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All Things Violent
“A violent, funny, shockingly addictive debut…”
Once upon a time, Laura Park was a normal college sophomore with her best friend at her side. A year later, Laura was on a deserted road on the outskirts of Las Vegas killing a man.
She didn’t expect to get away with it but she did with the help of a stranger named Simon who took her in, liquored her up, and broke her down.
Soon the ambitious Simon introduces her to Frank Joyce, a man who would teach her how to become a stone-cold professional killer.
Laura learns her deadly trade and earns her money. Twenty-six years old and she thinks she’s found her happily ever after. Sadly it all falls apart when Simon leaves her for another. Now some other woman, blonde and polished, all shiny and new, is living Laura’s happy life.
Heartbroken, but knife always at the ready, Laura waits for any opportunity to get Simon back. The question is, when she gets her chance, will she take it?
In Laura’s world anyone can become a target, loyalties can shift in a blink of an eye, and when everyone is homicidal, people are definitely going to die.
Once upon a time, Laura Park was a normal college sophomore with her best friend at her side. A year later, Laura was on a deserted road on the outskirts of Las Vegas killing a man.
She didn’t expect to get away with it but she did with the help of a stranger named Simon who took her in, liquored her up, and broke her down.
Soon the ambitious Simon introduces her to Frank Joyce, a man who would teach her how to become a stone-cold professional killer.
Laura learns her deadly trade and earns her money. Twenty-six years old and she thinks she’s found her happily ever after. Sadly it all falls apart when Simon leaves her for another. Now some other woman, blonde and polished, all shiny and new, is living Laura’s happy life.
Heartbroken, but knife always at the ready, Laura waits for any opportunity to get Simon back. The question is, when she gets her chance, will she take it?
In Laura’s world anyone can become a target, loyalties can shift in a blink of an eye, and when everyone is homicidal, people are definitely going to die.
139 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 24, 2017
5 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 20, 2022
“Simon was the walking, talking version of every bad habit I wanted to have. He was junk food and nicotine, heroin and cocaine. It’d been six months since he cut me loose to float balloon-like, abandoned and lost. I couldn’t help hoping he’d re-inflate me.”
Hired killer Laura’s love for her boss Simon keeps her life complicated and teetered to him. As much as she can’t quit him, he can’t quit her, even when he marries monied Marjorie. Laura’s mentor and partner Frank tries to keep her focused on the wet work, but the heart wants what the heart wants.
Laura makes a great protagonist as she is tough, smart, sexy, and deadly. Each job advances the plot and reveals Laura’s character. While I’d love to see an entire series devoted to Laura, Dolson makes this book count by showing Laura’s evolution as a hired killer and the evolution of her relationship with Simon.
Hired killer Laura’s love for her boss Simon keeps her life complicated and teetered to him. As much as she can’t quit him, he can’t quit her, even when he marries monied Marjorie. Laura’s mentor and partner Frank tries to keep her focused on the wet work, but the heart wants what the heart wants.
Laura makes a great protagonist as she is tough, smart, sexy, and deadly. Each job advances the plot and reveals Laura’s character. While I’d love to see an entire series devoted to Laura, Dolson makes this book count by showing Laura’s evolution as a hired killer and the evolution of her relationship with Simon.
January 24, 2019
I follow Fahrenheit Press on Twitter and have read a few of the novels that they have published, which tends to be British based crime noir. They have been plugging this novel heavily lately and the synopsis had me intrigued and I thought it would be worth a read especially if it was up to the standard of the other novels they have published.
Laura kills the man responsible for her best friends death and in the aftermath of the killing she gets help from Simon Pritchard who subsequently sees her potential and employs her as a 'hit person' and also they get together romantically. Just as quickly as the romance started Simon dumps her for another woman but Laura continues to work for Simon and constantly pines for him and awaits her chance to hopefully resurrect their relationship. In Simon's employ she continues to carry out 'hits' ably assisted and mentored by fellow employee Frank Joyce. The novel follows Laura on the various jobs that she carries out and plots her progress but also highlights her failings, where her feelings for Simon sometimes get in the way of the job and she tends to let her concentration slip. Thankfully Frank is usually on hand to clear up any of Laura's mess that she leaves behind.
I did enjoy this novel and even though there was a romantic twist to the plot, I found this added to the depth of the novel. Dolson's style drives the story forward and there is genuine tension leading up to and during the 'hits', which contain plenty of action and violence and Dolson doesn't hold back on the gore factor. The novel is also about relationships, especially Laura's and Simons but the novel also climaxes when the relationships between all four main characters start to unravel and new bonds are formed.
There is a slight downside to the novel in that it seems very episodic and some of the things that occurred earlier in the story are repeated in later chapters. This gives the feel that this might originally been been a series of short stories which have been bound together to form a novel ?
However there is enough here to get me looking forward to Dolson's future publications.
Laura kills the man responsible for her best friends death and in the aftermath of the killing she gets help from Simon Pritchard who subsequently sees her potential and employs her as a 'hit person' and also they get together romantically. Just as quickly as the romance started Simon dumps her for another woman but Laura continues to work for Simon and constantly pines for him and awaits her chance to hopefully resurrect their relationship. In Simon's employ she continues to carry out 'hits' ably assisted and mentored by fellow employee Frank Joyce. The novel follows Laura on the various jobs that she carries out and plots her progress but also highlights her failings, where her feelings for Simon sometimes get in the way of the job and she tends to let her concentration slip. Thankfully Frank is usually on hand to clear up any of Laura's mess that she leaves behind.
I did enjoy this novel and even though there was a romantic twist to the plot, I found this added to the depth of the novel. Dolson's style drives the story forward and there is genuine tension leading up to and during the 'hits', which contain plenty of action and violence and Dolson doesn't hold back on the gore factor. The novel is also about relationships, especially Laura's and Simons but the novel also climaxes when the relationships between all four main characters start to unravel and new bonds are formed.
There is a slight downside to the novel in that it seems very episodic and some of the things that occurred earlier in the story are repeated in later chapters. This gives the feel that this might originally been been a series of short stories which have been bound together to form a novel ?
However there is enough here to get me looking forward to Dolson's future publications.
July 2, 2020
The best comparison I can think of for this is with Hilary Davidson's short stories. Dark, propulsive, pulpy and fun, with a great protagonist.
May 28, 2018
Laura is a hit woman in training after being found by her boss, Simon, in the aftermath of killing the man responsible for her best friend's death. Laura and Simon fall into a relationship that comes apart as suddenly as it began, sending Laura's world spinning.
This is a strange book in terms of crime fiction and a difficult book to rate. There were times I was caught up in what was going on and times where it felt more like a romance novel. It's a book that deals with the behaviour of its characters in a human way with no explanation given for their behaviour. The changing nature of the book probably has a great deal to do with its episodic nature, but even as years go by nothing really seems to change for the charaters' and their outlook.
The story of a young, black and vulnerable hitwoman was something different, but I feel it just needed to be more tightly plotted with some points meaning nothing to the overall story and not seeming to cause any lingering aftereffect.
This is a strange book in terms of crime fiction and a difficult book to rate. There were times I was caught up in what was going on and times where it felt more like a romance novel. It's a book that deals with the behaviour of its characters in a human way with no explanation given for their behaviour. The changing nature of the book probably has a great deal to do with its episodic nature, but even as years go by nothing really seems to change for the charaters' and their outlook.
The story of a young, black and vulnerable hitwoman was something different, but I feel it just needed to be more tightly plotted with some points meaning nothing to the overall story and not seeming to cause any lingering aftereffect.
August 3, 2018
All Thing’s Violent doesn’t focus on a singlular crime, rather it focuses on the main character’s, Laura, sex life and relationships with the men in her life, including her trainer Frank. She’s a hit woman who works for her boyfriend until he isn’t anymore, though she continues to work for him. We mostly follow Laura as she tries to get over the love of her life and the men she meets. In between all this we watch as she takes jobs assassinating people for her ex.
It’s a decent book that’s well written and has plenty of drama and suspense. The love story aspect just isn’t my thing. The author reiterates Laura’s desire for her boss Simon constantly. It takes place over a few consecutive years and still she bemoans how much she wants him or doesn’t want him or wishes he would do something to her right then and there, even after he gets married and she gets with other men. That part grated after a while and was a little hard to relate to. It also reads as if it was originally short stories and then melded together to form a novel, because some info is repeated throughout the book that was clearly established earlier in the story. Not that it’s a bad thing just an observation.
I liked Dolson’s writing. It’s lean and fast and never skimps on the action. She’s a talent to keep an eye out for. I’ll definitely pick up something else from her in the future.
It’s a decent book that’s well written and has plenty of drama and suspense. The love story aspect just isn’t my thing. The author reiterates Laura’s desire for her boss Simon constantly. It takes place over a few consecutive years and still she bemoans how much she wants him or doesn’t want him or wishes he would do something to her right then and there, even after he gets married and she gets with other men. That part grated after a while and was a little hard to relate to. It also reads as if it was originally short stories and then melded together to form a novel, because some info is repeated throughout the book that was clearly established earlier in the story. Not that it’s a bad thing just an observation.
I liked Dolson’s writing. It’s lean and fast and never skimps on the action. She’s a talent to keep an eye out for. I’ll definitely pick up something else from her in the future.
February 27, 2018
Dolson's writing is fearless. Laura, her protagonist is both powerful and vulnerable. The combination makes for breathless suspense, eruptions of violence and a brilliant thriller. I hope there is a sequel soon.
September 28, 2018
This was an awesome crime novella that focuses on a young woman’s personal life and “career.” Laura Park is a hit woman working for her boyfriend, but she’s still technically in training and her trainer treats her like a child. The events that led her to this life and her current life’s unraveling are the focus as she does her best to kill her assigned marks. Equally tough and vulnerable, Park is a great main character, and the book left me wanting much more future writing from Dolson. While not a genderswap like Megan Abbott did with Queenpin there was an interesting play with the femme fatale…
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July 11, 2019
About halfway through reading this book it dawned on me just how many threads Dolson was dangling. For a short work there's a LOT going on, and each aspect is handled masterfully to the point you don't realise it's happening. You get lost in Laura's violent world of murder and her interpersonal relationships. I won't spoil anything, but the parts with the boxer stuck out for me most, and is one of those threads I mentioned at the start. This subplot appears, it develops, and it's handled. The main character is changed by the event, she grows and moves on from it. Similarly, her hits - and there are a few - progress in likewise fashion.
The fight scenes, by the by, aren't for the squeamish. Enjoy!
The fight scenes, by the by, aren't for the squeamish. Enjoy!
May 25, 2019
From the start I liked Laura. Trying to make it in a man's world of violence, with someone she loved and couldn't have, the story started with a lot of potential that promised an intriguing arc of character growth. Even with the sudden death of a key character i still felt this had the elements to display a serious fighting for your life situation, but throughout the book it felt like a series of smaller stories put together, rather than having a key plot. The one aspect that tied them together, Laura's unrequited love, didn't feel strong enough. Laura herself though, was real, relatable, and driven to do whatever was necessary to survive.
August 6, 2018
All Things Violent delivers and gives you exactly what you’d expect from the title. The writing pulls you in and makes regular life commitments very unpleasant distractions. It was smart, witty, and featured a female protagonist worth rooting for.
(Slight spoiler, kept vague, but still...). The only thing is that I miss Cleveland. I wish things had gone differently there .... the writer did a good job of building that up just enough to cause a lot of pain when — I’ll stop there. My desired ending would’ve been a different book.
The book was compelling and intricate. Great.
(Slight spoiler, kept vague, but still...). The only thing is that I miss Cleveland. I wish things had gone differently there .... the writer did a good job of building that up just enough to cause a lot of pain when — I’ll stop there. My desired ending would’ve been a different book.
The book was compelling and intricate. Great.
March 28, 2019
Nikki Dolson brings the pain. Not only heartache for her main character, Laura, but for the people Laura is paid to dispatch. All Things Violent is multiple things at once: a love story, a coming of age story, a backdoor revenge tale, and a bloody good time with many moving parts. With regards to Laura, Nikki Dolson has created a character with legs, and one whose voice I hope to hear again. Go forth. Seek out. Purchase and enjoy.
December 29, 2019
This one reminded me a good deal of "Miami Purity" -- which also didn't connect for me. Like that story, it's loaded with sex to the point of being porn, but it came to be not all that erotic. There are promising elements, but the execution didn't work for me. Late in the book, there's an odd hiccup: an abrupt change in point of view for one chapter, followed by a switch back to the main POV as if nothing had happened. The timeline is also odd, with unexplained jumps and gaps.
January 1, 2021
Ripping novella. Employed killer Laura Park’s weapons of choice are knives. Although inner thoughts reveal her to be a vulnerable human, she gets the murders done and gets away with confident flare. Entertaining, gritty pulp that would be a welcome series.
September 5, 2019
This one is short and violent...including the killer main character in this layered noir tale. Definitely check this one out, you won't be disappointed.
May 22, 2020
This book is slick, spicy, and sexy. Think a rawer version of John Wick with more relatable characters. I couldn’t stop reading it and I know y’all won’t be able to either. Go get it!
September 29, 2020
This was definitely a good, fun book. Good characters and dialogue, decent amount of violence!
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March 1, 2021Crime Writers of Color podcast--Listen to my interview with Nikki Dolson!
"Nikki Dolson and Love and Other Criminal Behavior"
https://www.crimewritersofcolor.com/c...
"Nikki Dolson and Love and Other Criminal Behavior"
https://www.crimewritersofcolor.com/c...
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews