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下層生活
在某處，總有個人窺視著你的生活，
想要吞噬你，想要──變成你！
結合了黑色電影、心理分析劇的元素，再加上如迷宮般的情節，這本驚悚駭人之作，也宣告了這顆文壇新星的璀璨未來，指日可待。
「陰鬱、劇力萬鈞、爆發力十足……不世出的鬼才。」──羅傑．埃洛里（R.J. Ellory）
「才華洋溢的文壇新秀。」──《每日郵報》
「最佳現代犯罪作品之一！」──亞馬遜讀者好評
賽門是個無比平凡、孤單不起眼的上班族，與世無爭的他，從來沒想過有朝一日會被歹徒盯上。那天夜裡，一名男子闖入賽門那破敗的小公寓中，意圖殺害賽門，賽門自衛反擊，不料在黑暗中殺害了對方。
冷靜下來的賽門，發現對方名叫傑洛米，竟和自己長相竟然極為相似，已經厭倦了平淡生活的賽門，決定喬裝成傑洛米，回到傑洛米的家中，找出他想殺害自己的原因。與此同時，賽門也發現了傑洛米擁有著賽門夢想中的生活：嬌妻、豪宅、稱頭的工作……
賽門試著冒充傑洛米，而他不但成功矇騙了傑洛米的同事，連他的美麗妻子也深信不疑。但是，賽門公寓的牆壁上所出現的神祕塗鴉，卻讓他猛然驚覺，拋卻過往的身分，並非想像中簡單，而傑洛米的生活根本不如表面完美，其實……
想要吞噬你，想要──變成你！
結合了黑色電影、心理分析劇的元素，再加上如迷宮般的情節，這本驚悚駭人之作，也宣告了這顆文壇新星的璀璨未來，指日可待。
「陰鬱、劇力萬鈞、爆發力十足……不世出的鬼才。」──羅傑．埃洛里（R.J. Ellory）
「才華洋溢的文壇新秀。」──《每日郵報》
「最佳現代犯罪作品之一！」──亞馬遜讀者好評
賽門是個無比平凡、孤單不起眼的上班族，與世無爭的他，從來沒想過有朝一日會被歹徒盯上。那天夜裡，一名男子闖入賽門那破敗的小公寓中，意圖殺害賽門，賽門自衛反擊，不料在黑暗中殺害了對方。
冷靜下來的賽門，發現對方名叫傑洛米，竟和自己長相竟然極為相似，已經厭倦了平淡生活的賽門，決定喬裝成傑洛米，回到傑洛米的家中，找出他想殺害自己的原因。與此同時，賽門也發現了傑洛米擁有著賽門夢想中的生活：嬌妻、豪宅、稱頭的工作……
賽門試著冒充傑洛米，而他不但成功矇騙了傑洛米的同事，連他的美麗妻子也深信不疑。但是，賽門公寓的牆壁上所出現的神祕塗鴉，卻讓他猛然驚覺，拋卻過往的身分，並非想像中簡單，而傑洛米的生活根本不如表面完美，其實……
- GenresThriller
288 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2010
4 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Ryan David Jahn
14 books71 followersRyan David Jahn grew up in Arizona, California, and Texas. He finished school at sixteen, worked several odd jobs, from record store clerk to janitor, and spent time in the army before moving to Los Angeles, where he muddled about in television and film for several years.
He published his first novel, Acts of Violence, which went on to win the Crime Writers' Association John Creasey Dagger, in 2009, and has since published four others: Low Life (2010); The Dispatcher (2011), which was long-listed for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger; The Last Tomorrow (2012); and The Gentle Assassin (2014). Translation rights to his works have been sold in twelve languages.
He now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife Jessica Alt Jahn and two daughters, Francine and Matilda.
He published his first novel, Acts of Violence, which went on to win the Crime Writers' Association John Creasey Dagger, in 2009, and has since published four others: Low Life (2010); The Dispatcher (2011), which was long-listed for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger; The Last Tomorrow (2012); and The Gentle Assassin (2014). Translation rights to his works have been sold in twelve languages.
He now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife Jessica Alt Jahn and two daughters, Francine and Matilda.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 30, 2015
RD Jahn is one helluva writer. If you’ve not thought so before then the opening chapter of Low Life should convince you. He so compellingly describes waking in a run-down grubby two-room apartment that you can almost smell the rank cabbage-water air and see the paint peeling from the walls. He doesn’t so much write about a scene as drag the reader into it; in this instance into a low-rent, no-hope existence of worn shoes, frayed cuffs and a blanket nailed across the window in place of a curtain.
After so credibly setting the scene, RDJ then smashes it apart by introducing a doppelganger, a look-a-like in up-town clothes, who closely resembles the protagonist and does his best to throttle the life out of him. A violent struggle ensues, at the end of which one of the two men lies dead.
And then things get really out of control.
Low Life is an oh-so-clever psychodrama, a Gordian knot of a story where every part of the plot is important and you should pay attention to every single throwaway remark. Like the film Memento, the direction of the narrative is pretty clear (and not exactly original), but the route it takes is both bewildering and intriguing, complex and extremely clever.
Amid the emotional and narrative turmoil, Jahn spices the story with some scenes which will snap you back to attention – particularly the ‘cut myself shaving’ moment which is described in gloriously gory, unflinching intimacy.
There's more info and detail about the plot and characters over at:
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress...
If you enjoy fast-paced thrillers of the bleak and gory sort then you should love this. If your tastes tend more towards mainstream action-adventure romps then Low Life may be a little dark and violent for your tastes. Interestingly, I first read this a couple of years ago. Second time around it still kept me guessing and I enjoyed it just as much.
Both times I’d guessed mostly where the plot was heading before it arrived but even so was thoroughly delighted by the way the various threads were craftily stitched together to make the finale inescapable as well as inevitable.
Very clever, both in idea and execution. A small story but one well told.
8/10
After so credibly setting the scene, RDJ then smashes it apart by introducing a doppelganger, a look-a-like in up-town clothes, who closely resembles the protagonist and does his best to throttle the life out of him. A violent struggle ensues, at the end of which one of the two men lies dead.
And then things get really out of control.
Low Life is an oh-so-clever psychodrama, a Gordian knot of a story where every part of the plot is important and you should pay attention to every single throwaway remark. Like the film Memento, the direction of the narrative is pretty clear (and not exactly original), but the route it takes is both bewildering and intriguing, complex and extremely clever.
Amid the emotional and narrative turmoil, Jahn spices the story with some scenes which will snap you back to attention – particularly the ‘cut myself shaving’ moment which is described in gloriously gory, unflinching intimacy.
There's more info and detail about the plot and characters over at:
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress...
If you enjoy fast-paced thrillers of the bleak and gory sort then you should love this. If your tastes tend more towards mainstream action-adventure romps then Low Life may be a little dark and violent for your tastes. Interestingly, I first read this a couple of years ago. Second time around it still kept me guessing and I enjoyed it just as much.
Both times I’d guessed mostly where the plot was heading before it arrived but even so was thoroughly delighted by the way the various threads were craftily stitched together to make the finale inescapable as well as inevitable.
Very clever, both in idea and execution. A small story but one well told.
8/10
January 10, 2015
Ein spannender Thriller mit einem fesselnden Plot. Doch hätte diese wirklich originelle Geschichte in meinen Augen ein besseres, glaubwürdigeres Ende verdient.
Vollständige Rezension:
http://lesenist.com/die-zweite-haut-r...
Vollständige Rezension:
http://lesenist.com/die-zweite-haut-r...
August 11, 2017
Ma non so dire se mi e' o no piaciuto.
L' idea e' di sicuro originale, ma la scrittura e' un po' troppo piena di dettagli non sempre necessari.
L' idea e' di sicuro originale, ma la scrittura e' un po' troppo piena di dettagli non sempre necessari.
May 10, 2021
This book actually really surprised me! I didn't have such high expectations at first due to it being bought for £1 in poundland!
But wow what a read, truly gripping, and such a twist at the end which absolutely obliterates all of the hope for the expected ending
But wow what a read, truly gripping, and such a twist at the end which absolutely obliterates all of the hope for the expected ending
November 21, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. Whizzed through it. Well-written and thought-out with some good twists.
January 22, 2020
A real page turner! It kept me on my toes.
September 9, 2025
Noioso e il finale non ha molto senso
July 22, 2012
"Omicidio allo specchio" è un romanzo altamente atipico, con una trama visionaria e fuori dagli schemi del thriller convenzionale. Inizia in maniera placida e pacata per poi sorprendere il lettore pagina dopo pagina. Simon, il protagonista del libro, è un trentenne asociale, con una vita assolutamente vuota e ripetitiva, che consiste semplicemente in uno squallido appartamento in affitto con poca mobilia raffazzonata e un materasso steso per terra e un lavoro tedioso e monotono come impiegato in un ufficio, attività che gli occupa tutte le giornate, sabato incluso. "Tutti i giorni erano uguali e sembravano sovrapporsi all'infinito nel suo passato come una fila di tessere da domino". Ma all'improvviso tutto cambia, quando un uomo misterioso tenta di ucciderlo, senza riuscirci. Simon realizza che il suo aggressore gli assomiglia tantissimo e non ha idea di chi sia e del perché lo volesse morto. La curiosità lo spinge ad andare a fondo al problema, cercando di fingersi lui e appropriandosi della sua vita, dando inizio ad una carambola vorticosa di eventi che si susseguiranno l'uno dopo l'altro fino ad una scoperta che lo lascerà senza fiato.
Personalmente ho trovato che questo libro sia l'esempio di come ci siano sempre campi inesplorati e idee innovative in ogni genere letterario. L'originalità che lo contraddistingue farà certamente storcere il naso a tutti i puristi del thriller psicologico classico, ma io, proprio a causa della sua peculiarità, l'ho trovato molto valido. Lo stile di scrittura è preciso, senza fronzoli, ma molto descrittivo. Ogni azione che il protagonista svolge, ogni persona che incontra, ogni ambiente in cui si trova, viene descritto con meticolosa dovizia di particolari, che però, stranamente, non annoia mai! Ho infatti amato il stile descrittivo dell'autore, l'ho trovato assolutamente adatto per il tipo di romanzo, senza alcuna nota stonata. La curiosità nei confronti delle vicende narrate mi ha accompagnata in crescendo durante tutta la durata del libro, e i vari colpi di scena, piazzati ad hoc e ben bilanciati, mi hanno avvinta ed appassionata. Penso che "Omicidio allo specchio" possa essere definito come un thriller che indaga a fondo nella follia della mente umana, con una struttura narrativa che strizza l'occhio al noir e con degli sprazzi di surreale che rendono la lettura quasi un viaggio allucinante ed onirico. Era da tanto che non leggevo qualcosa di così visionario ma al tempo stesso non totalmente campato in aria, che riesce ad essere in parte credibile. Ryan David Jahn è un autore promettente che terrò d'occhio per le pubblicazioni future, ma a questo punto sono anche curiosa di leggere il suo libro "I buoni vicini", pubblicato in Italia lo scorso anno.
Personalmente ho trovato che questo libro sia l'esempio di come ci siano sempre campi inesplorati e idee innovative in ogni genere letterario. L'originalità che lo contraddistingue farà certamente storcere il naso a tutti i puristi del thriller psicologico classico, ma io, proprio a causa della sua peculiarità, l'ho trovato molto valido. Lo stile di scrittura è preciso, senza fronzoli, ma molto descrittivo. Ogni azione che il protagonista svolge, ogni persona che incontra, ogni ambiente in cui si trova, viene descritto con meticolosa dovizia di particolari, che però, stranamente, non annoia mai! Ho infatti amato il stile descrittivo dell'autore, l'ho trovato assolutamente adatto per il tipo di romanzo, senza alcuna nota stonata. La curiosità nei confronti delle vicende narrate mi ha accompagnata in crescendo durante tutta la durata del libro, e i vari colpi di scena, piazzati ad hoc e ben bilanciati, mi hanno avvinta ed appassionata. Penso che "Omicidio allo specchio" possa essere definito come un thriller che indaga a fondo nella follia della mente umana, con una struttura narrativa che strizza l'occhio al noir e con degli sprazzi di surreale che rendono la lettura quasi un viaggio allucinante ed onirico. Era da tanto che non leggevo qualcosa di così visionario ma al tempo stesso non totalmente campato in aria, che riesce ad essere in parte credibile. Ryan David Jahn è un autore promettente che terrò d'occhio per le pubblicazioni future, ma a questo punto sono anche curiosa di leggere il suo libro "I buoni vicini", pubblicato in Italia lo scorso anno.
May 6, 2012
A man wakes to find a man in his apartment. He kills him and things, as they say, go downhill from there.
Leading the reader to question reality and the perception of reality, the author cleverly interweaves two stories of two men that seem to meet at some point in time. Is it a descent into madness by a murderer, an innocent man, a madman or all three?
If you enjoyed the films Memento [2000] Jacob's Ladder [1990]] or Twelve Monkeys then you will enjoy this book. Although the plot is not identical to these films it is similarly "mind bending".
Although sometimes the plot becomes too convoluted and almost tries too hard, I found myself wanting to read "one more page" and looked forward to returning to read the book each time.
I read the book twice and found both times rewarding. I haven't ever read a novel twice within the same 10 days, although it was almost necessary to derive full enjoyment and, to be fair, the plot stood up to a second more critical reading too.
Recommended reading if you enjoy a convoluted, reality questioning, plot twisting, dark, psychological action thriller of a novel...
Leading the reader to question reality and the perception of reality, the author cleverly interweaves two stories of two men that seem to meet at some point in time. Is it a descent into madness by a murderer, an innocent man, a madman or all three?
If you enjoyed the films Memento [2000] Jacob's Ladder [1990]] or Twelve Monkeys then you will enjoy this book. Although the plot is not identical to these films it is similarly "mind bending".
Although sometimes the plot becomes too convoluted and almost tries too hard, I found myself wanting to read "one more page" and looked forward to returning to read the book each time.
I read the book twice and found both times rewarding. I haven't ever read a novel twice within the same 10 days, although it was almost necessary to derive full enjoyment and, to be fair, the plot stood up to a second more critical reading too.
Recommended reading if you enjoy a convoluted, reality questioning, plot twisting, dark, psychological action thriller of a novel...
May 31, 2012
Following the success of the mesmerising 'Acts of Violence' , Jahn's attempt at that tricky second novel does not disappoint. In 'Low Life' the reader is drawn into a twisting, psychological mystery, as we follow the mental and physical breakdown of an unassuming individual seemingly adrift in society. Simon Johnson believes that he has brutally murdered an intruder who is his physical double, leading him into a chain of events that are perfectly Hitchcockian in their rendition reflecting Jahn's filmaking roots. A smarter than average crime thriller that seeks to unsettle and challenge the reader at every turn.
August 14, 2021
A thriller is right. Wow, what a mind-trip. Ups and downs, twists and turns, lies and deceptions, and a nagging mystery that gets so convoluted it doesn't seem possible to neatly wrap up in so few pages, but somehow, it completely pulls it off. This book is a thriller in drug form, complete with the hit, the high, and the memory of the lucid, abstract experience. What a strange yet captivating story, fantastic on all fronts.
June 12, 2013
This book is just average. Just average. I will not say it's bad, but it's not that exciting either. I read a quarter through the book and guessed what would happen, and I was exactly right. The rest of the time I spend reading was just to verify my guess. Maybe I have just read too much similar plots. Meh :/
May 3, 2015
Good, but not great
Third book I read by the author. Excellent writer with an unbelievable imagination. Prefer "Good Neighbors".......believe it to be his best. Give it a try though......very entertaining and a pretty quick read.
Third book I read by the author. Excellent writer with an unbelievable imagination. Prefer "Good Neighbors".......believe it to be his best. Give it a try though......very entertaining and a pretty quick read.
February 23, 2012
I think I must have missed something, I just didn't get the purpose of the book.
October 8, 2012
RECENSIONE BREVE su http://newslibri.blogspot.it/2012/10/...
July 22, 2012
Since finding this author through an offer on Kindle, I have read all of his books that I can find and quite simply have loved every one. Come on, Ryan, write some more! Brilliant!!
August 25, 2013
really not good
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.u...
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.u...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2015
Why did I last to page 100 before deciding this was pretentious rot? Dreadful
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews