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101
On the cusp of pot legalization in California, Jerry runs afoul of some San Francisco bikers in the marijuana game. He flees straight up Highway 101 to Humboldt County to hide out deep in the hills at Vic’s, a reclusive pot farmer and old pal of his tough-as-nails mother. But trouble finds Jerry no matter where he goes and soon the bikers, a pair of stone killers, and a Russian weed tycoon named Vlad the Inhaler are all hot on Jerry’s trail.
Fallout from the unfolding chaos piques the interest of SFPD detective, Roland Mackie, when he learns Jerry’s host, Vic, is somehow involved. It opens a twenty-year-old wound, an unsolved case called the Fulton Street Massacre, and Mackie is willing to do whatever it takes to get a pair of cuffs on the elusive Vic.
When Jerry and his protectors are chased off the mountain and back down the 101 to an inevitable showdown back in the Bay, he learns Vic is much more than his host, he’s a mentor, his mother’s hero, and the toughest man he’s ever met.
With an unforgettable cast of characters and an action-packed plot, 101 is a wild ride through Northern California’s “emerald triangle.”
Praise for 101 :
“A story told in the unadorned, hard-boiled style of Hammett and Chandler, and, as the narrative works its way to the blood-soaked conclusion, it comes clear that this is, in its way, a story of relationships. A nice twist on a genre staple.” — Booklist
“Tom Pitts is fast becoming the underworld bard of the Bay Area, and 101 is his best yet. The cast of characters is rich, and the subject matter—the marijuana biz in Humboldt County on the cusp of legalization—could not be more timely. Plenty of violent action, betrayal and tough talk. Reading 101 will give you a contact high. Get this book NOW.” —T.J. English, author of The Corporation and The Westies
“Throw out everything you know about crime fiction. Tom Pitts, author of Hustle and American Static , returns with a plot stickier than an ounce of Humboldt County’s finest. 101 is typical Tom Pitts, the kind of novel that proves he’ll forever and ever have followers, trailing behind him begging for one more hit.” —Eryk Pruitt, author of What We Reckon
Fallout from the unfolding chaos piques the interest of SFPD detective, Roland Mackie, when he learns Jerry’s host, Vic, is somehow involved. It opens a twenty-year-old wound, an unsolved case called the Fulton Street Massacre, and Mackie is willing to do whatever it takes to get a pair of cuffs on the elusive Vic.
When Jerry and his protectors are chased off the mountain and back down the 101 to an inevitable showdown back in the Bay, he learns Vic is much more than his host, he’s a mentor, his mother’s hero, and the toughest man he’s ever met.
With an unforgettable cast of characters and an action-packed plot, 101 is a wild ride through Northern California’s “emerald triangle.”
Praise for 101 :
“A story told in the unadorned, hard-boiled style of Hammett and Chandler, and, as the narrative works its way to the blood-soaked conclusion, it comes clear that this is, in its way, a story of relationships. A nice twist on a genre staple.” — Booklist
“Tom Pitts is fast becoming the underworld bard of the Bay Area, and 101 is his best yet. The cast of characters is rich, and the subject matter—the marijuana biz in Humboldt County on the cusp of legalization—could not be more timely. Plenty of violent action, betrayal and tough talk. Reading 101 will give you a contact high. Get this book NOW.” —T.J. English, author of The Corporation and The Westies
“Throw out everything you know about crime fiction. Tom Pitts, author of Hustle and American Static , returns with a plot stickier than an ounce of Humboldt County’s finest. 101 is typical Tom Pitts, the kind of novel that proves he’ll forever and ever have followers, trailing behind him begging for one more hit.” —Eryk Pruitt, author of What We Reckon
276 pages, Paperback
Published June 11, 2018
18 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Tom Pitts
25 books75 followersTom Pitts received his education on the streets of San Francisco. He remains there, working, writing, and trying to survive. He is the author of AMERICAN STATIC, HUSTLE, 101, COLDWATER and the novellas PIGGYBACK and KNUCKLEBALL.
Find links to more of his work at: TomPittsAuthor.com
or
http://www.amazon.com/Tom-Pitts/e/B00...
Find links to more of his work at: TomPittsAuthor.com
or
http://www.amazon.com/Tom-Pitts/e/B00...
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
September 14, 2018
Comprising elements of rural noir akin to Daniel Woodrell with characters reminiscent of those in Anthony Neil Smith's Billy Lafitte series, 101 by Tom Pitts is a must read neo-noir.
Jerry on the run from a biker gang in San Francisco heads to the hills, seeking refuge with him mom's old friend, Vic, a prominent pot farmer with a dark and dangerous past.
Unbeknownst to Vic, playing host to this guy on the lamb is more trouble than its worth. As the reason for Jerry's exile slowly bleeds out over the course of the story so does the blood of his protectors, along with that of his own mother.
Bikers, Russian drug lords, and the San Francisco PD all want a piece of the action in what is a very entertaining and well paced novel.
Bullets fly, bodies drop, pot is smoked, and booze is consumed in a violent romp hidden in the Humboldt Country hills.
My rating: 5/5 stars, 101 hits you like a fist to the face, leaving you with a sloppy punch-drunk grin, happily awaiting round two.
Review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguywholikes2read.blogspot...
Jerry on the run from a biker gang in San Francisco heads to the hills, seeking refuge with him mom's old friend, Vic, a prominent pot farmer with a dark and dangerous past.
Unbeknownst to Vic, playing host to this guy on the lamb is more trouble than its worth. As the reason for Jerry's exile slowly bleeds out over the course of the story so does the blood of his protectors, along with that of his own mother.
Bikers, Russian drug lords, and the San Francisco PD all want a piece of the action in what is a very entertaining and well paced novel.
Bullets fly, bodies drop, pot is smoked, and booze is consumed in a violent romp hidden in the Humboldt Country hills.
My rating: 5/5 stars, 101 hits you like a fist to the face, leaving you with a sloppy punch-drunk grin, happily awaiting round two.
Review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguywholikes2read.blogspot...
August 9, 2018
If you like your crime fiction, raw, gritty, nasty, and fast-paced, then 101 is your ticket. The title comes from the 101 Highway that starts as a giant freeway in Los Angeles, but becomes a narrow two-lane Highway filled with monster logging trucks, twisting and turning around Redwood groves as it hits Marijuana growing country, Garberville in way Northern Cal, Humboldt County. This is the land of Rasta dreadlocked tweakers where Jerry Garcia’s name is revered and where criminal elements intertwine with live-as-you-want but-leave-me-alone hermits with shotguns. It’s where Jerry flees after he manages to piss off the leader of the East Bay’s biggest biker gang, reminiscent of the Redwood Original Sons of Anarchy.
The set-up for this crime thriller - a decent guy on the run from a whole tribe of bad guys isn’t new. Countless novels have rigged on this theme. But, Pitts manages to make it feel fresh and original.
This novel is well-paced, slowly bringing the reader into the situation, and raising the stakes over and over. A terrific read.
Many thanks to Down & Out for providing a copy for review.
The set-up for this crime thriller - a decent guy on the run from a whole tribe of bad guys isn’t new. Countless novels have rigged on this theme. But, Pitts manages to make it feel fresh and original.
This novel is well-paced, slowly bringing the reader into the situation, and raising the stakes over and over. A terrific read.
Many thanks to Down & Out for providing a copy for review.
May 19, 2019
Tom Pitts understands what he's good at: writing colorful, larger-than-life outlaws who play tough guys in an alternate reality that has little basis in ours. Characters named Vlad the Inhaler or Meth Master Mike are better enjoyed if not taken too seriously, if you know what I mean. 101 is a story of double-crossings, youthful mistakes and rugged mentors set along the American highway. It's not very original, but it delivers precisely what it said it would on the back cover blurb.
Don't have much else to say about it because I've read so many similar stories, they're kind of blurring into one another now. If you're feeling like a grubby, lighthearted, VHS-rental like reading experience, this is a pretty pleasant time. Pitts knows what he's doing.
Don't have much else to say about it because I've read so many similar stories, they're kind of blurring into one another now. If you're feeling like a grubby, lighthearted, VHS-rental like reading experience, this is a pretty pleasant time. Pitts knows what he's doing.
May 14, 2019
A fast-paced thrill ride in the reclusive hills of Northern California's redwood forests, where renegade pot growers and miscreant dirty dealers in Oakland are concerned about their futures -- because California voters at the time of this saga are hot to legalize marijuana. Pitts smartly parades a cast of criminals, young and old, including a motley band of bikers and an independent operator known as Vlad the Inhaler. Quests to recover stolen money and old hell-bent cravings for payback drive the plot. Which players will prevail is anyone's guess throughout. Nowhere near as violent as some crime novels ... though blood at times gets shed.
Anyone inclined to learn more about author Tom Pitts and his novel 101 can do so here:
http://www.storyandgrit.com/2019/01/s...
Cheers!
Crime author Mick Rose
Anyone inclined to learn more about author Tom Pitts and his novel 101 can do so here:
http://www.storyandgrit.com/2019/01/s...
Cheers!
Crime author Mick Rose
October 29, 2018
After taking off a large sum of money from a "pot club", Jerry is on the run fleeing from the motorcycle gang he's stolen from. He's sent up the 101 highway to a weed farm run by Vic, a friend of a friend, who has agreed to harbour him. Those on the farm are already fraught about the forthcoming legal weed bill that's upcoming and are unprepared for the trouble Jerry is bringing up "the hill".
Solid. It's not the most glowing adjective, but it's the best way to describe this novel. It displays the fact that Pitts is accomplished at what he does and describes a book where the pace never wavers or changes throughout and the ensemble cast put together don't get enough time to have you care immensely about their fates. The changing perspectives is done well though as we never linger too long on one strand of story. It gives the story a decent pace, but as mentioned it is one that never slows nor quickens.
Pitts is clearly a pro at what he does, but this one didn't quite have the elements or enough of the elements that I look for in a great crime novel.
Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.
Solid. It's not the most glowing adjective, but it's the best way to describe this novel. It displays the fact that Pitts is accomplished at what he does and describes a book where the pace never wavers or changes throughout and the ensemble cast put together don't get enough time to have you care immensely about their fates. The changing perspectives is done well though as we never linger too long on one strand of story. It gives the story a decent pace, but as mentioned it is one that never slows nor quickens.
Pitts is clearly a pro at what he does, but this one didn't quite have the elements or enough of the elements that I look for in a great crime novel.
Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.
November 29, 2018
Not sure how I stumbled upon Tom Pitts but I am glad I did. This is another fantastic book. Pretty much non stop from start to finish. I recommend this and anything else you can find by the author.
September 10, 2018
The 101.....Remember that title..Tom Pitts has outdone himself with this latest book. I started reading and could not stop until the wee hours of the morning, until I finally had to sleep and go to work, but the whole shift all I could think about was getting back to The 101. That's how engrossing and good it is. The most exciting and best by Tom Pitts so far in my humble opinion.
May 10, 2019
A well-written fast-paced read full of twists and turns by San Francisco Bay area crime writer Tom Pitts.
I had the honor of interviewing Mr. Pitts about this book, while sharing some more extensive thoughts on 101 at online crime mag Story and Grit. Anyone with an interest can read more here:
http://www.storyandgrit.com/2019/01/s...
Tom's written additional books and was recently called "The Underworld Bard of the Bay Area." Anyone interested in learning more about his work can find his interview with online crime mag Flash Fiction Offensive below. Cheers everyone and congrats, Tom Pitts.
http://www.outofthegutteronline.com/2...
I had the honor of interviewing Mr. Pitts about this book, while sharing some more extensive thoughts on 101 at online crime mag Story and Grit. Anyone with an interest can read more here:
http://www.storyandgrit.com/2019/01/s...
Tom's written additional books and was recently called "The Underworld Bard of the Bay Area." Anyone interested in learning more about his work can find his interview with online crime mag Flash Fiction Offensive below. Cheers everyone and congrats, Tom Pitts.
http://www.outofthegutteronline.com/2...
November 5, 2018
Humboldt County before recreational pot legalization
It is May of 2016 - six months before the California voters legalize recreational marijuana - and this story takes us to the heart of Humboldt County, prime pot growing country.
Two young adults steal money from a biker gang and head to Humboldt County to Vic, a man who is indebted to one of their mothers.
The action heats up quickly with pot growers, Russian gangsters, bikers, and a cop who's been on the trail of Vic for years.
This is a dark look at the marijuana growing industry before legalization and at the people involved in it.
The story moves quickly along with some skanky characters and some that you'll actually be cheering on.
I received this book from Down and Out Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
It is May of 2016 - six months before the California voters legalize recreational marijuana - and this story takes us to the heart of Humboldt County, prime pot growing country.
Two young adults steal money from a biker gang and head to Humboldt County to Vic, a man who is indebted to one of their mothers.
The action heats up quickly with pot growers, Russian gangsters, bikers, and a cop who's been on the trail of Vic for years.
This is a dark look at the marijuana growing industry before legalization and at the people involved in it.
The story moves quickly along with some skanky characters and some that you'll actually be cheering on.
I received this book from Down and Out Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
December 5, 2018
101
Mysterious Book Report No. 355
by John Dwaine McKenna
US Highway 101 runs north from the San Francisco Bay, up to Humboldt County . . . the remote, pot growing area of California known as the emerald triangle because of all the grow operations up there. It’s an area that’s rugged, fertile and brimming with fierce and independent cultivators of the magic green plant that, when smoked, makes all of your “worries be gone,” to quote the legendary Guy Clark. Humboldt County is where a doofus named Jerry Bertram runs to when he gets in the bad graces and gunsights of some outlaw bikers in Tom Pitts new novel entitled, 101, (Down & Out Books, PB $18.95, 256 pages, ISBN 978-1-948235-38-9)
When Jerry Bertram and his girlfriend break into a medical marijuana store in the Bay area and take the contents of the safe, they’re not just stealing from the dispensary, they’re also ripping off the one percent bikers who own the store through a front. But, in addition they’re also robbing a group of Russian gangsters and their boss, a man known as “Vlad the Inhaler.” They finance the motorcycle club, and all of them want a piece of Jerry’s hide, and the return of the money before they kill him. Trying to save his life, Jerry’s mother sends him north, to hide with a dour and enigmatic pot farmer named Vic, the “bravest and truest and toughest man I know,” according to her. But her son’s a selfish doofus, who doesn’t seem to realize the mortal danger he’s in—or that he presents to others by his very presence—even when the bullets start flying, the killing begins and the bodies begin to pile up. At the same time, Vic starts showing a skill set for violence, fighting and surviving that makes this an unstoppable read that will leave you breathless and needing a towel to dry off with. Oh yeah, 101 is just that hot!
Mysterious Book Report No. 355
by John Dwaine McKenna
US Highway 101 runs north from the San Francisco Bay, up to Humboldt County . . . the remote, pot growing area of California known as the emerald triangle because of all the grow operations up there. It’s an area that’s rugged, fertile and brimming with fierce and independent cultivators of the magic green plant that, when smoked, makes all of your “worries be gone,” to quote the legendary Guy Clark. Humboldt County is where a doofus named Jerry Bertram runs to when he gets in the bad graces and gunsights of some outlaw bikers in Tom Pitts new novel entitled, 101, (Down & Out Books, PB $18.95, 256 pages, ISBN 978-1-948235-38-9)
When Jerry Bertram and his girlfriend break into a medical marijuana store in the Bay area and take the contents of the safe, they’re not just stealing from the dispensary, they’re also ripping off the one percent bikers who own the store through a front. But, in addition they’re also robbing a group of Russian gangsters and their boss, a man known as “Vlad the Inhaler.” They finance the motorcycle club, and all of them want a piece of Jerry’s hide, and the return of the money before they kill him. Trying to save his life, Jerry’s mother sends him north, to hide with a dour and enigmatic pot farmer named Vic, the “bravest and truest and toughest man I know,” according to her. But her son’s a selfish doofus, who doesn’t seem to realize the mortal danger he’s in—or that he presents to others by his very presence—even when the bullets start flying, the killing begins and the bodies begin to pile up. At the same time, Vic starts showing a skill set for violence, fighting and surviving that makes this an unstoppable read that will leave you breathless and needing a towel to dry off with. Oh yeah, 101 is just that hot!
August 30, 2018
Got an advance copy from Netgalley. What a great ride this one is. Great characters, although most of them were sleazebags, you couldnt help but be glued to the pages to find out what each of them would do next. Awesome story line, pretty fast paced with plenty of action. Really liked Vic, hope to see more for him in the future? Easy five star crime noir that leaves me wanting more of this story.
if Pitts wants to could keep this story going easily. would love to see what happens next.......
if Pitts wants to could keep this story going easily. would love to see what happens next.......
November 7, 2018
This thing hurtles along like an 18-wheeler going downhill. The way the different viewpoints are intercut could have made the momentum choppy. It did not. It actually contributes to the pace.
This story also has a refreshing difference. The central figure, Vic, adheres to his moral code even though a) it's in his best interest not to, and b) the help he's giving isn't appreciated (as the ironic ending underscores).
Also spicing 101 are lots of local details of both rural and urban Northern California. Furthermore, there is a hard-edged humor that reminded me of Joseph Wambaugh.
This story also has a refreshing difference. The central figure, Vic, adheres to his moral code even though a) it's in his best interest not to, and b) the help he's giving isn't appreciated (as the ironic ending underscores).
Also spicing 101 are lots of local details of both rural and urban Northern California. Furthermore, there is a hard-edged humor that reminded me of Joseph Wambaugh.
December 11, 2018
Book publicists are fond of the awkward adjective “unputdownable,” but in the case of Tom Pitts’s new California crime thriller, this enthusiastic description is wholly justified. Those familiar with California will recognize 101 as the highway that runs the length of California from Los Angeles—where it’s part of the world’s busiest and most nightmarish freeway interchange—north to the Oregon border and beyond. Pitts’s book focuses on that northern bit, from the Bay Area up to Humboldt County, where a different kind of traffic is all-important: weed.
The book is set in mid-2016, six months before California voters will legalize marijuana, and the impending vote has made the Humboldt County growers more paranoid than usual. They’re accustomed to warding off rustlers and junkies and deer and water-thieves, but unsure how to arm themselves for a massive market shift. Pitts’s description of the steep hillside partly covered in redwoods and brambles and the long, rutted dirt track up to where the nervous growers live is so vivid you could almost choke on the dust of their ATVs.
Vic Thomas runs one of these hillside growing operations, out of the sight of most people, which is exactly how he likes it. Twenty years before, he and a woman he’d never met before, Barbara Bertram, witnessed a horrible crime and, in self-defense, meted out a little on-the-spot justice. The experience bonded them forever. The police totally misunderstood what went on in that charnel-house and have been trying to track down Barbara and Vic ever since.
The story opens with a middle-of-the-night call from Barbara. She tells Vic her son Jerry is in trouble again, and she wants to send him to Vic so he can lie low a while among the marijuana growers. Vic can’t tell her no. Alas, Jerry is a serial screw-up with less sense than Vic’s dogs.
Vic is not pleased when he discovers that Jerry and his girlfriend Piper stole a considerable amount of cash from a Russian who runs a Bay Area weed club. His name is Vlad—“Vlad the Inhaler”—and he and his mobsters are determined to get their money back and make an example of Jerry.
When Piper finds her way up the hill to Jerry’s “hideout,” Vic recognizes that his unwelcome guest can’t keep his mouth shut. He’s even more alarmed when he realizes Piper’s stepfather is the head of the Dead BBs, a vicious outlaw motorcycle gang. Vlad has a financial relationship with the BBs, which makes them equally determined to find Jerry and Piper and reclaim the money. The stepfather considers Jerry completely expendable and Piper only slightly less so. Pitts shifts the narrative point of view frequently, so you know not only what Vic is thinking, but also what Vlad and the Dead BBs are up to. You’re never in doubt about the danger heading up the 101 toward Vic, Jerry, Piper, and anyone else who gets in the way.
With three sets of determined antagonists—the Russians, the Dead BBs, and the cops—looking for some combination of Jerry, Piper, and Vic, the opportunities for mayhem expand exponentially, and Pitts has deftly orchestrated the chase. There’s no time here for literary flourishes, maybe just a dash to the fridge for a beer, right in step with the denizens of 101.
The book is set in mid-2016, six months before California voters will legalize marijuana, and the impending vote has made the Humboldt County growers more paranoid than usual. They’re accustomed to warding off rustlers and junkies and deer and water-thieves, but unsure how to arm themselves for a massive market shift. Pitts’s description of the steep hillside partly covered in redwoods and brambles and the long, rutted dirt track up to where the nervous growers live is so vivid you could almost choke on the dust of their ATVs.
Vic Thomas runs one of these hillside growing operations, out of the sight of most people, which is exactly how he likes it. Twenty years before, he and a woman he’d never met before, Barbara Bertram, witnessed a horrible crime and, in self-defense, meted out a little on-the-spot justice. The experience bonded them forever. The police totally misunderstood what went on in that charnel-house and have been trying to track down Barbara and Vic ever since.
The story opens with a middle-of-the-night call from Barbara. She tells Vic her son Jerry is in trouble again, and she wants to send him to Vic so he can lie low a while among the marijuana growers. Vic can’t tell her no. Alas, Jerry is a serial screw-up with less sense than Vic’s dogs.
Vic is not pleased when he discovers that Jerry and his girlfriend Piper stole a considerable amount of cash from a Russian who runs a Bay Area weed club. His name is Vlad—“Vlad the Inhaler”—and he and his mobsters are determined to get their money back and make an example of Jerry.
When Piper finds her way up the hill to Jerry’s “hideout,” Vic recognizes that his unwelcome guest can’t keep his mouth shut. He’s even more alarmed when he realizes Piper’s stepfather is the head of the Dead BBs, a vicious outlaw motorcycle gang. Vlad has a financial relationship with the BBs, which makes them equally determined to find Jerry and Piper and reclaim the money. The stepfather considers Jerry completely expendable and Piper only slightly less so. Pitts shifts the narrative point of view frequently, so you know not only what Vic is thinking, but also what Vlad and the Dead BBs are up to. You’re never in doubt about the danger heading up the 101 toward Vic, Jerry, Piper, and anyone else who gets in the way.
With three sets of determined antagonists—the Russians, the Dead BBs, and the cops—looking for some combination of Jerry, Piper, and Vic, the opportunities for mayhem expand exponentially, and Pitts has deftly orchestrated the chase. There’s no time here for literary flourishes, maybe just a dash to the fridge for a beer, right in step with the denizens of 101.
December 11, 2018
Having not heard of this author before nor read his work I was amazed at the description and characterisation that really stood out as having been written from an exceptionally talented author. I really enjoyed this book.
December 11, 2018
Being a native of California, I was interested in reading a novel in which our state is a main character. But. I’m from SoCal, and NoCal is a different world. Mr. Pitts does a good job of creating a fast-paced thrill ride of a novel with gangs, alliances, and betrayals. I received an advanced digital copy through #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 15, 2019
This was a good one
September 24, 2018
another very good , fast paced action story from Tom Pitts. When Jerry rips off some drug dealers in CA and attempts to hide out with Vic, a friend of his mother, things go from bad to worse at an accelerated rate. lots of characters and action in this one, plus a bit of insight into the pot industry as it tries to adapt to the reality of legalization. lots of perspectives in this one including a couple of cops on the case. Not quite as good as American Static as we don't have too many likable characters in this one, but I was rooting for the mother and Vic's back story is pretty harrowing. good writing and the pages fly. thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early review copy. easy 4 stars.
September 3, 2018
A whole cast of characters going up & down Highway 101 from San Fransisco to Humboldt Co. in CA, happening prior to the vote for legalization of marijuana....a tough, illegal group of gangs/bikers/crooks/thieves/killers....& some good people too.....after money stolen from a gang enterprise. Lots of guns & shootouts. The author does a great job of developing a bunch of different/competing groups & showing how they will converge together, unbeknownst to all of them!
I received this e-ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for my own honest review.
I received this e-ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for my own honest review.
November 11, 2018
Drastic cut at the end...
Rather abrupt ending. Perhaps leaving it open for part II - Highway to Mexico?
But I liked it a lot, gave 5*
Rather abrupt ending. Perhaps leaving it open for part II - Highway to Mexico?
But I liked it a lot, gave 5*
October 6, 2020
101 by Tom Pitts is a fabulous book that had me recalling the feel of the glorious prose of Ginsburg or Burroughs. Pitts’s character development rivals those any in Fear and Loathing.The marijuana growing subculture lends itself to these larger than life characters in the glory days of fabled anti-establishment challenges. Do yourself a favorite & take a ride down the 101 and experience the rush. This is a must read!
April 17, 2019
Killer read! Pitts just gets better and better with each book - and his 1st book was great. I am now awaiting his next story full of gnarly characters and a twisted plot.
July 19, 2019
Jerry Bertram is a nice young man, most of the time, but he frequently loses his sense of place, of social skills his mother tried to implant and in the turbulent climate of West Coast bikers, is frequently the target of violent individuals.
Bertram, targeted by a nasty group of San Francisco Bikers, led by a strange Russian called Vlad the Inhaler, flees up the highway named in the title, to Humboldt County, at that time the center of illegal pot production in California. Of necessity, most of the growers and movers in the industry are not far from violence and arrest by Federal authorities. Hence, their locations and associations are often problematical.
Bertram’s mother knows a man who lives on his farm near Garberville. She asks Vic to hid her son until things cool down. But they don’t. Vlad and his crew ride north on Jerry’s trail leading to a rolling confrontation that spills b ack down 101 and into San Francisco for a final confrontation.
Rich with fringe characters, some of uncommon wisdom, a wild and tangled environment, the novel chases Jerry and his contacts through dangerous and sometimes brutal events. The characters are many, different and engaging. The writing is excellent and the pace is similar to riding an unfamiliar bike at full throttle down an unknown mountainside.
Bertram, targeted by a nasty group of San Francisco Bikers, led by a strange Russian called Vlad the Inhaler, flees up the highway named in the title, to Humboldt County, at that time the center of illegal pot production in California. Of necessity, most of the growers and movers in the industry are not far from violence and arrest by Federal authorities. Hence, their locations and associations are often problematical.
Bertram’s mother knows a man who lives on his farm near Garberville. She asks Vic to hid her son until things cool down. But they don’t. Vlad and his crew ride north on Jerry’s trail leading to a rolling confrontation that spills b ack down 101 and into San Francisco for a final confrontation.
Rich with fringe characters, some of uncommon wisdom, a wild and tangled environment, the novel chases Jerry and his contacts through dangerous and sometimes brutal events. The characters are many, different and engaging. The writing is excellent and the pace is similar to riding an unfamiliar bike at full throttle down an unknown mountainside.
April 12, 2019
Action-packed thriller about the pot business. The book works best in its action scenes. It's round robin kill or be killed for five small groups in a drama to either kill or protect two young people who ripped off some cash. Factions include: pot growers, Russians, bikers, cops and assorted criminals.
Vic Thomas is at the center of it all, protecting the thieves as he is close with the mother of one of them. The strongest action is at a shoot-out at a remote house in Humboldt County. It then moves down 101 for a climax in Alameda.
It's a little bit hard at first keeping all the factions straight. It pays off when you get a handle on that. The body count is high and not for the squeamish. My only slight critique is not enough back-story on hero Vic. What made him into such a badass? Did he ever have a normal life?
It's clear Pitts did his research for the book and enjoyable to read a book that gets Northern California and the Bay Area just right.
Vic Thomas is at the center of it all, protecting the thieves as he is close with the mother of one of them. The strongest action is at a shoot-out at a remote house in Humboldt County. It then moves down 101 for a climax in Alameda.
It's a little bit hard at first keeping all the factions straight. It pays off when you get a handle on that. The body count is high and not for the squeamish. My only slight critique is not enough back-story on hero Vic. What made him into such a badass? Did he ever have a normal life?
It's clear Pitts did his research for the book and enjoyable to read a book that gets Northern California and the Bay Area just right.
November 22, 2019
A page turner, for sure, and after reading a 500-page book (that I loved so much), was ready for a story that moved fast. Good plotting. The setting worked well. The ending, though...a bit vague and abrupt. Meant to be open-ended? A sequel in the works? Read it in two days (when I should have been writing), always a good sign for a book. Just would have liked a more resolved, less-abrupt ending. I will read more by Pitts.
I first gave it four stars, but I came back to give it five stars. It's obvious this book, esp. the plotting, was worked on and the setting puts you right there (much as you sometimes don't want to be). So it's up to five.
These are days when if I look forward to getting back to whatever I'm reading, that alone is worth five stars.
I first gave it four stars, but I came back to give it five stars. It's obvious this book, esp. the plotting, was worked on and the setting puts you right there (much as you sometimes don't want to be). So it's up to five.
These are days when if I look forward to getting back to whatever I'm reading, that alone is worth five stars.
August 24, 2021
Another pretty great crime fiction novel here by Tom Pitts. A guy who is becoming a favorite writer of mine.
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