Chasing Jack

by Parnell Hall

Two killers are leaving a trail of mutilated corpses across Manhattan... while hunting a mysterious man with a name so common, they may never run out of victims. They are pursued by a disgraced cop, dying of cancer and desperate for redemption. Caught in the middle, but unaware of it, are a tabloid reporter and the cast of a troubled Broadway play facing a terrifying battle for their lives.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller

320 pages, Paperback

Published July 29, 2020

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a little confusing at first, with seemingly unrelated characters and events, but it all began to make sense. Fast paced, with Hall's usual crisp dialogue, and very short chapters. This is no cozy, with lots of violence and crude language, but it was exciting and enjoyable.

[Virginia Kessen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If all you know of Parnell Hall is his popular (and delightful) puzzle lady books, know that this is a very different kind of book, much more like the Stanley Hastings books. This is a fast-moving, convoluted and somewhat violent book. It's not great literature nor is it trying to be but it is a fun read.

[Sandra Fowlks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Thrilling Stand Alone!

I have read every series that Parnell Hall has written from the Puzzle Lady to Steve Winslow to Stanley Hastings. I never would have believed that there would be a book that has matched and even surprised the stellar characters, plots, settings, etc. of any of the other stories. This book has dine that. Don't be fooled by the simple title. It is quite intricate, compelling, dangerous, suspenseful and exhilarating. I read because I love Parnell Hall's books. If you haven't read anything, please be sure to read this one.

[Jim E. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Chasing Jack was not a good read for me. I bought the book as I am a big fan of Parnell Hall’s Stanley Hastings privets eye series. This was the last book written by Parnell Hall prior to his death in December 2020. The characters in the book were very hard to follow and the story branched into several directions at the beginning. Everything finally came together at the end, but the book seemed more like a fantasy to me. I finished it only so that I could move onto a better novel. I wanted to give it a better rating than one star, but this is what it was worth.

[Angie Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This my 1st Parnell Hall mystery. I recently read that he died December 15, 2020 so I thought I would check out the last book he wrote. I guess I would classify this in the cozy mystery category with some black humor. Very quick, easy read. Chapters are very short & concise. The book moves along quickly, especially the last 100 or so pages. You can definitely tell he was a screenwriter with the crisp dialogue. If you like Lawrence Block you'll probably enjoy this one.

[Carolyn C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was this written for teenagers? I admit I did not finish the book, only read four chapters. I knew it wasn’t for me after the second chapter but kept going hoping for improvement. Book starts off strong with the first few pages but dialogue between everyone just doesn’t flow.
I read a lot of Detective, Thrillers, FBI profile books.

[William Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

World Class

As always, Parnell Hall delivers a gem of a story. The characters are artful and eccentric. The plot tugs the reader along and turns opposite to the route the reader was following. And still, everyone arrives at a satisfactory conclusion.

[Tom Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kind of felt confused by the unrelated story, especially the whole Starkman scenario, but things fell into place. I enjoyed the book but not overly enthusiastic about the choppy style of dialogue driven fiction

[Stuart Macmartin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grittier than other his other books. I’d classify this as thriller, not mystery. Nice to have a solid backdrop of theatre and plays. Some characters might be played more for satirical effect, but perhaps that’s realistic.

[Stanley Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started off hard to get into but came around toward the end.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly entertaining, easy read about some mobsters hunting for someone they don't know know, except by name, who has something they want.

[Cindy Latella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book...very different than his usual books but very entertaining.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun to read!

[Linda J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Story

A little slow, over written. Gets good about chapter eighty-nine and then it flies! Enjoyable, good for a rainy day.

[Curtis Edmonds · Rating 4 out of 5]

CHASING JACK is sort of a twenty-first century version of commedia dell’arte, except that a lot more people get shot in the face. The author seems determined to make every character as uninteresting as possible- the stock characters barely even have names. The putative hero, no lie, is “Jack Jones,” and the very ordinariness of that name is a key plot point. There’s an Irish cop named Murphy. There’s a big dumb guy named Lennie. I kid you not.

The challenge of writing commedia dell’arte in the twenty-first century is not the lack of stock characters; there’s an abundance of those. It’s figuring out anything unusual or different for them to do, and CHASING JACK can’t pull that off, either.

All that saves this is pacing, that, and the occasional light moment. Certainly readable, but utterly forgettable.