Dark comedy of revenge and murder.
344749
The first sentence says that the bombs will go off in five minutes and that sets the pace for this tale of obsession and revenge. I didn't read any other reviews until I finished the book, and I see that many of the reviewers missed the point. I see this as a dark comedy. You aren't supposed to care about the characters, you're  just supposed to watch as the author gleefully piles on one unlikely development after another. This is a literary Rube Goldberg machine. Once it is set in motion, the plot goes through many unlikely steps, knocking over the characters along the way, to get to the big finish. I found it a lot of fun. Every time I thought nothing more could happen, no more people could be dragged into it and no more murders could be plotted, the author found a way to make the story bigger.

One killing surprised me, I thought that character was untouchable. It ended up creating more surprises and more reasons for revenge. I read fast, unwilling to put the book down when I had to go to work. I wanted to see each new step and each new revelation.

I have also seen people talk about the sex scenes, but what book were they reading? There was only one big sex scene, and I skimmed over it as I always do with sex scenes. Then there was the sex club, but that was about the rich and powerful who attend such places more than what they do there. Anyone who doesn't expect sex in a book like this isn't paying attention when they read the description.

The only reason I am giving this four stars instead of five is that it dragged a little towards the end, and did have a few typos. If this had been tightened up just a little it would have been the roller coaster ride I expected in the first few chapters. As it is, it is still a book I enjoyed very much, and recommend as a very dark and funny read.
4556809
This is actually a very funny movie that does not take itself too seriously.  The horrible actor who plays the young man who is shot to death is not in it for very long, fortunately. He gets transferred into a doll that helps the surviving girlfriend get revenge on his killer and on others.  Give it a chance.
384263
I don't know about the claim that the book is darkly comedic, except only in a very dark way, but I can see how it could be adapted for the screen in such a way, especially since the story does lend itself to movie adaption. The story, a crime thriller, goes on a path which incorporates much music, a tracing of the blues, which fits the story as itself is kind of a metaphor for a blues song. That said, I really like the book. It combines suspense and an interesting assortment of characters, though I would prefer it not have the gory bits of violence it contains, even though I do see how it does fit the story.
4795221
A parody of crime noir.  Like the city depicted it is dark and gritty.  With lots of action, murders, crashes, conspiracies, sex and laugh out loud one-liners. Not for everybody but still a funny read.
3096813
If you like action, comedy you will like this.
410817
In this novel,  serial killer Mark Rennie  has just been released from jail. He's seeking revenge and ways to further his transcendence of humanity.  At the same time, Marlin, a detective,  is trying to solve a new series of killings and psychologist Aldous Andrews is trying to get Rennie to show his killer nature.

The twist? Aldous,  too, is a killer. (Not a spoiler. )

The tone is appropriately dark and there's plenty of gore and violence,  including sexual assault.

McGlone is a master at building suspense, but in characterization,  especially with Rennie,  is far more inclined to tell than show, even when he's already shown enough. This means that we're often consciously seeing Rennie through his eyes, rather than the chilling sense of seeing through our own.

Still, if you like dark thrillers that actually don't glorify killers, with solidly crafted suspense, this book has a lot to offer.
3741726
Action packed, great plot for revenge and bloody.  Great Movie
2437176
Jamie Foxx turns in a solid performance in the otherwise by the numbers "Law Abiding Citizen". A high quality genre piece, with solid casting in many smaller roles, the film has a highly derivative feel despite an effort to provide a serious twist to story expectations. It is in many ways a standard revenge story, that might in some ways be phrased as the answer to the question: "What if Richard Kimble, in "The Fugitive", instead of running from his conviction had embraced it, and was also uniquely qualified to mete out revenge to everyone who had allowed the real killer to go free?"

The film opens with a husband, wife and daughter being brutally knifed and beaten by home invaders. The husband survives, but the wife and daughter perish. Later, when the killers have been identified and brought to trial, Jamie Foxx, as a polished and ambitious assistant district attorney preoccupied with working the system to get a high conviction rate, even if justice is short changed, makes a deal that convicts one of the two men, who only watched the murders being committed, while giving a light sentence to the man who did the actual crime in exchange for his testimony that guarantees Foxx a conviction of the accomplice. The husband/survivor swears revenge on the corrupt system, but how this is accomplished builds some interesting twists into the formula to keep the audience's attention.

The husband sets a long term plan to track down and brutally murder the killers of his family. Ten years after the original crime, the convicted accomplice, who only watched the murders and is set to be executed by lethal injection, dies a horrible death when the husband somehow manages to rig the lethal "cocktail" given at the execution to create as much pain and agony as possible. The real killer, who received a lighter plea bargain sentence and has been released already, is lured to a remote warehouse and then brutally murdered, bit by bloody bit, in a way that calls to mind the gore and sadism of the "Saw" films. The husband then allows himself to be captured, convicted and imprisoned himself for that crime, and then begins to orchestrate a campaign of remote control death that baffles the police and the district attorney.

The tension built up by the puzzle of how the victim turned avenger then manages to kill the attorneys and officials originally involved in the failed prosecution of the killers of his wife and daughter, ten years before, is largely wasted in a gimmicky wrap up that is mostly about making sure the killer gets his comeuppance by the hour and forty-five minute mark of the film.

Foxx is a great reason to watch the film. He is in fact much better than the film itself, which snoozes to a conclusion after holding the audience's attention most of the way up till the final moments.
208198
This is a book that is filled with villains, half crazed women, misguided men and I will not go on.  These are the characters that make up for a book that is cleaver in so many ways.  Each character is pumped with their own shadow in the story, each fitting a niche that only they can fill, one of mystery, one of hate, one of misguided love, one of revenge all swirled together inside the pages of this book.  Death runs rapid as the trail for Olin draws near, will the end come and if it does how many more will it touch.

This book was definitely different as each character painted a part of the entire vision set before you.  It had bitterness and revenge keeping the pot stirred towards the final feeding.  The author takes you into the minds and perhaps souls of the different players, letting you dwell in their midst and become part of their being.  It is a dark read that twists and turns along dark recesses of minds and taking you on the journey with them. Perhaps you want to go, perhaps you don't, but you will be pulled into the cavern and hope you can come out.  Quite a ride.
2633719
I liked it. Always liked revenge movies so if you are into that it's a good one. A very good B movie.
4855151
This is a very well done and very dark comedy.  It is original, funny, odd, and gruesome.  I liked it better than "Shaun of the Dead" (also by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost), but most people I've asked who like them both seem to like them about the same.  I, also, liked the movie "Paul" by Pegg and Frost.  It is not as dark as the other 2 comedies, but it is not for kids, either.
473728
I loved this book!!! The book is as dark and twisted as it is funny. This horror story is part psychological thriller, part slasher film, and mystery. It's an easy read but also a deep thinker, the mystery keeps you guessing until all is revealed in a mind bending ending. I highly recommend this great novel!!!
590445
Great film with an awesome cast. A fantastically dark, hilarious and original storyline(s). The perfect mix of macabre and comicality!
838164
The author builds on a believable telling, with complex characters that will keep you involved until the climatic end. It is interesting and entertaining with a dark plot involving murder. I didn't want to put it down.
887385
James Wan, director of the original Saw, helms this Death Wish-inspired film (literally, its derived from author Brian garfield), which stars Kevin Bacon as Nick Hume; an executive whose hockey player son gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, and meets his demise at the hands of a vicious gang.  Soon enough, Nick disregards the legal system and sets out for revenge, but doesn't plan on the further retaliation from the gang's leader (Garrett Hedlund), which he soon receives in spades.  Despite the cliches and leaps in logic to be found in Death Sentence, the film remains a riveting action showcase as Wan seamlessly orchestrates some very well done action scenes, and Bacon gives a superb performance as the grieving father/husband turned murderous avenger.  The violence is bloody and brutal, and as you can tell by now, Death Sentence is not for everyone.  However, if revenge flicks are your thing, you'll find a lot to admire here despite its flaws.  Also featuring Kelly Preston, Aisha Tyler, Matt O'Leary, and the great John Goodman in a role you have to see and hear to believe.
1806703
Requiring slightly more effort than your average murder mystery, this book is so darkly funny and offbeat that you hardly notice it rambling on a little longer than necessary.

Taking a different approach, we learn "whodunit" at the very beginning, and spend several chapters figuring out the "whydunit".

Hiaasen bestows almost every unlikable characteristic possible on his leading villain, Charles "Chaz" Perrone, an appearance obsessed, smooth-talking, selfish, insecure, horn-dog, lazy, pseudo-intellectual biostitute with a dark secret.

Unfortunately for Chaz, his perfect murder backfires, as he proves conclusively that he is spectacularly inept in that department.

Stubbornly refusing to die according to plan, his victim clings to life via a passing bale of Jamaica's finest, and is fortuitously rescued by former policeman Mick Stranahan, who whisks his catch away to his island home.

From this moment, Chaz' perfect life takes a dramatic swing, and the blue "dysfunction" pills can only solve one of his many problems.  He soon discovers that he hasn't got the testicular fortitude for recent events, and starts falling to pieces.

Although highly implausible, full of coincidences, and overly long, the colorful characters and graphic imagery combine with the dark humor to make this worthwhile, if rather light reading.

Amanda Richards, January 8, 2005
2715134
This book was like having two stories in one.  The first being a whodunnit mystery and the second I very satisfying revenge story.  I loved the revenge aspect of the story.  Its always satisfying seeing unlikable characters get what they deserve!