Review: I'm chesing with pleasure about this book.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 10, 2013
It has taken me a couple of days to process all the things I adore about this book.  I'm going to be brief because I want whoever takes my sincere accolades to heart and reads this to come to the book fresh without a lot of preconceived notions.  The Professional by The Black is a character study of one man: Lucas.  The genius of The Black is that he often manages to convey male characters that most women would go to great lengths to meet and know intimately (whether or not they are happily married).  Nowhere is that more true than in this book.However, the thing I appreciate most about his writing is the intimacy with which he presents story arcs and characters that makes them all natural and real for me immediately.  Even when the people are not always likable, there are still many, many interesting secondary characters in this story and they are interwoven in the various plotlines beautifully.  Nevertheless, what we really see here is an erotic retrospective of the life Lucas has led from early adulthood to middle age so it's his character we know the most about and frankly the one I was most interested in knowing more about.  In fact, if I have a complaint at all about this book and it is exceedingly difficult to muster up one, it's that the transition for Lucas from 18 to adult happen too fast for me.  I wanted to know more about why some of the more obvious transformations in Lucas' character happened; in other words, I wanted even more story, which I acknowledge is slightly demanding when the author has already given you a solid story in an estimated 412 pages.One final note I would make is that I also very much enjoyed The Black's ability to reveal a historic timeline in subtle ways.  Whether it be through music, colloquialisms, manner of dress, or brand names I never felt like I was being hit over the head with what time it was.  I liked that.  I liked this book...A LOT.  Read and enjoy.