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Jason Dekker #1
Calvin's Head
Life in Amsterdam isn’t all windmills and tulips when you’re homeless. Jason Dekker lives in a jeep with his dog, Calvin, on the outskirts of the city. A thesis on Van Gogh brought him to the Netherlands, and the love of Dutch artist Willy Hart convinced him to stay. But Willy is gone and Dekker is on the brink of a total meltdown. On a summer morning in the park, Calvin sniffs out the victim of a grisly murder. Dekker sees the opportunity for a risky strategy that might solve their problems. Unfortunately, it puts them directly in the sights of the calculating stone-cold killer, Gadget. Their paths are destined to collide, but nothing goes according to plan when they end up together in an attic sex-dungeon. Identities shift and events careen out of control, much to the bewilderment of one ever-watchful canine. Oscar Wilde wrote that each man kills the thing he loves. He didn’t mean it literally. Or did he?
240 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2014
3 people are currently reading
489 people want to read
About the author
David Swatling
4 books25 followersDavid Swatling grew up in rural New York, studied theater, and moved to Amsterdam in 1985. He produced arts and culture programs for Radio Netherlands and is three-time winner of the NLGJA Excellence in Journalism Award. Calvin's Head is his first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
October 4, 2015
“Calvin’s Head” is quite simply a stunning tale, well-told. It is full of twists and turns—and yes, wild improbabilities—but we keep believing, keep reading. And that is the mark of a true storyteller.
I couldn’t help rooting for main character, Jason Dekker, even at his most senseless when I wanted to grab him and shake him while screaming, “What the fuck is wrong with you, Dekker?”
The other man character Gadget, even when he seems most human, vibrates with a barely suppressed malevolence; we now this “friendship” cannot end well. Dekker, however, seems blind to this; his dog Calvin, however, is not. One of the most remarkable characters I’ve read I along time, is in fact, Calvin the snow white canine. Swatling renders him—and a foul-mouthed parrot named Bastard—with remarkable restraint, without ever forgetting he is a dog.
Restraint seems to be a big part of Swatling’s writing style. He never exposes his characters fully, instead revealing bits and pieces of their past quickly, vaguely, like a stranger revealed across a crowded dancefloor by occasional flashes of strobe.
The story is told from differing points of views and switches back and forth from a first person telling to a third person telling. It also dives in and out of the present and the past. All of this is done remarkably well and is not in the least jarring. A feat I know is difficult to pull off. I can see why this debut effort was a Lammy finalist.
In short, I highly recommend this out-of-the ordinary tale from a writer I will be watching.
I couldn’t help rooting for main character, Jason Dekker, even at his most senseless when I wanted to grab him and shake him while screaming, “What the fuck is wrong with you, Dekker?”
The other man character Gadget, even when he seems most human, vibrates with a barely suppressed malevolence; we now this “friendship” cannot end well. Dekker, however, seems blind to this; his dog Calvin, however, is not. One of the most remarkable characters I’ve read I along time, is in fact, Calvin the snow white canine. Swatling renders him—and a foul-mouthed parrot named Bastard—with remarkable restraint, without ever forgetting he is a dog.
Restraint seems to be a big part of Swatling’s writing style. He never exposes his characters fully, instead revealing bits and pieces of their past quickly, vaguely, like a stranger revealed across a crowded dancefloor by occasional flashes of strobe.
The story is told from differing points of views and switches back and forth from a first person telling to a third person telling. It also dives in and out of the present and the past. All of this is done remarkably well and is not in the least jarring. A feat I know is difficult to pull off. I can see why this debut effort was a Lammy finalist.
In short, I highly recommend this out-of-the ordinary tale from a writer I will be watching.
July 16, 2023
The ending! I didn't see that as an option?! But it puts a finality to the whole situation. Cause this all started with a mother and her son.
Their relationship... has me shook! Never have I ever wondered what it would be like to cozy up to a rattle snake. This here telling explores that sentiment.
A death. An inheritance. A trip to follow Van Gough path to death. Meeting a painter exploring his twilight. Being stranded in a foreign country. Then Calvin found a head. That's when it really gets surreal!
Their relationship... has me shook! Never have I ever wondered what it would be like to cozy up to a rattle snake. This here telling explores that sentiment.
A death. An inheritance. A trip to follow Van Gough path to death. Meeting a painter exploring his twilight. Being stranded in a foreign country. Then Calvin found a head. That's when it really gets surreal!
March 8, 2016
This was a three star story for me because I don't enjoy mysteries that provide the murderer's perspective. I prefer not to know who the murderer is until the end, but the narrator was excellent and deserves five stars, so I have settled on four stars.
This is also the first murder mystery that I have come across that tells the story from the perspective of a dog as well as the murderer and the main character. Jason Dekker lives a rather rough life on the streets of Amsterdam. He lost his home and his bearings when his partner died and he was left with the clothes on his back, his car and his faithful dog Calvin.
Things change when Calvin finds a human head floating in a plastic bag in a canal. The police are called and in the chaos Jason recognises the dead man. He also finds the dead man's door keys and sees this as his chance to change things.
And so he does as he assumes the dead man's identity and life but this new life brings him into the sights and path of the murderer and life then takes a weird turn for Dekker, Calvin and for the murderer Gadget.
I thought the audio narration was excellent. It really brought the characters to life and I could feel the very strangeness of the situation. I wouldn't describe this as a murder mystery. It is a story of suspense and unease especially because the reader gets to experience the thoughts and intentions of the murderer.
What makes this story both peculiar and special is Calvin the dog. We get to experience Calvin's perspective as he recognises the murderer and the threat he presents. As Jason recognises the danger and temptation Gadget presents the circumstances render him unable to find his way through to a solution. Jason is trapped in his new identity but somehow blunders his way into also trapping Gadget into a new identity and the two of them are then caught up in a sequence of events that leave the reader wondering whether Jason can extricate himself from the web he has created for himself and Gadget.
As the story progresses the reader begins to wonder whether there is a good guy in the story. It seems there is no black or white but only complex shades of grey.
I thought it was a good story once I got into it even though it is not my favourite kind of story. It was interesting and certainly unusual.
This is also the first murder mystery that I have come across that tells the story from the perspective of a dog as well as the murderer and the main character. Jason Dekker lives a rather rough life on the streets of Amsterdam. He lost his home and his bearings when his partner died and he was left with the clothes on his back, his car and his faithful dog Calvin.
Things change when Calvin finds a human head floating in a plastic bag in a canal. The police are called and in the chaos Jason recognises the dead man. He also finds the dead man's door keys and sees this as his chance to change things.
And so he does as he assumes the dead man's identity and life but this new life brings him into the sights and path of the murderer and life then takes a weird turn for Dekker, Calvin and for the murderer Gadget.
I thought the audio narration was excellent. It really brought the characters to life and I could feel the very strangeness of the situation. I wouldn't describe this as a murder mystery. It is a story of suspense and unease especially because the reader gets to experience the thoughts and intentions of the murderer.
What makes this story both peculiar and special is Calvin the dog. We get to experience Calvin's perspective as he recognises the murderer and the threat he presents. As Jason recognises the danger and temptation Gadget presents the circumstances render him unable to find his way through to a solution. Jason is trapped in his new identity but somehow blunders his way into also trapping Gadget into a new identity and the two of them are then caught up in a sequence of events that leave the reader wondering whether Jason can extricate himself from the web he has created for himself and Gadget.
As the story progresses the reader begins to wonder whether there is a good guy in the story. It seems there is no black or white but only complex shades of grey.
I thought it was a good story once I got into it even though it is not my favourite kind of story. It was interesting and certainly unusual.
probably-not-for-me
December 19, 2016probably not based on sample...
This book is a little bit out of my price comfort zone, so in order to buy it the sample would have to be kinda perfect.
- I fear that this book is too graphic in violence for me. Gosh, that opening scene O.o
- The writing is on the one hand really good and I could even already glimpse why it got a Lambda nomination. On the other hand, it might be a bit too creative for me.
- I'm not a dog person.
This book is a little bit out of my price comfort zone, so in order to buy it the sample would have to be kinda perfect.
- I fear that this book is too graphic in violence for me. Gosh, that opening scene O.o
- The writing is on the one hand really good and I could even already glimpse why it got a Lambda nomination. On the other hand, it might be a bit too creative for me.
- I'm not a dog person.
January 8, 2022
Dit boek speelt zich af in Amsterdam! Het is geschreven door een Amerikaanse schrijver die al jaren in Amsterdam woont. Het is mysterieus, grappig en spannend. De hoofdpersoon heeft altijd een trouwe viervoeter aan zijn zij en raakt verwikkeld in allerlei vreemde en nare situaties. Ik wilde niet stoppen met lezen (niet alleen omdat ik de schrijver ken). Ik ben heel benieuwd naar het tweede boek en ga dat ook zeker lezen wanneer het verschijnt. Een aanrader voor iedereen die van honden, spanning, Amsterdam en Van Gogh houdt!
March 24, 2019
As with several others I've listened to via the Audible Romance Package, this is NOT a capital-R Romance, no matter what Audible thinks. (The book doesn't label itself a Romance, so the fact that it isn't one doesn't impact my rating at all; even though I mostly review Romances here, I read extensively, especially in the mystery and SF/fantasy genres.)
I honestly don't even know where to start with this book. The set-up felt contrived: Wealthy and popular artist Willy Hart cares about long(-ish)-term lover Jason Dekker enough to buy him a car and to make sure he has a puppy to keep him company and console him after Willy dies of a terminal illness, but doesn't bother to, say, leave Dekker any money in his will or do anything to make sure he's taken care of financially? That doesn't make sense to me, at least not based on Willy's characterization in Dekker's memories and flashbacks.
The first time we got the POV of Calvin (the dog), I thought, "Hey, that's unique and clever. It gives us a feel for the dog as a character." By the twelfth time...I was over it. And speaking of Calvin, I could've totally lived without the details of his sex life, especially the graphic description of Dekker helping him get off with a giant stuffed animal.
Dekker gets less and less sympathetic as the story goes on. For someone who supposedly just turned 31, he doesn't act much like an adult, and his decisions are really poorly thought out at best and downright weird at worst. I don't have a lot of patience for learned helplessness, and that seems to be Dekker's default mode.
The interspersed porn stories—fiction within the already fictional novel—were essentially unrelated to the plot and didn't seem to serve any narrative or thematic purpose. Their inclusion is especially odd considering the rest of the book was comparatively non-explicit when it came to sex. I don't typically speculate on author intent, but this was so weird that I can't help wondering if someone told him (as the publisher in the book told Dekker-writing-as-Valentine) that he needed more explicit sex scenes in order to sell the manuscript. Or maybe he wanted to write more explicit sex but couldn't—due to editorial decree, his own discomfort, or some other impediment—make it between Dekker and Gadget? Certainly the Dekker/"Willy" relationship was problematic enough without the dubiously consensual sex being more graphic, so maybe that was the reason.
Anyway, the bottom line is that this so-called thriller didn't leave me on the edge of my seat; mainly, it left me shaking my head at Dekker and coming up with a thousand plans that were better than any of his.
Research nitpick: Carbon-monoxide poisoning leaves the victim's skin cherry red, not blue.
Audiobook note: The narrator was okay overall, but didn't do a great job with foreign pronunciation, and while I'm not familiar enough with Dutch-accented English to judge his performance there, his Scots accent was pretty sketchy.
Warnings: Bury Your Gays, Internalized Homophobia
I honestly don't even know where to start with this book. The set-up felt contrived: Wealthy and popular artist Willy Hart cares about long(-ish)-term lover Jason Dekker enough to buy him a car and to make sure he has a puppy to keep him company and console him after Willy dies of a terminal illness, but doesn't bother to, say, leave Dekker any money in his will or do anything to make sure he's taken care of financially? That doesn't make sense to me, at least not based on Willy's characterization in Dekker's memories and flashbacks.
The first time we got the POV of Calvin (the dog), I thought, "Hey, that's unique and clever. It gives us a feel for the dog as a character." By the twelfth time...I was over it. And speaking of Calvin, I could've totally lived without the details of his sex life, especially the graphic description of Dekker helping him get off with a giant stuffed animal.
Dekker gets less and less sympathetic as the story goes on. For someone who supposedly just turned 31, he doesn't act much like an adult, and his decisions are really poorly thought out at best and downright weird at worst. I don't have a lot of patience for learned helplessness, and that seems to be Dekker's default mode.
The interspersed porn stories—fiction within the already fictional novel—were essentially unrelated to the plot and didn't seem to serve any narrative or thematic purpose. Their inclusion is especially odd considering the rest of the book was comparatively non-explicit when it came to sex. I don't typically speculate on author intent, but this was so weird that I can't help wondering if someone told him (as the publisher in the book told Dekker-writing-as-Valentine) that he needed more explicit sex scenes in order to sell the manuscript. Or maybe he wanted to write more explicit sex but couldn't—due to editorial decree, his own discomfort, or some other impediment—make it between Dekker and Gadget? Certainly the Dekker/"Willy" relationship was problematic enough without the dubiously consensual sex being more graphic, so maybe that was the reason.
Anyway, the bottom line is that this so-called thriller didn't leave me on the edge of my seat; mainly, it left me shaking my head at Dekker and coming up with a thousand plans that were better than any of his.
Research nitpick: Carbon-monoxide poisoning leaves the victim's skin cherry red, not blue.
Audiobook note: The narrator was okay overall, but didn't do a great job with foreign pronunciation, and while I'm not familiar enough with Dutch-accented English to judge his performance there, his Scots accent was pretty sketchy.
Warnings: Bury Your Gays, Internalized Homophobia
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 1, 2014
I seem to be in the minority here - but I did not enjoy this book at all. The dog is pivotal to the story, but we do not need to know what the dog is thinking at the beginning of each chapter - totally pointless and annoying. The story had a good basic plot with twists along the way, but the characters were not believable to me, frankly it needed more plot depth and less sex. That way the author would have been able to give fuller backgrounds to both Dekker and "Gadget", and do justice to what is actually a serial killer story with great potential. (No spoilers here but I did enjoy the ending!).
August 21, 2024
first rate thriller
David Swatling spins a tale of murder and human frailty- and man’s best friend, a tale with more twists and turns than an Alpine road. Bravo.
David Swatling spins a tale of murder and human frailty- and man’s best friend, a tale with more twists and turns than an Alpine road. Bravo.
August 28, 2014
Well, this book starts off with a bang, before tapering off to a much more manageable, pleasant pace. It’s told predominantly from the POV of down-on-his-luck Dekker, but also occasionally from that of psycho, Gadget, and the unusually smart dog, Calvin. Yes, the dog has his own POV. Calvin’s contributions feel a bit scattered and pointless for a while (He is a dog after all, how cognisant would you expect his POV to be?), but it really does contribute to the story and he’s incredibly important.
I did wonder why it never seemed to even occur to Dekker to return home to the States, as opposed to remain homeless in Amsterdam. (I imagine the embassy would help.) Seems it would have simplified his situation. I suspect this was supposed to be because he had been in Amsterdam so long he considered it home. But it’s never made clear exactly how long he’s been there or even how old he is, to approximate it based on how long ago he finished the thesis that brought him there in the first place, assuming he did at some point. This lack of age was only exacerbated when he gave Gadget the moniker, The Kid, while guessing he was in his early 20s. This inability to anchor the story in time bothered me, but not enough to put me off reading it.
I also think the interspersed Valentine stories felt gratuitous. I understand why they were included and what they were meant to be providing the book, but it mostly just felt like an easy plot device to add the little bit of extra sex that the plot appeared to be missing. Meh.
While the story had a fair-handed (if anti-climactic) ending, I wouldn’t necessarily call it a happy one. I appreciate this. One of my pet peeves is books that can’t bear to let stories end in realistic languishment. Granted, Dekker is on the upswing, but he’s still uncertain where to go from where is it. It feels much more real than if he’d found his sudden happily ever after. It’s a thriller after all, not a romance.
Final thoughts: this one had almost everything you could want…a little action, a little romance (of sorts, though I don’t think the word fits well), some feelz, an interesting setting or two, some art history, a cute dog (I’m a dog person, so this tickled me), a bad-bad man, a relatable nice-guy, good writing, etc. I’ll be looking for Mr. Swatling’s next book.
I did wonder why it never seemed to even occur to Dekker to return home to the States, as opposed to remain homeless in Amsterdam. (I imagine the embassy would help.) Seems it would have simplified his situation. I suspect this was supposed to be because he had been in Amsterdam so long he considered it home. But it’s never made clear exactly how long he’s been there or even how old he is, to approximate it based on how long ago he finished the thesis that brought him there in the first place, assuming he did at some point. This lack of age was only exacerbated when he gave Gadget the moniker, The Kid, while guessing he was in his early 20s. This inability to anchor the story in time bothered me, but not enough to put me off reading it.
I also think the interspersed Valentine stories felt gratuitous. I understand why they were included and what they were meant to be providing the book, but it mostly just felt like an easy plot device to add the little bit of extra sex that the plot appeared to be missing. Meh.
While the story had a fair-handed (if anti-climactic) ending, I wouldn’t necessarily call it a happy one. I appreciate this. One of my pet peeves is books that can’t bear to let stories end in realistic languishment. Granted, Dekker is on the upswing, but he’s still uncertain where to go from where is it. It feels much more real than if he’d found his sudden happily ever after. It’s a thriller after all, not a romance.
Final thoughts: this one had almost everything you could want…a little action, a little romance (of sorts, though I don’t think the word fits well), some feelz, an interesting setting or two, some art history, a cute dog (I’m a dog person, so this tickled me), a bad-bad man, a relatable nice-guy, good writing, etc. I’ll be looking for Mr. Swatling’s next book.
November 25, 2014
Calvin’s Head really brings to mind James Robert Baker’s Testosterone if you, well…turned it on its head. It’s an “in the moment” psychological thriller that thrusts you right into the middle of the insanity and avoids any lengthy backstories for the characters involved. There is indeed a head, there’s murder, there’s sexual tension, there’s manipulation, deception, and obsession in a gay relationship…plus, there’s a dog named Calvin!
As a dog lover, that last part really drew me in. Swatling gives us glimpses inside Calvin’s mind and touches upon his feelings about his daddy Dekker’s predicament in a very unique “dog” voice. Calvin plays a central role as down-and-out Dekker, in an effort to get them off the street, looks for a safe haven at the fricking scene of a crime.
Instead, Dekker and Calvin become targets of the very man who committed the vicious murder. And just when it seems that this is going to become a “psycho stalks unsuspecting gay man” story, shit gets crazy, sexual sparks fly, and everyone appears to be someone he’s not.
As tension builds, it becomes harder and harder to figure out who has the upper hand, and you’ll find yourself yelling at the book, “Just don’t hurt the fucking dog!” As if Calvin’s Head isn’t suspenseful enough as it is, that concern is guaranteed to keep you turning the pages.
As a dog lover, that last part really drew me in. Swatling gives us glimpses inside Calvin’s mind and touches upon his feelings about his daddy Dekker’s predicament in a very unique “dog” voice. Calvin plays a central role as down-and-out Dekker, in an effort to get them off the street, looks for a safe haven at the fricking scene of a crime.
Instead, Dekker and Calvin become targets of the very man who committed the vicious murder. And just when it seems that this is going to become a “psycho stalks unsuspecting gay man” story, shit gets crazy, sexual sparks fly, and everyone appears to be someone he’s not.
As tension builds, it becomes harder and harder to figure out who has the upper hand, and you’ll find yourself yelling at the book, “Just don’t hurt the fucking dog!” As if Calvin’s Head isn’t suspenseful enough as it is, that concern is guaranteed to keep you turning the pages.
November 22, 2014
I'll try to keep this brief so you're more inclined to finish reading it. [Wink]
This is the first time I've read this author and I enjoyed his style immensely. This suspenseful thriller is written in the 1st and 3rd person from 3 different sources; two male characters, and the third? A dog. Yes, I said a dog, and a rather intelligent one at that. But then, my experience has been that Retrievers lean toward the intellectual side anyway. But I digress and you probably want to finalize your decision on whether or not to make this purchase.
Anyway, I spent the last two-thirds of the book waiting and wondering, waiting and wondering; which kept me reading and reading, reading and reading. Did I encounter what I was eagerly awaiting? Well, that would just be too much of a spoiler now, wouldn't it. [Wink] You'll simply have to read it to find out just what in heck I'm talking about. Summary: I thoroughly enjoyed this, as I'm confident you will as well. [Smile]
This is the first time I've read this author and I enjoyed his style immensely. This suspenseful thriller is written in the 1st and 3rd person from 3 different sources; two male characters, and the third? A dog. Yes, I said a dog, and a rather intelligent one at that. But then, my experience has been that Retrievers lean toward the intellectual side anyway. But I digress and you probably want to finalize your decision on whether or not to make this purchase.
Anyway, I spent the last two-thirds of the book waiting and wondering, waiting and wondering; which kept me reading and reading, reading and reading. Did I encounter what I was eagerly awaiting? Well, that would just be too much of a spoiler now, wouldn't it. [Wink] You'll simply have to read it to find out just what in heck I'm talking about. Summary: I thoroughly enjoyed this, as I'm confident you will as well. [Smile]
November 25, 2020
I'm sorry, but this one was a miss for me. I might have overlooked the lack of "romance", but too many other things kept bothering me throughout the reading. The narration was very good, the story was decent, except for the constant repetitiveness of Calvin's thoughts (very annoying after a few chapters). The background on the MCs felt short, an area that should have been explored IMO. Also, I think the sexual content was more explicit and abundant on the dog's side than with the human characters.... I'm sorry, but I tried really hard to like it better until the end (which is a good one BTW).
Read
September 9, 2018DNF'd at 31%
I might go back to this. It is interesting, but as far as I can tell from reviews, there may not be any actual romance, and the genius dog is stating to grate on my nerves.
I might go back to this. It is interesting, but as far as I can tell from reviews, there may not be any actual romance, and the genius dog is stating to grate on my nerves.
March 3, 2019
Woah!!! Just woah!!! What the amazing work.
You had me 'sympathy for the devil' vibe there for a minute. But it's okay.
Dekker is so alone. Man!! I mean alone is bad i know the feeling the most i can relate to that.
Calvin....oh my gods who doesn't love a happy grown puppy, and his point of views are so accurate. More an more an more...i just can't with this sweetest thing. Also my fellow reviewer is right the book get you screaming "Dont kill the dog!!! Please!!" Too. It did to me.
Gadget....dude had me bite up my nails and gave me the chills. As Calvin said bad guy...he is the bad freaking guy. Of course ever bad guy had a bad past this devil had me cry.
Awesome awesome awesome work. And the POV's were pretty accurate i loved it. Plus the author had me thinking what was he thinking while writing Calvin's.
You had me 'sympathy for the devil' vibe there for a minute. But it's okay.
Dekker is so alone. Man!! I mean alone is bad i know the feeling the most i can relate to that.
Calvin....oh my gods who doesn't love a happy grown puppy, and his point of views are so accurate. More an more an more...i just can't with this sweetest thing. Also my fellow reviewer is right the book get you screaming "Dont kill the dog!!! Please!!" Too. It did to me.
Gadget....dude had me bite up my nails and gave me the chills. As Calvin said bad guy...he is the bad freaking guy. Of course ever bad guy had a bad past this devil had me cry.
Awesome awesome awesome work. And the POV's were pretty accurate i loved it. Plus the author had me thinking what was he thinking while writing Calvin's.
June 27, 2017
A strange book that was not at all what I expected. Once I got over the parts that were narrated by the dog (really, was there no editor to quash this terrible idea?), this was a trippy intense book that was nothing like I expected. I am eager to see what the author does next.
February 24, 2021
I picked this as a filler until my Audible credits renew, but am so glad I did. This is a beautiful, restrained piece of storytelling. It is imaginative and surprising, and I look forward to reading more of Swatling's work.
October 22, 2020
story--3 stars
narration--4 stars
narration--4 stars
December 29, 2020
Yikes, did the recommend algorithm on Audible miss the mark on this one. Yikes! Not my jam.
February 28, 2021
Calvin’s Head is clever and moving. It’s the exact read I needed while I’m laid up with a broken ankle. I sincerely hope this is not the last we will read from this author.
