Dynamite Road

Weiss & Bishop #1

by Andrew Klavan

Jim Bishop is a hard man, as cold as the wind off the water and tough to the point of brutality. Scott Weiss is Bishop's boss, a world-weary ex-cop who runs a private detective agency out of a concrete tower in the heart of San Francisco. In this powerfully original series debut by award-winning and bestselling author Andrew Klavan, Weiss sends Bishop to investigate corruption at a Northern California airport-and so sets events in motion that will lead both men on a desperate hunt for a master assassin.

Bishop's assignment is to investigate the airport and report back to Weiss. But Bishop prefers to make up the rules as he goes along. He's willing to beat any man into the ground and draw any woman into his bed in order to get the answers he's after. A pilot himself, he takes to the air to check out the illegal flights of a thug names Chris Wannamaker. Then he coolly seduces Wannamaker's lonely wife in order to find out more.

Back in the city, as Weiss struggles to rein Bishop in, he begins a connected investigation of his own. A death in a mansion in Presidio Heights, a seemingly random murder South of Market, an apparent suicide off the Golden Gate Bridge, all seem to bear the mark of Weiss' old nemesis, an expert gun-for-hire who goes by the name of the Shadowman. It's a trail of blood, and each step of it seems to bring Weiss closer to Julie Wyant, a mysterious beauty who captures the imagination of every man she meets.

Soon Bishop has found his way into the center of a massive criminal conspiracy, a plan set to climax with an act of audacious violence and a murder that would be impossible for any killer but one. And with his operative's wife in danger, Weiss begins a race against time to outsmart the murderer who stalks his nightmares and to rescue the woman who haunts his dream.
If you like your tough guys really tough, your femme fatale and your action explosive-welcome to Dynamite Road.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Audiobook, Novels, Suspense, Noir

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Reference for now:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_K...

Reviews

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Andrew Klavan is a master of the modern detective genre. Great characters and an edge of your seat plot.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: 3.75

[Sheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best Andrew Klavan I've read, but I generally enjoyed it. I was expecting straight up noir -- which to my mind means even the good guys are going to be morally ambiguous, and most people are living lives of quiet desperation. While most of the characters in this book fit that type, for whatever reason the book as a whole didn't leave me with the "there's no point to even hoping there are good and kind people living positive lives anywhere, because good and decent people are a sham" feeling some noir books do. The author clearly believes there are reasonably good people living mostly happy lives somewhere, even if very few of them appear in this book.

I think part of it is that the author recognizes that many of the characters are actively contributing to the hellish lives they live, rather than giving the impression that their misery is entirely the result of fate. Some of the *characters* absolutely believe that their problems are entirely due to fate, of course, but that just adds to their believability.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid character driven detective novel. A lot of the story revolves around Jim Bishop, a man's man, who women can;t help but falling for. He is not a sympathetic character by any means, but his no bullshit attitude really drive his part of the plot. Weiss, a sad man but a good guy is much more interesting and nuanced. Finally, our narrator is a naive but good detective working as an intern of sorts int heir detective agency.

Andrew Klavan writes well and that's really what carries the story. I was very interested in all 3 plot lines (which end up tying in together at eventually.)

Fans of detective driven stories, crime novels involving undercover agents and readers that apprieace a well conceived and meticulously carried out plan (no mater how incredulous) by the bad guy, will enjoy this one.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book I've read by Andrew Klavan and would probably fit in the middle as to "how much I liked it". This is another book that showcases the shortcomings of our rating system here. It comes very close to being a 4 star book. There are things I like and other things I don't.

Okay, what's, whats? The book opens with a distressing, sad...even disgusting situation. I suppose that murder in a book (or a movie or TV program, etc.) has in some ways become "simply a plot point". I still haven't gotten there, sorry. The story flow is alright here and the plot doesn't flag. We have here a book full of interesting characters and a fairly original story(I say fairly original as, really how many story lines are out there that aren't in some ways variations on other story lines? You may see aspects of this that are familiar other aspects I'm sure you'll find familiar...all in all they're put together well however.)

So all that being said...why do I find the book falling short of 4 stars? Well as I mentioned the opening of the book is in it's way disturbing. It also introduces an interesting (I use that word a lot don't I?) yet fairly disturbing character... one I'm sure we haven't seen the last of.

Okay, but an unpleasant murder is no reason to drop a star from a book's rating, especially if it's a murder mystery. The biggest gripes I have here are that:

A. there are gaps in the story's "good flow" that I mentioned above. It's like now and again it sort of lost my interest. Not to worry however...the book's not so intricate that your mind wandering a bit will cause you to lose the thread.

and

B. This is a book full of miserable,desolate, pathetic people. I mean we get the introduction from Klavan where he tells us he's not one to judge or hold a person's faults against them. I hope I don't either, but in some cases here...ooohhhh boy.

There are maybe 2 people (not counting the author/narrator of course) in the book I suppose I can say I sort of liked. But, even these 2 are miserable. Bishop is (at least as the book opens) a thoroughly dislikeable....dislikeable....dislikeable...(lets see what shall we call him???? what will it be??? A creep? yes that's it a)creep. Then we get to the guy who's supposed to be running "The Agency", Weiss.

Wiess is one of the 2 I think I could find likeable. As Klavan points out in his intro, these people have their faults and those of us who fall short of perfection can and should understand these things. I do, really. Weiss is as is everyone else here a thoroughly miserable schmuck. A "homely" man (I believe Klavan uses the adjective "ugly" but I thunk that's unnecessarily cruel...really. Is anyone truly ugly???? Yeah, I know of course they are. sigh) anyway he's a homely gentleman (and apparently is a truly "gentle man") who has an industrial strength drinking problem (don't get me wrong, he holds it well...but our narrator doubts that push coming to shove he could give it up). Every night he downs the alcohol till shutting down. He's also a romantic...it seems in the ultimate sense of the word. He elevates women (all women) on to pedestals. But being...homely...he has no real success with them, aside from one (apparently) disastrous marriage in his past. So, he has a regular relationship with a "hooker with a heart of gold" who runs a large number of ladies of the evening she regularly assigns to "comfort" Weiss.

Then there's Kathleen. I feel for Kathleen, though to go to much into why would require spoilers...we'd end up talking abut Ben Fry, Julie Wyant, Julie Angel, Chris Wannamaker and all sorts of other characters including the Shadowman . All of whom are, as I said thoroughly miserable people.

I've used this line before, but I use it here again with reason. While I might say this is a "pretty good book" I can't say "I enjoyed the book". There's just too much down right depressing misery in these lives to use the word "enjoy".

So, not bad, in some ways good and "down the road" I may follow it up...especially to complete the story of The Shadowman .

[Loren · Rating 3 out of 5]

From ISawLightningFall.com

THREE-AND-A-HALF STARS

Some combinations are simply meant to be. Consider milk chocolate and peanut butter, how that creamy sweetness meets with savory saltiness in just such a way that you want to gobble copious amounts until a cardial infarction looms. Others obviously aren't. My wife tells a story of how, during her starving student days, a friend spiked her pasta marinara sauce with curry powder when her back was turned. A few fusions, though, sit uneasily in no man's land, neither transcendently harmonious nor gratingly wrong. Such is the case with Andrew Klavan's blending of hardboiled, thriller and romanticism in Dynamite Road.

Jim Bishop and Scott Weiss couldn't be more different. Muscled, mean and amoral, Bishop isn't above breaking skulls or casually bedding other men's wives to get what he wants. Weiss is a former cop, a soft, shaggy hulk of a man with such an exalted view of the female sex that he can never bring himself to build even the beginnings of a relationship, much less move it towards marriage. So it's amazing that they could stand to be in the same room together, much less form a successful working relationship. But somehow they have, and the private-eye firm of Weiss Investigations does good business. This latest job, though, may prove too dangerous for even the both of them. What begins as an inquiry into small-town racketeering soon spirals into a search for a transcendentally beautiful prostitute named Julie Wyant and the murderer known only as Shadowman who hunts her. Either would prove challenging to find under normal circumstances, but these are anything but. Wyant, you see, is supposed to be dead, and Shadowman, well, no one is really sure if he even exists.

No doubt about it, Klavan knows the crime novel cold. He owns the tropes and never fails deal them out in an entertaining fashion. "Slow burn" describes Wise and Bishop's adventures to a T, everything smoldering along at an increasing temperature until some crucial bit of kindling catches and it all explodes into flame. It makes sense, then, in telling such a story to join tough-guy mystery with breakneck thriller. What seems a little odd is the unabashed romanticism infusing the proceedings. There are kisses stolen at gunpoint and lots of mooning over the come-hither glances from an angelic whore. We even learn that Shadowman himself is motivated by ... But, wait, let's not ruin it. Suffice it to say that while Dynamite Road is ultimately a tasty read, some parts possess a strange savor.

[Bodosika Bodosika · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first book by the author
though an interesting read but many reservations.

[Bradley Valentine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This writer is pretty frustrating for me, guys. That’s the first thing I should say. The second is that however lukewarm I may sound in the rest of my review, just know that I fully intend to read at least one other Weiss and Bish story. Frankly, with titles like Werewolf Cop, it’s hard for me to imagine myself not to keep giving this guy chances even if I’m increasingly sure we’re not going to find common ground.

Note that while I’m talking more specifically about Klavan as a writer in this review, it absolutely applies to Dynamite Road, which I just finished. DR most significantly had the effect of frustrating along with other work of Klavan’s that I’ve already read.

I really like Klavan’s instincts for genre and the seeming lack of pretension writing “balls out” genre fare. But the same problems keep popping up in his writing over and over again to the point where I’m giving up hope that they’re not just shortcomings of a writer learning his craft. If they’re intentional choices, I just don’t know what the guy’s thinking.

For instance, Klavan has a habit of dwelling on the obvious and the absurd, even drawing those moments out to the point of wondering if it’s meant as test of patience for the reader, haha. The conceit to this novel is that one of the characters is telling us what happens. I’m unclear if that’s meant to apply to the whole novel or if it’s just the parts the character is present for. Anyway, either Klavan or Klavan as the character affects the language to this absurdly overwrought degree where we’re liable to get “x is like a x” sometimes twice in one sentence. This isn’t from the book, but I mean something like, “Her kiss was like a soft pillow and when she pulled her face back to look at me her eyes swam like that guy who kept winning medals in the Olympics a while back.” Not that, but you know. Just way too much. Maybe Klavan thinks hard nose writing is supposed to have as much lug headed poetry in his prose as possible?

There is a scene where a character is about to be executed. It’s obvious at some point the character won’t be executed at all because, hell, there was too much work setting him up to wreck the lead character’s world to chalk him up to a blind alley (which I would have respected and loved). But Klavan goes on FOREVER playing on this non existent tension. If the character were interesting and likeable, I might have liked to spend that time with him. He was neither. Nothing interesting was happening. It was a five second bridge scene (I mean a scene bridging two more relevant scenes together), but not in Klavan’s hands. He needs an editor.

The moral point of view in this books is a little weird, too. Look, it’s obvious Klavan must be a very religious guy. More power to him. I don’t care. EXCEPT it keeps sorta coming up in the way he makes his characters engage the world. Weiss likes sex workers, so his physical ugliness is continually brought up. Bishop is an Adonis and a bad boy, so women fall for him against their will and throw away their marriages for him. Again this might just be Klavan writing a “hard nose detective story,” but the morality in these books is laughable. The narrator claims to not be a Catholic (or otherwise religious, I guess?). He finds a priest having a homosexual affair, but we’re meant to think the narrator does the right thing leaving an innocent man in jail (innocent of the crime, at least) in refusing to let the priest reap the consequences of his actions. The priest gave false testimony as well as breaking his vows...the guy shouldn’t be left to be anyone's moral arbiter.

Stuff like that kept popping up in Werewolf Cop, too.

[Ryan P Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full Throttle Noir: Dynamite Road Delivers a Brutal, High-Flying Thrill Ride

If you like your detectives world-weary, your enforcers unhinged, and your San Francisco fog thick with menace, Andrew Klavan’s series debut, Dynamite Road, is the adrenaline shot you’ve been looking for. This isn't just a mystery; it is a collision course between a cold-blooded operative and a master assassin, anchored by the moral weight of a classic private eye.
The Dynamic Duo: Fire and Ice
The strongest element of Dynamite Road is the friction between its two protagonists. Klavan moves away from the solo-detective trope to give us a volatile partnership:
Scott Weiss: The anchor. He is the classic noir archetype—an ex-cop running an agency from a concrete tower, haunted by the one criminal he couldn't catch. He brings the intellect and the procedural discipline.
Jim Bishop: The loose cannon. Bishop is terrifyingly effective. Described as being "cold as the wind off the water," he is a pilot and a brawler who prefers to make up the rules as he goes.
Watching Weiss try to rein in Bishop is half the fun. While Weiss chases leads in the city, Bishop takes to the skies and the bedrooms of Northern California, using both violence and seduction as tools to crack the case of corrupt pilot Chris Wannamaker.
The Shadowman Returns
The plot serves up a satisfying layer of complexity. What starts as a standard corruption investigation at a local airport quickly spirals into something much darker.
Klavan masterfully weaves two seemingly disparate threads together. While Bishop is playing dangerous games with Wannamaker’s wife and illegal flights, Weiss connects a string of grim events—a mansion death, a random murder, and a bridge suicide—to his old nemesis, The Shadowman.
The Shadowman is a formidable antagonist, a "gun-for-hire" who raises the stakes from a simple detective story to a race-against-time thriller. The introduction of Julie Wyant, the mysterious beauty at the center of the chaos, adds the perfect touch of "femme fatale" energy required for the genre.
The Atmosphere
Klavan captures the essence of the West Coast noir perfectly. The setting feels alive, from the posh anxiety of Presidio Heights to the gritty, fog-laden corners of the Golden Gate Bridge. The prose is sharp, punchy, and moves with the velocity of the aircraft Bishop pilots.
The Verdict
Dynamite Road is not for the faint of heart. It is unapologetically masculine and gritty. Bishop is a protagonist who skirts the line of being a villain himself, willing to beat men down and manipulate women to get what he wants.
However, if you are looking for a story that combines the intellectual puzzle of a detective novel with the explosive pacing of an action movie, this is a winner.
You’ll love this book if you enjoy:
Dual-perspective storytelling that merges into a singular climax.
Aviation elements woven into a crime thriller.
Villains that are genuinely frightening and competent.
Hardboiled prose that doesn't pull its punches.
Final Thought: Klavan sets the bar high for the Weiss & Bishop series. Dynamite Road is a turbulent, twisted flight that sticks the landing.

[RJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ben Fry was a stalker, a psychotic killer. His target was a young woman named Penny Morgan who worked at an art gallery. He used this crime to get sent to prison. Meanwhile, Jim Bishop, an operative of Scott Weiss’s detective agency, rode his Harley into Driscol, California, introducing himself to Ray Gramley as his new pilot. Gramley’s Director of Operations/Dispatcher, Kathleen Wanamaker was introduced to Bishop. She had a small house for rent next to her house, which Bishop accepted. Chris Wanamaker, Ray’s chief pilot flew into the airfield. He would be checking out Bishop’s pilot credentials. Later that evening, Bishop witnessed Chris and Kathleen arguing next door. Bishop checked in with his boss Weiss; “I’m here”. Meanwhile, Weiss had another client in his office, Walley Spender. Spender wanted Weiss to protect him from the brother of a woman he raped in Mexico. Northwilderness SHU is a maximum security prison for the worst of the worst in Northern California. Ben Fry was sent there. All these odd situations are connected according to Weiss’s cop mentality. Who was the Shadowman and why was everyone afraid of him?

[Bert van der Vaart · Rating 3 out of 5]

A frustrating book, with much to commend it. The pace is fast, there are some unexpected turns and provocative ways of looking at the private detective business, the prison system, and the moral dilemmas each of the above present their "real life" protagonists.

But there is an ironic sordidness about even the positive players (eg Weiss), and an unreality about some of the others, eg "the man who called himself Ben Fry". At the end, for me at least the sordidness/sadness/lack of reality outweighed the intelligence of the twists and turns/fast pace of the book. I think there are better books to read and will leave "Weiss and Bishop" to the shadow world they seem fated to live in.

A 2.8 star book.

[Don Mccormick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure I wanted to complete this novel after the first chapter, I'm glad I stayed with it. This was a nice thriller. Descriptions of things and situations were a bit dated(words used in old novels) but was easy to follow. I finished this in 3 days so obviously I enjoyed it.

[Joseph Raborg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good thriller. The only downside for me was the foul language, which detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Otherwise, I’d have given it five stars. Besides the great plot, the characters feel very real and the writing is great.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to this audiobook this weekend on a quick trip to see family. It was fast paced and not too hard to keep up with the characters and plot. An interesting antagonist. I intend to listen to the next one.

[Maureen DeLuca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This didn't 'move' me..... I may pick up the second book in this series in the future.... Some really good reviews here - so maybe give it a try.....

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read

[Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

The concept of the book was brilliant, the vulgarity was not. I got tired of being assaulted.

[Scott Marks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible writing, clunky and childish. Plus the writer is a misogynist, anti-feminist and it comes across quite strongly in how he writes about women.
Red flags guys, avoid this novelists books.

[Florence Witt]

Too crass

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Small town corruption, drug smuggling and a terrifying serial killer. Hard-boiled fans, with a nod to pulp fiction will enjoy the tough talking anti-heroes. My first Klavan novel.... not my last.

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 2004. Powerfully original thriller.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

great, suspenseful

[Hunter Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bishop and Weiss books are terrific I have loved everything klavan I have read from werewolf cop to the great good thing. My #1 crime and tough guy novelist. Also love his show!

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Klavan novel. But it is pretty classic noir.

[Joel Wiedrich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dynamite Road - suspense!

Loved this book. Klavan writes with a unique, throwback feeling. Great characters great story. Looking forward to book 2 in the Weiss Bishop series!

[Judith Pollack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique and riveting.

Klavan's stories, his descriptions, characters and settings are always fascinating. Looking forward to the next in this series, wonderful concept.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 🌟! Chilling, suspenseful and action-packed.
I've read quite a bit of Andrew Klavan, but not this series. This is the debut. I will seek out the other two!

Scott Weiss owns a PI agency in San Francisco. He has sent his operative, Jim Bishop, as an undercover pilot to a airpark in northern California.
One of the two partners of the airpark has hired the Agency to investigate his co-owner. He thinks the man is up to something shady with the planes.
Believe me...he is.
As the investigation continues, the dots start connecting to an old case from Weiss' cop days.
It concerns the Shadowman, a serial killer and one of the most most monstrous characters I've ever read.
A page turning thriller that I burned through.
The ending is as bone-chilling as it gets!

[Victoria Freswick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked the story but the language was horrible

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook and maybe that is why I had a hard time telling the characters apart. They seemed one dimensional and unlikeable to me.