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With the Right Enemies
Vollmer’s a young guy, grows up on ugly streets. He survives by being uglier, hurting people for money, hurting people because he likes hurting people. When he’s hired to track down Dust and bring back the money he stole, keeping Dust alive isn’t a priority. Neither is keeping anyone else alive, even people he loves. Vollmer’s killed people he loves before.
With the Right Enemies is the bullet-drenched follow-up to Uncle Dust , Rob Pierce’s acclaimed debut novel about a bank robber’s disastrous fling with domestic life.
Praise for WITH THE RIGHT
“A detailed and empathetic portrait of a personal struggle with demons we may not all face directly, but which always lurk beneath our carefully calculated covers. Pierce rips off that lid and exposes the common darkness of all our souls, whether we want to admit it or not.” —Will Viharo, author of Hard-Boiled Heart and Love Stories Are Too Violent For Me
“One of the best noir and crime novels of the past five years. Pierce has done a masterful job of playing high drama and low stakes where the heart of the story isn’t about the big heist, or the big show down, or the fight scenes, but of the complicated nature of being a criminal, and a creature of violence, but not a simple caricature. A fantastic read for fans of cynical, dark, and yet hopeful tales of people who pay for their mistakes and have to keep the change.” —Jason Ridler, author of A Triumph For Sakura and Blood and Sawdust
With the Right Enemies is the bullet-drenched follow-up to Uncle Dust , Rob Pierce’s acclaimed debut novel about a bank robber’s disastrous fling with domestic life.
Praise for WITH THE RIGHT
“A detailed and empathetic portrait of a personal struggle with demons we may not all face directly, but which always lurk beneath our carefully calculated covers. Pierce rips off that lid and exposes the common darkness of all our souls, whether we want to admit it or not.” —Will Viharo, author of Hard-Boiled Heart and Love Stories Are Too Violent For Me
“One of the best noir and crime novels of the past five years. Pierce has done a masterful job of playing high drama and low stakes where the heart of the story isn’t about the big heist, or the big show down, or the fight scenes, but of the complicated nature of being a criminal, and a creature of violence, but not a simple caricature. A fantastic read for fans of cynical, dark, and yet hopeful tales of people who pay for their mistakes and have to keep the change.” —Jason Ridler, author of A Triumph For Sakura and Blood and Sawdust
- GenresCrime
244 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2017
8 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 22, 2018
This is my first Pierce book though I have read quite a few of the All Due Respect blog titles. To say it’s “hard-boiled" isn’t going far enough, as that term gives an impression the exterior is hard and that underneath there is something warmer. That’s not the case here, at times it is even harrowing, but so readable because of the group of characters portrayed so well by Pierce.
The first few chapters introduce 15 year old Vollmer, before his first hit and clearly destined for terrible things, a tragic figure, yet the reader has some empathy with him. The story is the group of Oakland mobsters seeking one of their own, Dust, who has taken off with a load of their money. Dust doesn’t feature in the majority of this novel, but was the subject of the earlier one ( Uncle Dust ). Dust’s ex- girl friends, Rico (Vollmer’s boss) and two or three other gangsters are characters drawn so well that such a dark and gritty storyline becomes a page-turner. There are hints of Cormac McCarthy certainly.
The first few chapters introduce 15 year old Vollmer, before his first hit and clearly destined for terrible things, a tragic figure, yet the reader has some empathy with him. The story is the group of Oakland mobsters seeking one of their own, Dust, who has taken off with a load of their money. Dust doesn’t feature in the majority of this novel, but was the subject of the earlier one ( Uncle Dust ). Dust’s ex- girl friends, Rico (Vollmer’s boss) and two or three other gangsters are characters drawn so well that such a dark and gritty storyline becomes a page-turner. There are hints of Cormac McCarthy certainly.
October 22, 2019
Welcome to a world where a slew of criminal thugs prove more merciless than a thrashing school of piranhas.
Wasting no time, Pierce abruptly dumps us on the fictional streets of California—an hour south of Oakland—where we meet Vollmer at age thirteen fending for himself. Depending on one’s preference, Vollmer quickly evolves or devolves. I prefer devolution: his abysmal descent hastened by jolting twisted choices. To alleviate his stress, Vollmer trolls and turns to hookers.
Lots of people hire hookers. But what Vollmer does with hookers? That’s a completely different appetite. Hookers raining from heaven wouldn’t cure his kinda ills.
Yet suddenly we find ourselves entangled in a drug war involving the criminal equivalent of generals, sergeants, and lieutenants. While generals own their foot soldiers—otherwise known as dumb-asses—we meet few of them in this book. In fact, ENEMIES proves top-heavy, loaded with intelligent or cunning bad-asses: all over-confident in the battle of swinging dicks. Their combined testosterone funk surpasses even L.A.’s smog.
Besides Vollmer's hookers, you’ll meet four key women on the sheets of this novel’s sodden pages: Valerie, Theresa, Mimi, and Olivia (aka Olive). Olivia wins the Hot-Ass award and Val wins a possible pay-your-own-ass-way trip to … ta da: Oakland, CA. Damn that chick’s got issues.
The quality of their individual asses aside, all four a these women made the bone-head mistake of boning the callous criminal sometimes known as Uncle Dust. And it’s Dust’s business decisions that drive the criminal piranhas in ENEMIES into their dark frenzy—with the ferocity of a woodchipper.
ENEMIES in its entirety sports some sharp hairpin turns. While plummeting-headlong into Pierce’s festering cesspool, at first we feel confident. We think we’ve slickly discovered who the players are. Yet after these early pages we suddenly slam the brakes. The bridge ahead is closed. Pierce demands we make a detour onto unfamiliar turf—
We screech to make the jarring turn: and instantly catch whiplash.
And soon as we get our confidence back? Pierce jams another Detour sign in our face. At times these detours block our view of Vollmer.
As Mr. Pierce pointed out to me last year, ideally readers should devour his book UNCLE DUST before diving into ENEMIES. But unlike lesser-skilled writers I’ve read who re-introduce their earlier characters, Pierce did an excellent job crafting ENEMIES. Which allowed me to experience and enjoy ENEMIES without feeling lost—though I knew nothing of Dust’s sordid backstory.
While I stayed thoroughly immersed in Pierce’s piranha world throughout—and although life is messy … and many problems lie unresolved, I would’ve relished seeing this book taken further. Since I don’t write “spoilers” I ain’t gonna get specific. Instead I highly suggest this buy-n-ride to most of you.
Though ENEMIES is fiction, Pierce’s characters act with the same cruelty as real life criminals. Anyone who can’t handle a dark book—or who might suffer psychologically from encountering scenes where men physically assault women should likely avoid reading ENEMIES.
Jesse Heels Rawlins Crime Fiction Writer
Wasting no time, Pierce abruptly dumps us on the fictional streets of California—an hour south of Oakland—where we meet Vollmer at age thirteen fending for himself. Depending on one’s preference, Vollmer quickly evolves or devolves. I prefer devolution: his abysmal descent hastened by jolting twisted choices. To alleviate his stress, Vollmer trolls and turns to hookers.
Lots of people hire hookers. But what Vollmer does with hookers? That’s a completely different appetite. Hookers raining from heaven wouldn’t cure his kinda ills.
Yet suddenly we find ourselves entangled in a drug war involving the criminal equivalent of generals, sergeants, and lieutenants. While generals own their foot soldiers—otherwise known as dumb-asses—we meet few of them in this book. In fact, ENEMIES proves top-heavy, loaded with intelligent or cunning bad-asses: all over-confident in the battle of swinging dicks. Their combined testosterone funk surpasses even L.A.’s smog.
Besides Vollmer's hookers, you’ll meet four key women on the sheets of this novel’s sodden pages: Valerie, Theresa, Mimi, and Olivia (aka Olive). Olivia wins the Hot-Ass award and Val wins a possible pay-your-own-ass-way trip to … ta da: Oakland, CA. Damn that chick’s got issues.
The quality of their individual asses aside, all four a these women made the bone-head mistake of boning the callous criminal sometimes known as Uncle Dust. And it’s Dust’s business decisions that drive the criminal piranhas in ENEMIES into their dark frenzy—with the ferocity of a woodchipper.
ENEMIES in its entirety sports some sharp hairpin turns. While plummeting-headlong into Pierce’s festering cesspool, at first we feel confident. We think we’ve slickly discovered who the players are. Yet after these early pages we suddenly slam the brakes. The bridge ahead is closed. Pierce demands we make a detour onto unfamiliar turf—
We screech to make the jarring turn: and instantly catch whiplash.
And soon as we get our confidence back? Pierce jams another Detour sign in our face. At times these detours block our view of Vollmer.
As Mr. Pierce pointed out to me last year, ideally readers should devour his book UNCLE DUST before diving into ENEMIES. But unlike lesser-skilled writers I’ve read who re-introduce their earlier characters, Pierce did an excellent job crafting ENEMIES. Which allowed me to experience and enjoy ENEMIES without feeling lost—though I knew nothing of Dust’s sordid backstory.
While I stayed thoroughly immersed in Pierce’s piranha world throughout—and although life is messy … and many problems lie unresolved, I would’ve relished seeing this book taken further. Since I don’t write “spoilers” I ain’t gonna get specific. Instead I highly suggest this buy-n-ride to most of you.
Though ENEMIES is fiction, Pierce’s characters act with the same cruelty as real life criminals. Anyone who can’t handle a dark book—or who might suffer psychologically from encountering scenes where men physically assault women should likely avoid reading ENEMIES.
Jesse Heels Rawlins Crime Fiction Writer
July 2, 2017
Rob Pierce's latest novel, With the Right Enemies, is a worthy sequel to his 2015 book, Uncle Dust, both of which appear on All Due Respect Books. I say worthy because I enjoyed Uncle Dust immensely (review). Unlike most detective series where each book is its own encapsulated story with some lead characters moving through all of them, these two books are more serial in nature, actions in the first book reverberate throughout the second book. (Hint, you should read the Uncle Dust first. I promise you will not be disappointed.)
With the Right Enemies opens with an introduction to Vollmer, a fifteen-year-old criminal surviving on the streets. If you thought Dust or Rico from the first book were tough guys — and they were — Vollmer out does them in spades. The only fictional character who comes close to Vollmer's savagery and callousness might be The Wire's Marlo Stanfield played so brilliantly by Jamie Hector.
The only potential flaw that Vollmer had, other than being a sociopath, was his love for the prostitute and drug addict Yula.
With the Right Enemies tells the story of a group of criminals searching the streets of Berkely and Oakland for another criminal who has a death wish — he stole money from a mob boss and was now on the run.
The vast majority of With the Right Enemies takes place within a 24-hour period, a dangerously fast-paced whirlwind with plenty of threats and beatings and bullets flying. If a character isn't scared shitless that means that character is frightening the hell out of another. With the Right Enemies is brutal noir novel filled with violence and unforgiving thugs, just the way I like it.
You can read all my reviews at davidnemeth.net.
With the Right Enemies opens with an introduction to Vollmer, a fifteen-year-old criminal surviving on the streets. If you thought Dust or Rico from the first book were tough guys — and they were — Vollmer out does them in spades. The only fictional character who comes close to Vollmer's savagery and callousness might be The Wire's Marlo Stanfield played so brilliantly by Jamie Hector.
Other men didn’t want the work Vollmer got, and Vollmer didn’t want the work other men got. Funny that Rico called it dangerous. Wasn’t dangerous for Vollmer. Dangerous for anyone who got in his way.
The only potential flaw that Vollmer had, other than being a sociopath, was his love for the prostitute and drug addict Yula.
Vollmer came up the ranks fast. In an industry of square-jawed men he was angular, athletic. He still saw Yula but she didn’t stay with him. Didn’t matter if he had money, she had to whore those streets and she had to shoot that junk. He worked different streets now, streets where there was more money, but none of the girls on those money streets looked as good as Yula. Or fucked as good.
He still wanted Yula, but she went the way he knew she’d go. She stopped being beautiful, got to where you could find the pretty features but they were beneath everything else. Junk. Fuck junk. Dealers weren’t the problem, they were guys with jobs and their bosses worked for Vollmer’s boss, it was all making money. It was people, fucking weak people. Vollmer left Yula behind and he knew this weird part of him loved her, loved what she was, knew that feeling should be in the past and knew it would never leave him.
With the Right Enemies tells the story of a group of criminals searching the streets of Berkely and Oakland for another criminal who has a death wish — he stole money from a mob boss and was now on the run.
The vast majority of With the Right Enemies takes place within a 24-hour period, a dangerously fast-paced whirlwind with plenty of threats and beatings and bullets flying. If a character isn't scared shitless that means that character is frightening the hell out of another. With the Right Enemies is brutal noir novel filled with violence and unforgiving thugs, just the way I like it.
You can read all my reviews at davidnemeth.net.
June 29, 2017
Great crime fiction from the meanest of streets...
January 24, 2018
I should preface this review with a note that this is the sequel to Uncle Dust and there may be a slight spoiler or two relating to it.
With the Right Enemies begins by introducing us to Vollmer, a tough street kid who goes from robbing card games to working under Rico, Dust's former boss, in Act 1 of the novel. It works much like Uncle Dust in that it inhabits the character's world and his view for the full act and gives us a portrait of who this kid is. Act 2 throws us back into the minutes and hours following Dust's disappearance as Rico and Vollmer visit all of Dust's women hoping that one of them knows where he has gone. It's here that this one takes off and opens up Pierce's writing as he writes from many multiple points of view detailing the search for Dust.
Again Pierce's writing is as hardboiled as they come and it makes the book near impossible to put down. I expected things to happen a certain way with all the characters that were involved, but I was reminded in reading Jim Thomsen's review of Marietta Miles' latest that this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The ending really sets us up for more in this series and I'm hopeful that I'm right on this.
With the Right Enemies begins by introducing us to Vollmer, a tough street kid who goes from robbing card games to working under Rico, Dust's former boss, in Act 1 of the novel. It works much like Uncle Dust in that it inhabits the character's world and his view for the full act and gives us a portrait of who this kid is. Act 2 throws us back into the minutes and hours following Dust's disappearance as Rico and Vollmer visit all of Dust's women hoping that one of them knows where he has gone. It's here that this one takes off and opens up Pierce's writing as he writes from many multiple points of view detailing the search for Dust.
Again Pierce's writing is as hardboiled as they come and it makes the book near impossible to put down. I expected things to happen a certain way with all the characters that were involved, but I was reminded in reading Jim Thomsen's review of Marietta Miles' latest that this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The ending really sets us up for more in this series and I'm hopeful that I'm right on this.
May 15, 2017
With The Right Enemies is a thick, heavy dose of crime fiction that is uncompromising in its outlook and unapologetic. It's about tough guys with no compunctions and no conscience. Although it is a sequel to Uncle Dust, Dust is no more than a ghost for the most part. It's not really about the team of guys who after Dust for the money he absconded with and who will do whatever it takes to get it back. It's about the three women Dust left behind when he scattered who have to take the brunt of the hell that was unleashed in the wake of his disappearance. The toughest guys after Dust are Vollmer, Rico, and Stone. The story really shines as the character of Vollmer is developed, including his initiation as a tough guy at an early age and his fascination over the years with a sexy prostitute who he couldn't stand fade away with needle use. Although there were a few points where the story slipped slowed a little, overall this is just great crime fiction filled with stark realism and a real feel for who these tough guys really are. Vollmer in all likelihood will merit a sequel on his own.
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May 9, 2017
Who's the bleakest of them all? In the world of hard crime fiction, that would be Rob Pierce. As with Pierce's first entry in this series -- for that's how it's shaping up -- "hard-boiled" does not really suffice to describe his writing. It gives the impression that just the shell is hard and that underneath there is some warm sentiment. There's none of that here...none. It's quite harrowing, but at the same time, it's fascinating to watch this story develop. It's like the middle game in chess: Pierce has developed all the pieces and now they're on the attack, cutting and slashing at each other. My only quibble is that Vollmer, who occupies the bulk of the story early, then disappears for an extended stretch before returning to the fray. However, I do like how Pierce played with us as readers regarding the whereabouts of Dust.
At any rate, I want to see how the end game plays out.
At any rate, I want to see how the end game plays out.
May 14, 2019
A taut, tense crime thriller paved with sudden turns. Not for the feint of heart. Pierce's band of thugs snatch you by the throat: and refuse to let go. None of these thugs are friends. But some are willing to forge alliances -- until the wind changes directions. I recommend diving in: and meeting Pierce's sadistic creeps. I doubt you'll want them as friends. But you sure as hell don't want them as enemies.
Anyone who's interested in learning more about author Rob Pierce or this particular novel can do so here:
http://www.storyandgrit.com/2019/04/s...
Cheers,
Crime Author Mick Rose
Anyone who's interested in learning more about author Rob Pierce or this particular novel can do so here:
http://www.storyandgrit.com/2019/04/s...
Cheers,
Crime Author Mick Rose
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews