever as the author seems to think it is.
This passed the time, but I think the head-scratcher choices -- stylistic, narrative, character -- left me cold. Not sure why the author thought that humor was an appropriate tone for such a grim subject (the murder of 10+ young woman. Hilarious ...) And, trust me, it wasn't that funny. And I was put off at an early stage by the author's shameless pitch for Steven Seagal to get the part of Frank Corso in the made-for-TV movie. But that's just the tip of the iceberg of Ford's "central casting" approach to characterization.
More seriously disappointing is Ford's narrative which, on reflection, is spinning out a small, over-heated plot as long as possible with implausibilities and melodrama. Just two examples (and here be Spoilers):
There is, perhaps another clue to the tone that Ford was hoping to achieve here (besides Steven Seagal ... ), when he mentions Corso putting on "...his best Jim Rockford smile ..." Now I knew Jim Rockford, I loved Jim Rockford, and Corso, you're no Jim Rockford. The Rockford Files, of blessed memory, always managed to hit a sweet spot of droll humor and charm, combined with a reasonable if formulaic thriller/mystery. But The Rockford Files also knew when to adjust its tone, and dial down the goofy humor when its subject matter called for something more serious. And it had great characters. (And James Garner would have killed as Corso. Steven Seagal ... pfft ... )
This passed the time, but I think the head-scratcher choices -- stylistic, narrative, character -- left me cold. Not sure why the author thought that humor was an appropriate tone for such a grim subject (the murder of 10+ young woman. Hilarious ...) And, trust me, it wasn't that funny. And I was put off at an early stage by the author's shameless pitch for Steven Seagal to get the part of Frank Corso in the made-for-TV movie. But that's just the tip of the iceberg of Ford's "central casting" approach to characterization.
More seriously disappointing is Ford's narrative which, on reflection, is spinning out a small, over-heated plot as long as possible with implausibilities and melodrama. Just two examples (and here be Spoilers):
There is, perhaps another clue to the tone that Ford was hoping to achieve here (besides Steven Seagal ... ), when he mentions Corso putting on "...his best Jim Rockford smile ..." Now I knew Jim Rockford, I loved Jim Rockford, and Corso, you're no Jim Rockford. The Rockford Files, of blessed memory, always managed to hit a sweet spot of droll humor and charm, combined with a reasonable if formulaic thriller/mystery. But The Rockford Files also knew when to adjust its tone, and dial down the goofy humor when its subject matter called for something more serious. And it had great characters. (And James Garner would have killed as Corso. Steven Seagal ... pfft ... )
June 22, 2022
On the one hand, this book sucked. Seriously. It was awful. And it may be the first book in the series but it’s like the author’s FIFTH book or something like that. There is no excuse. Did anyone even read this book before publishing it? Has anyone but my mother and I read it since?
On the other hand, I READ THIS BOOK. I have not read a book since I got out of inpatient last September. And believe me, I’ve tried. I just can’t focus, can’t let myself let go of my own thoughts and listen to somebody else’s long enough to finish a book. I’ve tried everything from kids’ books to Shakespeare. Then I checked this one out andI just started reading and I didn’t stop. And I had a good time! I barely noticed time passing, or how many pages I had read. That’s what reading is supposed to be like! So what if I had to stop every few minutes to send my wife updates on “look what awful writing the author has done this time!” So what? SOMETHING must have worked because I READ it and I ENJOYED reading it and I am so thankful that this book has broken my dry spell. As soon as I finished it I launched into another’s book and I’m enjoying this one too. Like magic.
On the other hand, I READ THIS BOOK. I have not read a book since I got out of inpatient last September. And believe me, I’ve tried. I just can’t focus, can’t let myself let go of my own thoughts and listen to somebody else’s long enough to finish a book. I’ve tried everything from kids’ books to Shakespeare. Then I checked this one out andI just started reading and I didn’t stop. And I had a good time! I barely noticed time passing, or how many pages I had read. That’s what reading is supposed to be like! So what if I had to stop every few minutes to send my wife updates on “look what awful writing the author has done this time!” So what? SOMETHING must have worked because I READ it and I ENJOYED reading it and I am so thankful that this book has broken my dry spell. As soon as I finished it I launched into another’s book and I’m enjoying this one too. Like magic.
May 30, 2019
I've read all G.M. Ford's Leo Waterman books and, wanting more G.M. Ford, decided to give this series a try. Like the Leo Waterman series, Ford's Frank Corso series are set in Seattle, my home town. Fury was a great introduction to Corso, a reclusive journalist with more enemies than friends. Ford's writing style makes it easy to get sucked in; while Fury was written in a more serious style than the often sarcastic style of the wisecracking Waterman, it was nonetheless just as well-written. Speaking of Waterman, he does have a cameo in Fury, which made me happy.
I have very little time to read between full-time graduate school, work, volunteer commitments, and family, but I zipped through this book because it was so easy to get sucked in. A very enjoyable read, and I am now making my way through the second in the series, Black River.
I have very little time to read between full-time graduate school, work, volunteer commitments, and family, but I zipped through this book because it was so easy to get sucked in. A very enjoyable read, and I am now making my way through the second in the series, Black River.
July 18, 2021
Another great book by GM Ford, author of the Leo Waterman PI series. This new main character is friends with Leo who makes a brief cameo appearance at the beginning of the book.
The (anti) hero of this series is Frank Corso, a newspaper reporter unfairly disgraced by a powerful man he was investigating while at the heighth of his career in NY. Now rejected by all, moved to Seattle and working part time for a low level rag, he's called in on a bizarre case where the key witness to a serial murder recants her testimony days before the man is to be put to death.
Many twists unfold while Frank pushes for the truth against a tight deadline. The book moves at a good clip, it's easy to like the protagonists and easy to feel disgust for the bumbling cops and other power brokers standing in the way of the truth.
Liked it!
The (anti) hero of this series is Frank Corso, a newspaper reporter unfairly disgraced by a powerful man he was investigating while at the heighth of his career in NY. Now rejected by all, moved to Seattle and working part time for a low level rag, he's called in on a bizarre case where the key witness to a serial murder recants her testimony days before the man is to be put to death.
Many twists unfold while Frank pushes for the truth against a tight deadline. The book moves at a good clip, it's easy to like the protagonists and easy to feel disgust for the bumbling cops and other power brokers standing in the way of the truth.
Liked it!
May 22, 2017
how a book that misspells lynyrd skynyrd as 'lynnard skynnard' gets to print is beyond me. (i'm hoping that it's just in the german translation but chances for that are pretty much non-existent.)
frank corso is funny, i liked him. the story was kinda good, a bit too many characters to keep track of.
the romance was forced and weird and predictable as fuck - also very unnecessary.
also, why the fuck 'fury'? he wasn't vital to the plot (his minor contribution could've been written differently) and i didn't really get why the book ended with him? am i missing something important?
frank corso is funny, i liked him. the story was kinda good, a bit too many characters to keep track of.
the romance was forced and weird and predictable as fuck - also very unnecessary.
also, why the fuck 'fury'? he wasn't vital to the plot (his minor contribution could've been written differently) and i didn't really get why the book ended with him? am i missing something important?
December 7, 2023
After reading several of GM Ford's, Leo Waterman series, I was critical that his Frank Corso books could compete. Well let me tell you, this initial offering of the series does and does so brilliantly. Like the Waterman books this one has the same heart, soul and fast moving, brilliant action. Most people who like hard boiled detective/PI/Reporter novels like serial killer stories. "Fury" is exactly that, part investigative expose', part tough guy, detective mystery.
October 19, 2017
Great...yet another series for me to follow- as if there aren't already enough! - but at least for once I've come in at book one!
Frank Corso is the sort of maverick character I love, only this time he's an ex-reporter rather than police & I also loved Meg Dougherty (the Picture Lady...ouch!!!) Will be adding this series to my TBR & look forward to meeting Frank & Meg again ;o)
Frank Corso is the sort of maverick character I love, only this time he's an ex-reporter rather than police & I also loved Meg Dougherty (the Picture Lady...ouch!!!) Will be adding this series to my TBR & look forward to meeting Frank & Meg again ;o)
December 16, 2018
I really enjoyed his Leo Waterman series, with Leo's wisecracks and zany crew he used for stakeouts.
In his next series, reporter Frank Corso is one cool kick-ass hero. With some great hilarious dialogue, and a great sense of place of taking the reader into the darker side of Seattle. Mr. Ford is a fav of mine.
In his next series, reporter Frank Corso is one cool kick-ass hero. With some great hilarious dialogue, and a great sense of place of taking the reader into the darker side of Seattle. Mr. Ford is a fav of mine.
May 17, 2025
Oh wow. This was an amazing book. I have read a lot of serial killers novels and I always kinda of predict what’s going to happen next but this one was different. First time reading G.M. Ford book and I must say, he has a way of writing that I really love.
July 29, 2018
I enjoyed the Frank Corso character and didn't even miss Leo Waterman. Have enjoyed all the G M Ford books I've read.
February 16, 2019
Good story line but the ending was too abrupt. And kinda left everything open.
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