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Joe Kurtz #3
Hard as Nails
If you're going to shoot Joe Kurtz, you'd better shoot to kill.
Ex-PI Joe Kurtz's survival is on the line when an ambush leaves him badly wounded and his parole officer, Peg O'Toole, clinging to life. Their respective professions have ensured that neither suffers from a shortage of enemies, so narrowing down the suspects isn't easy. But Kurtz knows who's at the head of his Angelina Farino Ferrara, the lethal beauty who leads the Farino crime family, and her mob rival, Toma Gonzaga.
The odd thing is, each would rather hire Joe Kurtz than fire at him. Someone's causing trouble beneath the gray skies of western New York, and it's drawn the notice of the mobs and the cops. Kurtz is caught in the middle along with the rest of them, and no one knows who's tightening the vise.
Ex-PI Joe Kurtz's survival is on the line when an ambush leaves him badly wounded and his parole officer, Peg O'Toole, clinging to life. Their respective professions have ensured that neither suffers from a shortage of enemies, so narrowing down the suspects isn't easy. But Kurtz knows who's at the head of his Angelina Farino Ferrara, the lethal beauty who leads the Farino crime family, and her mob rival, Toma Gonzaga.
The odd thing is, each would rather hire Joe Kurtz than fire at him. Someone's causing trouble beneath the gray skies of western New York, and it's drawn the notice of the mobs and the cops. Kurtz is caught in the middle along with the rest of them, and no one knows who's tightening the vise.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
49 people are currently reading
859 people want to read
About the author
Dan Simmons
289 books13.6k followersDan Simmons is an American science fiction and horror writer. He is the author of the Hyperion Cantos and the Ilium/Olympos cycles, among other works that span the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, sometimes within a single novel. Simmons's genre-intermingling Song of Kali (1985) won the World Fantasy Award. He also writes mysteries and thrillers, some of which feature the continuing character Joe Kurtz.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
March 20, 2023
“On the day he was shot in the head, things were going strangely well for Joe Kurtz.”
🌟🌟🌟 3/4
Initial Thoughts
The Dan Simmons Deep-dive continues as I complete his third and final book in the Joe Kurtz trilogy...Hard as Nails. And what a title by the way! It left me in no doubt of what was in store for me in this brutal, sometimes silly, but always entertaining series of hardboiled crime.
Yes, I've had an absolute blast with this series so far, an exciting thriller about an ex Buffalo P.I. with more lives than a cat. I thoroughly recommend the first two books, Hardcase and Hardfreeze, both of which I've reviewed. Simmons is a fantastic writer and a master of jumping between genres, sometimes in the same story. But here he's decided to take a stab at crime fiction in the mold of Richard Stark or John D. Macdonald. Only ramping the violence up to the absolute maximum. He's not setting out to win a Pulitzer prize, but rather have some fun writing an action packed novel that will have your pulse racing from start to finish. And if that doesn't get your juices flowing I don't know what will.
Anyway, without further ado, let's see how Dan "the Man" wraps things up. I can't wait.
"You're serious."
"As a heart attack." said Kurtz
The Story
Say one thing about Joe Kurtz, say that he can take a licking and keep on ticking. This one starts with a bang... literally. Walking out of a meeting with his parole officer Peg O'Toole, they both walk straight into ambush. Both are lucky to escape with their lives and if it were not for a fortuitous ricochet this one could have been over before it even began. But where would be the fun there?
Waking up with the mother of all headaches, being shot in the head will do that to you, Joe has one thing on his mind and isn't about to waste the taxpayers money resting up in hospital. A couple of aspirin latter and he's ready to find out who is trying to kill him and I for one would not want to be that person.
But as is always the case, there's a lot more to it than what's on the surface, and Kurtz hasn't had chance to breath before he's forced to deal with Buffalo's crime bosses (Angelina Farino and Toma Gonzaga). Seems someone has been picking off drug dealers like they're going out of fashion before hauling away the bodies. Wanting to exhaust all of their options, they both want Joe on the case to find out the identity of this serial killer, with one boos imposing the stipulation that if he doesn't come up with the goods he'll kill him.
The Writing
Simmons is an amazing writer. That's my personal feelings on the subject. He can adapt his prose to fit the story he's writing and in this one he's going for a feel that's lean and efficient with a good dose of dark humour. There's nothing frilly or fancy here and it's perfect for what Simmons is trying to achieve. If you want more on this see my previous two reviews as I'm conscious I'll end up repeating myself.
But even though he is one of my favourite authors, he is not above criticism. And I'm making no apologies here. I've said before you need an ability to suspend your beliefs while reading these books, as you do when watching an action movie. I work in a firearms environment myself and you can't take these things too seriously when you know they would pan out very differently in reality. The main action set piece in this one was quite bizarre and way over the top, even for something in this genre. But that's ok, we can roll with that.
What wasn't ok was how man plot threads Simmons jammed into this fairly small narrative. Honestly, it felt like this one could have been broken into two separate stories and things did get a touch convoluted at points. That's a polite way of saying it turned into a bit of a mess! Yes there's a price to pay for such outrageous plotting.
Lucky for this author that he knows how to keep things entertaining even when things get messy and I still had a good time regardless. But it just felt like this one was really underdeveloped and felt rushed, and as a result I wasn't engaged like I was in the previous two. Sometimes simple is effective and Simmons stuck to this in the first two books, but decided to try something different here and it didn't work as well.
"Kurtz knew the varieties and vintages of pain the way some men knew wines, but this pain in his head was already beyond the judging stage and well into the realm where screaming was the only sane response."
Final Thoughts
Overall, I did enjoy this book and certainly had fun with it. It just wasn't as tightly packaged as the previous two entries.
Would I still recommend it? If you've read the previous two then I'd definitely give this one a go as it's more of the same that you no doubt love just slightly more outrageous. But I definitely wouldn't read this as a standalone as it's, in my opinion, the weakest of the three and you won't be abreast of all the bits and pieces going on in the main character's life.
I didn't really touch on the characters in this one, as I looked at them in detail in the past. What I will say is that certain negative labels get thrown at this author and I really didn't see it here. It's a very diverse cast and all are portrayed with both positive and negative aspects. So I really didn't see it. But I suppose it depends how hard you want to look.
I'll finish by saying if this is the last entry in the series it's a shame to leave it on a lull. The author did mention in the afterword that he was working on a fourth and the ending certainly leaves things open for a sequel. I for one would love to see this turn into an extended series as they make a perfect bit of light entertainment among heavier reads. And we all need some of that. But with twenty years having lapsed since this one was published I'm pretty confident that's the end of the road for Joe Kurtz!
Thanks for reading and...cheers!
January 6, 2013
Joe Kurtz and his parole officer are walking through a parking garage when two men open fire on them. Both take bullets to the head, although Kurtz's is just a ricochet. Kurtz checks out of the hospital early and goes looking for the prime suspects, Angelina Ferrara and Toma Gonzaga, the new heir to the Gonzaga crime family. But what does Kurtz's shooting have to do with Gonzaga's and Ferrara's missing drug dealers?
Once again, Dan Simmons brings home the bacon and fries it up. It's not every day I read a book that has the main character getting shot in the head on the first page. Kurtz puts his feet to the street and slowly unravels the mystery of who shot him and his parole officer and which was actually the intended target in his hard edged style. The Artful Dodger was a pretty slick villain, as was the Major. For a while, I wasn't sure Kurtz was actually going to survive this one.
The writing of Dan Simmons is what set this, and the other two Kurtz books, apart from similar stories. The concussion Kurtz received in the opening ambush was giving me a headache by the end the way Simmons was describing it. Like the previous two books, Simmons lets the questions pile up and the suspense build until it's orgasmic conclusion at the end. Kurtz inched a little closer to having a relationship with his daughter and actually showed some compassion for Rigby, proving that while it's wrapped in miles of barbed wire and covered with land mines, Joe Kurtz still has a heart.
Any complaints? The ending came out of nowhere. I thought the mastermind should have had a bit more time onstage earlier. While I liked the bit with the Dane, it was too much like his first appearance in Hard Case. My main complaint was that Dan Simmons isn't writing any more Kurtz books! The nerve! I guess I'll have to read his other books in other genres as compensation.
While it's not perfect, Hard as Nails is an easy 4 and a must read for readers of the other two Kurtz books.
There's just one thing I don't understand: How do you get Peg as a shortened form of Margaret?
Later: I forgot this Easter egg, a quote about Joe Kurtz's parentage.
My mother was a whore. I didn’t see much of her even before the orphanage. Once when she was drunk, she told me that she thought my old man was a thief, some guy with just one name and that not even his own…
Kurtz goes on to say that his old man never had sex until after the job was done. Sound like anyone you know and love?
Once again, Dan Simmons brings home the bacon and fries it up. It's not every day I read a book that has the main character getting shot in the head on the first page. Kurtz puts his feet to the street and slowly unravels the mystery of who shot him and his parole officer and which was actually the intended target in his hard edged style. The Artful Dodger was a pretty slick villain, as was the Major. For a while, I wasn't sure Kurtz was actually going to survive this one.
The writing of Dan Simmons is what set this, and the other two Kurtz books, apart from similar stories. The concussion Kurtz received in the opening ambush was giving me a headache by the end the way Simmons was describing it. Like the previous two books, Simmons lets the questions pile up and the suspense build until it's orgasmic conclusion at the end. Kurtz inched a little closer to having a relationship with his daughter and actually showed some compassion for Rigby, proving that while it's wrapped in miles of barbed wire and covered with land mines, Joe Kurtz still has a heart.
Any complaints? The ending came out of nowhere. I thought the mastermind should have had a bit more time onstage earlier. While I liked the bit with the Dane, it was too much like his first appearance in Hard Case. My main complaint was that Dan Simmons isn't writing any more Kurtz books! The nerve! I guess I'll have to read his other books in other genres as compensation.
While it's not perfect, Hard as Nails is an easy 4 and a must read for readers of the other two Kurtz books.
There's just one thing I don't understand: How do you get Peg as a shortened form of Margaret?
Later: I forgot this Easter egg, a quote about Joe Kurtz's parentage.
My mother was a whore. I didn’t see much of her even before the orphanage. Once when she was drunk, she told me that she thought my old man was a thief, some guy with just one name and that not even his own…
Kurtz goes on to say that his old man never had sex until after the job was done. Sound like anyone you know and love?
February 5, 2024
The Joe Kurtz trilogy goes out with a bang! More unrelenting hardboiled thrills as Kurtz gets squeezed between rival mafia bosses, a drug cartel and a deranged killer that's been silently murdering figures from the Buffalo underground, all the while trying to figure out who shot him and his parole officer. It seems Kurtz limps through each book with injuries, but this one takes the cake - shot in the head from the outset and plagued with severe concussion headaches and exhaustion throughout, his anguish is palpable on every page. This one features an all out military style assault, a batshit wacko villain straight out of a Stephen King novel, and dueling love interests, including an old flame from his orphanage days turned cop. As always, Simmons brilliantly weaves the multiple storylines together for maximum effect and manages to drop a nifty easter egg for fans of Richard Stark's Parker series, to which the entire series is essentially an homage, but hardly a pastiche.
June 28, 2020
"It didn’t take reading Marcus Aurelius to know that everything you did made everything different, and if you dwelt on it, you’d go nuts."
Hardest.
The last of Dan Simmons' Joe Kurtz novels. At least this is the last for now. Again, it is solid for what it is, but I'm still a bit conflicted about the trope of the brutalized hero, near death, unfed, with little sleep, fighting again and again and again. The action also gets compressed (not quite into a unity of time) almost into a hard-to-believe compression. Again, I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure it adds enough to hard-boiled fiction for me to read more than three. Similar in quality to Ellroy's Lloyd Hopkins trilogy (Blood on the Moon, Because the Night, Suicide Hill).
Hardest.
The last of Dan Simmons' Joe Kurtz novels. At least this is the last for now. Again, it is solid for what it is, but I'm still a bit conflicted about the trope of the brutalized hero, near death, unfed, with little sleep, fighting again and again and again. The action also gets compressed (not quite into a unity of time) almost into a hard-to-believe compression. Again, I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure it adds enough to hard-boiled fiction for me to read more than three. Similar in quality to Ellroy's Lloyd Hopkins trilogy (Blood on the Moon, Because the Night, Suicide Hill).
January 7, 2011
You’d think that any book that starts with the main character getting shot in the head on the first page would be the shortest novel in history. But Joe Kurtz is one tough bastard, and it’ll take more than a puny bullet to the skull to keep him down for long.
Ex-convict and former private investigator Kurtz meets with his parole officer, Peg O’Toole, but when they happen to be leaving the building at the same time, someone opens fire on both of them. O’Toole is badly wounded, and Kurtz survives his head shot due to pure luck. If most of us took a bullet to the melon, we’d probably take a few days to recover, but Kurtz is soon out on the street trying to figure out if he or O’Toole was the target.
Kurtz will have to deal with a lot more than his headache as he tries to track the shooter. He’s soon sucked into more Mafia business with two rival families wanting to hire him to find out who has been killing their best drug using customers. An old flame who is now a cop may or may not be on his side, and her partner, Detective Kemper (Kemper!) is definitely being a pain in the ass.
This is another great hard boiled crime novel starring Kurtz from Dan Simmons, and this one has the most action filled ending yet. The only bad news is that this is the last one of this series that Simmons has done, and it came out seven years ago. I’m a Simmons fan and love many of the other books he’s done since then, but I hope he returns to Kurtz’s story someday.
Also, Simmons adds yet another big hint about how Kurtz was inspired by Richard Stark’s Parker novels with a hilarious conversation that indicates that Parker was indeed Kurtz’s father.
Ex-convict and former private investigator Kurtz meets with his parole officer, Peg O’Toole, but when they happen to be leaving the building at the same time, someone opens fire on both of them. O’Toole is badly wounded, and Kurtz survives his head shot due to pure luck. If most of us took a bullet to the melon, we’d probably take a few days to recover, but Kurtz is soon out on the street trying to figure out if he or O’Toole was the target.
Kurtz will have to deal with a lot more than his headache as he tries to track the shooter. He’s soon sucked into more Mafia business with two rival families wanting to hire him to find out who has been killing their best drug using customers. An old flame who is now a cop may or may not be on his side, and her partner, Detective Kemper (Kemper!) is definitely being a pain in the ass.
This is another great hard boiled crime novel starring Kurtz from Dan Simmons, and this one has the most action filled ending yet. The only bad news is that this is the last one of this series that Simmons has done, and it came out seven years ago. I’m a Simmons fan and love many of the other books he’s done since then, but I hope he returns to Kurtz’s story someday.
Also, Simmons adds yet another big hint about how Kurtz was inspired by Richard Stark’s Parker novels with a hilarious conversation that indicates that Parker was indeed Kurtz’s father.
February 16, 2025
Joe Kurtz is truly ‘hard as nails’!
The final instalment in the Joe Kurtz trilogy meets expectations set up from the first two books, which keeps you engaged throughout but leaves you waiting for the next twist.
This is both a positive and negative for me, as whilst I was eager to see what happens next, I was always expecting a twist or for a returning character to appear from earlier on in the book, which made parts slightly predictable.
That being said, we got some hands on detective work from Arlene, which was fresh!
I’d give this a 3.5 rating if I could. It’s a solid crime read, of which isn’t my usual genre of reading, but am always happy to expand my reading from time to time, and with crime books, I was more than happy to take that risk with Dan. He remains one of my favourite authors and am glad I’ve now finished the trilogy, and can move on to another of his books the next time I’m in a Simmons mood.
The final instalment in the Joe Kurtz trilogy meets expectations set up from the first two books, which keeps you engaged throughout but leaves you waiting for the next twist.
This is both a positive and negative for me, as whilst I was eager to see what happens next, I was always expecting a twist or for a returning character to appear from earlier on in the book, which made parts slightly predictable.
That being said, we got some hands on detective work from Arlene, which was fresh!
I’d give this a 3.5 rating if I could. It’s a solid crime read, of which isn’t my usual genre of reading, but am always happy to expand my reading from time to time, and with crime books, I was more than happy to take that risk with Dan. He remains one of my favourite authors and am glad I’ve now finished the trilogy, and can move on to another of his books the next time I’m in a Simmons mood.
January 13, 2022
A fitting end to a remarkably consistent series. As usual, this book is delightfully (and very intentionality) over the top. It gets borderline ridiculous in a few instances, but that’s part of the fun! Simmons is well aware of what he’s doing in these Kurtz books. Subtlety is not the name of the game. It gets very crazy at times, and you basically have to suspend your disbelief completely and just embrace the surreal and uber violent nature of the series. In fact, there is one particularly wild sequence at a carnival that I’m fairly certain is going to be burned into my brain for years.
My primary complaint with this third book (other than the fact that Kurtz basically turns into Rambo in the third act) is that there are just way too many simultaneous plotlines to follow. I feel like Simmons got overly ambitious here, and the story comes a bit close to derailing at times as a result. But that aside, this series was an absolute blast from start to finish.
Shameless, brutal, over-indulgent, darkly comedic ... this book drinks Jack Daniels for breakfast and bleeds diesel fuel.
My primary complaint with this third book (other than the fact that Kurtz basically turns into Rambo in the third act) is that there are just way too many simultaneous plotlines to follow. I feel like Simmons got overly ambitious here, and the story comes a bit close to derailing at times as a result. But that aside, this series was an absolute blast from start to finish.
Shameless, brutal, over-indulgent, darkly comedic ... this book drinks Jack Daniels for breakfast and bleeds diesel fuel.
April 13, 2017
I put off reading this one forever because I straight up did not want to be done with this series or its awesome protagonist, Joe Kurtz. Still, after years of it glaring at me from the shelf I caved in and gobbled it in a single setting. While it was probably a little less satisfying than Hard Freeze it was still an excellently-written motherfucker of a thriller with big doses of mystery, action, and the great black humor of the previous entries. This one’s about Kurtz trying to find out who was dumb enough to try to kill him as he leaves a meeting with his parole officer.
Like I said, there’s plenty of good shit in here for anyone who likes thrillers. You like mysteries? This one has several all running at once and one in particular comes to an extremely creepy and chilling conclusion. You like action? There’s a shootout in here that could have come out of a Michael Mann movie. You like wisecracks and black humor? Simmons’ narrative voice and Kurtz himself rarely goes more than a page without laying a gold line on the reader. I’m not gonna give it away (even though I’ve seen a bunch of motherfuckers do it on this site already) but there’s even a kind of sneaky homage/tie-in to another great novel series about a similarly hard motherfucker.
For those two or three people who’ve read my other reviews on this site you know I love, LOVE a good villain. Simmons always provides these, regardless of the genre he’s writing in (Cornelius Hickey from The Terror, the man who I shall not name because spoilers from The Fifth Heart, Rhadamanth Nemes from the Hyperion books, the title character from Drood and on and on.) This book’s Artful Dodger can easily hang with those titans of bad behavior. He’s a dude constantly sporting a Los Angeles Dodgers and a burned-to-shit face who likes to murder for hire and then drag the bodies of his victims off for some nefarious purpose. Dude gave me the creeps hardcore and is exactly the kind of villain Kurtz deserves.
I’m bummed this series seems to be over. I’ve seen online that Simmons has stated he’d like to do more of them but he’s the kind of author that always wants to try something new so I really doubt that’ll ever happen. If you like this kind of book you owe it to yourself to check this series out. I know some people see it as a kind of send-up or cheesy homage to hardboiled crime novels (probably due to the fact that Simmons doesn’t solely work with this genre) but this really is a full-fledged mystery-thriller series that can hang with the best of them.
Like I said, there’s plenty of good shit in here for anyone who likes thrillers. You like mysteries? This one has several all running at once and one in particular comes to an extremely creepy and chilling conclusion. You like action? There’s a shootout in here that could have come out of a Michael Mann movie. You like wisecracks and black humor? Simmons’ narrative voice and Kurtz himself rarely goes more than a page without laying a gold line on the reader. I’m not gonna give it away (even though I’ve seen a bunch of motherfuckers do it on this site already) but there’s even a kind of sneaky homage/tie-in to another great novel series about a similarly hard motherfucker.
For those two or three people who’ve read my other reviews on this site you know I love, LOVE a good villain. Simmons always provides these, regardless of the genre he’s writing in (Cornelius Hickey from The Terror, the man who I shall not name because spoilers from The Fifth Heart, Rhadamanth Nemes from the Hyperion books, the title character from Drood and on and on.) This book’s Artful Dodger can easily hang with those titans of bad behavior. He’s a dude constantly sporting a Los Angeles Dodgers and a burned-to-shit face who likes to murder for hire and then drag the bodies of his victims off for some nefarious purpose. Dude gave me the creeps hardcore and is exactly the kind of villain Kurtz deserves.
I’m bummed this series seems to be over. I’ve seen online that Simmons has stated he’d like to do more of them but he’s the kind of author that always wants to try something new so I really doubt that’ll ever happen. If you like this kind of book you owe it to yourself to check this series out. I know some people see it as a kind of send-up or cheesy homage to hardboiled crime novels (probably due to the fact that Simmons doesn’t solely work with this genre) but this really is a full-fledged mystery-thriller series that can hang with the best of them.
July 30, 2019
Слабший, ніж попередні: карикатурності не лишилося, а от Курца Сіммонс олюднює. І це Курцу лище шкодить, бо автор хоче його водночас і лишити крутим, і зробити об'єктом співчуття. Ні, тут так не вийде... Інтрига першу половину роману дуже млява - на рівні "відсутньо". От друга половина жвава, але... Тепер Сіммонс вже забагато накрутив всього, але це не карикатурність, а захаращеність. Наприклад, Курца вже наймають дві мафії, обидві погрожують, бо він їм заважає. Якщо заважає, то навіщо наймати на роботу?
Найгірше, що Сіммонс залишив кілька ниток в підвішеному стані. І ці нитки - це або зав'язка сюжету (звідки в О'Ніл фото парку атракціонів? Чому вона ними зацікавилася? Чому найняла Куртца? Чому на неї напали, врешті-решт?), або гвіздок, на якому все тримається (отут можуть бути спойлери, тому тільки напишу, чому парк функціонував в Геловін, але його власники навіть не цікавилися, що там?).
І попри це, таки 4 ★: за тонкі відсилки до Шекспіра. І за образ Датчанина, який Сіммонс майже розшифровує, але фінальна розгадка таки належить читачам/читачкам
Найгірше, що Сіммонс залишив кілька ниток в підвішеному стані. І ці нитки - це або зав'язка сюжету (звідки в О'Ніл фото парку атракціонів? Чому вона ними зацікавилася? Чому найняла Куртца? Чому на неї напали, врешті-решт?), або гвіздок, на якому все тримається (отут можуть бути спойлери, тому тільки напишу, чому парк функціонував в Геловін, але його власники навіть не цікавилися, що там?).
І попри це, таки 4 ★: за тонкі відсилки до Шекспіра. І за образ Датчанина, який Сіммонс майже розшифровує, але фінальна розгадка таки належить читачам/читачкам
June 19, 2020
Solide und spannende hardboiled Thriller-Kost, die mich gut unterhalten hat.
August 1, 2011
Dan Simmons' no holds barred Joe Kurtz series is a hard boiled thriller fan's delight and this latest book is no exception. Joe has a knack for getting on the wrong side of the police, the criminals and some of his aquaintances. Joe also is the kind of guy who will do just about anything he has to for survival. Battered and beaten, tired beyond belief, this book just kept on coming at me full bore. recommend for fans of raw, gritty, hard boiled urban action with a deeper main character than at first glance. 9 of 10. (and the part of the book with a connection to the title is quite something else)
January 15, 2024
Frío como el acero,
de Dan Simmons.
Reseña:
Hablar de este libro sin referirse a los otros dos ni hacer spoilers de estos, es demasiado complicado, ya que esta es la última novela de la trilogía de Joe Kurtz, y lejos de que las historias solo compartan protagonista, siguen un hilo que inicia y se deshilacha a medida que se extiende a través de las tres novelas, pero que no termina de cerrar hasta el final. Por más difícil que sea, en esta reseña haré lo posible para no revelar datos muy importantes de la trama de los tres libros.
El primer capítulo del primer libro empieza con una muerte provocada por Kurtz. Este en cambio, arranca con un intento de asesinato donde Kurtz sale mal herido. Y no es que estas heridas pasan desapercibidas, sinó que persisten durante mucho tiempo, haciéndonos ver que ese tipo que tantas hazañas cosechó antes, también puede estar muy cerca de la muerte.
A partir de ahí, investiga el tiroteo en el que tanto él como su agente de libertad condicional (recordemos que en el primer libro fue condenado y encerrado por ese asesinato en el primer capítulo) se vieron enredados. Hay motivos para creer que el objetivo era él, pero también es altamente probable que hayan intentado matarla a ella. Kurtz debe descubrir hacia quién de los dos era el objetivo, y empezar a tirar del hilo del ovillo.
Nuevo libro, y junto con los viejos personajes también llegan los nuevos. Más asesinos profesionales, más mafiosos, más agentes de policía, más informantes y más contactos. No exagero cuando digo que había ocasiones en las que me perdía y no me acordaba si algún personaje había o no aparecido anteriormente. Eso, de todas formas, no es una falla del libro, sinó mía.
La investigación me gustó, pero no sentí que destacara sobre los otros libros, aunque sí que los factores "herido" y "contrarreloj" le sumaron cierto grado de vertiginosidad. Y el final también es comparable a los otros dos, solo que a un grado mucho mayor. El peligro, la amenaza, el dolor, el cansancio y la guerra, están latentes a cada segundo.
Conclusión:
Puntaje técnico: 4,5⭐
Puntaje sentimental: 4,6⭐
de Dan Simmons.
Reseña:
Hablar de este libro sin referirse a los otros dos ni hacer spoilers de estos, es demasiado complicado, ya que esta es la última novela de la trilogía de Joe Kurtz, y lejos de que las historias solo compartan protagonista, siguen un hilo que inicia y se deshilacha a medida que se extiende a través de las tres novelas, pero que no termina de cerrar hasta el final. Por más difícil que sea, en esta reseña haré lo posible para no revelar datos muy importantes de la trama de los tres libros.
El primer capítulo del primer libro empieza con una muerte provocada por Kurtz. Este en cambio, arranca con un intento de asesinato donde Kurtz sale mal herido. Y no es que estas heridas pasan desapercibidas, sinó que persisten durante mucho tiempo, haciéndonos ver que ese tipo que tantas hazañas cosechó antes, también puede estar muy cerca de la muerte.
A partir de ahí, investiga el tiroteo en el que tanto él como su agente de libertad condicional (recordemos que en el primer libro fue condenado y encerrado por ese asesinato en el primer capítulo) se vieron enredados. Hay motivos para creer que el objetivo era él, pero también es altamente probable que hayan intentado matarla a ella. Kurtz debe descubrir hacia quién de los dos era el objetivo, y empezar a tirar del hilo del ovillo.
Nuevo libro, y junto con los viejos personajes también llegan los nuevos. Más asesinos profesionales, más mafiosos, más agentes de policía, más informantes y más contactos. No exagero cuando digo que había ocasiones en las que me perdía y no me acordaba si algún personaje había o no aparecido anteriormente. Eso, de todas formas, no es una falla del libro, sinó mía.
La investigación me gustó, pero no sentí que destacara sobre los otros libros, aunque sí que los factores "herido" y "contrarreloj" le sumaron cierto grado de vertiginosidad. Y el final también es comparable a los otros dos, solo que a un grado mucho mayor. El peligro, la amenaza, el dolor, el cansancio y la guerra, están latentes a cada segundo.
Conclusión:
Puntaje técnico: 4,5⭐
Puntaje sentimental: 4,6⭐
November 24, 2024
J’en suis à 90% du livre et je peux déjà faire un commentaire.
J’ai lu « Vengeance » et « Revanche » d’une traite et je les ai absolument ADORÉ et celui-ci ne déroge pas à la règle : c’est un chef d’œuvre qui complète parfaitement bien les deux tomes précédents.
Nous retrouvons Joe Kurtz, toujours increvable, qui est encore mêlé dans des affaires qui sont juste époustouflantes.
J’ai adoré suivre les personnages dans les 3 tomes et leurs évolutions sont juste géniales ! J’adore Joe Kurtz, il reste mon chouchou dans ce bouquin : il est brillant, malin, un peu maso sur les bords mais ça fait son charme et il est têtu ! Il a une intelligence folle vraiment même si parfois il peut faire le con.
La fin est juste une pépite (comme toujours avec les œuvres de Dan Simmons) et tout dans ce livre est harmonieux de l’intrigue, à l’ambiance oppressante et stressante car il n’y a jamais de temps morts, jusqu’aux personnages.
Il est absolument à lire, et dans le bon ordre, et à savourer !
J’ai lu « Vengeance » et « Revanche » d’une traite et je les ai absolument ADORÉ et celui-ci ne déroge pas à la règle : c’est un chef d’œuvre qui complète parfaitement bien les deux tomes précédents.
Nous retrouvons Joe Kurtz, toujours increvable, qui est encore mêlé dans des affaires qui sont juste époustouflantes.
J’ai adoré suivre les personnages dans les 3 tomes et leurs évolutions sont juste géniales ! J’adore Joe Kurtz, il reste mon chouchou dans ce bouquin : il est brillant, malin, un peu maso sur les bords mais ça fait son charme et il est têtu ! Il a une intelligence folle vraiment même si parfois il peut faire le con.
La fin est juste une pépite (comme toujours avec les œuvres de Dan Simmons) et tout dans ce livre est harmonieux de l’intrigue, à l’ambiance oppressante et stressante car il n’y a jamais de temps morts, jusqu’aux personnages.
Il est absolument à lire, et dans le bon ordre, et à savourer !
February 26, 2018
The best hard-boiled novel I've read in several years. Clearly better than Simmons' first two Joe Kurtz books. Those books both had major flaws, in my opinion. This most recent Kurtz book does not share those flaws. If you like hard-boiled, two-fisted mystery, you'll enjoy this book.
The book flaps reports Simmons is working on another Kurtz book. I wonder if that's true.
I read this book on a flight from WA to FLA.
The book flaps reports Simmons is working on another Kurtz book. I wonder if that's true.
I read this book on a flight from WA to FLA.
September 15, 2021
It was the right book at the right time and I devoured it.
Dan Simmons prose is the best. I think the third installment was the best, storywise, and because of the many hilarious dialogues (or "conversations"), comments and mental notes of Kurtz.
Also, I have great sympathy for him suffering a migraine throughout the book.
I'd love to read that little extra "adventure" that's hinted at.
Dan Simmons prose is the best. I think the third installment was the best, storywise, and because of the many hilarious dialogues (or "conversations"), comments and mental notes of Kurtz.
Also, I have great sympathy for him suffering a migraine throughout the book.
I'd love to read that little extra "adventure" that's hinted at.
February 26, 2025
While this is the best of the three Joe Kurtz novels (in part because the novel's first half shows Dan Simmons briefly finding his plotting skills again before completely absconding with them), Dan Simmons still stands in the formidable shadow of Donald Westlake. He just doesn't have the skill to make this work -- in large part because Joe Kurtz remains an uninteresting thug. A chapter set in an amusement park only serves to remind us of Richard Stark's SLAYGROUND, a far better novel. It remains my theory that THE RISE OF ENDYMION sucked up what remained of Dan Simmons's brain and turned him into a largely hack writer. Because the six books he produced immediately after that are just BAD, man, with the middling A WINTER HAUNTING serving as the only exception to this rule. But I will carry on reading the Simmons oeuvre. What a terrible fall from such great heights!
October 3, 2016
*Rezension bezieht sich auf das Hörbuch*
Mittlerweile hat sich Joe Kurtz relativ gut in sein Leben "nach dem Knast" eingefügt. Nicht immer nimmt er es so genau mit dem Gesetz, doch bisher war ihm das Glück hold und er wurde nicht erwischt. Nach wie vor erfüllt er, so gut es ihm geht, seine Bewährungsauflagen, wozu auch gehört, dass er regelmäßig bei seiner Bewährungshelferin vorstellig wird. Doch der letzte Termin bei ihr endet in einem Drama. Durch Zufall befinden sich beide zusammen in der Tiefgarage, als auf sie geschossen wird. Joe wird von einem Streifschuss getroffen, doch seine Bewährungshelferin Peg O`Toole wird lebensgefährlich verletzt.
Noch im Krankenhaus macht Joe die Bekanntschaft mit Pegs Verlobtem, der außer sich vor Sorge ist um seine Zukünftige und schlimmer noch, es gibt keinerlei Aufnahmen von der Tat, denn Joe und Peg befanden sich in einem toten Winkel der Kameras. Besonders tragisch ist die Tatsache, dass ausgerechnet Pegs Verlobter für das Sicherheitssystem des Parkhauses verantwortlich ist. Joe ist sich nicht sicher, wem von ihnen beiden der Anschlag galt, muss jedoch davon ausgehen, dass er hätte sterben soll. Feinde hat er genug, doch welcher genau ist ihm mittlerweile so nah gekommen?
Besonders irritierend ist die Tatsache, dass ausgerechnet seine ärgsten Feinde Stein und Bein schwören, mit diesem Anschlag nichts zu tun gehabt zu haben. Joe ist sich nicht sicher, ob er ihnen glauben soll, doch muss er auch der Tatsache ins Auge sehen, dass er nur ein Zufallsopfer war und O`Toole das eigentliche Ziel war. Sicherlich betreut sie einige schwere Jungs, doch hat sie es sich mit jemandem so verscherzt, dass derjenige ihren Tod will? Kann das ganze eventuell etwas mit dem alten Vergnügungspark zu tun haben, den Joe in ihrem Auftrag ausfindig machen sollte, von dem sie Fotos dabei hatte? Während O`Toole um ihr Leben kämpft, begibt sich Joe auf die Suche nach dem geheimnisvollen Vergnügungspark, den O`Toole unbedingt ausfindig machen wollte, denn dieser hat irgendetwas mit der Vergangenheit der Bewährungshelferin zu tun und tatsächlich eröffnet sich dort ein Motiv ...
Der 3. Band der Joe-Kurtz-Trilogie! Der Plot des Abschlussbandes der Trilogie wurde extrem spannend erarbeitet. Besonders faszinierend empfand ich es, wie vielen Fährten Joe Kurtz nachgehen musste, um auf die richtige Spur zum Attentäter zu gelangen und ich war extrem überrascht, wie sich die Story aufgelöst hat. Die Figuren wurden realistisch erarbeitet. Interessant empfand ich, dass ich Joe Kurtz in diesem Band von einer ganz neuen Seite kennengelernt habe, denn dieser wirklich harte Hund hat auch eine sanftere Seite, denn das Schicksal seiner Bewährungshelferin lässt ihn alles andere als kalt und sobald es ihm auch nur halbwegs körperlich möglich ist, beginnt er nachzuforschen, wer es auf ihn oder sie abgesehen haben könnte. Sprecher Wilhelm vermochte es auch dieses Mal, mich mit seiner Interpretation des Buches voll und ganz in seinen Bann zu ziehen und mich bis zum Ende nicht mehr loszulassen. Auch vermochte er es, die actionreichen Szenen so hervorragend wiederzugeben, dass ich dermaßen gefesselt war, dass ich alles andere stehen und liegen lassen musste, um ihm voll und ganz zu lauschen.
Mittlerweile hat sich Joe Kurtz relativ gut in sein Leben "nach dem Knast" eingefügt. Nicht immer nimmt er es so genau mit dem Gesetz, doch bisher war ihm das Glück hold und er wurde nicht erwischt. Nach wie vor erfüllt er, so gut es ihm geht, seine Bewährungsauflagen, wozu auch gehört, dass er regelmäßig bei seiner Bewährungshelferin vorstellig wird. Doch der letzte Termin bei ihr endet in einem Drama. Durch Zufall befinden sich beide zusammen in der Tiefgarage, als auf sie geschossen wird. Joe wird von einem Streifschuss getroffen, doch seine Bewährungshelferin Peg O`Toole wird lebensgefährlich verletzt.
Noch im Krankenhaus macht Joe die Bekanntschaft mit Pegs Verlobtem, der außer sich vor Sorge ist um seine Zukünftige und schlimmer noch, es gibt keinerlei Aufnahmen von der Tat, denn Joe und Peg befanden sich in einem toten Winkel der Kameras. Besonders tragisch ist die Tatsache, dass ausgerechnet Pegs Verlobter für das Sicherheitssystem des Parkhauses verantwortlich ist. Joe ist sich nicht sicher, wem von ihnen beiden der Anschlag galt, muss jedoch davon ausgehen, dass er hätte sterben soll. Feinde hat er genug, doch welcher genau ist ihm mittlerweile so nah gekommen?
Besonders irritierend ist die Tatsache, dass ausgerechnet seine ärgsten Feinde Stein und Bein schwören, mit diesem Anschlag nichts zu tun gehabt zu haben. Joe ist sich nicht sicher, ob er ihnen glauben soll, doch muss er auch der Tatsache ins Auge sehen, dass er nur ein Zufallsopfer war und O`Toole das eigentliche Ziel war. Sicherlich betreut sie einige schwere Jungs, doch hat sie es sich mit jemandem so verscherzt, dass derjenige ihren Tod will? Kann das ganze eventuell etwas mit dem alten Vergnügungspark zu tun haben, den Joe in ihrem Auftrag ausfindig machen sollte, von dem sie Fotos dabei hatte? Während O`Toole um ihr Leben kämpft, begibt sich Joe auf die Suche nach dem geheimnisvollen Vergnügungspark, den O`Toole unbedingt ausfindig machen wollte, denn dieser hat irgendetwas mit der Vergangenheit der Bewährungshelferin zu tun und tatsächlich eröffnet sich dort ein Motiv ...
Der 3. Band der Joe-Kurtz-Trilogie! Der Plot des Abschlussbandes der Trilogie wurde extrem spannend erarbeitet. Besonders faszinierend empfand ich es, wie vielen Fährten Joe Kurtz nachgehen musste, um auf die richtige Spur zum Attentäter zu gelangen und ich war extrem überrascht, wie sich die Story aufgelöst hat. Die Figuren wurden realistisch erarbeitet. Interessant empfand ich, dass ich Joe Kurtz in diesem Band von einer ganz neuen Seite kennengelernt habe, denn dieser wirklich harte Hund hat auch eine sanftere Seite, denn das Schicksal seiner Bewährungshelferin lässt ihn alles andere als kalt und sobald es ihm auch nur halbwegs körperlich möglich ist, beginnt er nachzuforschen, wer es auf ihn oder sie abgesehen haben könnte. Sprecher Wilhelm vermochte es auch dieses Mal, mich mit seiner Interpretation des Buches voll und ganz in seinen Bann zu ziehen und mich bis zum Ende nicht mehr loszulassen. Auch vermochte er es, die actionreichen Szenen so hervorragend wiederzugeben, dass ich dermaßen gefesselt war, dass ich alles andere stehen und liegen lassen musste, um ihm voll und ganz zu lauschen.
August 13, 2024
I was all giddy after reading the first Joe Kurtz book by Simmons thinking it was a reasonable substitute to the Parker series I had finished up. Simmons obviously loves Parker as much as I do and tried to recapture that feel in this series. But after reading this, the third, and last (since it was written in 2003 and no more have followed, that is a safe assumption) book in the series I was extremely disappointed. A few of the problems I had with that book were magnified and several new ones were added making this book a very frustrating read.
It starts off interesting - Joe and his parole officer get shot in the parking lot. And then...it goes downhill. The only other positive about the book is that the bad guys get their comeuppance in the end so at least that was partially satisfying.
One of the biggest problems I had was Simmons has a tendency to make these things FAR too complicated. Parker novels are sleek and elegant in their simplicity. The plots are like a bullet - once fired they move quickly towards the conclusion like an unstoppable force. You feel swept along with the action. Even if there are a few weak spots in the plot the momentum carries you along to the ending. Hard Case (the first Kurtz)is like that. This one was NOT like that. To the point of the big reveal (which is so easy to see coming) is more of a "finally" than a "wow!". And even then the author never really explained why the final big baddie (there are several big baddies) shot at Peg O'Toole, the parole officer , in the first place.
This book came in at 300 pages, which is 50 more than the last one and again the added length works against it. These novels need to be sleek not bulky and convoluted.
Another big problem that irritated me throughout the book is how every other character acts as if they had read the other two books in the series. We have his cop/ex-girlfriend who seems to know everything that happened in book one, same with his Mafia girlfriend and the other Mafia guy. They relate details from that book that only the readers and Kurtz should know. We also have every character seem to know the Dane (the super Hitman from book 1) is in town and might be looking for Kurtz. To the point even Kurtz wonders if it is on a billboard somewhere. No, but it is impossible to believe everyone knows about it.
Just page after page of things that made me think "lazy writing" right up to the end which is almost a xerox copy of the first book. I suspect that may be why Simmons stopped writing these books, he realized he was in a rut after only 3 books. Which is odd considering there are so many better ways to end a book like this other than a hand of God rescuing the hero yet again. But Simmons seems to like the ending to be "it is over...not quite, the hero gets captured and is about to get shot and then...not quite...".
In the end, a huge disappointment. I wasn't saying the first book was excellent literature but it was fun. This one was not fun and quite irritating.
It starts off interesting - Joe and his parole officer get shot in the parking lot. And then...it goes downhill. The only other positive about the book is that the bad guys get their comeuppance in the end so at least that was partially satisfying.
One of the biggest problems I had was Simmons has a tendency to make these things FAR too complicated. Parker novels are sleek and elegant in their simplicity. The plots are like a bullet - once fired they move quickly towards the conclusion like an unstoppable force. You feel swept along with the action. Even if there are a few weak spots in the plot the momentum carries you along to the ending. Hard Case (the first Kurtz)is like that. This one was NOT like that. To the point of the big reveal (which is so easy to see coming) is more of a "finally" than a "wow!". And even then the author never really explained why the final big baddie (there are several big baddies) shot at Peg O'Toole, the parole officer , in the first place.
This book came in at 300 pages, which is 50 more than the last one and again the added length works against it. These novels need to be sleek not bulky and convoluted.
Another big problem that irritated me throughout the book is how every other character acts as if they had read the other two books in the series. We have his cop/ex-girlfriend who seems to know everything that happened in book one, same with his Mafia girlfriend and the other Mafia guy. They relate details from that book that only the readers and Kurtz should know. We also have every character seem to know the Dane (the super Hitman from book 1) is in town and might be looking for Kurtz. To the point even Kurtz wonders if it is on a billboard somewhere. No, but it is impossible to believe everyone knows about it.
Just page after page of things that made me think "lazy writing" right up to the end which is almost a xerox copy of the first book. I suspect that may be why Simmons stopped writing these books, he realized he was in a rut after only 3 books. Which is odd considering there are so many better ways to end a book like this other than a hand of God rescuing the hero yet again. But Simmons seems to like the ending to be "it is over...not quite, the hero gets captured and is about to get shot and then...not quite...".
In the end, a huge disappointment. I wasn't saying the first book was excellent literature but it was fun. This one was not fun and quite irritating.
September 8, 2007
HARD AS NAILS –VG
Simmons, Dan – 3rd in series
The book opens with Joe Kurtz being shot in the head which leaves him with the headache of a lifetime and a female probation officer on life support. As if that weren't enough, Kurtz has to deal with Toma Gonzaga, the gay don who owes him a debt in blood. On top of that, someone is killing heroin addicts in Buffalo and hauling away the bodies.
One character likens Kurtz to the old Timex commercial of “takes a licking but keeps on ticking.” If you can suspend belief of how many times someone can be shot, concussed, beat up and still keep going, these are rip-roaring, page-turning reads–I do suggest you read them in order--with great characters, including Kurtz’ assistant, Arlene. My biggest problem with this series is that Simmons needs to write them faster.
Simmons, Dan – 3rd in series
The book opens with Joe Kurtz being shot in the head which leaves him with the headache of a lifetime and a female probation officer on life support. As if that weren't enough, Kurtz has to deal with Toma Gonzaga, the gay don who owes him a debt in blood. On top of that, someone is killing heroin addicts in Buffalo and hauling away the bodies.
One character likens Kurtz to the old Timex commercial of “takes a licking but keeps on ticking.” If you can suspend belief of how many times someone can be shot, concussed, beat up and still keep going, these are rip-roaring, page-turning reads–I do suggest you read them in order--with great characters, including Kurtz’ assistant, Arlene. My biggest problem with this series is that Simmons needs to write them faster.
January 23, 2009
I'm a big fan of well-written noir style hard boiled detective stories and this one delivers big time.
The opening sentence "On they day he was shot in the head, things were going strangely well for Joe Kurtz", had me and it never let up. I was a big fan of Dan Simmons sci-fi outings notably "Olympos" and "Illium" so when I saw that he wrote mysteries as well, I thought I'd give it a try. He seems able to float over all the cliches of the genre without once feeling stale or flat. His prose style is taut, but not stripped down. Well-paced and a page-turner, I'll be checking out the rest of the Kurtz books.
The opening sentence "On they day he was shot in the head, things were going strangely well for Joe Kurtz", had me and it never let up. I was a big fan of Dan Simmons sci-fi outings notably "Olympos" and "Illium" so when I saw that he wrote mysteries as well, I thought I'd give it a try. He seems able to float over all the cliches of the genre without once feeling stale or flat. His prose style is taut, but not stripped down. Well-paced and a page-turner, I'll be checking out the rest of the Kurtz books.
November 21, 2007
It's everything a guy looking for a great action thriller could ask for. It's got mafioso, an evil weird guy, other bad guys that aren't always bad, tough guy with soft heart, ex-girlfriend and now good looking detective with large caliber gun and other assets, hot mafia babe with big gun too, old Vietnam-era guys with issues, assault on...well can't tell ya or I'd give it away. Now I will have to get the first two Joe Kurtz novels. Read this one.
Read
November 11, 2020Simmons doesn't waste much time getting Joe Kurtz into trouble. It starts off innocently enough, with a visit to his PO, Peg O'Toole, but soon descends into madness when they are both attacked in the parking garage at her offices by a pair of gunmen, who leave Kurtz in the hospital with a bleeding head wound and Peg in a coma. Joe's enemies start piling on the minute he wakes up in the hospital, with a smack upside the head by O'Toole's wheelchair-bound uncle, a war hero who blames Kurtz for her being attacked, and being interrogated by a pair of detectives, one of whom used to be his close friend, and sometime lover, Rigby King.
Then, there's a whole slew of the usual suspects who may be ready to take Kurtz out of the picture, including Angelina Farino and Toma Gonzaga, heads of the local crime families, who may or may not have hired the legendary assassin, the Dane, to fix Joe's wagon permanently. Big Bore Redhawk, whom Kurtz embarrassed in Hard Freeze, a mysterious killer known as The Dodger, and maybe even a Yemeni terrorist or two are all gunning for him, plus a couple of folks we don't even suspect at first.
The whole mess centers around a battle for control of the heroin trade, and Kurtz ends up playing middleman in the final "negotiations". Some of it was quite predictable. I think I've just read too many stories - I know when a tried and true plot device is being pulled out of the cupboard and dusted off one more time. Plenty of violence and twisty plottings, some backstory on Kurtz' life in an orphanage, and just a hint of Joe beginning to trust at least a few folks in the world.
Then, there's a whole slew of the usual suspects who may be ready to take Kurtz out of the picture, including Angelina Farino and Toma Gonzaga, heads of the local crime families, who may or may not have hired the legendary assassin, the Dane, to fix Joe's wagon permanently. Big Bore Redhawk, whom Kurtz embarrassed in Hard Freeze, a mysterious killer known as The Dodger, and maybe even a Yemeni terrorist or two are all gunning for him, plus a couple of folks we don't even suspect at first.
The whole mess centers around a battle for control of the heroin trade, and Kurtz ends up playing middleman in the final "negotiations". Some of it was quite predictable. I think I've just read too many stories - I know when a tried and true plot device is being pulled out of the cupboard and dusted off one more time. Plenty of violence and twisty plottings, some backstory on Kurtz' life in an orphanage, and just a hint of Joe beginning to trust at least a few folks in the world.
October 22, 2023
Most non-writers don't know just how hard it is to get your first novel published. But writers know the tales, horror stories all. Consider: William Saroyan received 7,000 rejection letters before selling his first story. Alex Haley wrote every day for eight years before something of his was accepted. Agatha Christie was continuously rejected for four years before her first book was published. Chicken Soup for the Soul was rejected 134 times before it was ultimately accepted by a publisher. Madeline L'Engle's masterpiece, A Wrinkle in Time, was rejected 26 times before being published and promptly winning the prestigious Newbery Award (given every year for "The most distinguished contribution to American literature for Children.") Publishers aren't omniscient; they make mistakes like everyone else. But some writers are luckier than others. Which brings us to Author Dan Simmons. In 1982 his FIRST PUBLISHED SHORT STORY won the Rod Serling Memorial Award in the Twilight Zone Magazine Short Fiction Contest. And he was on his way, winning some of the top awards in the Sci-Fi, horror, fantasy, and thriller genres over the years. Hard as Nails is tough-guy fiction, and it's very effective, with fast dialogue and a hard-hitting story. Joe Kurtz grew up as an orphan in Buffalo, New York, enlisted in the Army as an MP, came back to Buffalo as a PI, but has spent the last eleven years in Attica on a manslaughter charge. This starts when he's walking out of the Downtown Civic Center with his probation officer and they are both shot. Which begins a long, dramatic story where Author Simmons never takes his foot off the gas. Not once. Hard as Nails is impossible to put down.
October 7, 2025
“Hard as Nails”, the final episode in the 'Joe Kuntz' trilogy, gets off to a cracking start when Joe is shot in the head.
He's been with his P.O., Peggy O'Toole, and she is left for dead, critically wounded and not expected to ever fully recover.
Just before she had asked him to investigate some photographs of a fairground but, as is usually the case, he turned her down.
For most people it would be lights out but, as the Dane later remarks, “[Joe] takes a licking but keeps on ticking.”
He intends to find out who shot him - as usual there is no shortage of suspects, but first to hand is a strange proposal from both local crime gangs to find out who is decimating their low level street pushers and other human detritus.
It all leads to a Hollywood blockbuster finale in which Joe puts together a small army and does what he does best.
It may be the end for him but the book (published in 2003) leaves his potential future wide open.
I'll miss Joe, not that I (or anyone else) ever really got to know him.
4 Stars.
He's been with his P.O., Peggy O'Toole, and she is left for dead, critically wounded and not expected to ever fully recover.
Just before she had asked him to investigate some photographs of a fairground but, as is usually the case, he turned her down.
For most people it would be lights out but, as the Dane later remarks, “[Joe] takes a licking but keeps on ticking.”
He intends to find out who shot him - as usual there is no shortage of suspects, but first to hand is a strange proposal from both local crime gangs to find out who is decimating their low level street pushers and other human detritus.
It all leads to a Hollywood blockbuster finale in which Joe puts together a small army and does what he does best.
It may be the end for him but the book (published in 2003) leaves his potential future wide open.
I'll miss Joe, not that I (or anyone else) ever really got to know him.
4 Stars.
October 23, 2021
-4.25- An excellent finish to the Joe Kurtz trilogy. Several previous characters, including the assassin "the dane" (who reminds me of Max Von Sydow's character in Three Days of The Condor) return for the final installment. In classic hard boiled fiction style the action is fierce and the body count is high. Kurtz continues in his laconic and acerbic ways dealing out gems of wisdom with his mouth and dealing death with a browning automatic. While not perfect this book is a vast improvement over the second book in my opinion. The story line is a tad complicated with two mafia families fighting for control of the Buffalo crime empire, and a third unknown player declaring war on the mafia. The author Simmons introduces an uber creepy Michael Meyers hitman and the story appropriately take place near Halloween. The creeps name is "the artful dodger," a bit of a play on the Dickens novel Oliver Twist. If you are a fan of hard hitting crime fiction than this series is for you.
June 2, 2017
The (apparently) final installment in Dan Simmons's series-as-homage to Donald Westlake writing as Richard Stark, and sadly by far the weakest of the three books. The whole devolution into Rambo-land just came off as silly and entirely out of character. Interestingly, there were a couple of plot points left up in the air, but I would imagine over a decade on from this last title that is where they shall remain. Even a rather shabby deux ex machina Still and all, this series is by far the best attempt by anyone to write Richard Stark-like novels I've ever come across.
May 10, 2018
Been a long while since I read the other Joe Kurtz novels. Maybe my tastes have changed. Maybe this one just wasn't all that. Whatever the case I just had a really hard time getting in to this book always finding an excuse to pick up another one in the mean time. Kind of makes me wonder if I were to go back and read a lot of the things I read before I got married and had kids how I might react to them... not that this story is particularly about that, just how *I* might have changed in what content I'm willing to put up with now vs then.
If you want a hard-boiled detective story, you've got that. Just didn't really do it for me this time.
So while you may really like it, I'm sorry I can't give it a higher score, since for whatever reason it just did not appeal the me.
If you want a hard-boiled detective story, you've got that. Just didn't really do it for me this time.
So while you may really like it, I'm sorry I can't give it a higher score, since for whatever reason it just did not appeal the me.
March 4, 2021
Novela negra, se pasa un buen rato, aunque al final al autor le da por meternos en un "Beirut" americano un poco forzado, pero correcta, con personajes muy fríos y una chica policía con una buena historia detrás que se podría desarrollar.
El protagonista se ve envuelto en una guerra de bandas un tanto extraña y todas las partes le quieren a su lado, además tiene otros asuntos propios que resolver y debe pedir favores que hay que pagar.
Es un casi final a la serie, tendré que investigar si hay más novelas.
El protagonista se ve envuelto en una guerra de bandas un tanto extraña y todas las partes le quieren a su lado, además tiene otros asuntos propios que resolver y debe pedir favores que hay que pagar.
Es un casi final a la serie, tendré que investigar si hay más novelas.
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July 3, 2021I do not know if anyone has mentioned this before,
Author Dan Simmons has paid homage to Westlake and his Parker character with three hard-boiled action novels featuring the character of Joe Kurtz, a past and current private investigator who spent time in Attica prison. The first novel, Hardcase, is dedicated to Richard Stark/Donald Westlake. In the third Kurtz novel, Hard as Nails, Kurtz mentions that he did not know his father, but that he was a career criminal thief who went by a single name and would have sex with women after a job, a clear reference to Parker.
Author Dan Simmons has paid homage to Westlake and his Parker character with three hard-boiled action novels featuring the character of Joe Kurtz, a past and current private investigator who spent time in Attica prison. The first novel, Hardcase, is dedicated to Richard Stark/Donald Westlake. In the third Kurtz novel, Hard as Nails, Kurtz mentions that he did not know his father, but that he was a career criminal thief who went by a single name and would have sex with women after a job, a clear reference to Parker.
June 1, 2019
This high action mystery/thriller kept barreling along - just like an action movie....never a dull moment. It kind of had a noir feeling to it - partly in the way the city (Buffalo NY) and area is described and partly in the style of Joe - rough, hard, unemotional, powers through any kind of pain, etc. I was led a merry chase and didn't figure out who the bad guy manipulating everything was till the very end....which is how I like it. A good summer mystery read.
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