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PMLD #2
Structured Chaos
The Outsiders meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest-
Set in Oklahoma in the mid 1990s, Structured Chaos, sequel to Pewter, Murder, and Loaded Dice, finds teen narrator Devin Predire and his cohorts in the throes of their budding booze and drug trafficking enterprise, placing them at odds with the underbelly of their small town's power brokers: corrupt police, attorneys, and social elite. Devin must reconcile stark, bleak reality with a bludgeoning psychogenic fugue before his friends venture further down their path of brutal self-evaluation ending in death and destruction.
Set in Oklahoma in the mid 1990s, Structured Chaos, sequel to Pewter, Murder, and Loaded Dice, finds teen narrator Devin Predire and his cohorts in the throes of their budding booze and drug trafficking enterprise, placing them at odds with the underbelly of their small town's power brokers: corrupt police, attorneys, and social elite. Devin must reconcile stark, bleak reality with a bludgeoning psychogenic fugue before his friends venture further down their path of brutal self-evaluation ending in death and destruction.
300 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 2013
282 people want to read
About the author
Nick Sconce
5 books65 followersBorn and raised in a small town in Oklahoma, Nick Sconce now resides outside of Oklahoma City with his wife and three children.
His interests include photography, recording music, cooking, gardening and studying the financial services industry.
Pewter, Murder, and Loaded Dice and Structured Chaos are novels in a series involving Devin Predire
and Alex Vinkler.
His third novel, Hatchet Women, is set for release 4Q 2016.
Edie Firebaugh and her team of young, career-oriented women, are coerced to dye their hair to blend into their insurance company’s event planning department to conceal their real work in special investigations, fraud prevention, and agent termination. As they ascend and infiltrate the company’s hierarchy, they uncover a layered scheme in the private placement annuity unit, which limits pay-outs to customers through mass murders designed to look like tragic accidents. The unit also happens to be the most profitable for their company.
His interests include photography, recording music, cooking, gardening and studying the financial services industry.
Pewter, Murder, and Loaded Dice and Structured Chaos are novels in a series involving Devin Predire
and Alex Vinkler.
His third novel, Hatchet Women, is set for release 4Q 2016.
Edie Firebaugh and her team of young, career-oriented women, are coerced to dye their hair to blend into their insurance company’s event planning department to conceal their real work in special investigations, fraud prevention, and agent termination. As they ascend and infiltrate the company’s hierarchy, they uncover a layered scheme in the private placement annuity unit, which limits pay-outs to customers through mass murders designed to look like tragic accidents. The unit also happens to be the most profitable for their company.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 24, 2015
I received this book through Goodreads Firstreads and I really enjoyed reading it.
It is a dark and gritty coming of age story about a group of dissaffected teens trying to establish themselves in the local drug/gang culture.
It is cleverly written and the complex and interesting characters keep you interested from start to finish.
The only downside for me personally was that I didn't understand a lot of the drug/gang culture dialogue and terminology.
It is a dark and gritty coming of age story about a group of dissaffected teens trying to establish themselves in the local drug/gang culture.
It is cleverly written and the complex and interesting characters keep you interested from start to finish.
The only downside for me personally was that I didn't understand a lot of the drug/gang culture dialogue and terminology.
January 11, 2014
This review is long overdue, and for that I apologize to the author. The book is written in a complex writing style that was hard for me to get through. For me it felt like listening to a lecture rather than watching a story unfold before me. I really did like the overall story, and I think I would have enjoyed it alot more if it were written in a different style.
If you're looking for a tough gritty coming of age book with complex charters, then you should give it a read.
I turn to look back at the speeding prowler. Blake slams the breaks and flips his Jimmie, trying to make the turn onto Airport.
Gravity and thrust smashes us against the asphalt. I'm thrown over to the driver's side. The windows shatter. We screech to a halt, and I hear this dry scratching sound. The street’s ridded Blake’s face of skin, and his cheekbone’s chiseling off.
The cops hang back because they don't give a shit if we're hurt. They don't know if we're going to come out shooting, and they recognize the Jimmie from the Leo Road job, just as Iroc predicted.
At 11:43 p.m. Blake released his last breath. But it was more like the last bit of air seeped from his head.
At 11:44, I came out shooting. The two cops had flanked the Jimmie, so I just jumped straight through my window. Tapping the trigger with all the familiarity of scratching my nutsack, I tag two headshots. The pigs drop with gravity’s vengeance, leaving only the blood clouds behind them to mist into the crimson evening. Neither had their guns drawn.
Received via Goodreads for my honest review.
If you're looking for a tough gritty coming of age book with complex charters, then you should give it a read.
I turn to look back at the speeding prowler. Blake slams the breaks and flips his Jimmie, trying to make the turn onto Airport.
Gravity and thrust smashes us against the asphalt. I'm thrown over to the driver's side. The windows shatter. We screech to a halt, and I hear this dry scratching sound. The street’s ridded Blake’s face of skin, and his cheekbone’s chiseling off.
The cops hang back because they don't give a shit if we're hurt. They don't know if we're going to come out shooting, and they recognize the Jimmie from the Leo Road job, just as Iroc predicted.
At 11:43 p.m. Blake released his last breath. But it was more like the last bit of air seeped from his head.
At 11:44, I came out shooting. The two cops had flanked the Jimmie, so I just jumped straight through my window. Tapping the trigger with all the familiarity of scratching my nutsack, I tag two headshots. The pigs drop with gravity’s vengeance, leaving only the blood clouds behind them to mist into the crimson evening. Neither had their guns drawn.
Received via Goodreads for my honest review.
December 24, 2013
I won this book from Goodreads.com.
Since I had not read the previous novel (Pewter, Murder and Loaded Dice), I was unsure of what to expect. I like Mr. Sconce's writing style, though I would honestly have to admit that this really isn't a genre I read much in and maybe didn't get as involved in the story as many other readers. I do have to admit that the story was quite unique and I like the narration style of the book. I enjoyed the level of details presented in the book regarding Mr. Predire and his peers. This helped to create a more vivid picture of the environment that these teenagers were experiencing and who they were as people.
Since I had not read the previous novel (Pewter, Murder and Loaded Dice), I was unsure of what to expect. I like Mr. Sconce's writing style, though I would honestly have to admit that this really isn't a genre I read much in and maybe didn't get as involved in the story as many other readers. I do have to admit that the story was quite unique and I like the narration style of the book. I enjoyed the level of details presented in the book regarding Mr. Predire and his peers. This helped to create a more vivid picture of the environment that these teenagers were experiencing and who they were as people.
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June 26, 2013Suspenseful and gritty, Sconce juggles massive amounts of dirty details and weaves them into a mystery redolent of the human condition. His firm grasp on the things that keep humans stuck creates a sublime picture of teenage woe and misery. His insights illustrate an intimate familiarity with the mechanisms humans use to deceive and sabotage themselves. Structured Chaos is an ‘old-fashioned’ dark tale of sex, drugs and rock and roll that is sure to leave you reeling.
– Corin White, author of Year of The Bull
– Corin White, author of Year of The Bull
June 29, 2013
The way that you can't judge a book by it's cover applies to all the characters in this book. What you see is not always what you get and what you get ranges from the mystifying stay in an institution to the sometimes terrifying consequences of youthful hubris and everywhere in between. Remember those weird kids in high school and how you wondered what they were up to? Nick Sconce's well paced prose shows you that it is far beyond your imagination.
August 30, 2013
I wasn't sure what to expect as I had never read Pewter, Murder and Loaded Dice, but I really enjoyed this book. The author does a fantastic job of pulling you in and making you feel like one of the gang in this book about teenage angst and pushing the boundaries on what society sees as right. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a good coming of age story with a sick twist.
June 7, 2014
I won this book through Goodreads firstreads. Although this was not the typical type of book I go for, I was impressed by the detail and raw style of Nicks writing. Admitidly there were times when the 80s teen drug lingo lost me and I had a hard time grasping the full essence of the many individual characters. This is the type of book that I would love to see a movie made of.
January 25, 2014
A total page turner that will suck you in. Structured is gritty, unique, and complex. Interesting characters and story that keeps you invested from start to finish.
I won this book through goodreads.
I won this book through goodreads.
August 8, 2013
Very good book! I couldn't put it down, it really keeps you turning the pages and up all night! Highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews