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This Wicked World
Elmore Leonard meets Denis Johnson in this explosive first novel set on the seedy side of Southern California.
Ex-marine Jimmy Boone-former bodyguard to Los Angeles's rich and famous-is fresh out of Corcoran, on parole, and trying to keep his nose clean until he figures out his next move. He has a job tending bar on Hollywood Boulevard, serving drinks to tourists, and is determined to put the past behind him.
But trying to do the right thing has always been Boone's downfall. When he backs up a buddy on a hero-for-hire gig-looking into the mysterious death of a kid on a downtown bus-he once again finds himself in a world of trouble.
As Boone learns more about the boy, an innocent who got involved with the wrong people, his investigation becomes a mission. Along the dangerous margins of Los Angeles, he encounters down-on-their-luck drug dealers, a vengeful stripper, a dog-fighting ring, a beautiful ex-cop, a vicious crime boss and his crew, and a fortune in counterfeit bills. Before long, Boone realizes that his quest to get at the truth about a ruthless murder may also turn out to be his last chance at redemption.
This Wicked World is a knock-out blend of superb writing and breakneck storytelling that grabs you by the collar and makes it impossible to stop reading.
Ex-marine Jimmy Boone-former bodyguard to Los Angeles's rich and famous-is fresh out of Corcoran, on parole, and trying to keep his nose clean until he figures out his next move. He has a job tending bar on Hollywood Boulevard, serving drinks to tourists, and is determined to put the past behind him.
But trying to do the right thing has always been Boone's downfall. When he backs up a buddy on a hero-for-hire gig-looking into the mysterious death of a kid on a downtown bus-he once again finds himself in a world of trouble.
As Boone learns more about the boy, an innocent who got involved with the wrong people, his investigation becomes a mission. Along the dangerous margins of Los Angeles, he encounters down-on-their-luck drug dealers, a vengeful stripper, a dog-fighting ring, a beautiful ex-cop, a vicious crime boss and his crew, and a fortune in counterfeit bills. Before long, Boone realizes that his quest to get at the truth about a ruthless murder may also turn out to be his last chance at redemption.
This Wicked World is a knock-out blend of superb writing and breakneck storytelling that grabs you by the collar and makes it impossible to stop reading.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
27 people are currently reading
505 people want to read
About the author
Richard Lange
12 books332 followersAuthor of Joe Hustle, Rovers, The Smack, Sweet Nothing, Angel Baby, This Wicked World, and Dead Boys.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
January 23, 2013
Jimmy Boone is an ex-Marine and an ex-con who made a mistake and paid the price, although it takes a while for the reader to learn exactly what the mistake was. Now he's out on parole, checking in with his P.O. and trying to stay out of trouble. To support himself, he's managing a small apartment complex and tending bar on Hollywood Boulevard.
One night Robo, the bouncer at the bar, asks Jimmy to help him with a small problem. Robo does favors for people and is meeting with the grandfather of an young immigrant named Oscar Morales who died on a city bus after being viciously attacked by dogs. The grandfather wants to hire Robo to look into this and Robo wants Jimmy to come along and look like a cop to help impress the grandfather.
Robo gets the job, but then he needs Jimmy to give him a ride and help interview a witness. And then, and then... You can see where this is going. Before long, Jimmy, who was trying to keep his head down and stay out of trouble, is up to his neck in the mystery of the death of the young man. He's violating his parole and mixed up with dopers, gangsters and a particularly vengeful stripper. And in the end, not only his parole but his life will wind up on the line.
This is a very well-written debut novel with a great cast of memorable characters. Richard Lange definitely has the chops. I'm giving the book three stars instead of four because of my one complaint about the book, which is that several of the characters, principally Jimmy Boone, keep acting in ways that seem totally implausible.
It's like the stock scene in the horror movie when the lights in the house all go out and the pert young teenage girl goes down into the basement. Everybody in the galaxy is screaming, "Don't do that!!", but she does it anyway. It makes absolutely no sense, except as a device to drive the plot forward.
Jimmy Boone, although otherwise a very sympathetic character, makes these bad decisions one after another. For a man in his situation, his actions just make no sense, save for the fact that if he didn't take them, there wouldn't be much of a book. I started off really loving this book, but after a while the fact that the main character continued to behave so senselessly, dulled my enthusiasm a bit. Still, as I said, Lange is an excellent writer and I'll be more than happy to give his next book a shot.
One night Robo, the bouncer at the bar, asks Jimmy to help him with a small problem. Robo does favors for people and is meeting with the grandfather of an young immigrant named Oscar Morales who died on a city bus after being viciously attacked by dogs. The grandfather wants to hire Robo to look into this and Robo wants Jimmy to come along and look like a cop to help impress the grandfather.
Robo gets the job, but then he needs Jimmy to give him a ride and help interview a witness. And then, and then... You can see where this is going. Before long, Jimmy, who was trying to keep his head down and stay out of trouble, is up to his neck in the mystery of the death of the young man. He's violating his parole and mixed up with dopers, gangsters and a particularly vengeful stripper. And in the end, not only his parole but his life will wind up on the line.
This is a very well-written debut novel with a great cast of memorable characters. Richard Lange definitely has the chops. I'm giving the book three stars instead of four because of my one complaint about the book, which is that several of the characters, principally Jimmy Boone, keep acting in ways that seem totally implausible.
It's like the stock scene in the horror movie when the lights in the house all go out and the pert young teenage girl goes down into the basement. Everybody in the galaxy is screaming, "Don't do that!!", but she does it anyway. It makes absolutely no sense, except as a device to drive the plot forward.
Jimmy Boone, although otherwise a very sympathetic character, makes these bad decisions one after another. For a man in his situation, his actions just make no sense, save for the fact that if he didn't take them, there wouldn't be much of a book. I started off really loving this book, but after a while the fact that the main character continued to behave so senselessly, dulled my enthusiasm a bit. Still, as I said, Lange is an excellent writer and I'll be more than happy to give his next book a shot.
January 24, 2011
It's hard to write a mystery novel these days. The idea of a private detective in 2009 looking for a client's lost loved one being so obscure and unbelievable that I'd immediately dismiss it as the writer being out of touch with reality. It's just not 1940 and tough guys like Philip Marlowe aren't running around drinking hard and chasing dames and getting in the way of flat foot cops. At best private security firms do Internet background checks, surveillance, corporate espionage, and occasionally some shady shit – but usually in another country where they're affiliated with spy agencies and the "war" effort. So it's kind of cool when a writer puts a new spin on the genre, or at least a spin that makes sense for the times we live in. Richard Lange's This Wicked World is that detective-ish/mystery novel – his protagonist is a good guy, once military even, who's made a mistake and paid for it and now he's going to put things right – okay, it sound hokey when I write it. But Lange pulled it off.
January 17, 2018
Rock-Solid Action
This Wicked World is a rock-solid, action-packed crime thriller. The hero of this story is not a trench coat wearing private eye, but a bartending ex-con who somehow gets sucked into finding justice for a poor kid who collapsed on a bus, leaving behind a woman and a son and a pocketful of dreams. The ex-con is also a former bodyguard and former Marine so, of course, the reader can't help but clue in to gunfire and hand to hand combat on its way.
Lange does a great job of capturing the grittiness of Los Angeles' McArthur Park and fills out the story with drug dealers, dogfights, ex-strippers, soldiers of fortune. While the reasons for Boone to keep pushing for what happened to Oscar don't exactly add up, Lange has filled this story with so much action and so many double crosses that it's hard to put down.
This Wicked World is a rock-solid, action-packed crime thriller. The hero of this story is not a trench coat wearing private eye, but a bartending ex-con who somehow gets sucked into finding justice for a poor kid who collapsed on a bus, leaving behind a woman and a son and a pocketful of dreams. The ex-con is also a former bodyguard and former Marine so, of course, the reader can't help but clue in to gunfire and hand to hand combat on its way.
Lange does a great job of capturing the grittiness of Los Angeles' McArthur Park and fills out the story with drug dealers, dogfights, ex-strippers, soldiers of fortune. While the reasons for Boone to keep pushing for what happened to Oscar don't exactly add up, Lange has filled this story with so much action and so many double crosses that it's hard to put down.
September 30, 2025
4.75* Introduced to Lange by reading Joe Hustle which I loved. This first work starts off in the same storm channel as Hustle causing me to wonder about Lange's creativity but it soon floods out into an array of plots, personalities, complications and social absurdities (and failures). Lange has an amazing sense of place and creates a multitude of credible personalities, almost always mixing good and bad. Not sure I can say I have actually met these folks but I am convinced they exist and that Lange has. Highly recommended.
August 25, 2010
Richard Lange’s debut novel is character driven literary crime novel influenced by Elmore Leonard and George Pelecanos. Like those two masters’ originality and complexity of plot isn’t the name of the game, its characters. Stretching out to handle a novel Lange looses some of the focus of his short stories but retains his grasp on L.A. and its surreal surroundings and his subtle sense of humor. Some descriptions and in some character’s background his imagination really unfurls. The pit bull breeder’s war story, Mando’s ghost story, Robo’s camping preparations, and apocalyptic finale are especially memorable. So if you want a beautifully written novel go for this, which it’s true doesn’t bring anything new to the game but will still burn into your imagination. Plus it starts with Minuteman quote (the awesome San Pedro punk band not those desert patrolling losers) which is a cheap way to my heart.
June 19, 2014
I was mildly surprised that I liked this book as much as I did. I had picked it up for no particular reason. It was a pretty solid thriller. Protagonist Jimmy Boone, former con, former Marine, and current bartender was a very likable character. Boone saves a dog from a dying kid in which Dog was badly mistreated. Boone sets out to find out what happened to Dog's former owner Oscar for himself and also Oscar's Grandfather. Boone finds himself in an almost relationship with one of his neighbors, named Amy. Amy it seems is a former cop no less. Boone then has to battle the Bill Taggert gang. Taggert's gang runs dog fights and happens to be where dead Oscar's dog came from. Taggert and girlfriend Olivia are a mismatched couple to say the least. Olivia and her younger brother kidnap Amy and force Boone to pull a rip off for them to get Amy back. The story line although started out very slowly really kicked it into high gear after page 100. The book's ending was very intense and well thought out. Author Richard Lange's characters were all very lively and developed quite well. Lange's dialog also is really spot on. All in all a pretty good read. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. It's slow start dropped it one star. I'd highly recommend this book to readers who like a strong thriller. Lange does have some great talent to spin a very good read. This book reads very quickly so give it a try. "This Wicked World" turned out to be a wicked read !
August 9, 2009
A story of redemption with many pauses and detours. Fast paced, riveting read. Author skillfully takes disparate and ordinary individuals and brings them together in a violent but satisfying finale. Boone, the protagonist, is a noble and selfless character who even when he does the right thing seems to suffer adverse consequences- but still he soldiers on and you, the reader, just want good things to happen for him.
May 7, 2012
Wow. I read most of this in one sitting. While Jimmy Boone is probably not everyones idea of hero - he does all the wrong things for the right reasons - I thought he was great. His moral compass puts him in very unethical situations, but he definately follows his instincts. I'm hoping this is not the last we see of him.
February 1, 2020
I like the characters. And this is a very character driven story.
August 28, 2021
4 stars, would make a great action adventure movie
December 30, 2014
Richard Lange is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. I loved his short story collection "Dead Boys" and his second book, "Angel Baby." His writing is decent and his characters are always oddly compelling, so I had to backtrack a bit and read his first book, which brings me to this review. The story focuses on Jimmy Boone, an ex Marine and ex con who is hired to find out what happened in the death of a Guatemalan immigrant. In the process of his investigation he uncovers a dogfighting ring, a group of criminals, a scheme to counterfeit cash, and begins seeing a nice girl in the process.
Although the writing is passable and manages to compel you to turn the page to find out what happens next, this book is loaded with problems. As an ex con on parole wanting to keep his nose clean, Jimmy Boone kept behaving in ways that were completely implausible. The mystery of what happens to the young immigrant is solved fairly early on, a little over midway through the novel. His choice to continue to "investigate" and stick his nose into a criminal enterprise simply makes no sense. It's like the classic scene of a bad horror movie when the horny teenagers go into the woods with condoms and beer and you're shaking your head because you know fuckery and doom will follow. Yet Boone does it anyway, and it serves no purpose other than to drive a weak plot forward.
The last one hundred pages are a waste that further plunges the book downward into a mess. It is clear that Lange felt the need to wrap up every open plot end, no matter how useless and bad it was to begin with. It is unbelievable that Olivia does a complete 180 and tries to screw Boone over with a half assed kidnap job or the fact that Carl and Robo (more characters wanting to stay "clean") suddenly feel compelled to join his cause. There were also lengthy passages describing brutal dog fights that did not seem to function to move the plot forward at all. I found myself skipping over pages and pages of gory details describing pit bulls ripping each other to pieces that, quite frankly, did not enlighten me any further into why Lange went with the dogfighting angle in the first place.
Lange is an excellent writer but the fact this this is his first book clearly shows here. I'll continue to read whatever he writes, but I'd skip this book if I were you.
Although the writing is passable and manages to compel you to turn the page to find out what happens next, this book is loaded with problems. As an ex con on parole wanting to keep his nose clean, Jimmy Boone kept behaving in ways that were completely implausible. The mystery of what happens to the young immigrant is solved fairly early on, a little over midway through the novel. His choice to continue to "investigate" and stick his nose into a criminal enterprise simply makes no sense. It's like the classic scene of a bad horror movie when the horny teenagers go into the woods with condoms and beer and you're shaking your head because you know fuckery and doom will follow. Yet Boone does it anyway, and it serves no purpose other than to drive a weak plot forward.
The last one hundred pages are a waste that further plunges the book downward into a mess. It is clear that Lange felt the need to wrap up every open plot end, no matter how useless and bad it was to begin with. It is unbelievable that Olivia does a complete 180 and tries to screw Boone over with a half assed kidnap job or the fact that Carl and Robo (more characters wanting to stay "clean") suddenly feel compelled to join his cause. There were also lengthy passages describing brutal dog fights that did not seem to function to move the plot forward at all. I found myself skipping over pages and pages of gory details describing pit bulls ripping each other to pieces that, quite frankly, did not enlighten me any further into why Lange went with the dogfighting angle in the first place.
Lange is an excellent writer but the fact this this is his first book clearly shows here. I'll continue to read whatever he writes, but I'd skip this book if I were you.
February 7, 2010
This book is well written and captured the LA scene with historical dialogues about the LA riots and where it happened. It is a hardboiler novel with a decent ex-con who had been a marine and is a very likable and even a noble character. I liked how the author showed his habits of working out, running five miles a day and punching bag to show how fit the character is. The everyday scenes of his mundane work in the bar are well placed and the events that led to gunfights out of control are randomn and at the same time, linked and interchangable.
It does not really stand out as a spectular novel even though I felt it was realistically drawn with nice details. It is like a competent fan of Robert B. Parker or as I suspect the author liking, Raymond Chandler did a book and updated it to fit the times of today. I honestly don't know if that is a compliment or if I am damning Mr. Lange's debut novel with faint praises. I think the problem is that most of the good novels like Richard Yates' Revolution Road, Williams Golding's Lord of the Flies or James Joyce's the Arby tinge with sense of injustice and it seems that the main character broke even and even made out ahead despite the danger he put himself and his friends into.
However, the author is starting out and the crime/detective novel is well done for a first novel. I would look forward to his future works although I would not be hasty to buy it the way I buy Stephen King's novels. (I think I put a couple of his kids through college!: )) although I would look for his name in the library shelves for the time being.
