Man Down

by Roger Smith

A guilty person is always his own hangman.
It's ten years since businessman John Turner, his college professor wife and infant daughter fled violence-torn South Africa for a new life in Tucson, Arizona. A life that seems prosperous and peaceful until a home invasion plunges them into an orgy of bloodshed. As three masked gunmen terrorize the Turners, exposing the fault lines in a marriage built on a foundation of lies, John is forced to confront the truth about his complicity in an unspeakably brutal crime in Johannesburg a decade ago and ask himself a question: is it payback time?

Man Down is both a harrowingly propulsive thriller and a meditation on moral ambiguity and the roles choice and chance play in the shaping of a life.

Praise for Man Down

"Smith, without apology, confronts the 'banality of evil' dear to Hannah Arendt. He is a novelist-gunslinger unafraid to show the path to disaster." Marianne Magazine

"Man Down, a thriller about violence and guilt, takes you by the throat like a cat takes a rat, and the reader will emerge with a renewed fascination with Smith's kamikaze side." Libération

"Clever, dark and suspenseful." Huffington Post Quebec

"Man Down has both Shakespearean and Hitchcockian influences and yet has this inimitable fearlessness that only Roger Smith can muster. Read it if you dare." Dead End Follies

"This very dark novel, with its expertly constructed plot and apocalyptic climax, uses extreme violence to portray a society where the boundaries between good and evil no longer exist." Nord-Pas-de-Calais Gazette

"Beautifully built, exciting--a really good thriller that hits hard. Very hard." Nyctalopes

"Very well written, the timelines are beautifully handled, and Smith can elicit suspense like few other thriller writers. Genuinely gut-wrenching." The Gamblers Blog

"Sensitive souls should steer clear, but this very dark thriller hits the mark." Action-Suspense Blog

"Roger Smith is not holding back: violence engulfs every page, breaking bones and families. The pungent odor of meth can't hide the stink of blood and fear. Quentin Tarantino watch out!" Jeune Afrique

"Excellent. In this book Roger Smith has reached the pinnacle of Machiavellian manipulation and cruelty and one wonders how he'll ever be able to invent characters more twisted and tormented than these." Unwalkers

Praise for Roger Smith

"Roger Smith is the crime genre's greatest tragedian." Spinetingler Magazine

"Smith's writing is astonishing." The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Smith has a unique ability to plunge readers into his nightmare visions." The Times

"If you are a fan of George Pelecanos or Dennis Lehane, give Roger Smith a close look." Bookpage

"Smith writes with the brutal beauty of an Elmore Leonard in a very bad mood." The Washington Post

Roger Smith's novels are published in eight languages and two are in development as feature films. Website: rogersmithbooks.com

Genres: Thriller

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Roger Smith's thrillers Nowhere, Man Down, Sacrifices, Capture, Dust Devils, Wake Up Dead, Mixed Blood & Ishmael Toffee are published in eight languages and two are in development as movies in the U.S.

His books have won the German Crime Award and been nominated for Spinetingler Magazine Best Novel awards. He also writes horror under the pen name Max Wilde.

“Roger Smith writes with brutal beauty." The Washington Post

“Smith’s writing is astonishing.” Cleveland Plain Dealer

“You’ll struggle to find a more forceful voice in current crime writing.”
Die Zeit (Germany)

“Smith is the shooting star of the crime scene.” Radio Europe

"If you are a fan of George Pelecanos or Dennis Lehane, give Roger Smith a close look." BookPage

Reviews

[Benoit Lelièvre · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Michael Haneke's immortal home invasion movie FUNNY GAMES was too bleak and twisted for you, rejoice! Roger Smith, our friendly-neighborhood gaze-into-the-abyss author has decided to redefine the entire paradigm of twisted all by himself with his latest novel MAN DOWN.

Things have kind of come full circle from Roger Smith. MAN DOWN is a deconstructed version of the kind of novel he usually churns out about human mediocrity and the unbearable stench of the corrupted soul of South Africa. The process is interesting and intellectually stimulating (reconstructing a crime through another), but I thought what missed to this book was Michael Douglas-like hero you got a love/hate relationship to. John Turner is not a hero, not a villain, not just a protagonist. He's kind of an asshole and it feels a little claustrophobic at times not having someone to root for.

Anyway, this bears the Roger Smith usual seal of quality. It's a very good novel. It's not his best, it's not even one I would start with, but long time fans like myself will find what they're looking for in MAN DOWN. I'm just not sure how you can follow up on such a doom gaze of a novel. One of the bleakest novel I've ever read and it's just not bleak for the sake of being bleak. This is the real deal of bleak.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★1/2

Roger Smith is known for his brutal, grim, violent crime novels and Man Down might be one of his most nihilistic and that’s saying a lot. This suspenseful thriller uses a home invasion story as it’s basis, but it expands in surprising ways until you get a stronger sense of what sins of the past have influenced the attacks on John Turner, his wife Tanya, and his daughter Lucy, South Africans who emigrated to the U.S. and found some success.

The first thing that struck me was how “off” Smith’s writing felt compared to his other work. It rang to me as a bit wordy, with constant run-on sentences that felt a little lofty and pretentious, very different from my experience with other novels by Smith. I was also a little turned off by the non-linear structure, which normally I don’t have a problem with, but it felt like it distracted from the story and there was no rhyme or reason when certain storylines and timelines were paired.

But ultimately, the story did click for me halfway through. Smith really brought it home by the end and I was actually pretty satisfied. There are hardly any redeeming characters (even John our protagonist was pretty reprehensible), but I was riveted for the last half of the book once it all started coming together.

He felt a moment of powerful vertigo, a curious lurching, like an elevator coming suddenly uncoupled from his winding drum, and, despite clenching his fist, jaw, and asshole, the feeling persisted, as if something so deep within his being that he had become aware of it only by its absence had broken its tether and was now lost to him forever.

[Ross Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have become quite a fan of Roger Smith whose thrillers are based in South Africa which comes across as a brutal, corrupt and divided nation despite the abolition of apartheid.
In his latest novel he tells the story of John Turner, a South African now living in Tucson, Arizona with his wife, who has grown to despise him and also her young daughter because she has become too 'Americanised'. Turner has become quite a successful business man after leaving his drink & drug addled life behind in Johannesburg. However his past comes racing back to confront him when he and his family are the victims of a home invasion.
Smith tells Turner's story by relating the different strands of his life in tandem to the story of the home invasion. He employs the trick of ending a chapter on a 'cliffhanger' and in the opening paragraph of the following chapter you are unsure if he is continuing the same strand of the story of continuing one of the preceding chapters. This is also Smith's most graphic novel to date where the violence is brutal and gruesome as are some of the sex scenes ! Smith's plotting at times reminds me most of Elmore Leonard but unlike him Smith's characters seem to be all unlikeable and possess very little redeeming qualities.
Looking forward to the next instalment to Smith's canon or even a new 'Max Wilde' novel would suffice.

[Marbea Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is gritty,grimy,thrilling,and hard-core!! Although the author seems to overstate the reasoning of certain issues,situations,or places of description it doesn't take away from the plot. Because the storyline is deep, and it's some real foolery!

[John D. Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Man Down” by Roger Smith a Bleak yet Riveting Thriller Novel

*** Read more reviews at http://johndharvey.com ***

Reading “Man Down” is a bit like slowing down your car to appreciate a particularly gruesome car accident before the authorities get there to cover the bodies and retrieve limbs from the middle of the lane. But, while “Man Down” is an extremely violent and visceral book, it is made compelling by Smith’s fine handling of plot and suspense, and his ability to inject nuance and complexity into a cast of characters that are, for the most part, complete assholes.

“Man Down” tells the story of John and Tanya Turner, and husband and wife who escape the turbulent violence of South Africa’s Johannesburg and transplant to Tuscon, AZ, where they essentially live the “American dream”. John is a successful businessman and Tanya a respected college professor. They also have a daughter, Lucy, who has all the privileges of an upper-middle class upbringing in America.

