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Tower: A Novel
“Taking up the storied themes of crime fiction—loyalty and betrayal, temptation and treachery—Tower lifts and elevates them, forging a tale both barbaric and baleful, swaggering and broken-hearted. Brutal, soaring street poetry to take your breath away.”—Megan Abbott, Edgar Award–winning author of Queenpin and Bury Me Deep
“A rough and profane read, with haunting echoes of a Southie of the mind.”—Daniel Woodrell, author of Winter’s Bone
“Tower fulfills every promise made by the concept of this dream collaboration. Bruen and Coleman collaborate like twin sides of the same brain, making the difficult look easy --- and unforgettable, to boot. Dark, violent, frightening and touching, Tower stands as a masterpiece in the crime fiction genre.”—BookReporter
An original novel.
From a rough Brooklyn neighborhood, Nick and Todd forge a lifelong bond that persists in the face of blood and betrayal. Low-level wiseguys with little ambition and less of a future, the friends become players in the destruction of an international crime syndicate stretching from the Kennedy Airport to the streets of New York, Boston, and Belfast, to the alleyways of Mexican border towns. Their paths are littered with the bodies of cops, snitches, lovers, and stone killers.
In the tradition of The Long Goodbye, Mystic River, and The Departed, Tower is a powerful meditation on friendship, fate, and fatality. A twice-told tale done in the unique format of parallel narratives that intersect at deadly crossroads, Tower is like a beautifully crafted knife to the heart.
Ken Bruen (The Guards, Priest) and Reed Farrel Coleman (The James Deans, Soul Patch) have each been twice nominated for the Edgar Award. They have each won the Shamus Award twice and have also either received or been nominated for the Barry, Anthony, and Macavity awards. Bruen divides his time between America and Ireland. Coleman lives on Long Island.
“A rough and profane read, with haunting echoes of a Southie of the mind.”—Daniel Woodrell, author of Winter’s Bone
“Tower fulfills every promise made by the concept of this dream collaboration. Bruen and Coleman collaborate like twin sides of the same brain, making the difficult look easy --- and unforgettable, to boot. Dark, violent, frightening and touching, Tower stands as a masterpiece in the crime fiction genre.”—BookReporter
An original novel.
From a rough Brooklyn neighborhood, Nick and Todd forge a lifelong bond that persists in the face of blood and betrayal. Low-level wiseguys with little ambition and less of a future, the friends become players in the destruction of an international crime syndicate stretching from the Kennedy Airport to the streets of New York, Boston, and Belfast, to the alleyways of Mexican border towns. Their paths are littered with the bodies of cops, snitches, lovers, and stone killers.
In the tradition of The Long Goodbye, Mystic River, and The Departed, Tower is a powerful meditation on friendship, fate, and fatality. A twice-told tale done in the unique format of parallel narratives that intersect at deadly crossroads, Tower is like a beautifully crafted knife to the heart.
Ken Bruen (The Guards, Priest) and Reed Farrel Coleman (The James Deans, Soul Patch) have each been twice nominated for the Edgar Award. They have each won the Shamus Award twice and have also either received or been nominated for the Barry, Anthony, and Macavity awards. Bruen divides his time between America and Ireland. Coleman lives on Long Island.
172 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2009
48 people are currently reading
307 people want to read
About the author
Ken Bruen
132 books851 followersKen Bruen was an Irish writer of hardboiled and noir crime fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
June 11, 2011
"Tower" is a slim and seamless collaboration by hard-boiled authors Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman, which takes the reader into the sordid underbelly of Brooklyn, with brief side trips to Boston and Philadelphia. Two friends from childhood, Todd and Nick, are basically dead-enders, with very few prospects, at least in the straight world. With very little prodding, they are drawn into the orbit of a small-time mobster named Boyle who also employs a largely silent and very intimidating enforcer named Griffin.
The book is divided roughly in half and the story is told first from Nick's point of view and then again from Todd's. It's a very violent, unsettling tale that one could easily imagine being filmed by Quentin Tarantino. As it progresses through a number of twists, turns and betrayals, most of which the reader never sees coming, the friendship of the two men will be sorely tested. But the reader will be richly rewarded by a book which, in the end, seems all too short.
The book is divided roughly in half and the story is told first from Nick's point of view and then again from Todd's. It's a very violent, unsettling tale that one could easily imagine being filmed by Quentin Tarantino. As it progresses through a number of twists, turns and betrayals, most of which the reader never sees coming, the friendship of the two men will be sorely tested. But the reader will be richly rewarded by a book which, in the end, seems all too short.
September 21, 2016
Until this particular item co-written with Reed Farrel Coleman I have never had a reason to rate a Ken Bruen book as low as two stars.
The 1st 85-86 pages were fun and then page after page of solemn rumination broken up by occasional gunfire or sudden outbursts of violence followed.
There is zero to little humor to be found in these pages.
I was not entertained.
I was not moved.
I did not get that fresh kick, that sudden rush that almost always accompanies my reading a novel by Ken Bruen.
Not Recommended
The 1st 85-86 pages were fun and then page after page of solemn rumination broken up by occasional gunfire or sudden outbursts of violence followed.
There is zero to little humor to be found in these pages.
I was not entertained.
I was not moved.
I did not get that fresh kick, that sudden rush that almost always accompanies my reading a novel by Ken Bruen.
Not Recommended
Want to read
April 18, 2019Synopsis: wiseguys from a rough Brooklyn neighbourhood, Nick and Todd forge a lifelong bond that persists in the face of blood and betrayal.
March 27, 2016
Two authors and one story usually doesn't work for me, but I enjoyed the structure of this book. Read my full look at this one here:
http://everythingnoir.com/2016/03/27/...
http://everythingnoir.com/2016/03/27/...
November 15, 2010
3.5 star - liked the duel perspective and revenge themes but wanted more from the ending. I hope to see more of main characters Nick and Toby in future stories.
March 7, 2013
Tower, a hard-boiled, stand-alone crime novel is the collaborative work of Irish author Ken Bruen and American writer Reed Farrel Coleman. Framed with a short prologue and a very brief afterword, the story is divided into two parts: one told by gangster, Nick and the other told by his best friend Todd. Nick is a low-grade criminal, the son of a former policeman, when he is introduced by Todd to “small-time racketeer” Boyle, and the two friends become part of Boyle’s crew. Boyle is into “cards, hot goods, intimidation, muscle,” and although Boyle is violent and unpredictable, he appears to take a “shine” to Nick, offering him more work and better perks. At the same time, Todd seems to separate himself from Boyle, but perhaps there’s an ethnic basis to these loyalties. Todd is Jewish while Nick and Boyle are both Irish extraction. Boyle is third generation Irish, “stage Irish” according to Nick, who because he’s visited there a few times, sports a false brogue and thinks he’s the ‘real’ thing. On the other hand, Boyle’s main thug, Griffin, from Belfast, is the real deal, and it’s rumoured he was a Provo. Boyle, who seems to think it’s all about presentation, is ”an ambitious prick who had worked his way up the sewer pipe to the toilet and from the toilet to the gutter.” Boyle is prone to moments of unpredictable violence but sports a false gregarious, even generous veneer which is somewhat theatrically accompanied by bible quotes. Griffin, on the other hand, is impenetrable, shifty and psycho. They make a good pair. Biblical Boyle (as he’s called behind his back) would be easy to underestimate.
In spite of their ethnic differences, in many ways Todd and Nick have always been on the same path, and problems begin when they split up. Todd goes off to do some work for Boyle in Boston, and while he’s gone, Nick, initially the more violent of the two friends, gains more and more favour with Boyle. He’s rewarded with a gold rolex, and then an apartment in Tribeca after persuading Boyle’s faithless girlfriend that it’s in the best interests of her health that she move out. Now.
Then Todd returns but he’s not the same; his new-found taste for violence stuns even Nick. Events spiral out of control with Todd seeking vengeance and Nick, snorting Cocaine every chance he gets, caught in a cobweb of conflicting desires and loyalties.
Tower, a tale of alliances, loyalties and revenge unfolds quite cleverly through its two narrators, and while we get a solid sense of just who Nick and Todd are, this is primarily a plot-driven tale. My copy has 172 pages and looking back over the plot, it’s easy to see that there’s very little fat here. Some of the events that occur are seen in overlap through the two different perspectives, and so some unanswered questions are explained by Todd’s version of events in part II. As a hard-boiled crime novel, this is a very dark, sharp, tight tale–bleak and doom-laden with scenes of horrendous violence, so the squeamish need not apply.
March 7, 2016
TOWER was jointly written by award-winning masters of noir, Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman (who also writes under the name Tony Spinosa). The authors create two memorable characters in TOWER and tell each of their stories, one at a time. The beauty of this approach is that, although the reader sees quite a bit from one character's perspective, there's a whole lot of story left to be revealed from the other's.
Nick and Todd have been life-long friends. They fall into a life of crime, working for an Irish mob boss named Boyle – a Bible-reading gangster whose sidekick Griffin gives new meaning to the word "sociopath."
The story starts (after the prologue, that is) in Nick's perspective. He's a guy filled with rage and bad family history (particularly with his father), who comes off as something of a criminal "wannabe." He and Todd (the seemingly more self-assured of the two) run into a bit of trouble trying to pull a job for Boyle. And Boyle puts Nick to a kind of test – one involving Todd. Meanwhile, Nick gets involved with a woman and wants to make the relationship work. But Boyle's test is putting him under pressure. And Todd has some surprises for him, as well.
Things that come out during Nick's part of the story are further explored from Todd's perspective. And (true to form for both authors) the whole picture ain't so pretty.
For more, go to http://mysterycrimefiction.suite101.c...
Nick and Todd have been life-long friends. They fall into a life of crime, working for an Irish mob boss named Boyle – a Bible-reading gangster whose sidekick Griffin gives new meaning to the word "sociopath."
The story starts (after the prologue, that is) in Nick's perspective. He's a guy filled with rage and bad family history (particularly with his father), who comes off as something of a criminal "wannabe." He and Todd (the seemingly more self-assured of the two) run into a bit of trouble trying to pull a job for Boyle. And Boyle puts Nick to a kind of test – one involving Todd. Meanwhile, Nick gets involved with a woman and wants to make the relationship work. But Boyle's test is putting him under pressure. And Todd has some surprises for him, as well.
Things that come out during Nick's part of the story are further explored from Todd's perspective. And (true to form for both authors) the whole picture ain't so pretty.
For more, go to http://mysterycrimefiction.suite101.c...
January 12, 2020
I really like the way the authors overlapped the 2 stories. In the first story Nick mentions that Todd came back from Boston a changed man but it’s not until we hear Todd’s story that we understand why. I’ve been a big fan of Coleman’s Moe Prager series but had never finished a Bruen book before I read Tower. I loved Bruen’s first half of the story so much, I was worried that Coleman had set himself up to look bad. My worries were needless though because I thought Coleman more than held his own. I think Coleman did change his style some to make his half flow together with Bruen’s half. Shorter sentences, giving voice to his thoughts, more brevity were some of the changes. Coleman is a very poetic writer and that came through in Tower but it’s more evident in his Prager series. I’m not sure it’s realistic that 2 scoundrels like Todd & Nick could really find 2 fairly normal women like they did but it made the ending that much more tragic to see potential redemption obliterated like that. They were not evil guys although they did horrible stuff, I like the way their family backgrounds were described as events that haunted them but they never blamed their families for their lives of crime. It was a very brutal book that left me with a feeling of loss at the finish but for me the book was in the end a book about the joy of connection and what can happen when we are disconnected.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2013
Dark, yet poetic with hilarious dialogue, this noir novel is an inspired collaboration of two outstanding crime writers. Told from the perspective of two childhood friends who cross into the underbelly of the criminal world, Bruen tackles the mind of one character while Coleman enters the other. As the two friends sink deeper and deeper into a world of crime and make continually questionable choices, it becomes clear that neither is entirely whom the other thinks. Meanwhile, the women they chose complicate matters, as love and honesty israre in a business like theirs. Strong language, wit, and dark humor are elements of this truly frightening novel.
July 30, 2010
Very good read. I just had to see what happened....The more I think about this, the more I liked it. It hasn't left me.
April 18, 2019
I had to dust off my "New York dictionary" to translate some of Nicky's conversations with his pals in the early sections of the book, but soon I was speaking Brooklyn like a native. Once you're on board, what a ride! I had to pay attention to every character, every detail and every plot twist because it came in the voice of Nicky and then Todd. Leeza and Griffin add their two cents and I still needed to re-read the ending. What a ride!
October 18, 2025
well, this is disgusting
Ken Bruen, fine writer. Reed Farrel Coleman, fine writer. Put them together, and you DON'T get synergy. You get an Amarillo dumpster fire.
Glenn Frey and Don Henley made each other better. Lennon and McCartney, same. Rodgers and Hammerstein, magic.
But sometimes the combo just doesn't work. Like bleach and ammonia make poison chlorine gas.
Yow.
Ken Bruen, fine writer. Reed Farrel Coleman, fine writer. Put them together, and you DON'T get synergy. You get an Amarillo dumpster fire.
Glenn Frey and Don Henley made each other better. Lennon and McCartney, same. Rodgers and Hammerstein, magic.
But sometimes the combo just doesn't work. Like bleach and ammonia make poison chlorine gas.
Yow.
April 30, 2018
I found the book slow moving. Really didn't like the re-telling of the main characters' stories, it was like reading the book twice.
May 23, 2020
same ISBN, 173 pages; signed copy by Reed Farrell Coleman, "Kendall & Bill - Thanks for coming"
Great stuff.
Great stuff.
July 23, 2020
Never got going.
January 3, 2021
Written kinda in prose. I like each writer's work. I don't recommend. Too long and boring. If you're a wiseguy, you'll enjoy this.
March 15, 2021
This short novel moves very quickly and packs a ton of genres into it. I really enjoyed it and it left me wanting more but in a good way. I definitely recommend reading it.
January 8, 2024
great collaboration between strong authors. Noir at its best
April 17, 2024
Great book by two of my favorite authors.
May 22, 2024
The first 80 pages of this book were 4-Star writing, in the typical Ken Bruen engaging style. Then the story becomes slow and redundant, retelling the previous plot from a second character's view.
October 30, 2024
Interesting, you can really see the style of the two authors. Ties things up nicely at the end.
March 9, 2013
A brutal and uncompromising collaboration from the doyen of Irish crime, Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman, author of the gritty Moe Prager series. With each relating the same story from the point of view of Nick (Bruen) and Todd (Coleman) what ensues is a perfect slice of noir detailing the friendship between two guys drawn into a world of violence at the behest of ruthless Irish crime boss Boyle and under the uncompromising glare of Boyle’s sadistic henchman Griffin. As they sink deeper into the realms of organised crime is there really going to be a way out when the breaking point beckons for them both…
Nick is a quintessentially Bruen creation, invested with a sharp intelligence, ready wit and propensity for violence. Named after his ex-cop father’s favourite Hemingway character, he is an archetypal bad boy, running wild from an early age with a stint in juvie hall leading him into a life of crime- as his father says ‘You’re nothing but a punk’. Nick is a wondefully smart-mouthed character, always walking the tightrope between knowing when to keep his mouth shut and when to suck it up. He also has a healthy disregard for his employer Boyle, mocking his exaggerated Irish brogue and quickly realising that Boyle’s right-hand man Griffin poses a far greater danger to his physical well being. Bruen’s pitch perfect characterisation of Nick, fair carries the reader along, with his narrative coming at you like a hail of bullets from a machine gun- sharp, punchy and unrelenting. As Nick experiences a kind of epiphany and seeks to assuage his conflicting loyalties, so Bruen unfolds his character a little more, and a little more, revealing a different side to him but never losing the intensity of the rapid fire prose.
Nick’s cohort, Todd strikes me as a more circumspect character, although imbued with the same sense of self-preservation as , and an equal propensity for violence. Coleman depicts Todd in a steady and measured way, reflecting Todd’s even handed and less volatile character but still with the trademark spare prose Coleman is known for. Initially, he like Nick just appears to be a bit of a bad boy happy to be at the beck and call of Boyle, but Todd’s on the cusp of a change that will threaten both himself and Nick. The relating of the same narrative from the two viewpoints works brilliantly with the reader feeling the strength of Nick and Todd’s relationship, as the story steams it’s way to a heart-rending conclusion. The other players in the story are equally well drawn with the bad and the good among them manipulating the lives and emotions of Nick and Todd, for better or worse, and there is even time within the plot for the boys to fall for some feminine charms, again revealing another side to the two bad boys, and adding another facet to what could simply be a tale of wiseguys and shoot-ups.
I loved this short and sharp rat-a-tat tale reflecting the sheer talent of both Bruen and Coleman in terms of character, dialogue and plot but there’s even more to it- oh yes-
‘Tower’ is also a great vehicle for discovering other writers, with each chapter beginning with a well chosen quote that perfectly reflect the content of the upcoming chapter. I have discovered some hitherto unknown to me authors, so on top of this being a noir read par-excellence you too can add to your burgeoning bookshelves with some new names. Cracking.
Nick is a quintessentially Bruen creation, invested with a sharp intelligence, ready wit and propensity for violence. Named after his ex-cop father’s favourite Hemingway character, he is an archetypal bad boy, running wild from an early age with a stint in juvie hall leading him into a life of crime- as his father says ‘You’re nothing but a punk’. Nick is a wondefully smart-mouthed character, always walking the tightrope between knowing when to keep his mouth shut and when to suck it up. He also has a healthy disregard for his employer Boyle, mocking his exaggerated Irish brogue and quickly realising that Boyle’s right-hand man Griffin poses a far greater danger to his physical well being. Bruen’s pitch perfect characterisation of Nick, fair carries the reader along, with his narrative coming at you like a hail of bullets from a machine gun- sharp, punchy and unrelenting. As Nick experiences a kind of epiphany and seeks to assuage his conflicting loyalties, so Bruen unfolds his character a little more, and a little more, revealing a different side to him but never losing the intensity of the rapid fire prose.
Nick’s cohort, Todd strikes me as a more circumspect character, although imbued with the same sense of self-preservation as , and an equal propensity for violence. Coleman depicts Todd in a steady and measured way, reflecting Todd’s even handed and less volatile character but still with the trademark spare prose Coleman is known for. Initially, he like Nick just appears to be a bit of a bad boy happy to be at the beck and call of Boyle, but Todd’s on the cusp of a change that will threaten both himself and Nick. The relating of the same narrative from the two viewpoints works brilliantly with the reader feeling the strength of Nick and Todd’s relationship, as the story steams it’s way to a heart-rending conclusion. The other players in the story are equally well drawn with the bad and the good among them manipulating the lives and emotions of Nick and Todd, for better or worse, and there is even time within the plot for the boys to fall for some feminine charms, again revealing another side to the two bad boys, and adding another facet to what could simply be a tale of wiseguys and shoot-ups.
I loved this short and sharp rat-a-tat tale reflecting the sheer talent of both Bruen and Coleman in terms of character, dialogue and plot but there’s even more to it- oh yes-
‘Tower’ is also a great vehicle for discovering other writers, with each chapter beginning with a well chosen quote that perfectly reflect the content of the upcoming chapter. I have discovered some hitherto unknown to me authors, so on top of this being a noir read par-excellence you too can add to your burgeoning bookshelves with some new names. Cracking.
March 16, 2013
My View:
Unapologetically brutal, VIOLENT (and yes I did mean to shout) and yet somehow engaging. After reading the prologue I was ready to put this book down, the violence was so graphic and for me abhorrent. Yes I read a lot of crime but realistic, graphic torture and brutality doesn’t work for me or my vivid imagination. However I had heard so many good things about these writers and this book in particular that I thought I would continue on and see if there was a story buried amongst the violence and profanity that was worthy of a second look – and there was. And I wanted to experience firsthand how two writers co author a book and if that worked. It did.
Co existing with the violence is a story about relationships, family, friendships and love, albeit a brutal story. The narrative is very clearly written from the perspectives of the two protagonists – Todd and Nick – small time thugs celebrating their own personal rage in a destructive, impulsive and brutal manner. First we hear the voice of Todd in the prologue – cleaning up a mess that Nick had left behind, evidence he would have left for all to see, “Griffin coughed blood into my face when I made to slip the chains under his shoulders...” (p5) The writers nearly lost me at this point. But I persevered. Todd is ruthless and appears only concerned with the job at hand. Then we hear Nick’s point of view, his story of the two childhood friends’ grisly and profitable association with the local crime boss/mobster. The definition of the two perspectives is clearly identified at the start of the chapters. The second chapter headed Todd retells the same story and fills in some of the gaps, the switch in authors and style is seamless. The two voices are clear. The whole story is understood. This device works very well in this instance.
The Tower reference is obvious and we are reminded of this reference several times in the book, starting with the obvious, the title, and then the “tower of cards” reference in the Prologue. Following with the mentioning of the youths growing up under the influence of the shadow of the Tower, physically and metaphorically; “I look out my window, the grime stained panes and I see the arc of the mill. It’s throwing a shadow, for all the world like the tower, the North Tower, where my old man worked.”(p.9) Images of The Tower, the physical and the symbolic are planted cleverly in the novel.
Immediately you open this book you are thrust into a world of violence and for me the worst part of witnessing this story is that mostly the violence is natural; a way in which some individuals deal with life, actions given no more thought than you would to looking both ways before you cross the road. It has become natural, a reflex...a response.
This book is grim, it is black. It is brutal. It is not really my cup of tea. It is clever – I like the symbolism in the text, I liked the intriguing quotes/proverbs at the beginning of each chapter. I liked it was only 136 pages of violence. It is written well; it is captivating, engaging and had my heart racing long after I turned the last page.
Unapologetically brutal, VIOLENT (and yes I did mean to shout) and yet somehow engaging. After reading the prologue I was ready to put this book down, the violence was so graphic and for me abhorrent. Yes I read a lot of crime but realistic, graphic torture and brutality doesn’t work for me or my vivid imagination. However I had heard so many good things about these writers and this book in particular that I thought I would continue on and see if there was a story buried amongst the violence and profanity that was worthy of a second look – and there was. And I wanted to experience firsthand how two writers co author a book and if that worked. It did.
Co existing with the violence is a story about relationships, family, friendships and love, albeit a brutal story. The narrative is very clearly written from the perspectives of the two protagonists – Todd and Nick – small time thugs celebrating their own personal rage in a destructive, impulsive and brutal manner. First we hear the voice of Todd in the prologue – cleaning up a mess that Nick had left behind, evidence he would have left for all to see, “Griffin coughed blood into my face when I made to slip the chains under his shoulders...” (p5) The writers nearly lost me at this point. But I persevered. Todd is ruthless and appears only concerned with the job at hand. Then we hear Nick’s point of view, his story of the two childhood friends’ grisly and profitable association with the local crime boss/mobster. The definition of the two perspectives is clearly identified at the start of the chapters. The second chapter headed Todd retells the same story and fills in some of the gaps, the switch in authors and style is seamless. The two voices are clear. The whole story is understood. This device works very well in this instance.
The Tower reference is obvious and we are reminded of this reference several times in the book, starting with the obvious, the title, and then the “tower of cards” reference in the Prologue. Following with the mentioning of the youths growing up under the influence of the shadow of the Tower, physically and metaphorically; “I look out my window, the grime stained panes and I see the arc of the mill. It’s throwing a shadow, for all the world like the tower, the North Tower, where my old man worked.”(p.9) Images of The Tower, the physical and the symbolic are planted cleverly in the novel.
Immediately you open this book you are thrust into a world of violence and for me the worst part of witnessing this story is that mostly the violence is natural; a way in which some individuals deal with life, actions given no more thought than you would to looking both ways before you cross the road. It has become natural, a reflex...a response.
This book is grim, it is black. It is brutal. It is not really my cup of tea. It is clever – I like the symbolism in the text, I liked the intriguing quotes/proverbs at the beginning of each chapter. I liked it was only 136 pages of violence. It is written well; it is captivating, engaging and had my heart racing long after I turned the last page.
March 7, 2013
Tower? Oh.
Once upon a time...a few years ago I came across a book called the James Deans and I read this book that was not about a boy band with a 1950s theme. This was my first introduction to Reed Farrel Coleman and he's on my list of mystery genre authors I will read. Sadly, that's a small list but what can you do with a finite amount of life to read with.
Tower is a book that was written by Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman about Nicky and Todd, two young men from Brooklyn and their lives and stuff. Nicky is a violent sort filled with Rage. Todd loves Nicky but isn't in love with Nicky, it's not that kind of a book where two boys have their hearts broken by each other. Nah, there's women for that.
Tower isn't a very long book, it's basically Nicky's story then Todd's story and then an epilogue with a little time bouncing to try and get you hooked and yada yada yada I have to confess I did get a little confused because things weren't explicitly pounded into my dense skull. That's why this review is now titled "Tower? Oh." because when I finally got it ... or the answer I think I got I don't like.
As a reader I don't really get to say what should happen in a book. The authors, they tell you the story and basically all you can say is "yes, I want to read more" or "no, this is wasting my life." I want more.
So this is a positive review, if you like the kind of story where people get shot and then wisecracks about it, then maybe you should read Tower. If you don't, thanks for reading this review and move on with your life.
Once upon a time...a few years ago I came across a book called the James Deans and I read this book that was not about a boy band with a 1950s theme. This was my first introduction to Reed Farrel Coleman and he's on my list of mystery genre authors I will read. Sadly, that's a small list but what can you do with a finite amount of life to read with.
Tower is a book that was written by Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman about Nicky and Todd, two young men from Brooklyn and their lives and stuff. Nicky is a violent sort filled with Rage. Todd loves Nicky but isn't in love with Nicky, it's not that kind of a book where two boys have their hearts broken by each other. Nah, there's women for that.
Tower isn't a very long book, it's basically Nicky's story then Todd's story and then an epilogue with a little time bouncing to try and get you hooked and yada yada yada I have to confess I did get a little confused because things weren't explicitly pounded into my dense skull. That's why this review is now titled "Tower? Oh." because when I finally got it ... or the answer I think I got I don't like.
As a reader I don't really get to say what should happen in a book. The authors, they tell you the story and basically all you can say is "yes, I want to read more" or "no, this is wasting my life." I want more.
So this is a positive review, if you like the kind of story where people get shot and then wisecracks about it, then maybe you should read Tower. If you don't, thanks for reading this review and move on with your life.
September 6, 2011
Call it 3.5 stars.
This book started off very strong and was a quick, well written, engaging read but, I felt the character in Ken Bruen's half was a bit inconsistent.
Tower is a book in two parts, telling the same story from the respective perspectives of two friends, Nicky and Todd. Nickey's section was written by Ken Bruen and Todd's was written by Reed Farrel Coleman. Both halves of this crime novel are lean and mean but, as I mentioned I thought Bruen's half suffered from inconsistent characterization.
Nicky is initially presented as a borderline psychopath with anger management issues. These are not exactly likable traits but they make for an interesting character in a crime novel. Unfortunately, in an attempt to make Nicky sympathetic, I think Ken Bruen loses sight of what makes him interesting. After establishing the character, Bruen backs off the mean edge completely and the character becomes meek and passive. This makes sense from a plot perspective but not from a character perspective.
That's really my only complaint and for the most part I really enjoyed it so I rounded up to four stars rather than down to three stars. This is a quick, engaging read for fans of crime fiction. Reed Farrel Coleman's half was great so I will have to hunt down more by him.
This book started off very strong and was a quick, well written, engaging read but, I felt the character in Ken Bruen's half was a bit inconsistent.
Tower is a book in two parts, telling the same story from the respective perspectives of two friends, Nicky and Todd. Nickey's section was written by Ken Bruen and Todd's was written by Reed Farrel Coleman. Both halves of this crime novel are lean and mean but, as I mentioned I thought Bruen's half suffered from inconsistent characterization.
Nicky is initially presented as a borderline psychopath with anger management issues. These are not exactly likable traits but they make for an interesting character in a crime novel. Unfortunately, in an attempt to make Nicky sympathetic, I think Ken Bruen loses sight of what makes him interesting. After establishing the character, Bruen backs off the mean edge completely and the character becomes meek and passive. This makes sense from a plot perspective but not from a character perspective.
That's really my only complaint and for the most part I really enjoyed it so I rounded up to four stars rather than down to three stars. This is a quick, engaging read for fans of crime fiction. Reed Farrel Coleman's half was great so I will have to hunt down more by him.
November 5, 2012
»Tower« von Ken Bruen und Reed Farrel Coleman spielt in New York kurz vor 9/11. Der Roman handelt von handelt von zwei Kleinkriminellen, ihrer Freundschaft und ihren ganz persönlichen Katastrophen. Der Roman ist äusserst unterhaltsam und am ehesten mit der grossartigen Max-Fisher-Trilogie zu vergleichen (»Flop«, »Crack« und »Attica« - auf dt. ebenfalls im Rotbuch-Verlag erschienen), bei der Ken Bruen mit Jason Starr zusammengearbeitet hat. Bei »Tower« wird allerdings die Handschrift von Ken Bruen etwas stärker erkennbar. Es sind diese kurzen, prägnanten Sätze, die alleine ganze Poesiealben oder Schulbücher füllen müssten (wenn die Welt ein besserer Ort wäre) und teilweise mehr Wahrheit und Nachhaltigkeit beinhalten als ein Faustschlag in die Magengruppe.
»Tower« ist mit seinen rund 220 Seiten zwar kurz, aber trotzdem so viel besser als das Gros der derzeitigen Kriminalliteratur. Da auf Goodreads keine viereinhalb Sterne vergeben werden können, bekommt der Roman aufgerundete fünf von mir.
»Tower« ist mit seinen rund 220 Seiten zwar kurz, aber trotzdem so viel besser als das Gros der derzeitigen Kriminalliteratur. Da auf Goodreads keine viereinhalb Sterne vergeben werden können, bekommt der Roman aufgerundete fünf von mir.
July 5, 2016
These two writers seem like the real deal in this interesting double-perspective story. Each author brings a striking energy to his half of the novel (though it isn't clear that each wrote a separate half -- that's just a reasonable assumption given that the novel has two distinct parts to it). They share a hardboiled perspective, and each is gifted with the ability to write tight and crisp sequences.
The novel essentially retraces the same ground twice, and it's generally effective to see different events from different perspectives. That said, if there is a weakness here, it's that neither half seems quite to give enough attention to the central decision Nick and Todd actually make. As the two narratives coalesce, that hole seems unfilled, and it left me a bit hungry at the end.
Still, there's a lot to admire here. I'm new with this to both authors, but both are now on my list of more to read.
The novel essentially retraces the same ground twice, and it's generally effective to see different events from different perspectives. That said, if there is a weakness here, it's that neither half seems quite to give enough attention to the central decision Nick and Todd actually make. As the two narratives coalesce, that hole seems unfilled, and it left me a bit hungry at the end.
Still, there's a lot to admire here. I'm new with this to both authors, but both are now on my list of more to read.
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