July 19, 2021
This was a very weird premise for a book. The protagonist was incredibly stupid, but was oddly gripping to find out what would happen next
May 17, 2016
David Swatling's novel—especially as an audiobook—has this progressive feel of claustrophobia to it that really adds to the creepiness factor. Beginning with such a fantastic start (seriously, the dog finds a body, the murderer finds the dog and his owner, and... sparks fly).
It's the psychology of this thriller that really got under my skin. The reader is well aware of the potential for disaster at almost every turn, and while we dance in the psyche of a pretty broken man, his dog, and a murderer, there's a seduction at play as well that left me twitching and seriously worried for all involved.
Swatling doesn't pull punches, doesn't deliver simple characters, and above all that, has written a thoroughly unique dark thriller here. It's good. It's engrossing. It's disturbing.
The performer at first felt a bit over-the-top, but once I got into the groove of listening to his voice, it worked in compliment with the tone of the book.
It's the psychology of this thriller that really got under my skin. The reader is well aware of the potential for disaster at almost every turn, and while we dance in the psyche of a pretty broken man, his dog, and a murderer, there's a seduction at play as well that left me twitching and seriously worried for all involved.
Swatling doesn't pull punches, doesn't deliver simple characters, and above all that, has written a thoroughly unique dark thriller here. It's good. It's engrossing. It's disturbing.
The performer at first felt a bit over-the-top, but once I got into the groove of listening to his voice, it worked in compliment with the tone of the book.
August 13, 2014
I found this book to be very well written. I was able to visualize as I read, and to me that is very important. There were twists and unexpected events that made the reading exciting and hard to put down. I found myself sympathizing with the characters I didn't expect to, and disliking the ones I thought I would like! The ending was FABULOUS and did not leave me hanging. Very well done Mr. Swatling. :) I can't wait for your next book!
September 9, 2014
I think it was the dog on the cover that had me fooled. A book with a dog can't be scary?
Or can it?
The answer is yes. Yes, it can. And David Swatling took us all to school and showed us how with his debut novel, Calvin's Head.
Chilling, smart, scary and so much more. I eagerly await more from this author who not only entertains, he surprises!
Or can it?
The answer is yes. Yes, it can. And David Swatling took us all to school and showed us how with his debut novel, Calvin's Head.
Chilling, smart, scary and so much more. I eagerly await more from this author who not only entertains, he surprises!
October 17, 2014
I was very pleased to win a copy of this book. Although it is definitely different from anything I have read previously, I enjoyed the story. It is full of twista and turns. I was somewhat surprised at the sexually explicit nature of much of the story, which did detract somewhat from my enjoyment of the novel. However, i must say that I fell in love with Calvin!
October 16, 2014
I could not have loved it more. It grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go. I loved the characters (some more than others obviously) and the storyline and found the writing to be compelling and commanding. Forget the gay theme if that's not your thing - this is not a "gay book". It is a fascinating murder/suspense/thriller unlike any story I have ever read before. Highly recommended.
January 12, 2017
This book was amazing. It drew me in with its complex characters, crazy situations and the need to know what is going to happen next. The story was incredibly well written and the characters were frustrations at times (OMG what are you doing Dekker!!?) but their actions and thoughts were all very true to humane nature (especially dog nature!!). Also my favorite chacater is easily Bastard.
October 8, 2014
4.5 Stars
Review at BookWinked: Murder, Mystery and a Dog. A review of Calvin's Head
Review at BookWinked: Murder, Mystery and a Dog. A review of Calvin's Head
August 25, 2016
Calvin's Head by David Swatling - one of the most disturbing books I've read. It's very good written thriller from 3 POVs: dog, dog's owner and the killer. The beginning was good but then some thing became completely unbelievable for me. I'd compare it with Jean-Christophe Grange's books with MM.
October 1, 2014
amazing book perfect mix of mystery, confusion and explicit dirty fun
June 4, 2015
Won this Through Goodread First Read.
Creepy story, well written, was easy to follow. Would've liked a little more backstory on dekker and gadget.
Creepy story, well written, was easy to follow. Would've liked a little more backstory on dekker and gadget.
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