Caught Stealing: A Novel
by Charlie Huston
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Book Reviews of Caught Stealing: A Novel
Book Review: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED UNLESS YOU HAVE IMPORTANT THINGS YOU CANNOT BE DISTRACTED FROM DOING
Summary: 5 Stars
Usually I have several books I am reading at one time. But when I picked up CAUGHT STEALING, I forgot about the others. Actually, I forgot about most everything else except finishing the book. It grabs you like that. Hank Thompson is a New York bartender who agrees to take care of his neighbor's cat and then gets badly beaten up by two Russian goons. Hank quickly finds himself the object of the violent attentions of an assortment of colorful and nasty bad guys who seem to want something from him. Mr. Huston's first novel is a doozy: a non-stop, wild, careening ride that makes the reader dig his fingertips into the pages of the book in order to hang on. CAUGHT STEALING is the first in a trilogy, with SIX BAD THINGS and A DANGEROUS MAN continuing the hard-boiled story of Hank Thompson. I'm thinking about the movie rights. Maybe Brad Pitt as Hank? We definitely will need to find a talented cat. Highly recommended unless you have important things you cannot be distracted from doing.Book Review: couldn't put it down
Summary: 3 Stars
Well written dialog, engaging/memorable characters and a exciting, fast paced plot make this book impossible to put down.
The cast includes Hank, the flawed alcoholic whom life has beaten down, yet he still loves his parents, helps those in need, and watches out for Bud the cat. The gay Russian hitmen, Black cowboy gangsters, Detective Roman, and Bolo the Somoan. These characters all could very easily come from an Elmore Leonard book.
However, it was not without its problems. The 100's of fbombs were unnecessary and detracted from the flow of the narrative, the body count required the reader to take great leaps of credibility and some of the violence was just over the top(including a cat torture scene). Yet, I still found myself turning page after page to see what would happen to Hank and Bud the cat next. Without these issues, I would have easily given this book 4 stars.
Book Review: Fast paced, violent, raw, and still very fun.
Summary: 5 Stars
Hank Thompson is a regular law abiding guy with some original, yet regular problems. While at work one evening, bartending in Manhattan, he is beaten up by two Russian thugs. He soon realizes that this wasn't really about the drinks he served. Hank becomes an infamous and wanted criminal when fate brings a line-up of bad guys chasing after him, all of which are after something that doesn't even belong to him.
Caught Stealing is the first book in the Hank Thompson trilogy, and the first novel I've ever read written by Charlie Huston. It was violent, fast paced, and at times, funny, very funny. The prose read quick and easy, even without quotation marks. Certainly, this will not be my last Charlie Huston novel. Can't wait to find out what happens to this likable protagonist in the next addition.
Book Review: quick, enjoyable read
Summary: 4 Stars
Caught Stealing is a quick, easy to read, novel. The flawed main character gets tangled up with the criminal underworld and well... really just gets by on dumb luck.
The violence has been laid on a little thick. The language, well, I didn't notice.
Really, my only problem with the book was the seemingly split personality of every "bad" guy. It happened again and again that characters were portrayed as calm and/or friendly only to go off on tangents shortly afterwards. Without giving away too much, the last encounter at the bar really sticks with me - as if the author didn't know how to transition from the car to the final outcome. This chain of events just didn't make sense. I suppose you could argue that the characters weren't thinking logically, but for everyone to act this way was just unrealistic.
Book Review: Fast-paced, Gritty Thriller
Summary: 4 Stars
If you like Elmore Leonard or James Ellroy, chances are you'll Charlie Huston's debut effort.
This is a great vacation book, where you can read a dozen pages or so, and the jump in the pool or head out for dinner if you are on the go a lot. Also good for the nightstand, though you may stay up later than you'd planned. It's gripping enough that you'll probably blaze through it in under 6 hours total.
Huston doesn't take 100 pages to develop the characters. You dive right into the story and learn about the dark, oddball, quirky people who reside in the underbelly of society. Their actions tell us as much about them as a long monologue ever could.
This book pays off instantly and never lets you go. If that isn't what you want in a crime thriller, I don't know what is.