It does not really stand out as a spectular novel even though I felt it was realistically drawn with nice details. It is like a competent fan of Robert B. Parker or as I suspect the author liking, Raymond Chandler did a book and updated it to fit the times of today. I honestly don't know if that is a compliment or if I am damning Mr. Lange's debut novel with faint praises. I think the problem is that most of the good novels like Richard Yates' Revolution Road, Williams Golding's Lord of the Flies or James Joyce's the Arby tinge with sense of injustice and it seems that the main character broke even and even made out ahead despite the danger he put himself and his friends into.
However, the author is starting out and the crime/detective novel is well done for a first novel. I would look forward to his future works although I would not be hasty to buy it the way I buy Stephen King's novels. (I think I put a couple of his kids through college!: )) although I would look for his name in the library shelves for the time being.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2012
This is another book that was written by someone I was unfamiliar with but picked up at the library on the basis of a good review. I found Richard Lange's writing very similar to T. Jefferson Parker's who I think is very good. Both writ a gritty, realistic crime stories with interesting characters. This Wicked World, Like most of Parker's books takes place in southern California and is dead accurate in capturing the atmosphere and locations of the cties and desert areas there.
This Wicked World's main character is Jimmy Boone, a former marine fallen on bad times after taking a fall with jail time after a high class body guard job turns sour. Jimmy always has seemed to be in the wrong place or make the wrong decision that ends up hurting him while trying to do the right thing. This time he gets involved with trying to help a friend find out why a young illegal immigrant boy died from mysterious dog bite wounds. His desire to do the right thing once again gets him in over his head with some nasty people and he has to go through more than he bargained fo to come out of it in one peace.
I really liked this book and will be looking for more of Lange's work in the future.
This Wicked World's main character is Jimmy Boone, a former marine fallen on bad times after taking a fall with jail time after a high class body guard job turns sour. Jimmy always has seemed to be in the wrong place or make the wrong decision that ends up hurting him while trying to do the right thing. This time he gets involved with trying to help a friend find out why a young illegal immigrant boy died from mysterious dog bite wounds. His desire to do the right thing once again gets him in over his head with some nasty people and he has to go through more than he bargained fo to come out of it in one peace.
I really liked this book and will be looking for more of Lange's work in the future.
August 19, 2017
I'm either getting lucky or getting too old to know what I'm talking about, but the last five books I read I gave the highest rating to. This one by Richard Lange is as good a crime thriller as I've read, with just the kind of banter between the characters, stories within the story, non-stereotypical action, and people good and bad and both that I, the reader, cares about.
Jimmy Boone, a bartender in L.A., ex-con and ex-security guard, finds himself investigating the mysterious death of a young man in spite of his desire to stay far away from it. He adopts the dead man's toothless pitbull, and is thrown into a world inhabited by heartless dogfight owners and hardened criminals. Boone, himself, is no namby-pamby, and he does not hesitate jumping into the fray when there is a good reason to.
I read the last 100 pages in a sitting. I couldn't put the book down. Very engaging, very suspenseful, and very well told.
Jimmy Boone, a bartender in L.A., ex-con and ex-security guard, finds himself investigating the mysterious death of a young man in spite of his desire to stay far away from it. He adopts the dead man's toothless pitbull, and is thrown into a world inhabited by heartless dogfight owners and hardened criminals. Boone, himself, is no namby-pamby, and he does not hesitate jumping into the fray when there is a good reason to.
I read the last 100 pages in a sitting. I couldn't put the book down. Very engaging, very suspenseful, and very well told.
April 14, 2009
I told Miguel that I wanted to read more mysteries, to break up the non-fiction I usually read and to make my commute go by faster. I am about 2/3 of the way through this one now and I can't say it's great, or even good, but since it's a mystery I want to see what happens so I'll keep reading. I wouldn't recommend it though.
October 9, 2017
Boone, out on parole gets swept up in a series events which could land him in a world of trouble. And of all the things that could get one in deep trouble, a dog might be pretty far down the list. A good read, and I've read this author's other book, ANGEL BABY, which I thought was a bit better. This was a library book. Hope Richard Lange will read my crime novels.
May 5, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “EX-CON FLIRTS WITH DISASTER WHILE TRYING TO DO GOOD.”
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Jimmie Boone is a former Marine… ex-con… and current bartender on Hollywood Boulevard… who tries to uncover who was responsible for the horrible dog mauling death of Oscar Rosales. Jimmie is on parole after a stint in Corcoran State Prison… so the use of guns… drugs… and associating with people who do… would violate his parole. So of course this entire story involves the aforementioned illicit activities. First time novelist Richard Lange… paints Jimmie as being a good hearted soul… who had the wrong friends… and made bad decisions… and was terribly mislead… in to what appears to have been a setup. Before Jimmie went to prison he was part of body guard company. His last job was protecting a rich family. He was duped by the money grubbing wife… to believe her rich husband was molesting their young daughter. Jimmie beat the hell out of the husband and wound up in prison. Upon his release his lawyer helped get him this bartending job… and Jimmie was simply keeping to himself… getting by… and trying to slowly rebuild his life. Then Robo… the doorman at the bar he works at… who is six feet tall and weighs about 350 pounds… asks him a favor. “ROBO DOES HERO-FOR-HIRE GIGS FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN’T GO TO THE POLICE FOR THIS REASON OR THAT.” He’ll evict crack-heads who don’t pay the rent… get rid of undesirable men that you don’t want your daughter dating… find out if your wife is screwing anyone on the side, etc. He will perform these services for cash or trade. On the pivotal day of this story he offers Jimmie a few extra bucks if he will put on a suit coat and pretend he’s a cop when he makes a call on one of these potential clients. Oscar Rosales’s Grandfather is a poor immigrant who works as a janitor in a Los Angeles sweatshop. He wants to hire Robo to find out how his grandson died. After Robo does some preliminary investigation that doesn’t get too far… or… it goes as far as Robo thinks the money he’s been paid warrants… he drops the case. Jimmie can’t let it go. It’s the innate goodness within him… that the outside world can’t see. All they can see… is an ex-con.
And here’s where this well paced thriller picks up speed. Jimmie tracks down his few leads until he winds up sneaking around out in the desert night spying on an illegal dog fighting location. Potential readers should be warned that the dog fighting sequences described here in detail… reinforce why so many people were… and are… appalled… by former NFL player Michael Vick’s involvement in organized dog fighting. The author is first-rate in his character descriptions of murderous criminals… and he also paints an absolute accurate picture of downtown Los Angeles and surrounding areas such as Vernon. Jimmie calls on his old body guard friend Carl… as well as re-enlisting Robo… as the plot encompasses murderers… dog killers… sluts… drugs… kidnapping… counterfeiting… a non-licensed doctor from Russia… and anything else that a reader would expect in an exciting crime genre.
For a first time novelist this is a job well done. And the writer has left a lineup that includes Jimmie… Carl… Robo… and Amy… a possible future love interest… in perfect position… for a sequel.
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Jimmie Boone is a former Marine… ex-con… and current bartender on Hollywood Boulevard… who tries to uncover who was responsible for the horrible dog mauling death of Oscar Rosales. Jimmie is on parole after a stint in Corcoran State Prison… so the use of guns… drugs… and associating with people who do… would violate his parole. So of course this entire story involves the aforementioned illicit activities. First time novelist Richard Lange… paints Jimmie as being a good hearted soul… who had the wrong friends… and made bad decisions… and was terribly mislead… in to what appears to have been a setup. Before Jimmie went to prison he was part of body guard company. His last job was protecting a rich family. He was duped by the money grubbing wife… to believe her rich husband was molesting their young daughter. Jimmie beat the hell out of the husband and wound up in prison. Upon his release his lawyer helped get him this bartending job… and Jimmie was simply keeping to himself… getting by… and trying to slowly rebuild his life. Then Robo… the doorman at the bar he works at… who is six feet tall and weighs about 350 pounds… asks him a favor. “ROBO DOES HERO-FOR-HIRE GIGS FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN’T GO TO THE POLICE FOR THIS REASON OR THAT.” He’ll evict crack-heads who don’t pay the rent… get rid of undesirable men that you don’t want your daughter dating… find out if your wife is screwing anyone on the side, etc. He will perform these services for cash or trade. On the pivotal day of this story he offers Jimmie a few extra bucks if he will put on a suit coat and pretend he’s a cop when he makes a call on one of these potential clients. Oscar Rosales’s Grandfather is a poor immigrant who works as a janitor in a Los Angeles sweatshop. He wants to hire Robo to find out how his grandson died. After Robo does some preliminary investigation that doesn’t get too far… or… it goes as far as Robo thinks the money he’s been paid warrants… he drops the case. Jimmie can’t let it go. It’s the innate goodness within him… that the outside world can’t see. All they can see… is an ex-con.
And here’s where this well paced thriller picks up speed. Jimmie tracks down his few leads until he winds up sneaking around out in the desert night spying on an illegal dog fighting location. Potential readers should be warned that the dog fighting sequences described here in detail… reinforce why so many people were… and are… appalled… by former NFL player Michael Vick’s involvement in organized dog fighting. The author is first-rate in his character descriptions of murderous criminals… and he also paints an absolute accurate picture of downtown Los Angeles and surrounding areas such as Vernon. Jimmie calls on his old body guard friend Carl… as well as re-enlisting Robo… as the plot encompasses murderers… dog killers… sluts… drugs… kidnapping… counterfeiting… a non-licensed doctor from Russia… and anything else that a reader would expect in an exciting crime genre.
For a first time novelist this is a job well done. And the writer has left a lineup that includes Jimmie… Carl… Robo… and Amy… a possible future love interest… in perfect position… for a sequel.
August 17, 2020
I really liked Lange's short-story collection, "Dead Boys", so I was curious to see whether or not his writing would translate to a full novel, so I picked this up. In many ways, this is a very typical crime novel -- the protagonist is an ex-Marine who had a good life as an elite bodyguard and messed it all up in one impulsive act (albeit one based on a noble motive). He's now out on parole and eking out a living as the live-in super of a small set of apartments and night job as a Hollywood bartender. When the doorman at the bar asks for his help with a kind of "street detective" investigation, he goes along partly as payback for a favor, partly for some extra cash, and partially because he's bored.
Their job is to look into the death of a young Guatemalan migrant who died of infected wounds from dog bites. This eventually leads them to a aging gangster living out in the desert who has a hand in all kinds of illegal activity, including dog fighting. (Speaking of which -- there are some very detailed and nasty descriptions of dog fighting in the book, which some readers will find very upsetting.) Eventually, the hero, his doorman buddy, and his old friend from bodyguarding days are up against a motley crew of dangerous men, with a desperate brother and sister as wild cards, all of which leads up to a climactic shootout in a ghost town with yet more men with guns.
Their job is to look into the death of a young Guatemalan migrant who died of infected wounds from dog bites. This eventually leads them to a aging gangster living out in the desert who has a hand in all kinds of illegal activity, including dog fighting. (Speaking of which -- there are some very detailed and nasty descriptions of dog fighting in the book, which some readers will find very upsetting.) Eventually, the hero, his doorman buddy, and his old friend from bodyguarding days are up against a motley crew of dangerous men, with a desperate brother and sister as wild cards, all of which leads up to a climactic shootout in a ghost town with yet more men with guns.
December 4, 2017
3.5 stars. This is Lange’s first novel. It has very good story, character development and pacing. His other two novels are better because he really tightened up his writing style, they are much shorter books and benefit from the leanness.
He writes hard boiled , noirish stories. The books are stand alone. There is usually brief but horrible violence in them. This one has a lot a of graphic detail about dog fighting, so be prepared for that.
The characters are so real and believable. It is such a pleasure to see such multi-dimensional people.
The stories for each novel center on a character that has gotten into a bad situation and needs to figure out how to get out from under it. Angel Baby has a female lead, The Smack has an older man who is a grifter. I can’t recommend those two enough. Lange deserves more attention for them. This one is very good but not as good as the other two .
He writes hard boiled , noirish stories. The books are stand alone. There is usually brief but horrible violence in them. This one has a lot a of graphic detail about dog fighting, so be prepared for that.
The characters are so real and believable. It is such a pleasure to see such multi-dimensional people.
The stories for each novel center on a character that has gotten into a bad situation and needs to figure out how to get out from under it. Angel Baby has a female lead, The Smack has an older man who is a grifter. I can’t recommend those two enough. Lange deserves more attention for them. This one is very good but not as good as the other two .
September 20, 2019
I've reviewed a handful of Richard Lange's books on here, and I don't know what else there is to add beyond emphasizing that he has an incredible gift for writing very quick reads, stories that propel the reader forward owing to an intensely plot- and scene-based storytelling style. They're all great, and I'm only bummed now because I've read everything he's already published.
'This Wicked World' tells the story of Jimmy Boone, a down-on-his-luck ex-con and bartender who is driven by a sense of doing right. The reader roots for Boone all the way till the end, through his mistakes, fumbling attempts at obtaining love, and his quest to solve the mystery of an undocumented immigrant's death. Lange puts him up against a variety of sordid antagonists, and no matter what you think about his methods, you can't help but feel deep support and hope for Boone.
'This Wicked World' tells the story of Jimmy Boone, a down-on-his-luck ex-con and bartender who is driven by a sense of doing right. The reader roots for Boone all the way till the end, through his mistakes, fumbling attempts at obtaining love, and his quest to solve the mystery of an undocumented immigrant's death. Lange puts him up against a variety of sordid antagonists, and no matter what you think about his methods, you can't help but feel deep support and hope for Boone.
February 22, 2019
Thought I’d give the author the benefit of the doubt - maybe 3.5 stars, actually. But this is a well written book, without pretensions, about an ex-marine, ex-con gladiator with impulse control issues, some very bad (and ignorant) thugs and a whole lot of other marginal characters trying to get by in what feels like an over-heated, smoggy, post-apocalyptic LA. Poor old Southern California. Can’t imagine living there the way the author describes it.
April 1, 2023
I enjoyed this book, and Lange has become one of my favorite authors. He knows the truth of the city streets and gets down and dirty with his characters, and even though they may be on the fringes of society, he captures the essence of their struggle and triumphs. They may be downtrodden, but the courage in their actions outweighs the despair in their lives. Very authentic, very real.
November 3, 2020
Well written. Decent story. But I didn't buy Jimmy Boone's motivation. The whole redemption story didn't ring true. And I could do without all the racial slurs and animal cruelty. 100 pages too long. Lange's novel, 'The Smack' was much better.
February 1, 2018
An edgy read.. good first novel for Richard Lange
August 6, 2018
Nice piece of work
Not formulaic. Hard but not too hard, soft but etc etc. Latter third is difficult to put down, very engaging.
Not formulaic. Hard but not too hard, soft but etc etc. Latter third is difficult to put down, very engaging.
October 30, 2019
Well written but too violent
No one needs to read specifics of dog fighting even tho the goal was saving them.
Good characters, plot, geographical descriptions.
No one needs to read specifics of dog fighting even tho the goal was saving them.
Good characters, plot, geographical descriptions.
July 28, 2022
Los Angeles
November 3, 2022
Read in 2009. A rock-solid action packed crime thriller. One of my favorites that year. My last book of 2009. I read 62 books that year.
August 7, 2023
Overall it was a good read. At first I didn't know where the story was going, but I enjoy stories where every other chapter is a different characters point of view.
December 18, 2023
Fun engaging story, the characters are well fleshed out and the setting is perfect for the plot. I plan on reading more from this author.
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