Gary Regan

I'd recommend this book to ayone who might enjoy what seemed to me to e a parody of a hard-boiled cop vs serial killer story. The conversations were cynical beyond belief, and there are character inconsistencies throughout the book.

The story was fast paced and filled with tension, even though I found myself laughing out lous at some of the things that were said. I'm paraphrasing here, but there was one sentence that went something like, "She was average looking, but if she managed to grow much older in this lousy world of ours, there was a chance she'd be pretty one day."

Why is this world of ours so lousy? I don't know, but every character in this book seemed to agree with that premise.

And veryone in this book is also jaded; they all hate each other; they are tired of life, and none of them treats anyone else with even a modicum of respect. Still though, they are so over the top, they made me laugh, so . . .

Scott Brick did a great job of differentiating the characters, simply be giving each one of them a distinct accent and/or speech pattern. and he also gave me the impression that he was aware of how over the top this book is, so he read it with so much attitude that I swear I could see him laughing all the way home from the studio.

Despite everything I hated about this book, it kept me riveted to the story, and I've no doubt that I'll sample atr least one more of Lutz's books

I loved hearing Roie's voice as I listened to this book. It felt as though we were in a cozy snug at the back of some Irish joint, sharing stoies and whiskey

This book is so beautifully written, and although it's about life in bars, it's also about life in general. Tears came to my eyes on more than a few occasions as I read Drinking with Men, and I got my fair share of chuckles from it, too.

When I reached the end, I not only felt as though I knew Rosie Schaap really well, I felt as though I loved her, too, just like I love many of the people I've hung out with at bars over the years--for their insights, for their honesty, and because they've been kindred spirits.

This is a book that I'll re-read over and over again. Sort of a bar-goers Bible if you will.

Fast, Funny, Naughty

The first thing one hears when listning to this book is something about it being written for an African American audience, and I'm as white as they come. The first thing I learned as I went forward was that this book is for everyone, and it offered me a glimpse into African American life in America without resorting to over-blown stereotypes.Add to that the fact that this book is really well written, and the storyline is tight, and you have all the ingredients for a darned good yarn, be you black, white, or blue!

The narrator did a great job of differentiating each character with a voice all their own. I've no idea how people can keep track of such things when narrating, but this guy was superb.

Life in America

This was one of the most moving, and enlightening, books I've ever listened to

If I could re-name this book I'd probably call it "Just Another American Family"

Like many Americans, I know little about Muslim family life, and I was drawn to this book because I wanted to learn a little about Muslim culture. Boy did I pick the right book.

American Dervish is written without apology, it delves into the soul of a young boy growing up in a Muslim family in America in the 1980s. He struggles with his religion, takes it to extremes, then settles down when he sees the bigger picture.

The family, and their friends, are comprised of many different characters, each with their own views on religion--both theirs and other folks' beliefs--and each of them lives their life in America on their own terms. Some are radical--though not uber-radical--and some try to fit into American society by befriending people from other religions.

Guess what? They are like any other American family. This book is such a treat.

I really wanted to like this book more, but it just kept falling a little flat. The premise was great--an upper-class female-dominant sex club in Manhattan whose subserviant male members keep turning up dead--but there was no real umph to the book. Shame, really.

I admit to having listened to only half of this book at the time of writing this review, but I'm enjoying it so much that I feel compelled to hopefully turn other people on to this writer.

The main character is a policewoman who is completely believeable. She's not overly tough and cynical, and she's not shy and retiring, either. She's a real person with real feelings, and she's darned good at her job.

The narrators afre both fabulous, too.

The writer has a great sense of humor, too, and the book flits nicely between being funny, and tension-filled. I'll listen to many more of this author's books.

Now if I could just teach her that Martinis are far better when made with gin instaed of vodka . . .

I'm afraid that I couldn't stand the narrator's voice on this recording, and I gave up on the whole book after just a couple of chapters. He was completely monotone. Add to that the fact that this is another of those books filled with macho, cynical secret agents who seem to think that putting down other people is funny, and for me, this is a complete dud.

This book give a look inside the head of someone who is pretty much a sociopath, and yet it's not hard to relate to him. His ingenuity as a gangster is amazing--transporting drugs in a car on the back of a tow-truck, for instance. And if you like the book, see this guy in person in a movie called Cocaine Cowboys (available on instant netflix)

Despite the fact that this book is a little slow, and descriptions of battle scenes and the like are, perhaps,unnecessary, this is classic Follett, and I'm happy that I listened to it. The narrator does a really nice job, too.

Apart from the fact that I find the narrator here to be a little annoying--smug, ultra right-wing, almost sneering at anyone who dares to disagree, is the impression I get--this book gives a fascinating look at the CIA, the KGB, and MI6, from the 1940s right through to the 1990s. Although it's a work of fiction, it sounds as though it's based largely on fact, and since real-life characters--Kim Philby, for one--are brought into the story, one gets the impression that the story-line tells us what really went down between these agencies during the 50+ years covered here. Nicely written, too. It held me to the end.