It’s immediately evident that the Turners’ front-facing appearance is a façade of domestic peace and prosperity, but that precarious act blows apart one morning when three armed men bull their way inside the house to terrorize the Turners. But, as the book progresses, this home invasion transforms from a simple, brutal, and random act to a bloody exclamation point at the end of a study on the inescapability of karma.

From here, Roger Smith uses clean and clipped prose to weave together multiple timelines and character viewpoints ranging from the Arizona home invasion back to John Turner’s sad, sordid, and drug-filled past in South Africa, as well as his fateful criminal collaboration with the dirtiest of dirty Johannesburg cops, Chris Bekker. Smith handles these transitions smoothly and with great pacing. He dribbles out clues and backstory at precise moments to entice the reader to keep going even as the storylines becomes more tragic and morally broken.

Speaking of morally broken, Smith’s handling of reprehensible people as main characters is both interesting and admirable. As an example, John Turner is an awful human being, but Smith provides him with just enough humanity and occasional hints of a moral compass that he easily escapes being monochromatic and even elicits brief moments of sympathy. Smith applies the same treatment to most other main characters in “Man Down”, and it saves the book from going over a dark edge.

And though the subject matter is often bleak, the book draws you forward as it reveals how previous ugly events and spectacularly bad decision making have led each character to their fate. And that fate for many of the characters is … not great. “Man Down” is a violent book that, in places, verges on gory. While the ending works, it requires a bit of fortitude from the reader. This is not a great book for those who have delicate sensibilities.

I’m told that “Man Down” is not a great first book to read from Roger Smith (whoops…), as the novel goes far beyond his normal levels of darkness and violence (which, I’m also told, is considerable). I can’t really speak to that, but I will tell you that you will likely want to read something a bit lighter after getting through “Man Down”. It’s a book that beats you up. I know that it’s hard to spin that comment as praise, but it really is.

Regardless, if you have the stomach and temperament for a well-written, brutal, and occasionally disturbing thriller, then seek out “Man Down”. It’s a mighty fine book. Perhaps it’s not the recommended first book you should read from Roger Smith, but it still convinced me to read more of his work.

*** Read more reviews at http://johndharvey.com ***

[Gloria Vanier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harrowing

i absolutely hated every character in this story, except for 2 children who had minor roles! The main character and supporting characters had no redeeming qualities at all, and by the end i was hoping none of them would walk away alive! I did love the story though, couldn't wait to see what would happen next. The story does go back and forth in the timeline ( I'm finding most of Mr Smith's stories do this) which at times takes you unaware, till you spot the tells. All in all he just writes great books, whether his characters are warm and cuddly or not, he makes them real with their flaws and anguished souls. I find myself not being able to put his books down once I start.

[John Alvord · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book quite a lot. Enough to rate it four stars anyway. I read it quickly and found that I wanted to keep picking it up.

There are two funny observations that I want to share. Apparently, the author has the nose of a bloodhound, or at least the imagination of one. I say this because all of the characters stank. Not that they were not well written, but per the author, they all smelled bad.

The second was the phrasing of a description of an action. At least twice, characters were slapped "through" the face. I suspect this is the way this is phrased in South Africa. But in the US we'd more likely say, Slapped across the face."

Don't let my nitpicking sway you. This is worth the time and money to read. Enjoy!

[Martin Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but brutal. It's more a novel you experience rather than enjoy.

[Mike O'neill jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly dark. Great story.

[Erdmannlibob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein Buch wie Ritt durch ein Feld voller Orkane. Das Auge des Orkans und die damit verbundene Ruhe erreicht man hier äusserst selten. Vielmehr wird der Leser meist kräftig in die Mangel genommen, bevor er sich schlussendlich in einem Schlachtfeld wiederfindet.
Nach Beendigung dieses Buches ist dann erstmal Luft holen angesagt.

Mit grossen Erzähltempo, knappen Dialogen und blutig-brutalen Momenten vermochte mich das Buch gut zu unterhalten. Roger Smith erzählt die Geschichte mit vielen Perspektivenwechseln und wechselt dabei stetig von der Gegenwart in die Vergangenheit. Dadurch erfährt der Leser nicht nur, warum die drei maskierten Herren mit einem Faible für Gewalt überhaupt bei der Familie Turner eingebrochen sind, sondern auch die Hintergründe, warum (fast) alle Figuren charme-mässig mit einem Magen-Darm-Virus mithalten können.

Ein wirklich unterhaltsamer Thriller der nach jedem Kapitel zusätzlich mit einem Cliffhanger aufwartet, welcher das Weglegen des Buches gleich nochmals erschwert. Also zack, schnell mal 5 Sterne vergeben und zuhause des Buches wegen das Tranchiermesser neu schleifen.
Geht aber nicht, denn dafür bleibt nach der Lektüre leider zu wenig hängen.

Auch wenn die Spannung jederzeit hoch ist, sei es durch eine überraschende Aktion von Tanya oder auch dank dem Einfliessen stetiger Informationen aus der Vergangenheit, hatte ich immer das Gefühl, alles in irgendeiner Form schon mal gelesen oder gesehen zu haben. Seine anderen, in Südafrika abspielenden Thriller hoben sich stets durch kritische Gesellschaftsbeobachtungen ab, was hier leider komplett fehlt. Was diesen Thriller von den vielen 08/15-Erscheinungen dieses Genres meiner Meinung nach unterscheidet, ist die schnörkellose und bildhafte Sprache von Roger Smith. Wo sich andere Autoren z.B. seitenlang mit Gewalttaten-Beschreibungen zu übertreffen versuchen, bleibt er kurz und prägnant, was eine viel grössere Wirkung erzielt.
Wer sich an einem hohen Grad an Brutalität nicht stören lässt und einen rasanten Thriller ohne grossartige Überraschungen für zwischendurch sucht, kann mit Roger Smith‘ neuestem Werk aber sicher nichts falsch machen. Für mich 3,5 Sterne, dank dem hohen Spannungsbogen auf deren 4 aufgerundet.

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Da ich leider noch nicht allzu viele Bücher von Roger Smith gelesen habe, der Autor mir allerdings bislang immer gefallen hat, habe ich mich schon sehr auf ein neuestes Werk "Mann am Boden" gefreut, welches nach einer spannenden Geschichte klang. Letztendlich muss ich sagen, dass mich der Autor bei diesem Werk nicht enttäuscht hat.

Die Geschichte liest sich schnell und flüssig, aber auch oftmals salopp und sehr brutal, sodass die ein oder andere Schilderung sicherlich nicht für jedermann geeignet ist. Die Figuren sind gut ausgearbeitet, Dialoge lesen sich gut und auch sonst macht die Geschichte insgesamt einen guten Eindruck.

Erzählt wird hierbei die Geschichte von John Turner und seiner Familie, die aus seiner Ehefrau Tanya und seiner Tochter Lucy besteht. Diese leben mittlerweile in den Vereinigten Staaten in Arizona, wo sie ein neues Leben angefangen haben, nachdem sie zuvor in Südafrika gelebt haben. Dass die Familie jedoch auch in Arizona nicht zur Ruhe kommt, wird schnell klar, denn sowohl John als auch Tanya können ihre Vergangenheit nicht vergessen, sodass es zu einem großen Eklat kommt, als drei Einbrecher in ihr Haus eindringen und die Familie als Gefangene nehmen...

Die Geschichte ist dabei äußerst brutal und beschäftigt sich auch intensiv mit Gewaltszenen, sodass es stellenweise schon fast eine Qual ist, die Figuren leiden zu sehen. Zwar ist die Geschichte dadurch nicht schlecht, sondern noch umso spannender, allerdings musste ich auch für mich feststellen, dass ich nach besonders harten Szenen das Buch mehrfach zur Seite legen musste. Dennoch ist die Geschichte durchweg spannend, somit sie innerhalb kürzester Zeit ausgelesen war.

Die Covergestaltung ist zwar schlicht, passt aber dennoch hervorragend zur Geschichte und zum fast schon typischen Stil des Tropen Verlages, sodass das Cover insgesamt gut gelungen ist. Auch die Kurzbeschreibung liest sich gut und konnte direkt mein Interesse wecken.

Kurz gesagt: Obwohl "Mann am Boden" aufgrund seiner oftmals viel zu brutalen Szenen sicherlich nicht jedermanns Sache sein dürfte, kann Roger Smith dennoch mit interessanten Figuren, spannenden Szenen und einem packenden Schreibstil punkten, sodass ich die Geschichte nur empfehlen kann.

[yexxo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wer Grausamkeiten und Brutalität in geschriebener Form nicht oder nur schlecht ertragen kann, sollte um dieses Buch einen Bogen machen. Denn es ist derart barbarisch und erbarmungslos, dass ich zwischen den einzelnen Teilen jeweils eine Pause einlegen musste. Was mir jedoch nicht einfach fiel, denn die Geschichte ist derart nervenzerreißend erzählt, dass es mir schwerfiel, das Buch aus der Hand zu legen.
Der eigentliche Plot ist nicht unbekannt: Einbrecher dringen in ein Haus ein und drangsalieren die BewohnerInnen auf die schlimmste Art und Weise. Trotzdem schnell klar ist, wer und was dahintersteckt, lässt die Spannung keine Sekunde nach. Denn neben dem beschriebenen Angriff gibt es Rückblicke auf die nahe und ferne (10 Jahre) zurückliegende Vergangenheit des überfallenen Ehepaares Turner, die nicht weniger gewaltsam war als die geschilderte Gegenwart und noch immer einen mehr oder weniger starken Einfluss hat.
Sehr eindringlich sind die von Roger Smith dargestellten Verhältnisse in Südafrika, das Land aus dem die Turners kommen und in dem Gewalt in jeder Form praktisch etwas Alltägliches ist. Und der Autor macht deutlich, dass Gewalt immer wieder zu neuer Gewalt führt und auch über Jahre und Jahrzehnte hinweg ihre Spuren hinterlässt (‚…, die mit einer Grausamkeit geplündert, vergewaltigt und gemordet hatten, die nur vom genetischen Gedächtnis geschürt worden sein konnte.‘). Obwohl Smith keinen Gewaltexzess auslässt, schwelgt er nicht darin, das Entsetzliche noch und noch detaillierter zu beschreiben. Stattdessen wird es vergleichsweise nüchtern dargestellt, wobei aber die Innenansicht Turners hinzukommt, was wesentlich schrecklicher wirkt als jedes zusätzliche Detail.
Fazit: Klasse geschrieben in einer unglaublich bildhaften Sprache und buchstäblich spannend bis zur letzten Seite, doch stellenweise nur schwer zu ertragen. Ein toller Thriller, aber auf keinen Fall für schwache Gemüter 😉

[Schurkenblog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roger Smith bringt den harten Splatter-Thriller von Südafrika nach Arizona. Das ist nicht weniger gewalttätig, aber weniger kritisch. Leider.

John Turner hat es geschafft. Er ist nun Unternehmer, wohnt nicht mehr in Südafrika, sondern in Arizona. Seine Frau hat er mitgebracht, die wird er auch so schnell nicht los. Wie so vieles, was mit seiner Vergangenheit zu tun hat. Und das kann ganz schön böse enden. Und blutig.

Ein wahres Gemetzel findet in Arizona statt. Dabei hätte alles fast harmlos ablaufen sollen. Ein kleiner Überfall, ein neues Leben. Doch es kommt ganz anders.

Erzählt wird sprunghaft. Mal erlebt man die Vergangenheit, die in Südafrika spielt, mal die Gegenwart in Arizona. Dass so dunkle Schatten aus der Vergangenheit einem folgen, wird zum Problem. Aber dadurch entstehen auch zahlreiche Cliffhanger, so dass man förmlich durch die Seiten fliegt und gar nicht landen will.

Der auf den ersten Blick beinahe harmlose Überfall schlägt schnell in abartige Gewalt um. Mit jeder Seite wird die Brutalität schlimmer, alles artet aus, aus der Vorhölle kommt man direkt in das Herz der Hölle. Eine endlose Spirale der Gewalt kann nicht mehr gestoppt werden. Dabei schont Smith seine Leser nicht, mit Splatterelementen wird es richtig blutig.

Auch wenn sich das alles ganz spannend liest, fehlt was. Wo ist die Gesellschaftskritik zwischen den Zeilen hinverschwunden, die sich in Roger Smith’s Büchern gerne versteckt hat? Im Höllenschlund verschwunden wie es scheint.

Dennoch ist der Thriller für Splatter-Fans ein Lesetipp. Spannend, brutal und einmal angefangen steckt man als Leser selbst fest in dieser Spirale der Gewalt. Bis zum bitteren Ende.

[Joy H. Lee-Story · Rating 1 out of 5]

Violent

This book is violent beyond anything ever I have read. Sorry, to author but I could not get past first 20 or so pages. Then flipped through balance of the pages, and saw no stop to man's inhumanity to man. Maybe a good story buried within. But I could not wade through the offal of the narrative to find it. Not my cup of tea.

[CARLEEN · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an INTENSE thriller.

It had everything; violence, gore, hate, lust, revenge, rage, humor..you name it...and a surprise ending that I NEVER thought was possible.

I really love Roger Smith's writing style. I have now read four of his novels...time to choose a fifth.

[sybil erden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting...but...

This book is very written BUT it is way too violent for my taste. The malevolent aggression turned me off. If, in fact, there are people out there like these
Characters, I don't want to know them....wont be reading more of this author's books

[Thebrit · Rating 3 out of 5]

A difficult book to follow

What was an exciting book, to me felt difficult to follow as it jumped from country try to country and time zone to time zone. Had it been written in a more fluid style, I would have enjoyed it more.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man Down

Violence filled story of a man who lets his life get so far out of control that he finds himself in the middle of events he hates. Brutal descriptions of murders and the criminals who commit these violent acts.

[Connie Zinsmeister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insanely riveting

Some people get into bad situations not of their own making, but this is not Turner. He is excellent at building up bad karma and not seeing the results headed for him until it's too late. What a tale!

[Yolande · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brutal

Probably the most violent book I've ever read. The writing is superbly descriptive and construction of the plot based on a past and present viewpoint unfolds like a mystery. This makes up for the gruesome events described.

[Juli Manz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too hard to follow!

I know it's all the rage for disjointed plots, but this plot is except hard to follow and so disjointed I had to re-read three times to have any inkling of the story line! Not a great story, no matter author's intent.

[Armand Rosamilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very dark, very brutal story that kept me wanting to read just one more chapter before bed. The characters are so well-defined I'm glad they're fiction. I really hope they are!

[Peggy Beaty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Choppy

Choppy plot development. Took some time to get used to back and forth action.character development ok. Gory could have been tamped down a bit.

[Joan Cameron · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible story

Well described characters and story line but terrible story. Way too much violence, blood and guts. Won't read any more by this author.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disjointed but interesting & strange

This book is disjointed but strangely interesting. It will keep you baffled to the end and then some. Leaves you wondering.

[Nelson Meaker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gory for gores sake

There is a story of some value here but the crudity and repulsive violence obscures it thoroughly. Not my cup of tea.

[MARY Stepp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

A good storyline but did not like jumping scenarios. Great characters complex story. Will read more of this author's books

[Patty Kandiko · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bloody mess!

This book.was filled with more blood and guts than ever needed. The plot was thin held together with killing after killing . Not worth the time it took to read

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

I was hooked and could not stop for long at time. I had mixed feelings about the characters. I would recommend to anyone that loved a complex character. Good job.

[Loretta Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very riveting story

The author has written a very interesting story about the effects of how one crime alters the life of a man and his family.