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Copout
He’s such a good detective he solves cases in his sleep.
Donovan Stone loves three movies, police work, and his best friend Jessica. But his abrasive attitude gets him fired from the force. And Jessica’s keeping him at arm’s length. And his movie posters are gathering dust. But in his dreams Stone processes the clues, and they’re coming together. Can he get anyone to listen to him before the terrorists strike again?
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Reviewers on Amazon
“A great read if you want punchy, hard-boiled dialogue and loads of action.”
“The writing is very, very good.”
“I really enjoyed this book, with its mix of the dire reality of everyday life and the escapism of the dream world.”
“If you're looking for a book that is pure entertainment, then ‘Copout’ by Bart Cline is probably what you need.”
“I especially love Bart’s comfortable, yet sophisticated, use of language.”
“The humour had me reading most of this book with a wry smile on my face.”
“It’s a book that can be talked about and contemplated. Well done!”
“The language and descriptions of dreams that occur in different time periods are no less than brilliant.”
“The imagery created by the writer is filmic - you can see the pictures clearly in your mind as you read the words.”
“Well written and engaging with a great ending!”
“I love the concept in general and the angle the author tells the story from.”
“You'll love this book as you and our hero try to separate fact from fantasy.”
“Nice story line with a very acceptable ending.”
“The author keeps the reader on edge with the varying dream sequences.”
“There’s something in this book for everyone!”
“I’d recommend this book to lovers of detective fiction and sort of mind-thrillers, definitely.”
“If you feel like reading something with a fresh touch and a bit of action, you should read this one.”
“If for nothing more than just to enjoy his genius prose, I recommend this book.”
“Lousy.” (Well, they can’t all be gems!)
------------
Devastated after being fired from the force following a violent crime, he is unable to officially investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice. Spiralling into dejection, Donovan’s life could be considered no more successful or happy than a train wreck. His only hope is the affection of a woman, who also happens to be his best friend, and who does not want to engage in a romance with him.
But each night, Donovan’s dreams grant him a release—living out fantasised versions of the movies he so enjoys, while gaining insights into the crime—and solace, enjoying the good things that reality denies him. There he’s successful, happy, and free, until his world of dreams crosses over into his reality with deadly consequences. Can he fight his way back from the brink of oblivion, save the life of the woman he is in love with (and who is not in love with him), and stop the terrorists—and will it be worth his while?
Dreams, classic movie genres, and reality meet in a dangerous cocktail.
Donovan Stone loves three movies, police work, and his best friend Jessica. But his abrasive attitude gets him fired from the force. And Jessica’s keeping him at arm’s length. And his movie posters are gathering dust. But in his dreams Stone processes the clues, and they’re coming together. Can he get anyone to listen to him before the terrorists strike again?
------------
Reviewers on Amazon
“A great read if you want punchy, hard-boiled dialogue and loads of action.”
“The writing is very, very good.”
“I really enjoyed this book, with its mix of the dire reality of everyday life and the escapism of the dream world.”
“If you're looking for a book that is pure entertainment, then ‘Copout’ by Bart Cline is probably what you need.”
“I especially love Bart’s comfortable, yet sophisticated, use of language.”
“The humour had me reading most of this book with a wry smile on my face.”
“It’s a book that can be talked about and contemplated. Well done!”
“The language and descriptions of dreams that occur in different time periods are no less than brilliant.”
“The imagery created by the writer is filmic - you can see the pictures clearly in your mind as you read the words.”
“Well written and engaging with a great ending!”
“I love the concept in general and the angle the author tells the story from.”
“You'll love this book as you and our hero try to separate fact from fantasy.”
“Nice story line with a very acceptable ending.”
“The author keeps the reader on edge with the varying dream sequences.”
“There’s something in this book for everyone!”
“I’d recommend this book to lovers of detective fiction and sort of mind-thrillers, definitely.”
“If you feel like reading something with a fresh touch and a bit of action, you should read this one.”
“If for nothing more than just to enjoy his genius prose, I recommend this book.”
“Lousy.” (Well, they can’t all be gems!)
------------
Devastated after being fired from the force following a violent crime, he is unable to officially investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice. Spiralling into dejection, Donovan’s life could be considered no more successful or happy than a train wreck. His only hope is the affection of a woman, who also happens to be his best friend, and who does not want to engage in a romance with him.
But each night, Donovan’s dreams grant him a release—living out fantasised versions of the movies he so enjoys, while gaining insights into the crime—and solace, enjoying the good things that reality denies him. There he’s successful, happy, and free, until his world of dreams crosses over into his reality with deadly consequences. Can he fight his way back from the brink of oblivion, save the life of the woman he is in love with (and who is not in love with him), and stop the terrorists—and will it be worth his while?
Dreams, classic movie genres, and reality meet in a dangerous cocktail.
ebook
First published May 16, 2013
5 people are currently reading
626 people want to read
About the author
Bart Cline
13 books37 followersBart Cline was born in California, USA.
After finishing school he studied film making before abruptly leaving the country to travel. His experiences on the road form the basis for many scenes from his first novel, Wanderlove.
Instead of returning to the USA as he had planned, he stayed in Europe for another year, and then another, before marrying and settling in northern England. Always restless, short careers in publishing, graphics, and IT kept bread on the table.
When his wife passed away due to cancer, he re-thought his life and turned to writing as a career.
Mr Cline has two children and is remarried.
Copout, Mr Cline’s 2013 novel, is a thought-provoking police thriller about a detective who works out the clues to his cases in his dreams.
His newest book, Send Him Victorious, is an amazing epic thriller about what would happen if today’s kings and queens ruled with absolute authority as in the past. How would it affect his or her family, country, and the world? Buy and read to find out!
After finishing school he studied film making before abruptly leaving the country to travel. His experiences on the road form the basis for many scenes from his first novel, Wanderlove.
Instead of returning to the USA as he had planned, he stayed in Europe for another year, and then another, before marrying and settling in northern England. Always restless, short careers in publishing, graphics, and IT kept bread on the table.
When his wife passed away due to cancer, he re-thought his life and turned to writing as a career.
Mr Cline has two children and is remarried.
Copout, Mr Cline’s 2013 novel, is a thought-provoking police thriller about a detective who works out the clues to his cases in his dreams.
His newest book, Send Him Victorious, is an amazing epic thriller about what would happen if today’s kings and queens ruled with absolute authority as in the past. How would it affect his or her family, country, and the world? Buy and read to find out!
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 1, 2024
Well done Bart Cline. Lots of influences oozing through to create a smorgasbord of interconnecting narratives. Punchy and well worth checking out for a wonderful odessy in time and space.
October 24, 2013
Rating: 3.5 /5
Donovan Stone is a police officer who after a violent attack is fired from the force. Now unemployed he has to find a way to catch the people behind the violence and prevent a new attack. While his friend Jessica tells him to move forward and find a new job, his dreams will show him the life he doesn’t have.
Copout is a story about how dreams can be an escape for a reality we don’t like. It shows how the answers can be clearer once we are asleep and how reality and imagination can collapse with serious consequences.
Is a book with some original aspects, for example I love the fact that it has two types of narration. When Donovan is asleep and dreaming we read from his point of view, first person, but when we are reading about the “reality” the author chose to write in second person. He refers to the character as "you" and he seems to narrate the story to him instead of us. I really like this aspect because it was different and really enjoyable.
Another good thing is how reality and dreams take turns, you have a chapter for one and then a chapter for the other. The dreams could be read as stories on their own, each one is different and they take aspect of Donovan’s life to create a new world.
However, I would have like to see more action in the real world, you have your doses in dreamland but it's not the same. And the "romance" seems kind of forced. Maybe because romance is no the main point of the story but for what you can see in his subconscious, love is the fuel to his actions.
The story has medium doses of action, a solid plot, good writing and a light romance. It also has touches of fantasy that could have been more developed.
If you feel like reading something with a fresh touch and a bit of action, you should read this one.
*** I received a copy from the author in exchange of an honest review. ***
Donovan Stone is a police officer who after a violent attack is fired from the force. Now unemployed he has to find a way to catch the people behind the violence and prevent a new attack. While his friend Jessica tells him to move forward and find a new job, his dreams will show him the life he doesn’t have.
Copout is a story about how dreams can be an escape for a reality we don’t like. It shows how the answers can be clearer once we are asleep and how reality and imagination can collapse with serious consequences.
Is a book with some original aspects, for example I love the fact that it has two types of narration. When Donovan is asleep and dreaming we read from his point of view, first person, but when we are reading about the “reality” the author chose to write in second person. He refers to the character as "you" and he seems to narrate the story to him instead of us. I really like this aspect because it was different and really enjoyable.
Another good thing is how reality and dreams take turns, you have a chapter for one and then a chapter for the other. The dreams could be read as stories on their own, each one is different and they take aspect of Donovan’s life to create a new world.
However, I would have like to see more action in the real world, you have your doses in dreamland but it's not the same. And the "romance" seems kind of forced. Maybe because romance is no the main point of the story but for what you can see in his subconscious, love is the fuel to his actions.
The story has medium doses of action, a solid plot, good writing and a light romance. It also has touches of fantasy that could have been more developed.
If you feel like reading something with a fresh touch and a bit of action, you should read this one.
*** I received a copy from the author in exchange of an honest review. ***
October 7, 2013
This book is a little on the sci-fi side but it is done very well. Every chapter jumps between the present (which I believe is set in the future) and Donovan's dreams. I really enjoyed the way the dream sequences were done because they mimicked parts of his life but they took place in the plots/settings of some of Don's favorite movies. The characters in Don's real life continually made appearances in his dreams which was very believable. The author also showed that dreams are a way of our mind working out problems subconsciously which I thought was very cool and a nod to my good ole' profession of psychology.
I enjoyed the main story and seeing Don's trial and tribulations play out in his dreams, but I had a very hard time with the ending. I felt like it just stopped and the author gave up. Some people would interpret this as "the reader choosing the ending they want" but I don't feel like it even got that far. There was no wrap up, the story just ended. It didn't even have enough info for the reader to choose a viable ending.
I enjoyed the format of this book the most because it felt like a lot of short stories. The main character was enjoyable and easy to relate to. There were some issues with mistakes and copy editing but they didn't detract from the story. I'd say overall, reading this book was a positive experience and I'm glad I gave this author another chance.
p. 176
I enjoyed the main story and seeing Don's trial and tribulations play out in his dreams, but I had a very hard time with the ending. I felt like it just stopped and the author gave up. Some people would interpret this as "the reader choosing the ending they want" but I don't feel like it even got that far. There was no wrap up, the story just ended. It didn't even have enough info for the reader to choose a viable ending.
I enjoyed the format of this book the most because it felt like a lot of short stories. The main character was enjoyable and easy to relate to. There were some issues with mistakes and copy editing but they didn't detract from the story. I'd say overall, reading this book was a positive experience and I'm glad I gave this author another chance.
p. 176
May 8, 2025
This book is unconventional yet executed remarkably well. Each chapter alternates between the present and Donovan's dreams. The book offers an intriguing blend of the harsh reality of daily life and the escapism provided in the dream world. Initially, the two appeared entirely disconnected, but as the story unfolded, it became evident that the dreams were instrumental in enabling the detective to solve the central crime running through the real-life storyline.
The format of this book was particularly enjoyable, as it resembled a collection of short stories. The main character was engaging and highly relatable.
The format of this book was particularly enjoyable, as it resembled a collection of short stories. The main character was engaging and highly relatable.
October 28, 2013
First of all I'd like to thank Goodreads and Bart Cline for this book, as I got it through a goodreads give away.
I really enjoyed this book. It has a very unique format with alternating narration in the first person, then the second person (very unusual), with one chapter taking place whilst the protagonist, Donovan Stone, lives in his dream world whilst sleeping, the next chapter while Donovan lives his real life.
There is imagination galore which really speaks for Bart Cline's ability. The sleep chapters take place in different places, in different times with different chracters, although names from Donovan Stone's real life, make an appearance, albeit somewhat changed at times, in the sleep world.
Bart has taken great care to get the language used in the sleep chapters befitting the time they are set in. i.e. a chapter set in King Arthur's time is written in the style one would expect people to have spoken to each other in those days.
It really keeps the book interesting.
I found myself wanting the character to go to sleep so I would get the next exciting chapter of his dream world, then wanted him to wake up and use the knowledge gained in his real life.
Donovan Stone is a cop with major issues on all fronts. He is trying to solve a crime and most of his clues he gets through his dream world. In his sleep his life goes a lot better and in the end he is faced with having to decide to stay in one world or the other.
Well thought out.
The reason the last star is missing is because I would have liked the last chapter a bit more fleshed out and some parts of the story didn't feel quite finished.
But that of course leaves the door wide open to Donovan Stone in book 2 learning to manipulate his abilties to gather info in his dreams in order to become an even better cop and solve this crime and others. I can see a series starting with this beginning. With Jessica taking a more active role in his life, Donovan's rudeness might dissipate a little and he could become a more effective and likable to his bosses and co-workers. His desperate need for the sleep world now taken care of, he could just use it for to gain access to the truth albeit in the riddels his dreams present themselves.
A very enjoyable read which I had trouble putting down.
I really enjoyed this book. It has a very unique format with alternating narration in the first person, then the second person (very unusual), with one chapter taking place whilst the protagonist, Donovan Stone, lives in his dream world whilst sleeping, the next chapter while Donovan lives his real life.
There is imagination galore which really speaks for Bart Cline's ability. The sleep chapters take place in different places, in different times with different chracters, although names from Donovan Stone's real life, make an appearance, albeit somewhat changed at times, in the sleep world.
Bart has taken great care to get the language used in the sleep chapters befitting the time they are set in. i.e. a chapter set in King Arthur's time is written in the style one would expect people to have spoken to each other in those days.
It really keeps the book interesting.
I found myself wanting the character to go to sleep so I would get the next exciting chapter of his dream world, then wanted him to wake up and use the knowledge gained in his real life.
Donovan Stone is a cop with major issues on all fronts. He is trying to solve a crime and most of his clues he gets through his dream world. In his sleep his life goes a lot better and in the end he is faced with having to decide to stay in one world or the other.
Well thought out.
The reason the last star is missing is because I would have liked the last chapter a bit more fleshed out and some parts of the story didn't feel quite finished.
But that of course leaves the door wide open to Donovan Stone in book 2 learning to manipulate his abilties to gather info in his dreams in order to become an even better cop and solve this crime and others. I can see a series starting with this beginning. With Jessica taking a more active role in his life, Donovan's rudeness might dissipate a little and he could become a more effective and likable to his bosses and co-workers. His desperate need for the sleep world now taken care of, he could just use it for to gain access to the truth albeit in the riddels his dreams present themselves.
A very enjoyable read which I had trouble putting down.
November 18, 2013
Copout. What's real and what's only a dream.
Cline writes a crime novel that goes beyond the bounds of good detective work and into the realm of sleep. The book is well-written. He language and descriptions of dreams that occur in different time periods are no less than brilliant. He has the language, sets the moods and describes the characters so well that you would think the vignettes were actually written in that time period.
Donovan Stone is a police officer trying to solve a crime, but his arrogance and his antics get him in so much trouble with within his department, he's kicked off the assignment and the force. But that doesn't stop him or his dreams. The book goes back and forth from reality to Stone's dreams, that are seemingly helping him solve the crime. An interesting concept, however, the back and forth of the chapters seemed disjointed and, in this reader's opinion, did not help to move the story forward. Until the last dream, there appeared to be no connection, other than for the participants, of the dream to the crime. Transitions, and continuity of this could have been better.
I would certainly read more of Cline's wonderful writing and, if nothing more than just to enjoy his genius prose, I recommend reading this book to others.
Cline writes a crime novel that goes beyond the bounds of good detective work and into the realm of sleep. The book is well-written. He language and descriptions of dreams that occur in different time periods are no less than brilliant. He has the language, sets the moods and describes the characters so well that you would think the vignettes were actually written in that time period.
Donovan Stone is a police officer trying to solve a crime, but his arrogance and his antics get him in so much trouble with within his department, he's kicked off the assignment and the force. But that doesn't stop him or his dreams. The book goes back and forth from reality to Stone's dreams, that are seemingly helping him solve the crime. An interesting concept, however, the back and forth of the chapters seemed disjointed and, in this reader's opinion, did not help to move the story forward. Until the last dream, there appeared to be no connection, other than for the participants, of the dream to the crime. Transitions, and continuity of this could have been better.
I would certainly read more of Cline's wonderful writing and, if nothing more than just to enjoy his genius prose, I recommend reading this book to others.
October 16, 2016
I received a copy of this book for free through a giveaway at Goodreads.com.
If you're looking for a book that is pure entertainment, then "Copout" by Bart Cline is probably what you need. There's the main story featuring main character Donovan Stone, and then, intertwined, you have Donovan's dreams - which feel like short stories in a way, but are so thoroughly connected to the main story that the flow is completely natural (though I haven't read anything like this before).
I don't really watch TV or movies, so I probably missed out on a lot of the movie references. I don't think that mattered at all.
The writing is very, very good. The humour had me reading most of this book with a wry smile on my face. Pinning down to one genre is tough, so let's just say there's something in this book for everyone!
If you're looking for a book that is pure entertainment, then "Copout" by Bart Cline is probably what you need. There's the main story featuring main character Donovan Stone, and then, intertwined, you have Donovan's dreams - which feel like short stories in a way, but are so thoroughly connected to the main story that the flow is completely natural (though I haven't read anything like this before).
I don't really watch TV or movies, so I probably missed out on a lot of the movie references. I don't think that mattered at all.
The writing is very, very good. The humour had me reading most of this book with a wry smile on my face. Pinning down to one genre is tough, so let's just say there's something in this book for everyone!
September 20, 2014
Glad this was free. Not one I'd buy for sure. About a 2 1/2 out of 5. Very little cohesion.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews