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Simple White Trash
After three years in Mississippi State Penitentiary, Carl O’Donell re-enters society with simple plans – get back to work pushing drugs and keeping an eye on his younger brother Jimmy. He quickly learns that not only has Jimmy been committed after yet another failed suicide attempt, but his old boss is dead at the hands of Mexican drug lord Armando Vega.
Carl’s only way to quick cash and a fresh start is through Armando. He hires Carl for a simple assignment of busting up a rival meth lab that turns complicated and deadly. Now Carl and Jimmy are on the run from the Mexican drug cartel as well as the police after a messy robbery. It would be a lot harder to find them if they didn’t leave so many bodies in their wake.
Carl’s only way to quick cash and a fresh start is through Armando. He hires Carl for a simple assignment of busting up a rival meth lab that turns complicated and deadly. Now Carl and Jimmy are on the run from the Mexican drug cartel as well as the police after a messy robbery. It would be a lot harder to find them if they didn’t leave so many bodies in their wake.
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First published August 30, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 23, 2016
My original Simple White Trash audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
Simple White Trash was a surprise package. After reading the summary, it sounded like a simple premise if not a little dangerous; however, by the time you get to the end of this book you have a whole cast of characters that you meet along the way of this story that come together in the climactic last scenes. As the book opens up with Carl O'Donnell being released from prison, the picture of simple white trash is definitely painted as the listener hears about being in and out of jail, rusty old trailers, and drug-related careers. You definitely try to get on Carl's side though as the story progresses and we hear of how he cares for his mentally-challenged brother, Jimmy, and being raised by an alcoholic father. An unfortunate set of circumstances, although this seems to be the way of life for Carl, leads to Carl and Jimmy being on the run from a Mexican drug cartel. The second half of the book, is full of a crazy characters and even crazier circumstances that will not leave you disappointed. I was definitely impressed with how well developed the characters and the story came together in this shorter book and completed the story for Carl and Jimmy for the listener.
The narrator, DJ Holte, was perfect for this book bringing a harsh, raspy voice and a hint of a southern drawl. It was a ideal match for the severe nature of the story and the rigid characters that portrayed the grim events of this story. I was impressed with his abilities from start to finish and I could easily distinguish characters without losing any of the roughness in his voice. I would definitely listen to both the author's stories and narrator's books again in the future.
Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.
Simple White Trash was a surprise package. After reading the summary, it sounded like a simple premise if not a little dangerous; however, by the time you get to the end of this book you have a whole cast of characters that you meet along the way of this story that come together in the climactic last scenes. As the book opens up with Carl O'Donnell being released from prison, the picture of simple white trash is definitely painted as the listener hears about being in and out of jail, rusty old trailers, and drug-related careers. You definitely try to get on Carl's side though as the story progresses and we hear of how he cares for his mentally-challenged brother, Jimmy, and being raised by an alcoholic father. An unfortunate set of circumstances, although this seems to be the way of life for Carl, leads to Carl and Jimmy being on the run from a Mexican drug cartel. The second half of the book, is full of a crazy characters and even crazier circumstances that will not leave you disappointed. I was definitely impressed with how well developed the characters and the story came together in this shorter book and completed the story for Carl and Jimmy for the listener.
The narrator, DJ Holte, was perfect for this book bringing a harsh, raspy voice and a hint of a southern drawl. It was a ideal match for the severe nature of the story and the rigid characters that portrayed the grim events of this story. I was impressed with his abilities from start to finish and I could easily distinguish characters without losing any of the roughness in his voice. I would definitely listen to both the author's stories and narrator's books again in the future.
Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.
February 19, 2018
My first experience with author Robert Brumm on Amazon was Desolate, a trilogy of connected science fiction/horror novellas that were quite imaginative and showed that the author was comfortable working in a wide variety of genres. He displays his breadth of talent again in Simple White Trash, an aptly named short novel whose only horror is the extreme level of mayhem and carnage that the characters in the book inflict on each other. But, like Desolate, Simple White Trash shows the author's ability to create an engrossing storyline, interesting characters, and well-staged, albeit violent, action scenes. And, for readers who are not turned off by R-rated language and descriptions of violence, it's a fast paced, enjoyable read.
Simple White Trash is the story of Carl O'Donnell, who, as the story begins, is just released from prison and returns to his small hometown. There, he discovers that his former "employer," the local drug boss, has been forcibly and permanently retired by a South American rival who has taken over the business. Carl, a go-with-the-flow kind of guy, agrees to work for the South Americans, but his first job for them, which involves putting a rival meth lab out of business, turns into a big shootout in which Carl is the last man standing. Realizing that he’s going to get the blame for the debacle, Carl and his emotionally troubled brother Jimmy go into hiding, but eventually they decide to rob a local diner. That decision turns into an even bigger bloodbath shootout, and Carl and Jimmy flee ahead of a growing number of enemies.
Author Brumm does spend some time sketching out Carl’s character, but he’s pretty much what you’d expect from the title, an amoral redneck, quite good at what he does, with a soft spot for his brother, his only remaining family. As the book goes along, readers may even feel a bit of sympathy for him, since many of the things that go wrong turn out to be more-or-less examples of bad luck that make the body count rise and his situation worsen. There are a couple of other interesting characters as well, including an ex-cop with plenty of problems of his own who stumbles across the aftermath of the diner robbery and goes after Carl and Jimmy.
In a brief prologue to the book, the author notes that Carl was introduced previously as a supporting character in Desolate, and that he wrote Simple White Trash to explain how Carl wound up in a maximum security prison to begin with. This spoils the book’s ending to a certain extent, but Trash is not a suspense novel. Most readers will quickly guess that the book is not going to end well for many of the characters, but the interest is in seeing just how everything comes together and how the eventual showdown plays out.
To his credit and readers’ enjoyment, Brumm handles this showdown quite well. His strength, both here and in Desolate, is in creating credible and exciting action scenes, and each of the three big set pieces in the book is handled quite well. He moves from one character’s point of view to another as the scene progresses so that the readers are well aware at all times of how it’s all playing out. This is the type of book that could easily be made into a movie, and Brumm shows a rather cinematic eye for staging his scenes.
Simple White Trash is not a crime classic, Southern or otherwise, but it does take readers along for a fast moving, bloody ride. It’s the type of book whose ending is foretold practically from the first chapter, but in which seeing how the characters arrive at their fates is most of the fun. Indeed, the highest compliment I can pay the book is that it reminded me of some of my favorite crime B-movies of my younger days. If there were such as a description as entertaining escapist B-literature, Simple White Trash would be a prime example. It’s simply a bloody but fun thrill ride.
Simple White Trash is the story of Carl O'Donnell, who, as the story begins, is just released from prison and returns to his small hometown. There, he discovers that his former "employer," the local drug boss, has been forcibly and permanently retired by a South American rival who has taken over the business. Carl, a go-with-the-flow kind of guy, agrees to work for the South Americans, but his first job for them, which involves putting a rival meth lab out of business, turns into a big shootout in which Carl is the last man standing. Realizing that he’s going to get the blame for the debacle, Carl and his emotionally troubled brother Jimmy go into hiding, but eventually they decide to rob a local diner. That decision turns into an even bigger bloodbath shootout, and Carl and Jimmy flee ahead of a growing number of enemies.
Author Brumm does spend some time sketching out Carl’s character, but he’s pretty much what you’d expect from the title, an amoral redneck, quite good at what he does, with a soft spot for his brother, his only remaining family. As the book goes along, readers may even feel a bit of sympathy for him, since many of the things that go wrong turn out to be more-or-less examples of bad luck that make the body count rise and his situation worsen. There are a couple of other interesting characters as well, including an ex-cop with plenty of problems of his own who stumbles across the aftermath of the diner robbery and goes after Carl and Jimmy.
In a brief prologue to the book, the author notes that Carl was introduced previously as a supporting character in Desolate, and that he wrote Simple White Trash to explain how Carl wound up in a maximum security prison to begin with. This spoils the book’s ending to a certain extent, but Trash is not a suspense novel. Most readers will quickly guess that the book is not going to end well for many of the characters, but the interest is in seeing just how everything comes together and how the eventual showdown plays out.
To his credit and readers’ enjoyment, Brumm handles this showdown quite well. His strength, both here and in Desolate, is in creating credible and exciting action scenes, and each of the three big set pieces in the book is handled quite well. He moves from one character’s point of view to another as the scene progresses so that the readers are well aware at all times of how it’s all playing out. This is the type of book that could easily be made into a movie, and Brumm shows a rather cinematic eye for staging his scenes.
Simple White Trash is not a crime classic, Southern or otherwise, but it does take readers along for a fast moving, bloody ride. It’s the type of book whose ending is foretold practically from the first chapter, but in which seeing how the characters arrive at their fates is most of the fun. Indeed, the highest compliment I can pay the book is that it reminded me of some of my favorite crime B-movies of my younger days. If there were such as a description as entertaining escapist B-literature, Simple White Trash would be a prime example. It’s simply a bloody but fun thrill ride.
June 29, 2021
Simple White Trash is absolutely one book that you better be prepared to read it all the way thru. It is about a crazy parent who has abused his children from childhood. Scars that could never heal a life on the run after being released back into a system that he will never fit into. Crime is his only way to exist.
The ending was abrupt and I do hope that this writer Robert Brumm will keep on writing in this style. This is a very; but disturbing read.
The ending was abrupt and I do hope that this writer Robert Brumm will keep on writing in this style. This is a very; but disturbing read.
May 11, 2017
A grabber from page 1.
Great read!! Excellent story line. Brother released from prison, gets his brother out of the mental institution. Carl goes back to a life of crime, Jimmy is involved also. Things happen. Also has a drug cartel, and a disgraced law enforcement officer involved. Cannot wait to read more from this writer!
Great read!! Excellent story line. Brother released from prison, gets his brother out of the mental institution. Carl goes back to a life of crime, Jimmy is involved also. Things happen. Also has a drug cartel, and a disgraced law enforcement officer involved. Cannot wait to read more from this writer!
May 4, 2017
Decent Quick Read
With the exception of the rare spelling and grammatical errors that shouldn't have been missed by his editor, the story was told well. It's 10:30 on a week night, and I'll be wide awake for awhile thinking this one through. It was that amazing. A great read.
With the exception of the rare spelling and grammatical errors that shouldn't have been missed by his editor, the story was told well. It's 10:30 on a week night, and I'll be wide awake for awhile thinking this one through. It was that amazing. A great read.
June 17, 2021
Carl gets out of prison and teams up with is brother Jimmy to sell drugs. He gets caught up in a gang war and is hunted by one of the drug crime bosses/ A fired policeman gets involved, and a lot of people get killed.
Carl ends up in a penitentiary in Antarctica
Carl ends up in a penitentiary in Antarctica
March 16, 2015
I realized while reading this book (after one of the authors’ fans mentioned it) that Simple White Trash is a companion novel to Robert Brumm’s “DESOLATE.” However, you don’t have to read the first to enjoy the second. Simple White Trash is a standalone novel packed with action, tension, humor, and engaging characters. I was hooked from the first page, and the dialogue (I’m extremely picky on the dialogue) is perfection.
Simple White Trash is a wild ride that begins with bad luck, worse decisions, and mostly good intentions, and ends with you on the edge of your seat, turning the pages faster than your poor eyes can read. This is going in my top reads of 2015 list.
Simple White Trash is a wild ride that begins with bad luck, worse decisions, and mostly good intentions, and ends with you on the edge of your seat, turning the pages faster than your poor eyes can read. This is going in my top reads of 2015 list.
October 1, 2014
We've all had bad days, the kind that start out kind of crappy and then just spiral downward into absolute crapola. "Simple White Trash" tells such a tale, albeit "bad day" is an understatement. The story follows Carl O'Donell, a lost soul and back alley thug, from his brutal childhood to his release from prison as an adult. And that's where the trouble really begins...
As with all of Brumm's work, I found "Simple White Trash" a very entertaining read that's hard to put down once you start.
As with all of Brumm's work, I found "Simple White Trash" a very entertaining read that's hard to put down once you start.
October 6, 2014
I was lucky enough to beta read this one, and enjoyed it. This is the story of one of the characters in Desolate, but is not actually part of that series. This one can be read alone. Witness Carl's incredibly bad judgement compounded by the worst luck possible. This book certainly explains how Carl managed to end up in a prison camp on a island near Antarctica. Fast reading, and very well done. Read Carl's story so you can be glad that you're smarter than him.
December 13, 2014
One of these stories where none of the main characters are clean. The question us who will survive? Lots of dead bodies, shooting and generally ne'er do well crazy bad guys in this story.
I liked it!
I liked it!
March 5, 2015
Simple White Trash was a great story, made even greater by the realization at the end that it is a prequel to Desolate. Well written and gritty with well developed characters, Brumm has written another gem. Check this one out, especially if you liked Desolate.
October 11, 2014
Delightfully gruesome! Full of unexpected twists and turn, this is a story that immediately grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews