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Sam Acquillo Hamptons Mystery #4
Hard Stop
In this, the fourth installment in the Sam Acquillo series, Sam's past reaches out to pull him back into the world of big money and even bigger egos, where the term "corporate intrigue" is redundant and ambition the only virtue. It seems a woman vital to the private life of a very important person has gone missing in the Hamptons. And it looks like the best way to get her back is to extort the cooperation of Sam Acquillo. After finally achieving some measure of peace and contentment on Long Island, Sam is yet again an accidental player in other people's dramas. It takes him into the world of private security goons, predatory financiers and lifestyles of young hedonists, some brave, some beautiful, all a bit lost. This time Sam has a few ambitions of his own that lead him into something all his battles in the ring and corporate boardrooms could never have prepared him for.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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94 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 9, 2020
Rating: 3.5* of five
The Publisher Says: In this, the fourth installment in the Sam Acquillo series, Sam's past reaches out to pull him back into the world of big money and even bigger egos, where the term "corporate intrigue" is redundant and ambition the only virtue. It seems a woman vital to the private life of a very important person has gone missing in the Hamptons. And it looks like the best way to get her back is to extort the cooperation of Sam Acquillo. After finally achieving some measure of peace and contentment on Long Island, Sam is yet again an accidental player in other people's dramas. It takes him into the world of private security goons, predatory financiers and lifestyles of young hedonists, some brave, some beautiful, all a bit lost. This time Sam has a few ambitions of his own that lead him into something all his battles in the ring and corporate boardrooms could never have prepared him for.
My Review: Knopf is one reliable writer. His Sam Acquillo is a noir hero with the right stuff, whose world is made up of wastes of space and friends. He doesn't much care which side of The Highway (local Hamptonsese for “the tracks”) you live on, were born on, made it big on...do you pull your own weight? Do you decline to play stupid status games? You got a shot at being on Team Acquillo.
In this outing, Sam's enemies are a smidge more removed from his life, since they come from his past as a major mover and shaker in the world of petrochemical engineering. Sam's whole life has been lived, since the implosion of that career with its house, car, marriage, status, and clothes, in an attempt to be what he always really was: A water rat scraping by, doing the carpentry and fixitry he loves best.
Sam's deep disdain for wealth and for showiness are on full display here. He's a brilliant engineer. He's not, however, greedy. And it works for, against, and through him in this book. The pace is pretty unremitting. The language is, as always, witty and amusing then turning into violent and angry. That's what we pay for, after all, when reading noir novels.
The cop characters are more fully drawn, and that helped; the villain, well, the villain is just a nasty piece of work and no doubt ever obtains as to what or how the crimes that were committed came about. There's a minor twist in the murderer's reveal. But it's this sense that Knopf has another hundred pages of needed backstory to reveal that keeps me rating these books in the middle threes. I love economical storytelling. I like a writer who leaves me some room to think what I want to think. But I also need to make some sort of real connection with the characters, all of them, or I don't see the point of working them into the story. Honest Boy, yes the character's name is Honest Boy, is my prime example here. He shows up with that moniker, which means he's got my attention, and then...piff gone for most of the book. When he shows back up it's not to do anything earth-shattering, either. He's set up for a return engagement, like the local journalist in the last book.
All in all, though, this is a solid book and it's by a solid writer and for noiristas this series is a strong bet. Dog lovers should read them just for Eddie Van Halen. I love that mutt. Go get one. No harm will come to your leisure budget.
The Publisher Says: In this, the fourth installment in the Sam Acquillo series, Sam's past reaches out to pull him back into the world of big money and even bigger egos, where the term "corporate intrigue" is redundant and ambition the only virtue. It seems a woman vital to the private life of a very important person has gone missing in the Hamptons. And it looks like the best way to get her back is to extort the cooperation of Sam Acquillo. After finally achieving some measure of peace and contentment on Long Island, Sam is yet again an accidental player in other people's dramas. It takes him into the world of private security goons, predatory financiers and lifestyles of young hedonists, some brave, some beautiful, all a bit lost. This time Sam has a few ambitions of his own that lead him into something all his battles in the ring and corporate boardrooms could never have prepared him for.
My Review: Knopf is one reliable writer. His Sam Acquillo is a noir hero with the right stuff, whose world is made up of wastes of space and friends. He doesn't much care which side of The Highway (local Hamptonsese for “the tracks”) you live on, were born on, made it big on...do you pull your own weight? Do you decline to play stupid status games? You got a shot at being on Team Acquillo.
In this outing, Sam's enemies are a smidge more removed from his life, since they come from his past as a major mover and shaker in the world of petrochemical engineering. Sam's whole life has been lived, since the implosion of that career with its house, car, marriage, status, and clothes, in an attempt to be what he always really was: A water rat scraping by, doing the carpentry and fixitry he loves best.
Sam's deep disdain for wealth and for showiness are on full display here. He's a brilliant engineer. He's not, however, greedy. And it works for, against, and through him in this book. The pace is pretty unremitting. The language is, as always, witty and amusing then turning into violent and angry. That's what we pay for, after all, when reading noir novels.
The cop characters are more fully drawn, and that helped; the villain, well, the villain is just a nasty piece of work and no doubt ever obtains as to what or how the crimes that were committed came about. There's a minor twist in the murderer's reveal. But it's this sense that Knopf has another hundred pages of needed backstory to reveal that keeps me rating these books in the middle threes. I love economical storytelling. I like a writer who leaves me some room to think what I want to think. But I also need to make some sort of real connection with the characters, all of them, or I don't see the point of working them into the story. Honest Boy, yes the character's name is Honest Boy, is my prime example here. He shows up with that moniker, which means he's got my attention, and then...piff gone for most of the book. When he shows back up it's not to do anything earth-shattering, either. He's set up for a return engagement, like the local journalist in the last book.
All in all, though, this is a solid book and it's by a solid writer and for noiristas this series is a strong bet. Dog lovers should read them just for Eddie Van Halen. I love that mutt. Go get one. No harm will come to your leisure budget.
May 31, 2020
Hard Stop, read by Richard Ferrone, is a fun and different kind of read. It’s got attitude and humor, just like Sam, the retired engineer who routinely finds himself mixed up in murders. This novel may be the best so far, as Knopf’s writing is well-honed now.
Ferrone gives Knopf’s protagonist the perfect voice: a bright but curmudgeonly retired engineer who proclaims to dislike people, meanwhile he goes above and beyond to help those in crisis.
The series doesn’t have to be read in order, but they’re more fun if read that way. It’s worth the time. They get successively better.
Ferrone gives Knopf’s protagonist the perfect voice: a bright but curmudgeonly retired engineer who proclaims to dislike people, meanwhile he goes above and beyond to help those in crisis.
The series doesn’t have to be read in order, but they’re more fun if read that way. It’s worth the time. They get successively better.
August 26, 2019
I read this because I loved The Last Refuge. Hard Stop is a hot mess. By the 2nd chapter I started to dislike Sam's routine breaking and entering, bullying, intimidation, never ending psychobabble, disrespect for the law, constant drinking, and bad-mouthing his ex. After the 3rd chapter I started skipping ahead to see if anything was going to change. It wasn't. Sam is a socio on the path to psycho and not in a fun Jack Reacher way. Knopf is a talented writer but there are pages and pages that go on like a disturbing, repetitive, uncontrolled manic obsession into territory already covered. Cut back on the caffeine dude. I don't want to spend any more time on a character who has become a self-righteous thug who needs to be in jail followed by mandatory anger management classes and AA meetings for the rest of his life, so I will not be finishing this book.
July 16, 2022
This is my 4th mystery by Chris Knopf. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first three, probably because the corporate shenanigans underlying the murder didn't interest me as much as the previous entries in the Sam Acquillo series. I do like Sam as a character - he reminds me a lot of Thomas King's Thumps Dreadfulwater. Both are laid-back older dudes living more-or-less solitary lives in small towns, with stressful histories, cores of good friends, odd eateries, and amusing pets.
This audiobook was narrated by Richard Ferrone, who does a good enough job but didn't fit the character as well as Stefan Rudnicki did in the first two volumes. Mr. Ferrone's voice doesn't carry the underlying threat that Mr. Rudnicki brings to the table - maybe he just sounds a little too nice.
Perhaps I just need not to read books in a series sequentially. Something else in between volumes might refresh my palate.
This audiobook was narrated by Richard Ferrone, who does a good enough job but didn't fit the character as well as Stefan Rudnicki did in the first two volumes. Mr. Ferrone's voice doesn't carry the underlying threat that Mr. Rudnicki brings to the table - maybe he just sounds a little too nice.
Perhaps I just need not to read books in a series sequentially. Something else in between volumes might refresh my palate.
January 1, 2019
Sam's past reaches out to pull him back into the world of big money and even bigger egos, where the term "corporate intrigue" is redundant and ambition the only virtue. It seems a woman vital to the private life of a very important person has gone missing in the Hamptons. And it looks like the best way to get her back is to extort the cooperation of Sam Acquillo. After finally achieving some measure of peace and contentment on Long Island, Sam is yet again an accidental player in other people's dramas. It takes him into the world of private security goons, predatory financiers and lifestyles of young hedonists, some brave, some beautiful, all a bit lost. This time Sam has a few ambitions of his own that lead him into something all his battles in the ring and corporate boardrooms could never have prepared him for
August 25, 2018
Sam Acquillo left his corporate job several years ago under unpleasant circumstances. Suddenly, his former boss is asking Sam to help him find a woman who worked with the company, but has not been heard from in several weeks. Once Sam is presented with a puzzle, he can not stop until he has found the answer.
July 24, 2018
Good old fashioned Sam Spade type detective mystery with the refreshing East End backdrop and the quirky Sam Acquillo character. The fourth in the series ,a fun read.
October 29, 2019
Love this quirky lead character and how trouble always finds him
February 21, 2022
I like this series but wish there was less alcohol in the story line.
August 16, 2022
dogs, action, tough guy
February 3, 2025
Nice to see Sam growing as a person. If he would just ditch the flavored coffee!
August 5, 2009
This book was a better-than-average, "who dunnit" murder mystery. The author preferred to use the typical recipe for this genre but with a few twists in style. Rather than end each chapter with a question or puzzle which prompts the reader to continue reading on obsessively into the next chapter, ad infinitum, Knopf uses the opportunity to render an esoteric or philosophical thought which allows to reader to pause and contemplate, thus bringing the chapter to a "natural" terminating point. I enjoyed this ploy because the thought he was presenting would give me something to think about once I put the book down to fall asleep. The main character is somewhat paradoxical in his demeanor and lifestyle and I suppose that is what makes him somewhat, although not entirely unique. I have met other characters like him in other novels. He is somewhat like Jimmy Buffet's main character, handsome, intelligent, learned, and versatile, but at the same time indifferent and careless. I enjoyed his penchant for "rationing" his cigarettes and vodka, something I have personally tried to do in the past without success. The part of this book that was typical of most murder mysteries was the timing of the ending. I guess the ability to properly end a novel is part gift, part skill. Some authors have it, and some authors strive to attain it. I sometimes feel cheated when I invest hours of reading hundreds of pages of support text and the novel basically ends in a ten-page chapter. Especially, when I notice that the ending chapter starts right after page 300 or page 500. That's when I know that the author added "fluff" to reach the "bonus page point" before ending the book. Knopf did not do that in this novel, but all is revealed and the story sealed in a short 10-page chapter. Good characterization, better story, good flow, but the ending was somewhat anticlimactic. I would recommend this novel for those who enjoy a good murder story that has comfortable prose and spots of light-heartedness. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.
Best regards,
Bill Schools
P.S. I did find one editing error. At the beginning of a scene on page 74, Acquillo leaves his house in his girlfriend's "...shiny red Dodge pickup with the welded-on cargo racks...". At the end of the scene on page 80, Acquillo "...went back to my Grand Prix." In other words, he leaves in his girlfriend's truck and returns in his car. Oops.
Best regards,
Bill Schools
P.S. I did find one editing error. At the beginning of a scene on page 74, Acquillo leaves his house in his girlfriend's "...shiny red Dodge pickup with the welded-on cargo racks...". At the end of the scene on page 80, Acquillo "...went back to my Grand Prix." In other words, he leaves in his girlfriend's truck and returns in his car. Oops.
October 19, 2009
First Sentence: I didn’t like anything about that big, dumb, ugly SUV.
Sam Acquillo is hired by his former boss, George Donovan, to find his missing girlfriend, Iku Kinjo. He tracks her to a house on Long Island, where a number of young successful Manhattan business people are living. However, it soon becomes apparent there is more than a missing girl involved in this case.
I wasn’t as taken by this book as I have been by previous books in the series. I do like the character of Sam, but am getting a bit bored with the ‘can’t-make-a-commitment’ protagonist. In some ways, his secondary characters-- independent girlfriend Amanda; friend and lawyer, Jackie Swaitkowski; Joe Sullivan, the cop friend; obstructionist Officer Orlovsky and Eddie Van Halen, the mutt—are the more interesting characters. Also, in this book, the question of whether Sam would finally get what is owed him, was more suspenseful than the actual mystery.
For all that, it’s not a bad book; I just felt his others were better. I did very much appreciate his homage to the late author, Philip R. Craig. The greatest evidence of this is that, two weeks after finishing this, I couldn’t remember the plot where I do remember the plots of the previous books. But I’m not giving up on either Sam, or Mr. Knopf and I look forward to reading his next book.
HARD STOP (Unl. Inves-Sam Acquillo-NY-Cont) – G
Knopf, Chris – 4th in series
The Permanent Press, 2009, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9781579621834
Sam Acquillo is hired by his former boss, George Donovan, to find his missing girlfriend, Iku Kinjo. He tracks her to a house on Long Island, where a number of young successful Manhattan business people are living. However, it soon becomes apparent there is more than a missing girl involved in this case.
I wasn’t as taken by this book as I have been by previous books in the series. I do like the character of Sam, but am getting a bit bored with the ‘can’t-make-a-commitment’ protagonist. In some ways, his secondary characters-- independent girlfriend Amanda; friend and lawyer, Jackie Swaitkowski; Joe Sullivan, the cop friend; obstructionist Officer Orlovsky and Eddie Van Halen, the mutt—are the more interesting characters. Also, in this book, the question of whether Sam would finally get what is owed him, was more suspenseful than the actual mystery.
For all that, it’s not a bad book; I just felt his others were better. I did very much appreciate his homage to the late author, Philip R. Craig. The greatest evidence of this is that, two weeks after finishing this, I couldn’t remember the plot where I do remember the plots of the previous books. But I’m not giving up on either Sam, or Mr. Knopf and I look forward to reading his next book.
HARD STOP (Unl. Inves-Sam Acquillo-NY-Cont) – G
Knopf, Chris – 4th in series
The Permanent Press, 2009, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9781579621834
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January 16, 2014Knopf's Sam Acquillo is a hard drinking, marginally employed, fifty-something, ex-pug scratching out a life in an old, beaten house in tony Southampton, NY. And he can think his way through a tough mystery with the analytic power of Poirot. Sam was an engineering executive, MIT grad once, a long time ago. His cognitive facilities haven't suffered despite his time in the ring and excessive vodka consumption.
"Hard Stop" is one in a series of "Hamptons Mysteries." (Knoph has another series featuring Arthur Cathcart; a very different protagonist from Sam.) It's a joy to read. In part because Knoph is so good with characterization. Sam is surrounded by a bunch of friends who help him (or who he helps) home-in of the criminal. This 'bunch' of characters aren't the usual cardboard sidekicks. Each has depth. each is likable, or in cases, a bit pathetic. And all serve to propel the story. Knoph does not waste words.
This is a terrific mystery form a writer who loves prose and knows how to use it.
Sean
"Hard Stop" is one in a series of "Hamptons Mysteries." (Knoph has another series featuring Arthur Cathcart; a very different protagonist from Sam.) It's a joy to read. In part because Knoph is so good with characterization. Sam is surrounded by a bunch of friends who help him (or who he helps) home-in of the criminal. This 'bunch' of characters aren't the usual cardboard sidekicks. Each has depth. each is likable, or in cases, a bit pathetic. And all serve to propel the story. Knoph does not waste words.
This is a terrific mystery form a writer who loves prose and knows how to use it.
Sean
November 9, 2014
I had a hard time getting into this book ad it is most likely because I haven't read the first three books in the series. I have a horrible habit of starting series of books in the middle. I need to stop that!
Sam is one of my favorite characters. I really liked the depth of his character. He is probably one of my favorite characters of all time.
I also liked the story. It was a little slow at times, but overall an entertaining and well written story.
I can only give this book 3 stars because of the vulgarity. The fowl language was excessive and annoying. Just when I thought the curse words were coming to an end there would be another long string of them. It was almost enough to make me stop reading this book completely.
The ending also was a little anticlimactic. I felt like there were some thing the author left hanging. I would like to give the author the benefit of the doubt and assume he continues the story in the sequel.
I can't highly recommend this book. Lots of swearing. No sex.
Sam is one of my favorite characters. I really liked the depth of his character. He is probably one of my favorite characters of all time.
I also liked the story. It was a little slow at times, but overall an entertaining and well written story.
I can only give this book 3 stars because of the vulgarity. The fowl language was excessive and annoying. Just when I thought the curse words were coming to an end there would be another long string of them. It was almost enough to make me stop reading this book completely.
The ending also was a little anticlimactic. I felt like there were some thing the author left hanging. I would like to give the author the benefit of the doubt and assume he continues the story in the sequel.
I can't highly recommend this book. Lots of swearing. No sex.
June 22, 2009
This fourth book in Chris Knopf's Sam Acquillo books is terrific.
Sam is a fascinating character--a complicated man who suffers a spectacular meltdown before the series begins. Often his own worst enemy, Sam gains some hard won self knowledge over the course of the novels. His past life, which is quite different than his current situation, is revealed slowly in small glimpses.
Some of the things I liked about this mystery include the setting, the non-millionaire side of the Hamptons; the interesting and vivid characters; the assured and beautiful writing; and the understated, lowkey humor of the protagonist. I found myself giggling as I listened to Sam's conversations with the various thugs, detectives, townspeople and friends he encounters.
If you haven't read any, do start with the first book, The Last Resort. If you're familiar with the series, grab this latest entry. You'll enjoy it.
(I listened to the audiobook edition.)
Sam is a fascinating character--a complicated man who suffers a spectacular meltdown before the series begins. Often his own worst enemy, Sam gains some hard won self knowledge over the course of the novels. His past life, which is quite different than his current situation, is revealed slowly in small glimpses.
Some of the things I liked about this mystery include the setting, the non-millionaire side of the Hamptons; the interesting and vivid characters; the assured and beautiful writing; and the understated, lowkey humor of the protagonist. I found myself giggling as I listened to Sam's conversations with the various thugs, detectives, townspeople and friends he encounters.
If you haven't read any, do start with the first book, The Last Resort. If you're familiar with the series, grab this latest entry. You'll enjoy it.
(I listened to the audiobook edition.)
January 28, 2023
Hard Stop is the fourth in the Sam Acquillo series. I haven't read the previous 3 outings, but throughout the whole book I felt that this was not as developed as one would expect for the 4th in a series.
Published reviews of the previous books commented on Knopf's snappy dialogue but other than a few very good exchanges with Jackie Swaitkowski, the dialogue struck me as very bland and repetitive (Amanda is beautiful...about 15 different times in the novel).
The story is a bit flat as well. The ending was obvious from 50 miles away and it left me wondering how a guy who is supposed to be as smart as Sam didn't figure it out sooner. And I was never really interested in Iku Kinjo, the girl at the center of the mystery.
A story centered around Jackie would be really interesting. But this one centered around Sam left me feeling very unfulfilled.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Published reviews of the previous books commented on Knopf's snappy dialogue but other than a few very good exchanges with Jackie Swaitkowski, the dialogue struck me as very bland and repetitive (Amanda is beautiful...about 15 different times in the novel).
The story is a bit flat as well. The ending was obvious from 50 miles away and it left me wondering how a guy who is supposed to be as smart as Sam didn't figure it out sooner. And I was never really interested in Iku Kinjo, the girl at the center of the mystery.
A story centered around Jackie would be really interesting. But this one centered around Sam left me feeling very unfulfilled.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
June 18, 2015
Knopf is always a lot of fun to read. This is despite his Sam Acquillo books being somewhat formulaic. There are always thugs, always some rich Hampton people, and once again an outcome I think it is impossible to guess. (I prefer a mystery where when you find out what happened, you feel you could have figured it out even if you failed to do so).
The biggest plus is how well written this is, with snappy dialogue. The downsides are a plot more convoluted than would have been best. I'm also a bit tired of Sam's drinking. He is supposedly laying off the stuff in this book, yet at one point drinks twelve ounces of vodka and at another, half a bottle of Maker's Mark. I'm also thinking one central plot element is a bit off. Most of the central characters met living off-campus while attending Princeton, but that university does not let sophomores live off campus. Oh well, no biggie, I guess.
Anyway, Knopf is a lot of fun, an I did nejoy this, warts and all.
The biggest plus is how well written this is, with snappy dialogue. The downsides are a plot more convoluted than would have been best. I'm also a bit tired of Sam's drinking. He is supposedly laying off the stuff in this book, yet at one point drinks twelve ounces of vodka and at another, half a bottle of Maker's Mark. I'm also thinking one central plot element is a bit off. Most of the central characters met living off-campus while attending Princeton, but that university does not let sophomores live off campus. Oh well, no biggie, I guess.
Anyway, Knopf is a lot of fun, an I did nejoy this, warts and all.
April 18, 2010
Like others have previously said about this book, I too did not realize it was the 4th book in a series. It took me sometime to read this as it did not hold my interest as well as some of the others I have received from early reviewers. As a matter of fact I received one previously not knowing it was the 3rd in a series and I could not put that one down. [return][return]This book was hard for me to read and I had to force myself to pick it up. The gory scenes were great. I loved the car wreck, the description of the crime scene and so on, but not reading the first 3 books really put me at odds with the rest of the story to include the reasoning for all the freebies. [return][return]Overall it was an okay read, I honestly think I would have liked it better had I have read the first 3 in the series.
August 24, 2009
This is the first book I've read by Knopf. Although it is part of a series, I had no trouble understanding the characters and what was going on. I did NOT feel lost because I hadn't read the previous books in the series.
Knopf wrote some great action scenes in the book. I really enjoyed the car chase scene and the way in which the main character got out of the situation. If the whole book had been written in a similar fashion, I would have given it more stars.
However, I felt that most of the book, the author "told" me the story rather than "showed" me the story. Rather than letting me see how the plot and mystery were going to unfold and let me participate in the resolution, I felt like I was just told the solution.
Knopf wrote some great action scenes in the book. I really enjoyed the car chase scene and the way in which the main character got out of the situation. If the whole book had been written in a similar fashion, I would have given it more stars.
However, I felt that most of the book, the author "told" me the story rather than "showed" me the story. Rather than letting me see how the plot and mystery were going to unfold and let me participate in the resolution, I felt like I was just told the solution.
January 23, 2016
This book should've been called Hard Headed instead of Hard Stop. Sam is his typical stubborn, contrary self. He's repeatedly threatened and warned to stop investigating the disappearance and eventual murder of a woman involved with his ex boss. Does he stop? Not a chance. Of course, if he did, it would be a very short book since the first attack happens right at the beginning.
I like Sam a lot, but he seems to go out of his way to be abrasive and get himself in tight spots. He's his own worst enemy and that saying something since he makes enemies like most alcoholics take shots.
On the other hand, he's very witty and incredibly clever. Plus, he has a nifty dog named Eddie. What's not to like?
I like Sam a lot, but he seems to go out of his way to be abrasive and get himself in tight spots. He's his own worst enemy and that saying something since he makes enemies like most alcoholics take shots.
On the other hand, he's very witty and incredibly clever. Plus, he has a nifty dog named Eddie. What's not to like?
August 7, 2009
I just won this from the giveaways. It was good.
Sam Acquillo has a history that I need to know more about. In this story he is extorted into working for his previous boss to find a missing girlfriend. Instead he finds her lifeless body and decides he needs to find out who killed her and why.
I enjoyed the story, but there were definately parts missing. Some of the story was a bit disjointed, like the characters knew something I didn't. I may have to work back through the other books. Sam refers back to incidents and experiences in the previous novels that have defined and shaped him. It may be nice to actually know what he is referring to.
Sam Acquillo has a history that I need to know more about. In this story he is extorted into working for his previous boss to find a missing girlfriend. Instead he finds her lifeless body and decides he needs to find out who killed her and why.
I enjoyed the story, but there were definately parts missing. Some of the story was a bit disjointed, like the characters knew something I didn't. I may have to work back through the other books. Sam refers back to incidents and experiences in the previous novels that have defined and shaped him. It may be nice to actually know what he is referring to.
September 13, 2009
This book was ok - it reminded me a bit of a Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker, but I didn't care about the characters as much. The main character reluctantly agrees to help his former boss who fired him find a woman he claims is his lover. I just didn't get into the story enough to really care about the characters. In fairness, this is the 4th book in a series, maybe if I read the other previous books, it would be better. This was not a bad book, but not one I will likely pick up to read again.
August 6, 2009
I enjoyed the writing style as it evoked a sense of old detectives/private-eyes. I think it would be a great book to listen to as the writing seemed to be more conversationalist. The swearing got old and I felt that even though Sam was a tough guy--take no smack from anyone--that his language could have been cleaned up a bit and that of some of the other characters. I like how Sam interacts with everyone and how even though he uses everyone to help him solve the case that you still like him and laugh at his thoughts and views.
September 29, 2009
A slightly formulaic but nonetheless enjoyable entry into the genre. Sam Acquillo makes for a flawed & likeable hero, and the Hamptons setting is a welcome change of pace from the mean streets and rural backwaters in which hardboiled guys like Sam usually operate. The plot was a bit convoluted; the story kept moving, but the directions in which it was going weren't always easy to track. I'll read more Sam Aquillo books.
March 22, 2010
If there's an heir to the sainted John D's Travis McGee on the mystery shelves today, it's surely the two-fisted vodka connoisseur and knight errant Sam Acquillo, the hero of Chris Knopf's series set in the Hamptons.
August 3, 2009
A little slow moving at first. Sam Acquillo is a strong character. Some eloquent language, which I enjoyed. Not predictable either.
October 14, 2009
Not as good a read as previous titles.
March 15, 2010
A 3 minus, maybe just a 2 plus. Adequate, nothing really special at all.
July 16, 2011
Good series, but only audiobook by this author in the library.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews