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Gun Monkeys: A Novel
Charlie Swift just pumped three .38-caliber bullets into a dead polar bear in his taxidermist girlfriend’s garage. But he’s a gun monkey, and no one can blame him for having an itchy trigger finger. Ever since he drove down the Florida Turnpike with a headless body in the trunk of a Chrysler, then took down four cops, Charlie’s been running hard through the sprawling sleaze of central Florida. And to make matters worse, he’s holding on to some crooked paperwork that a lot of people would like to take off his hands. Now, with his boss disappeared and his friends dropping like flies, Charlie has got his work cut out just to survive. If he wants to keep the money and get the girl too, he’s really going to have to go ape...
Nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel, Gun Monkeys is a fast, furious collage of wit and wise guys, violence and thrills—and a full-throttle run through the dark side of the Sunshine State.
Nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel, Gun Monkeys is a fast, furious collage of wit and wise guys, violence and thrills—and a full-throttle run through the dark side of the Sunshine State.
274 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2001
62 people are currently reading
1049 people want to read
About the author
Victor Gischler
369 books413 followersVictor Gischler is an American author of humorous crime fiction.
Gischler's debut novel Gun Monkeys was nominated for the Edgar Award, and his novel Shotgun Opera was an Anthony Award finalist. His work has been translated into Italian, French, Spanish and Japanese. He earned a Ph.D. in English at the University of Southern Mississippi. His fifth novel Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse was published in 2008 by the Touchstone/Fireside imprint of Simon & Schuster.
He has also writes American comic books like The Punisher: Frank Castle, Wolverine and Deadpool for Marvel Comics. Gischler worked on X-Men "Curse of the Mutants" starting in the Death of Dracula one-shot and continued in X-Men #1.
Gun Monkeys has been optioned for a film adaptation, with Lee Goldberg writing the script and Ryuhei Kitamura penciled in to direct.
Gischler's debut novel Gun Monkeys was nominated for the Edgar Award, and his novel Shotgun Opera was an Anthony Award finalist. His work has been translated into Italian, French, Spanish and Japanese. He earned a Ph.D. in English at the University of Southern Mississippi. His fifth novel Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse was published in 2008 by the Touchstone/Fireside imprint of Simon & Schuster.
He has also writes American comic books like The Punisher: Frank Castle, Wolverine and Deadpool for Marvel Comics. Gischler worked on X-Men "Curse of the Mutants" starting in the Death of Dracula one-shot and continued in X-Men #1.
Gun Monkeys has been optioned for a film adaptation, with Lee Goldberg writing the script and Ryuhei Kitamura penciled in to direct.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 157 reviews
June 13, 2019
Well, I got the full-time job I wanted at the library. (I'll have my own office . . . with a door; I almost feel like a grownup!) But, oh, the timing is so, so bad. I'll be leaving the children's department right when summer activities are starting, leaving my former boss with my "replacement," who is still checking out books using the book drop check-in screen, and has no clue what the numbers on the spines of the books mean. With all this going on, I've been having trouble concentrating on a book. I've started, then put aside, at least a dozen titles in the past few days. I needed a book that would grab me without requiring too much concentration.
This one fit the bill perfectly.
Just take a gander at the first line:
I turned the Chrysler into the Florida Turnpike with Rollo Kramer's headless body in the trunk, and all the time I'm thinking I should've put some plastic down.
That's pretty good, right? Your natural concern for the resale value of the narrator's car is enough to keep you turning the pages. And, if you do that, there are even more great lines, like:
Rollo's neighborhood looked like something God had scraped off His shoe.
and
"You ever been to Kansas? It's like elevator music with grass."
But, alas . . . though this one gets points for being a much needed distraction, AND, the right book at the right time, I can't go more than three stars for it. There's just nothing out of the ordinary here, and I expect I'll have forgotten the whole shebang by the end of the year . . . maybe even the end of the month.
And now, back to worrying about long lines of angry parents and bored children.
This one fit the bill perfectly.
Just take a gander at the first line:
I turned the Chrysler into the Florida Turnpike with Rollo Kramer's headless body in the trunk, and all the time I'm thinking I should've put some plastic down.
That's pretty good, right? Your natural concern for the resale value of the narrator's car is enough to keep you turning the pages. And, if you do that, there are even more great lines, like:
Rollo's neighborhood looked like something God had scraped off His shoe.
and
"You ever been to Kansas? It's like elevator music with grass."
But, alas . . . though this one gets points for being a much needed distraction, AND, the right book at the right time, I can't go more than three stars for it. There's just nothing out of the ordinary here, and I expect I'll have forgotten the whole shebang by the end of the year . . . maybe even the end of the month.
And now, back to worrying about long lines of angry parents and bored children.
January 28, 2024
Fun!
Author Victor Gischler is described as writing “humorous crime fiction.”
Yes.
I don’t know that I would call this book a comedy, maybe a dark comedy, but it can be funny. Crime fiction with some comedic elements? I smiled frequently at several scenes and there were also a few laugh out loud moments, there is a scene near the end where Gischler’s timing is as good as any stand up comedian.
Fast Charlie Swift is our protagonist and first person narrator and we are off on a wild ride as Charlie navigates dangerous times after his Florida crime family deals with a power play.
Gischler populates his entertaining book with lots of colorful characters. Charlie was a freight train of hitman cool, but GF Marcie and Charlie’s mom were both candidates to steal the show.
This is a fast paced, no frills fun ride reminiscent of old school noir crime books, but also funny. Not much philosophical rambling, this is a novel about the streets, back rooms, bad guys, shady cops, and players playing each other and all orchestrated by Gischler’s deft handling. I need to read more from him.
Recommended.
Author Victor Gischler is described as writing “humorous crime fiction.”
Yes.
I don’t know that I would call this book a comedy, maybe a dark comedy, but it can be funny. Crime fiction with some comedic elements? I smiled frequently at several scenes and there were also a few laugh out loud moments, there is a scene near the end where Gischler’s timing is as good as any stand up comedian.
Fast Charlie Swift is our protagonist and first person narrator and we are off on a wild ride as Charlie navigates dangerous times after his Florida crime family deals with a power play.
Gischler populates his entertaining book with lots of colorful characters. Charlie was a freight train of hitman cool, but GF Marcie and Charlie’s mom were both candidates to steal the show.
This is a fast paced, no frills fun ride reminiscent of old school noir crime books, but also funny. Not much philosophical rambling, this is a novel about the streets, back rooms, bad guys, shady cops, and players playing each other and all orchestrated by Gischler’s deft handling. I need to read more from him.
Recommended.
August 23, 2023
If you are looking for a fast-paced, hardboiled crime novel that is filled with cover to cover action, you are not going to find anything better than this. It's a mix of Goodfellas with pulp noir elements and features the misadventures of a gun monkey, Charlie Swift, caught in the middle of a battle between two warring factions in Orlando.
But what's really incredible about this book is the voice it's told in. It is told in a matter of fact tone that just draws you in.
This book has more gunfire and bodies wrapped in plastic and and all out battles than almost any other book. What happens when the crime boss you're working for and who you sit around playing Monopoly with while the money drops come in disappears, your other gun monkeys are taken out one by one, an army of trained killers and FBI agents are on your tail, and you have to figure out who gave you up.
It also appears to have morphed into Fast Charlie, a soon-to-be-released major motion picture starring Pierce Brosnan and James Caan (his final movie). It is due to be re-released as a book under the new title.
But what's really incredible about this book is the voice it's told in. It is told in a matter of fact tone that just draws you in.
This book has more gunfire and bodies wrapped in plastic and and all out battles than almost any other book. What happens when the crime boss you're working for and who you sit around playing Monopoly with while the money drops come in disappears, your other gun monkeys are taken out one by one, an army of trained killers and FBI agents are on your tail, and you have to figure out who gave you up.
It also appears to have morphed into Fast Charlie, a soon-to-be-released major motion picture starring Pierce Brosnan and James Caan (his final movie). It is due to be re-released as a book under the new title.
December 12, 2023
Gischler released his first novel, Gun Monkeys, in 2001. After several false starts, it will finally be released as a major motion picture starring Pierce Brosnan, Morena Baccarin, and (in his final role) the late James Caan. It is not clear right now when the movie will be in theaters near you although it has been previewed at an October 2023 movie festival. The book is being re-released by Hard Case Crime as Fast Charlie to follow along with the movie title.
If you are looking for a fast-paced, hardboiled crime novel that is filled with cover to cover action, you are not going to find anything better than this. It’s a mix of Goodfellas with pulp noir elements and features the misadventures of a gun monkey, Charlie Swift, caught in the middle of a battle between two warring factions.
When there is a change of corporate management, it’s always stressful on the peons. Heads often roll and loyalty often seems not to matter. Here, Charlie is rather unhappy when Stan and Stan’s team seem to have outlived their usefulness to the Outfit. The thing is though such a corporate restructuring is extremely painful and often fatal when dealing with criminal elements.
Charlie though decides he’s not going to just pick up stakes and leave. He’s loyal, this one. And he’s going to try to pull off whatever he can to protect whoever is left on his side when the smoke clears – and there aren’t many.
But what’s really incredible about this book is the voice it’s told in. It is told in a matter of fact tone that just draws you in. This book has more gunfire and bodies wrapped in plastic and and all out battles than almost any other book. And it’s hot that gallows humor thing going right from the start.
This is what happens when the crime boss you’re working for disappears and your other gun monkeys are taken out one by one, an army of trained killers and FBI agents are on your tail, and you have to figure out who gave you up.
If you are looking for a fast-paced, hardboiled crime novel that is filled with cover to cover action, you are not going to find anything better than this. It’s a mix of Goodfellas with pulp noir elements and features the misadventures of a gun monkey, Charlie Swift, caught in the middle of a battle between two warring factions.
When there is a change of corporate management, it’s always stressful on the peons. Heads often roll and loyalty often seems not to matter. Here, Charlie is rather unhappy when Stan and Stan’s team seem to have outlived their usefulness to the Outfit. The thing is though such a corporate restructuring is extremely painful and often fatal when dealing with criminal elements.
Charlie though decides he’s not going to just pick up stakes and leave. He’s loyal, this one. And he’s going to try to pull off whatever he can to protect whoever is left on his side when the smoke clears – and there aren’t many.
But what’s really incredible about this book is the voice it’s told in. It is told in a matter of fact tone that just draws you in. This book has more gunfire and bodies wrapped in plastic and and all out battles than almost any other book. And it’s hot that gallows humor thing going right from the start.
This is what happens when the crime boss you’re working for disappears and your other gun monkeys are taken out one by one, an army of trained killers and FBI agents are on your tail, and you have to figure out who gave you up.
January 1, 2024
Oggi vi parlo de “La gabbia delle scimmie”, romanzo d’esordio di Victor Gischler recentemente riproposto da Fanucci Editore all’interno della collana TimeCrime. Ho conosciuto l’autore qualche anno fa grazie a “Gestapo Mars”, un’ucronia fantascientifica pulp fuori di testa. Come potevo farmi scappare il suo primo lavoro?
Pulp, Thriller, Noir, Crime, chiamatelo come vi pare, “La gabbia delle scimmie” è un candelotto di dinamite pronto a farvi saltare in aria. Ambientato a Orlando, narra le vicende di Charlie Swift, gangster invischiato nella malavita locale con a capo l’ormai anziano Stan. Un boss rivale, in cerca di territorio e soldi facili, massacra tutta la loro banda. Charlie, unico sopravvissuto, dovrà vedersela con agenti corrotti, FBI, doppiogiochisti, serial killer e contabili disonesti.
Ritmo serrato, dialoghi dissacranti, personaggi “Tarantiniani”, sparatorie e sangue a volontà. Questo romanzo aveva tutti gli ingredienti per conquistarmi e, ovviamente, ci è riuscito in pieno. Una lettura veloce come un proiettile e super divertente, se siete fan del genere apprezzerete assai. Il primo Gischler si presenta con uno stile chirurgico e incisivo, capace di tratteggiare i personaggi e l’ambientazione con poche cattive pennellate. È stato facile immedesimarsi in Charlie; criminale da un lato e uomo onorevole dall’altro, farà di tutto per salvarsi la pelle e proteggere le persone che ama. Dai bassifondi ai quartieri più ricchi, da strip club ad appartamenti fatiscenti, da bar poco raccomandabili a ville sfarzose, conosceremo Orlando in tutte le sue sfumature. Un’avventura rocambolesca che fa della dose di adrenalina il suo punto forte. Non consigliato, consigliatissimo!
Pulp, Thriller, Noir, Crime, chiamatelo come vi pare, “La gabbia delle scimmie” è un candelotto di dinamite pronto a farvi saltare in aria. Ambientato a Orlando, narra le vicende di Charlie Swift, gangster invischiato nella malavita locale con a capo l’ormai anziano Stan. Un boss rivale, in cerca di territorio e soldi facili, massacra tutta la loro banda. Charlie, unico sopravvissuto, dovrà vedersela con agenti corrotti, FBI, doppiogiochisti, serial killer e contabili disonesti.
Ritmo serrato, dialoghi dissacranti, personaggi “Tarantiniani”, sparatorie e sangue a volontà. Questo romanzo aveva tutti gli ingredienti per conquistarmi e, ovviamente, ci è riuscito in pieno. Una lettura veloce come un proiettile e super divertente, se siete fan del genere apprezzerete assai. Il primo Gischler si presenta con uno stile chirurgico e incisivo, capace di tratteggiare i personaggi e l’ambientazione con poche cattive pennellate. È stato facile immedesimarsi in Charlie; criminale da un lato e uomo onorevole dall’altro, farà di tutto per salvarsi la pelle e proteggere le persone che ama. Dai bassifondi ai quartieri più ricchi, da strip club ad appartamenti fatiscenti, da bar poco raccomandabili a ville sfarzose, conosceremo Orlando in tutte le sue sfumature. Un’avventura rocambolesca che fa della dose di adrenalina il suo punto forte. Non consigliato, consigliatissimo!
August 21, 2024
I picked this up due to it being set in Central Florida where I live, and that it promised to be a dark, funny thriller. While a fun and fast read, and packed with action, I found it more of a popcorn read than anything else. Now, nothing wrong with a popcorn read, but do not expect to be blown away. This reminded me of Tim Dorsey's work and if you like Dorsey, you will probably dig this.
Our protagonist, Charlie Swift, works for a mobster (Stan) in Orlando as one of his enforcers. Collectively, the enforcers known as monkeys, largely hand out in a pool hall/bar waiting for various tasks-- rough someone up, collect money, or even take someone out. Gun Monkeys starts with a bang, with Charlie and 'Blade' riding on the Florida Turnpike with a headless corpse in the trunk. Stan told the two that Rollo (the corpse) had to go, and so they took him out with an exploding donut. Quickly, however, things turn to shit.
Turns out some other mobster, one Beggar, wants to move into the Orlando area from Miami. Old Stan, getting long in the tooth, still treats his Monkey's like family, and they are loyal, but when Beggar's guys start taking them out, only a few are left alive. Charlie, ever loyal, wants some vengeance, but where to start? Also tossed into the mix are some account books that Beggar really wants bad, as they have contain both the official version of his various businesses, and the real figures with tons of money laundering. It seems the FBI also wants the books and have had Beggar under their scope for years.
Fun plot, but hard to take too seriously. Very high body count for sure. The humor? I liked it as much as Dorsey (e.g., ok), but nothing compared to Carl Hiaasen's work. Fun, but ultimately forgettable. 3 sunny stars!
Our protagonist, Charlie Swift, works for a mobster (Stan) in Orlando as one of his enforcers. Collectively, the enforcers known as monkeys, largely hand out in a pool hall/bar waiting for various tasks-- rough someone up, collect money, or even take someone out. Gun Monkeys starts with a bang, with Charlie and 'Blade' riding on the Florida Turnpike with a headless corpse in the trunk. Stan told the two that Rollo (the corpse) had to go, and so they took him out with an exploding donut. Quickly, however, things turn to shit.
Turns out some other mobster, one Beggar, wants to move into the Orlando area from Miami. Old Stan, getting long in the tooth, still treats his Monkey's like family, and they are loyal, but when Beggar's guys start taking them out, only a few are left alive. Charlie, ever loyal, wants some vengeance, but where to start? Also tossed into the mix are some account books that Beggar really wants bad, as they have contain both the official version of his various businesses, and the real figures with tons of money laundering. It seems the FBI also wants the books and have had Beggar under their scope for years.
Fun plot, but hard to take too seriously. Very high body count for sure. The humor? I liked it as much as Dorsey (e.g., ok), but nothing compared to Carl Hiaasen's work. Fun, but ultimately forgettable. 3 sunny stars!
April 11, 2023
Enjoyable read that my personal life repeatedly interrupted with mundane bullshit.
Terrific villains vs villains vs villains over stolen business ledgers desired by the FBI. Too many beatings and murders to count. There are epic shootouts every three or four chapters or so it seemed.
Recommended for fans of the “Parker”, Dan J. Marlowe’s “Earl Drake”, or Block’s “Hitman” series.
Relentless action. Realistic dialogue.
My only complaint is that this could have easily been 115 pages shorter. Sequences were repetitive after awhile.
Just the same I can enthusiastically recommend this novel.
Terrific villains vs villains vs villains over stolen business ledgers desired by the FBI. Too many beatings and murders to count. There are epic shootouts every three or four chapters or so it seemed.
Recommended for fans of the “Parker”, Dan J. Marlowe’s “Earl Drake”, or Block’s “Hitman” series.
Relentless action. Realistic dialogue.
My only complaint is that this could have easily been 115 pages shorter. Sequences were repetitive after awhile.
Just the same I can enthusiastically recommend this novel.
June 7, 2024
Charlie Swift is a problem solver which mostly ends with the other person being dead. When his aging crimeboss asbest him to do a job people start ding around Charlie and his boss disappears. Charlie is left holding the bag, for real, and everybody wants the content of the bag, the FBI , gangsters competing for the Orlando turf and some greedy people.
Charlie is loyal and good at his job which people are finding out.
Gangsters at war with the FBI involved and everybody wants Charlie dead.
This is not a book about a super assassin but a story of a man wanting to stay alive.
It is a decent book and story, nothing really special but it passes the time.
This book was earlier released as Gun Monkeys, with a movie it receives a reprint with the movie title. The leading actoren being Pierce Brosnan and James Caan in his last acting role. So interesting enough I would say, if I were to Come across this movie I Will undoubtely have a sitdown and watch it, for those two gentleman.
Nice modern noir tale but not one of those that you Will remember.
Charlie is loyal and good at his job which people are finding out.
Gangsters at war with the FBI involved and everybody wants Charlie dead.
This is not a book about a super assassin but a story of a man wanting to stay alive.
It is a decent book and story, nothing really special but it passes the time.
This book was earlier released as Gun Monkeys, with a movie it receives a reprint with the movie title. The leading actoren being Pierce Brosnan and James Caan in his last acting role. So interesting enough I would say, if I were to Come across this movie I Will undoubtely have a sitdown and watch it, for those two gentleman.
Nice modern noir tale but not one of those that you Will remember.
January 11, 2010
Here's the first sentence of the book: ""I turned the Chrysler onto the Florida Turnpike with Rollo Kramer's headless body in the trunk, and all the time I'm thinking I should've put some plastic down." That does get your attention.
Picture, if you will, Carl Hiaasen, Robert Parker, Raymond Chandler, and Jim Thompson all rolled into one and you have a fair approximation of Victor Gishler's Gun Monkeys. Caught in the middle of a war for control of Orlando's lucrative crime trade, Charlie Swift, enforcer for an aging mobster who is being forced out by Beggar Johnson is no longer quite sure of whom to trust. He comes into possession of a set of ledgers that document how money has been laundered through the system and now the FBI is after him too.
Violence, sex, total amorality, yet we still root for Charlie. And he's very, very loyal.
I immediately bought and downloaded Gishler's other books to my nook.
Picture, if you will, Carl Hiaasen, Robert Parker, Raymond Chandler, and Jim Thompson all rolled into one and you have a fair approximation of Victor Gishler's Gun Monkeys. Caught in the middle of a war for control of Orlando's lucrative crime trade, Charlie Swift, enforcer for an aging mobster who is being forced out by Beggar Johnson is no longer quite sure of whom to trust. He comes into possession of a set of ledgers that document how money has been laundered through the system and now the FBI is after him too.
Violence, sex, total amorality, yet we still root for Charlie. And he's very, very loyal.
I immediately bought and downloaded Gishler's other books to my nook.
September 27, 2015
I don't read enough noir. Gischler's GUN MONKEYS is a page-turner. I read the entire book in a day and a half and really enjoyed the thrill ride. Puts the pedal to the metal on page one and doesn't let up. Looking forward to reading more Gischler.
February 10, 2024
Keeping with the title, Fast Charlie hits the accelerator and doesn’t slow down.
August 5, 2020
Okay-- I knew when I picked this one up it looked familiar. Sadly -- though I'd read it before it didn't strike a chord in my brain... That's a good thing, because I have a higher opinion of it this time around.
Hired Mob muscle. That's all Charlie Swift was good for. He worked in Florida, solving problems for his boss, Stan. Problems were sometimes solved with threats and sometimes with dead bodies.
Stan asks Charlie to pay careful attention when he metts with another mob boss. Charlie is sub-contracted out to go and find a briefcase and then gets in a huge shootout. From there, all goes downhill for Charlie as he finds himself caught in a mess involving the F.B.I. and a rival syndicate group.
This is a ROUGH book. Strong language and strong violence! Because of its subject, it pretty much HAS to be rough. Blood and Guts fill the pages as Charlie moves from one shootout or fight to another. All along, Charlie is trying to figure out how to get out of the mess so he can run off with Marcie, his new taxidermist/artiste girlfirend while protecting his brother and mom from the mob violence.
This novel reminds me of the Mel Gibson movie "Payback" which is based on the Richard Stark (Donald Westlake psuedonym) Parker crime novels. Lots of action.
This book was readable, but like many crime novels---
In my original reading- I could find nothing really redeeming about Charlie Swift. Here's what I said after that reading- He's just a tough guy caught in a really rough situation, some of which are his own doing. He resolves everything as if he is Rambo. He shows no mercy, no hesitation, but just keeps pulling triggers, stabbing, etc. It makes for good action-- and the author tries to get the reader to like his lead character by giving the gunman a penchant for National Geographic magazines and a dream of a better life. --
Here's my updated view: Though Charlie is a tough and violent man-- his commitment to his boss, Stan is essential. At one point, he gives a speech about loyalty. He says that if they don't have loyalty they are nothing. Loyalty is the redeeming factor I was looking for the first time, but it apparently got lost in the violence.
This book is extremely violent. Along the way Charlie picks up weapons-- some of the bad guys he fights carry huge revolvers that fire .410 gauge shells. These weapons actually exist, but they don't really do the sort of damage the writer imagines... They aren't really compact shotguns... So-- he loses a bit on the ratings from me because of that.
However, I have a higher opinion this time than the first time around. Charlie is a tough guy, but his loyalty is more than just trying to make a buck. His violence is more than just business. His actions are more trying to find a way out of a really nasty spot. It is a lot like the Parker novels... A nice crime story.
Hired Mob muscle. That's all Charlie Swift was good for. He worked in Florida, solving problems for his boss, Stan. Problems were sometimes solved with threats and sometimes with dead bodies.
Stan asks Charlie to pay careful attention when he metts with another mob boss. Charlie is sub-contracted out to go and find a briefcase and then gets in a huge shootout. From there, all goes downhill for Charlie as he finds himself caught in a mess involving the F.B.I. and a rival syndicate group.
This is a ROUGH book. Strong language and strong violence! Because of its subject, it pretty much HAS to be rough. Blood and Guts fill the pages as Charlie moves from one shootout or fight to another. All along, Charlie is trying to figure out how to get out of the mess so he can run off with Marcie, his new taxidermist/artiste girlfirend while protecting his brother and mom from the mob violence.
This novel reminds me of the Mel Gibson movie "Payback" which is based on the Richard Stark (Donald Westlake psuedonym) Parker crime novels. Lots of action.
This book was readable, but like many crime novels---
In my original reading- I could find nothing really redeeming about Charlie Swift. Here's what I said after that reading- He's just a tough guy caught in a really rough situation, some of which are his own doing. He resolves everything as if he is Rambo. He shows no mercy, no hesitation, but just keeps pulling triggers, stabbing, etc. It makes for good action-- and the author tries to get the reader to like his lead character by giving the gunman a penchant for National Geographic magazines and a dream of a better life. --
Here's my updated view: Though Charlie is a tough and violent man-- his commitment to his boss, Stan is essential. At one point, he gives a speech about loyalty. He says that if they don't have loyalty they are nothing. Loyalty is the redeeming factor I was looking for the first time, but it apparently got lost in the violence.
This book is extremely violent. Along the way Charlie picks up weapons-- some of the bad guys he fights carry huge revolvers that fire .410 gauge shells. These weapons actually exist, but they don't really do the sort of damage the writer imagines... They aren't really compact shotguns... So-- he loses a bit on the ratings from me because of that.
However, I have a higher opinion this time than the first time around. Charlie is a tough guy, but his loyalty is more than just trying to make a buck. His violence is more than just business. His actions are more trying to find a way out of a really nasty spot. It is a lot like the Parker novels... A nice crime story.
June 22, 2015
Io, Bob e gli altri eravamo il braccio armato di Stan. I ragazzi con le pistole, i coltelli, i tirapugni. I ragazzi dalle voci roche e le ombre lunghe. I ragazzi dai passi pesanti sulle scale a notte fonda. Tutta roba che avevo letto in qualche romanzo pulp.
Romanzo pulp di grande ironia e senza eccessi di violenza, stereotipi e personaggi da manuale di storia della mafia a cominciare dallo stanzino, anticamera dell'ufficio del boss, dove i ragazzi giocano a Monopoli attendendo istruzioni.
Avevamo modificato le regole per usare soldi veri. Tutto veniva diviso per dieci. Mi consegnò il quadratino di cartone con la striscia viola in alto. Il contratto di Parco della Vittoria.
Divertente ed ironico, La gabbia delle scimmie è una lettura consigliabile senza ambizioni di pensare profondo, anzi di pensare affatto ma molto godibile.
Stavo riflettendo, cercando di vederci chiaro. Ma non volevo pensare troppo al fatto che dovevo pensare. Era come chiedere a un millepiedi con quale zampa comincia a camminare. Se ti metti a pensarci sei fottuto.
Victor Gischler è uno dei più interessanti giovani scrittori della new wave del noir americano e per capire cosa ci aspetta, il protagonista, Charlie Swift è un gangster, uno di quelli tosti, viaggia con un cadavere senza testa nella Chrysler presa a nolo e ha un compagno di squadra psicopatico che di nome fa Blade Sanchez e si diverte a far saltare in aria le vittime con pasticcini imbottiti di tritolo.
Divertimento (a chi piace) tra inseguimenti , fidanzate impagliatrici, false piste e cambi di scena. Niente è come appare e tutto riappare in altro.
Mentre Dal Jukebox, George Jones informò i presenti che oggi aveva smesso di amarla, sfogliamo le pagine del romanzo a ritmo di twang . Non vi piace il twang? — Il cosa? — Il twang. Le chitarre country hanno quel twang…
Romanzo pulp di grande ironia e senza eccessi di violenza, stereotipi e personaggi da manuale di storia della mafia a cominciare dallo stanzino, anticamera dell'ufficio del boss, dove i ragazzi giocano a Monopoli attendendo istruzioni.
Avevamo modificato le regole per usare soldi veri. Tutto veniva diviso per dieci. Mi consegnò il quadratino di cartone con la striscia viola in alto. Il contratto di Parco della Vittoria.
Divertente ed ironico, La gabbia delle scimmie è una lettura consigliabile senza ambizioni di pensare profondo, anzi di pensare affatto ma molto godibile.
Stavo riflettendo, cercando di vederci chiaro. Ma non volevo pensare troppo al fatto che dovevo pensare. Era come chiedere a un millepiedi con quale zampa comincia a camminare. Se ti metti a pensarci sei fottuto.
Victor Gischler è uno dei più interessanti giovani scrittori della new wave del noir americano e per capire cosa ci aspetta, il protagonista, Charlie Swift è un gangster, uno di quelli tosti, viaggia con un cadavere senza testa nella Chrysler presa a nolo e ha un compagno di squadra psicopatico che di nome fa Blade Sanchez e si diverte a far saltare in aria le vittime con pasticcini imbottiti di tritolo.
Divertimento (a chi piace) tra inseguimenti , fidanzate impagliatrici, false piste e cambi di scena. Niente è come appare e tutto riappare in altro.
Mentre Dal Jukebox, George Jones informò i presenti che oggi aveva smesso di amarla, sfogliamo le pagine del romanzo a ritmo di twang . Non vi piace il twang? — Il cosa? — Il twang. Le chitarre country hanno quel twang…
September 16, 2011
Wow, what a great first novel. Victor has proven himself a worthy successor to Donald Westlake in his Freshman year. This book was pretty damn near perfect and very reminiscent of Westlake's more humorous novels from the 1960s such as Somebody Owes Me Money with a the body count of a Parker novel.
In fact, the character of Charlie Swift, owes a lot to the Parker novels. He's like a young Parker, though not quite as smart or experienced. He makes a lot of the kind of dumb mistakes that Parker usually keeps to a minimum and always chides himself about and learns from, but again, it's the lack of experience. You hope that Charlie Swift can grow up to be as cool and level-headed as Parker, he's already as cold-blooded.
In fact, the character of Charlie Swift, owes a lot to the Parker novels. He's like a young Parker, though not quite as smart or experienced. He makes a lot of the kind of dumb mistakes that Parker usually keeps to a minimum and always chides himself about and learns from, but again, it's the lack of experience. You hope that Charlie Swift can grow up to be as cool and level-headed as Parker, he's already as cold-blooded.
April 10, 2024
This is fun.
It's wham, bam, thank you ma'am with things going boom, shots fired and bodies everywhere.
It's an adrenaline rush with fun characters, plenty of gangsters, and a very good character who happens to be kind of a bad man.
I enjoyed every page of this one!
It's wham, bam, thank you ma'am with things going boom, shots fired and bodies everywhere.
It's an adrenaline rush with fun characters, plenty of gangsters, and a very good character who happens to be kind of a bad man.
I enjoyed every page of this one!
October 5, 2023
The prose are crisp with very good imagery but there is no theme or character development. The plot is meh. I would say this is not a story but a series of events that are not built on each other with the glue of a coherent storytelling.
January 23, 2017
"I followed her into the garage, and she picked up the dead guy by the ankles. 'Get the other end, will you.'
I gripped him under the shoulders and lifted. 'This is how we met, isn't it?' I grinned.
She batted her eyes at me. 'You're so fucking romantic.'
'What are we going to do with this bastard?'
'Get him over to my worktable,' she said.
'I'll cut up some trash bags to put around him. We'll wrap the whole thing in duct tape. You can do ANYTHING with duct tape.'
It was then i knew i was in love."
I gripped him under the shoulders and lifted. 'This is how we met, isn't it?' I grinned.
She batted her eyes at me. 'You're so fucking romantic.'
'What are we going to do with this bastard?'
'Get him over to my worktable,' she said.
'I'll cut up some trash bags to put around him. We'll wrap the whole thing in duct tape. You can do ANYTHING with duct tape.'
It was then i knew i was in love."
October 26, 2018
Slickly written, amoral, sentimental, ultraviolent, junk food. You might have a better tolerance for sitting in the head of a mob enforcer on a killing spree, but I lost all interest and suspension of disbelief once the narrator's body count reached 12 in less than a week, including federal agents and other highly experienced gangsters.
June 8, 2024
Reading this, I can see why it took 20 years to turn into one of those films perfect for aging action stars (Pierce Brosnan in his Taken era) and their fans.
It's not that the novel is bad in any particular way - Gischler has the hard-boiled voice down and a morbid sense of humor to compliment it. But these qualities are frontloaded into the first 40 pages, and it soon becomes clear that's the bottom of his trick bag. The rest is nothing you haven't read in caper literature the world over, with characters who are quirky yet not all that distinct, a ton of double and triple crosses per usual, and a lot of situations that are solved with bullets rather than brains.
Again, derivative does not always equal bad. Come into this with the right expectations and you'll certainly be entertained. Which, I suppose, is all a crooks-and-cops book really needs to do. We're not talking High Literature here, y'know.
P.S. unless you go used, you'll find this on store shelves under the film's title, "Fast Charlie." Or maybe you won't, because who actually watched it?
It's not that the novel is bad in any particular way - Gischler has the hard-boiled voice down and a morbid sense of humor to compliment it. But these qualities are frontloaded into the first 40 pages, and it soon becomes clear that's the bottom of his trick bag. The rest is nothing you haven't read in caper literature the world over, with characters who are quirky yet not all that distinct, a ton of double and triple crosses per usual, and a lot of situations that are solved with bullets rather than brains.
Again, derivative does not always equal bad. Come into this with the right expectations and you'll certainly be entertained. Which, I suppose, is all a crooks-and-cops book really needs to do. We're not talking High Literature here, y'know.
P.S. unless you go used, you'll find this on store shelves under the film's title, "Fast Charlie." Or maybe you won't, because who actually watched it?
March 15, 2019
I didn't like the hero, but that doesn't matter. The action and story had me on the edge of my seat. Reminded me of a Tarantino film without the awesome soundtrack. I'm def a new fan of this already celebrated author!
December 14, 2023
Very fun noir fiction, stands out with its main character's voice and its dark humor.
December 26, 2023
Fast Charlie, formerly titled Gun Monkeys, is another solid title under Hard Case Crime’s belt. I wish I had kept a tally of the amount of kills in this book. Charlie stacks bodies.
February 4, 2025
Charlie Swift is head of enforcement for the Orlando mob. He manages the gun monkeys and presides over the center of operations--the monkey cage--in the back of O'Malley's:
"Me and Bob and the others were Stan's enforcers. The guys with the guns, the knives, the brass knuckles. The guys with the deep voices and the long shadows. The guys with the heavy footfalls on the stairs late at night."
"I didn't have set hours. I didn't punch a clock. I just did whatever Stan said. Or, more often, whatever Thumbs Hogan said. Sometimes people wouldn't come across with money they owed Stan. A laundry service or a gin mill or one time even a Lutheran preschool. Sometimes a deadbeat gambler needed a knuckle job. Sometimes people got too curious about Stan's business, and I was sent to convince certain parties to take up other hobbies. Variations on a theme solved any problem. Me and a gun. Me and a set of brass knuckles. Me and a baseball bat. Me."
Charlie's troubles begin one morning while driving around with Rollo Kramer's headless corpse in his trunk. He has completed the assassination he was hired to do, but how can he prove the victim's identification without a head?
The plot from here is hard to explain, although not terribly complicated. Suffice to say within the next day, Charlie kills four cops, comes into possession of a set of cooked books that everybody wants, and steps into the middle of a turf war between his boss Stan and the Miami kingpin Beggar Johnson…
From there it just gets worse. Charlie finds himself navigating a rogue's gallery of miscreant FBI agents; the sexy widow Marcie; a crooked cop on the take; the punk band Spanklicious; Benny the turncoat; and the three murderous Minnelli brothers Teddy, Eddie, and Freddy…
This high-octane crime thriller is a mix of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiassen with a splash of Joe R. Lansdale at the end. It features an absurdly high body count.
Nominated for an Edgar Award under its original title Gun Monkeys.
4.5 stars
"Me and Bob and the others were Stan's enforcers. The guys with the guns, the knives, the brass knuckles. The guys with the deep voices and the long shadows. The guys with the heavy footfalls on the stairs late at night."
"I didn't have set hours. I didn't punch a clock. I just did whatever Stan said. Or, more often, whatever Thumbs Hogan said. Sometimes people wouldn't come across with money they owed Stan. A laundry service or a gin mill or one time even a Lutheran preschool. Sometimes a deadbeat gambler needed a knuckle job. Sometimes people got too curious about Stan's business, and I was sent to convince certain parties to take up other hobbies. Variations on a theme solved any problem. Me and a gun. Me and a set of brass knuckles. Me and a baseball bat. Me."
Charlie's troubles begin one morning while driving around with Rollo Kramer's headless corpse in his trunk. He has completed the assassination he was hired to do, but how can he prove the victim's identification without a head?
The plot from here is hard to explain, although not terribly complicated. Suffice to say within the next day, Charlie kills four cops, comes into possession of a set of cooked books that everybody wants, and steps into the middle of a turf war between his boss Stan and the Miami kingpin Beggar Johnson…
From there it just gets worse. Charlie finds himself navigating a rogue's gallery of miscreant FBI agents; the sexy widow Marcie; a crooked cop on the take; the punk band Spanklicious; Benny the turncoat; and the three murderous Minnelli brothers Teddy, Eddie, and Freddy…
This high-octane crime thriller is a mix of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiassen with a splash of Joe R. Lansdale at the end. It features an absurdly high body count.
Nominated for an Edgar Award under its original title Gun Monkeys.
4.5 stars
November 10, 2012
Nota ecologica: per scrivere questo libro non è stato abbattuto neppure un albero poiché è stato utilizzato esclusivamente materiale riciclato al 100%
Ingredienti: 45% di Tarantino, 25% di Lansdale, 15% di Elmore Leonard, 15% aromi vari…
Trama: pleonastica, non ce n’è bisogno, giacché non mi si venga a parlare di trama quando i vari capitoli sono scanditi da: strage in un bar, strage in uno chalet, strage in un appartamento, strage in un motel e chissà quante altre me ne dimentico.
Il protagonista comincia il tour de force “imboccando la Florida Turnpike con il cadavere decapitato di Rollo Kramer nel bagagliaio della Chrysler…” e maledicendo il complice scemo, e lo finisce accanto alla bionda “adagiata su una sdraio sul bordo della piscina di un hotel di lusso che sorseggia un drink con l’ombrellino leggendo una rivista d’arte”.
Credo che rappresenti il record di luoghi comuni all’interno di un paio di frasi.
Dice: e il ritmo? Certo che in un libro di questo genere, tarato sugli stilemi del pulp estremo, il ritmo è essenziale, sparato a 200 all’ora, inarrestabile, coinvolge anche gli scettici come me fino all’ultima riga…e ci mancherebbe.
Un altro atout del romanzo (romanzo?!) è l’aver scelto come protagonista e io narrante, nelle cui gesta e pensieri il lettore va quindi inevitabilmente ad identificarsi, un abile killer della cosca di Orlando (Florida): diventa quindi lecito trascurare ogni senso morale nelle vicende che si susseguono in questo videogame “picchia e spara”, liquidando così l’imbarazzo che a volte coglie gli autori che pongono un tutore della legge al centro del plot.
Charlie Swift, il Sarto, può quindi accoppare a ripetizione uomini, donne, armati o disarmati, e quant’altro si muova dalla parte della cosca dei cattivi senza essere tenuto (né lui né Gischler) a fornire alibi morali di sorta. Unico faro nella coscienza di Charlie è la fedeltà al boss, in linea con le tipiche regole mafiose. E non si pensi che il boss abbia l’autorevolezza di un Don Corleone perché si tratta di un tizio che alla fine è talmente fuori di testa da confondere Charlie con un tale morto da anni…
Ingredienti: 45% di Tarantino, 25% di Lansdale, 15% di Elmore Leonard, 15% aromi vari…
Trama: pleonastica, non ce n’è bisogno, giacché non mi si venga a parlare di trama quando i vari capitoli sono scanditi da: strage in un bar, strage in uno chalet, strage in un appartamento, strage in un motel e chissà quante altre me ne dimentico.
Il protagonista comincia il tour de force “imboccando la Florida Turnpike con il cadavere decapitato di Rollo Kramer nel bagagliaio della Chrysler…” e maledicendo il complice scemo, e lo finisce accanto alla bionda “adagiata su una sdraio sul bordo della piscina di un hotel di lusso che sorseggia un drink con l’ombrellino leggendo una rivista d’arte”.
Credo che rappresenti il record di luoghi comuni all’interno di un paio di frasi.
Dice: e il ritmo? Certo che in un libro di questo genere, tarato sugli stilemi del pulp estremo, il ritmo è essenziale, sparato a 200 all’ora, inarrestabile, coinvolge anche gli scettici come me fino all’ultima riga…e ci mancherebbe.
Un altro atout del romanzo (romanzo?!) è l’aver scelto come protagonista e io narrante, nelle cui gesta e pensieri il lettore va quindi inevitabilmente ad identificarsi, un abile killer della cosca di Orlando (Florida): diventa quindi lecito trascurare ogni senso morale nelle vicende che si susseguono in questo videogame “picchia e spara”, liquidando così l’imbarazzo che a volte coglie gli autori che pongono un tutore della legge al centro del plot.
Charlie Swift, il Sarto, può quindi accoppare a ripetizione uomini, donne, armati o disarmati, e quant’altro si muova dalla parte della cosca dei cattivi senza essere tenuto (né lui né Gischler) a fornire alibi morali di sorta. Unico faro nella coscienza di Charlie è la fedeltà al boss, in linea con le tipiche regole mafiose. E non si pensi che il boss abbia l’autorevolezza di un Don Corleone perché si tratta di un tizio che alla fine è talmente fuori di testa da confondere Charlie con un tale morto da anni…
July 5, 2016
I was excited for this one, having heard it’s one of the contemporary noir standouts. And the premise is good, if tangled: Charlie Swift is the ace muscle for an aging organized crime boss in Orlando, Florida. Heavies from Miami, the feds, and corrupt feds are all after the operation, and Charlie has to go out on his own to make everything right.
The good news is that this is one long adrenaline rush. It’s the hardboiled equivalent of the movie Speed where nothing ever stops. Or, if you prefer, it’s a modern day Fast One, Paul Cain’s 1932 supercharged parody of the genre. Charlie never stops going, never takes a break even after he’s shot a third time and finds himself depending on serious pain pills.
Gischler writes with a nice, sustained aggression, and things never bog down. It’s a full-length novel, but you might still read it one sitting – it’s that gung ho.
At the same time, though, this is so cartoonishly violent that it loses the thoughtful edge I prize in the best of the genre. This is fun – sadistic, malicious fun – but in never slowing down it also never allows much substance to rise to the surface. Charlies kills because, well, he’s a killer. And he’s loyal. And he worries about his mother and his kid brother, but there’s never much examination of why. He’s a “gun monkey” trained to do his one job, and he keeps firing until he’s finished. Others are with him or against him, and their motives are as opaque as his.
Gischler also has a nice capacity for keeping things going. Like his protagonist (but with words instead of instruments of violence) he’s a pro, someone who has the capacity to keep it all going. You can find a lot of quick descriptions that do the job efficiently and cleverly, and you can learn some useful things about writing in the genre by paying attention to how he does it all here.
In the end, there may not be much depth here, but the flash is fast and fun. You could do worse.
The good news is that this is one long adrenaline rush. It’s the hardboiled equivalent of the movie Speed where nothing ever stops. Or, if you prefer, it’s a modern day Fast One, Paul Cain’s 1932 supercharged parody of the genre. Charlie never stops going, never takes a break even after he’s shot a third time and finds himself depending on serious pain pills.
Gischler writes with a nice, sustained aggression, and things never bog down. It’s a full-length novel, but you might still read it one sitting – it’s that gung ho.
At the same time, though, this is so cartoonishly violent that it loses the thoughtful edge I prize in the best of the genre. This is fun – sadistic, malicious fun – but in never slowing down it also never allows much substance to rise to the surface. Charlies kills because, well, he’s a killer. And he’s loyal. And he worries about his mother and his kid brother, but there’s never much examination of why. He’s a “gun monkey” trained to do his one job, and he keeps firing until he’s finished. Others are with him or against him, and their motives are as opaque as his.
Gischler also has a nice capacity for keeping things going. Like his protagonist (but with words instead of instruments of violence) he’s a pro, someone who has the capacity to keep it all going. You can find a lot of quick descriptions that do the job efficiently and cleverly, and you can learn some useful things about writing in the genre by paying attention to how he does it all here.
In the end, there may not be much depth here, but the flash is fast and fun. You could do worse.
August 26, 2008
A Trifecta of Bullets, Blood, and Sex
Charlie Swift is a hit man for the mob, an unrepentant career criminal who views his grisly vocation with detached practicality. As a former Army Ranger, killing is simply what he was trained to do. And killing is what he does, stacking up the corpes across central Florida's seamiest strip malls and strip joints as he tries to extract himself from a rival gang's setup, dodging some less-than-scrupulous G-men while trying to find his gangster boss gone missing.
Author Victor Gischler is the real deal; a hip and refreshing 21st Century twist on pulp fiction from the glory days of Hammett, Thompson, Chandler, and Block. While you'll see glimpses of Carl Hiaasen, Dennis Lehane, or Charlie Huston in his writing, Gischler's style is all his own. His cynical brand of black humor rolls unforced across the pages - an easy banter from a world where Kansas is "elevator music with grass" and people can be as dumb as a "bag of door knobs." His abominable menagerie of players - a hierarchy of thugs and mobsters, killers and con men - put in another day at the office with guns blazing and knives slicing - but Gischler offers neither apology nor passes moral judgment. He writes not to preach, simply to entertain. And if you prefer your entertainment hard-boiled, irreverent, brutal, and witty, "Gun Monkeys" sets a new standard for crime fiction. Kick back with this decidedly unPuzo-like saga of life within organized crime, and I can almost guarantee you'll be back for more Gischler in "Suicide Squeeze" and "The Pistol Poets."
Charlie Swift is a hit man for the mob, an unrepentant career criminal who views his grisly vocation with detached practicality. As a former Army Ranger, killing is simply what he was trained to do. And killing is what he does, stacking up the corpes across central Florida's seamiest strip malls and strip joints as he tries to extract himself from a rival gang's setup, dodging some less-than-scrupulous G-men while trying to find his gangster boss gone missing.
Author Victor Gischler is the real deal; a hip and refreshing 21st Century twist on pulp fiction from the glory days of Hammett, Thompson, Chandler, and Block. While you'll see glimpses of Carl Hiaasen, Dennis Lehane, or Charlie Huston in his writing, Gischler's style is all his own. His cynical brand of black humor rolls unforced across the pages - an easy banter from a world where Kansas is "elevator music with grass" and people can be as dumb as a "bag of door knobs." His abominable menagerie of players - a hierarchy of thugs and mobsters, killers and con men - put in another day at the office with guns blazing and knives slicing - but Gischler offers neither apology nor passes moral judgment. He writes not to preach, simply to entertain. And if you prefer your entertainment hard-boiled, irreverent, brutal, and witty, "Gun Monkeys" sets a new standard for crime fiction. Kick back with this decidedly unPuzo-like saga of life within organized crime, and I can almost guarantee you'll be back for more Gischler in "Suicide Squeeze" and "The Pistol Poets."
September 9, 2013
There's a handful of writers doing this crazy-ass action/crime/dark comedy genre these days, but honestly, no one does it better than Gischler. GUN MONKEYS would be my fourth or fifth read from him and he hasn't let me down yet.
The protagonist in this one, Charlie Swift, is an enforcer for Stan, an aging and increasingly dotty old crime boss slowly losing his grip on his criminal empire. When some outsiders move in to take over the rackets, Stan disappears and Charlie finds himself alone (well, almost) trying to stay one step ahead of the game. GUN MONKEYS is plot-heavy, with Charlie careening around like mad in his search for Stan, his attempt to avoid the bad guys on his tail, and his effort to save the lives of the people he cares about. There's lots of action, with gun fights and fist fights a-plenty, and Gischler really puts our hero through the ringer.
Like another Gischler novel, THE DEPUTY, I kept thinking while reading that this would make an awesome movie. It has all the right beats, terrific pacing, steadily increasing tension, and some great laughs. Terrific stuff.
The protagonist in this one, Charlie Swift, is an enforcer for Stan, an aging and increasingly dotty old crime boss slowly losing his grip on his criminal empire. When some outsiders move in to take over the rackets, Stan disappears and Charlie finds himself alone (well, almost) trying to stay one step ahead of the game. GUN MONKEYS is plot-heavy, with Charlie careening around like mad in his search for Stan, his attempt to avoid the bad guys on his tail, and his effort to save the lives of the people he cares about. There's lots of action, with gun fights and fist fights a-plenty, and Gischler really puts our hero through the ringer.
Like another Gischler novel, THE DEPUTY, I kept thinking while reading that this would make an awesome movie. It has all the right beats, terrific pacing, steadily increasing tension, and some great laughs. Terrific stuff.
November 27, 2023
Complessivo 2.5 ⭐️
Di rado assegno punteggi così bassi a un libro, ma in questo caso sarebbe disonesto da parte mia non farlo.
Avevo scelto di recensirlo perché aveva tutte le premesse per piacermi: un thriller a tinte scure.
Già da subito mi è sembrato una miscela di atmosfere tra Pulp Fiction e Billy Summers.
Peccato che non abbia, per me, nessuno dei meriti delle succitate opere.
Punti a favore:
. sintassi grammaticale e mancanza di refusi
. ritmo veloce.
Punti a sfavore:
. Narrazione in prima persona che, la maggior parte del tempo, mi è sembrata solo un elenco di azioni: "faccio questo, prendo questo ecc"
. Personaggi ai quali è impossibile affezionarsi per me e che, soprattutto, non fanno alcun percorso di crescita né tantomeno di redenzione. Nemmeno blanda e con la sensazione arrivata, invece, che sia "giusto", che le azioni finali siano sufficienti a far meritare una redenzione. Tuttavia non è questo il caso.
. Susseguirsi di scene di sparatorie e simili, e il protagonista che riesce a rimanere attivo e vittorioso in modi poco verosimili, nonostante innumerevoli ferite di ogni genere.
Okay per la sospensione dell'incredulità, ma si è un pochino esagerato.
Rambo in confronto è un dilettante.
Insomma, ho faticato tantissimo per arrivare alla fine, al punto di tirare un sospiro di sollievo arrivata all'ultima riga e senza che la storia mi abbia regalato la benché minima emozione.
Come sempre, però, questa è una mia personale impressione sul romanzo e, quindi, è sempre giusto che vi facciate una vostra opinione che può anche essere diversa dalla mia.
Ringrazio comunque per la copia ARC ricevuta dall'editore.
Di rado assegno punteggi così bassi a un libro, ma in questo caso sarebbe disonesto da parte mia non farlo.
Avevo scelto di recensirlo perché aveva tutte le premesse per piacermi: un thriller a tinte scure.
Già da subito mi è sembrato una miscela di atmosfere tra Pulp Fiction e Billy Summers.
Peccato che non abbia, per me, nessuno dei meriti delle succitate opere.
Punti a favore:
. sintassi grammaticale e mancanza di refusi
. ritmo veloce.
Punti a sfavore:
. Narrazione in prima persona che, la maggior parte del tempo, mi è sembrata solo un elenco di azioni: "faccio questo, prendo questo ecc"
. Personaggi ai quali è impossibile affezionarsi per me e che, soprattutto, non fanno alcun percorso di crescita né tantomeno di redenzione. Nemmeno blanda e con la sensazione arrivata, invece, che sia "giusto", che le azioni finali siano sufficienti a far meritare una redenzione. Tuttavia non è questo il caso.
. Susseguirsi di scene di sparatorie e simili, e il protagonista che riesce a rimanere attivo e vittorioso in modi poco verosimili, nonostante innumerevoli ferite di ogni genere.
Okay per la sospensione dell'incredulità, ma si è un pochino esagerato.
Rambo in confronto è un dilettante.
Insomma, ho faticato tantissimo per arrivare alla fine, al punto di tirare un sospiro di sollievo arrivata all'ultima riga e senza che la storia mi abbia regalato la benché minima emozione.
Come sempre, però, questa è una mia personale impressione sul romanzo e, quindi, è sempre giusto che vi facciate una vostra opinione che può anche essere diversa dalla mia.
Ringrazio comunque per la copia ARC ricevuta dall'editore.
March 25, 2024
There is a new movie on Amazon Prime featuring a very handsome Pierce Brosnan as Charlie Swift - the main character; the movie is loosely based on the book.
I did enjoy the movie and I did enjoy the audio book narrated by a guy with a husky voice.
Both stories are very different though. I am not sure which one I liked the most. I do like the name of the book and for obvious reasons I love the main character's name, too.
I did enjoy the movie and I did enjoy the audio book narrated by a guy with a husky voice.
Both stories are very different though. I am not sure which one I liked the most. I do like the name of the book and for obvious reasons I love the main character's name, too.
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