Review: One Of The Best Books I've Come Across In A Long Time
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 4, 2013
I had no idea who this Stephen Carpenter guy was until I'd finished the book (thought it might be Stephen King noodling around with indie publishing for a time). Should have known it was someone from the kingdom of storytelling - television. Bam! -- it starts with a central question and is paced with near perfection as the author weaves in and out through voice, pacing, POV, character development, and the right twist at the right time. It was gory at times, but I didn't even realize it until I'd gotten off the rollercoaster of this book. The research never rides on the surface and is always in service of the story. And what a story. An homage to the hard-boiled detectives of the Golden Era is here (man, he reflects the inner workings of character through manipulation of language so well!), a nod to horror stories (be still my restless heart), yet was always deliciously contemporary. I couldn't put it down, and I'd highly recommend it to ANYBODY who appreciates a wicked good mind working on the wicked good mine of a reader.Mr. Carpenter, you owe me a night of sleep stolen. Reader, wear a seat belt.