Eddie starts out slow, but ends with a BANG!
591146
Engaging and sexy from the start. Halfway through, wondering if Bruce can pull off resolution of all the issues. And will the climax be satisfying or heart rending? Readers will not be disappointed! What a great movie this would make, with Tobey Maguire as Eddie.
3955336
This review is on the free preview - which was more than enough to get a glimpse of the story. Jack Absolute is a character full of hubris to say the least. However after wading through what seemed like 20 pages of his glowing self-adoration, and a rundown of a few of the women who agreed with his high opinions, there is an actual story at the end of that magic mirror. Not necessarily my kind of story. However, that be said, what follows is fast paced action, the introduction of several possibly pithy plot elements, and, a couple of femme-fatale characters who naturally all have heaving, blushing exposed bosoms and are melting with desire for Jack. You get the idea that what we have to come will be the sort of male-dominant version of a pulsing romance with swordplay, dashing cavalier-types in high leather boots and artfully torn blouses revealing muscular, masculine beauty, and plenty of romping between or without sheets. You will not be disappointed. What was amazing to me was that as I read, I kept thinking "I don't like this kind of story," yet I simply could not put it down, couldn't wait to see what happened next, and wanted more. So, perhaps I can be a literary sell-out, but this is a romping, stomping good period piece. The author did drag out almost, just almost too long, the fencing scene where he splattered the page with the sport's esoteric jargon, but he can be forgiven for a bit of heavy handedness in that the lingo falls like rain upon two men fencing for their lives, not at all sure the other will hold to the "first blood" standard of honor. Trouble was, sometimes during the fencing scene the language was SO enigmatic, I really had no idea what was going on, though it did bring up old Errol Flynn movies. I pronounce this novel a better than ordinary jaunt through some testosterone-heavy fun. I can't wait to read the rest. Seriously impressed with the author's abilities and knowledge, I will look for more from C. C. Humphreys!
1944007
It took me a few weeks to get past the first 100 pages of this book. I LOVED The Kind Worth Killing so having this book start slow was disappointing. I was annoyed by the heroine in the beginning, but eventually committed to finishing this book and I'm glad I did. The last 150 or so pages turned quickly and the plot unfolded similarly in intensity to The Kind Worth Killing. Overall, give this book a shot and don't give up on it...
1364247
It took me awhile to get into this book, and get used to the writing style of the author. Some flashbacks, some ramblings (the reader is kind of inside the head of Ove). But after the first few chapters, the pace quickened and the complications got going. The characters were fun, and the mood of the book went from sad at times to really funny at others. Reminded me a bit of Clint Eastwood and "Gran Torino." Really good book!!!
3408086
"Concessions" started out a bit slow in the necessary preamble but quickly picked up speed and I was glad I was along for the ride! Iris and Frieda, the good and the bad. Jay the catalyst. Dirty tricks, winners and losers, corruption. How would it end? I was sorry when it did end and I hope Bo will continue the adventures in a future novel. I found this book to be well-written and a fun and at times exciting read.
1384445
there were a few lulls in the action that got a little long, but overall a great e  book!
Fun!
3344754
It was a bit of a slow start, for me, but about half-way through I could see a movie being made. I finally had enough quiet time today to read the second half...boy, did the pace pick up and at times left me breathless. Great thriller, filled with intrigue! Now, as much I would much rather hold a book in my hand, than read on a Kindle, I just may have to begin reading Line of Sight.

Great job, Derek !!
3524639
As someone who reads usually several books a week, this book took me a whopping 20 days to inch through. Given, I was pretty busy so it's not entirely the books fault...but a fair bit of it was.

I'm a big fan of Eddie Huang and have enjoyed the stuff he has produced in the past, even Fresh Off The Boat which I'm realizing is maybe not the most accurate portrayal, but a fantastic TV show nonetheless. So with this next statement I'm going to sum up what is both fantastic about Eddie and what made this book so difficult to get through:

Eddie writes EXACTLY how he talks.

If you've seen him in an interview, you'll know that he tosses out pop culture references and slang like candy, and the footnotes in the book are entirely indicative of that. More pages than not have several lines of explanation which to me seems like it would have been better to just work into the text or leave out altogether.

But we all know how picky I am. (You didn't? It's really picky.)

That being said, the premise of this book is top notch. Eddie goes to China as an Asian-American to see if he and his cooking would be as well received. Everything about that concept was awesome and I enjoyed his portrayal of everyone's reactions to his food. What I found harder to swallow was his ramblings on love...yes, generally my favorite part. Will it work? Won't it work? Who knows? Probably not even Eddie is my guess.

What did I think?: Overall, I found the story to be very enjoyable, but the writing a good bit more difficult to follow. I would have to sit down for larger chunks of time to really get into it but when I did, I found that I thoroughly enjoyed the story that Eddie has wanted to share.

Who should read it?: If you're already a fan of Eddie's or if you're wondering about your own cross-culture heritage, or even if you're just looking for something that will make you look at race and food in a different light, I really think you would probably enjoy this one.
4069239
Eddie Collins world is crumbling.  He has been given a promotion that he does not want. The woman he loves is leaving him.
With Sword of Damocles, Andrew Barrett gives a three dimensional life to his descriptions of setting and the quirks of personality of his characters. Speaking of which, we are introduced to Sid, Eddies new office manager. Sid will make you laugh out loud at his antics, quiet wisdom, and costumes.
Unanswered questions are Eddies bane. The forensic skills to find the answers to those questions are his gifts.
Some swearing. Some beautifully executed scenes of violence
I have read all of the preceding short stories and novels featuring Eddie Collins. This one started out as very good, and then, somehow, became even better and better.
There are a few authors out there who write excellent stories of murder and mayhem in the UK, but there are also some truly excellent authors working in the indie publishing universe. Check out Will Patching (somewhat darker than Eddie Collins).
4381066
A slow and steady build to a powerful ending.  My main criticism? It was too short. In a word: More!
3377389
A little bit slow at the start, but it's worth the wait when the story finally picks up in the middle of the book. No one does the genre better then Abercrombie!
553806
This is a good story that starts out rather slowly, but then builds up to a good tempo that carriesit through the finale.
2197014
I just finished reading "The Con Man's Daughter" by Ed Dee.  This intriguing novel kept me involved and transported to the streets with the main character, Eddie Dunne, and his gritty search for his kidnapped daughter.  As the events unfold, I felt the rumbling of the el overhead, Eddie's exasperation, the twists and turns of dealing with his past links with the New York Police and the Russian mob.  I tried to guess the results and was still surprised by the ending!  Neatly tied sequences and lots of drama kept the pages turning.  The action in this story would be a great movie!
1327799
michael turner has begun an investigation involving mysterious drug related deaths in a maxium security prison and while the guards bring out body after body the guards and detective all seem at a loss until clues begin to appear as to whom or what might be killing the inmates!

**spoilers below**
this film was a bit of a surprise when I began watching it, it seemed a little slow in the beginning.
after that you begin to wonder "what the heck is killing the prisoners?" after that you get drawn in to the movie.
well come to find out the inmates are not taking drugs, turns out, the former warden had been killed inside the Furnace, and has come back for revenge to those that burned him Alive!
a pretty good film that I think most whom enjoy the supernatural and cop type films will most likely like this film. I think it was pretty good 4 stars.
*Widescreen*

buy it here!
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Furnace-Unrated/dp/B000ZBEOGA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Furnace (Unrated)</a>
91715
An insurance salesman is seduced by a femme fatale into helping murder her husband for the policy pay-off, and plots the "perfect" crime. However, little is as it seems, and things become almost Machiavellian as wheels within wheels are revealed over the course of the crime...

Although this book starts off slow, it quickly builds up speed and tension once things truly get under way re: the murder and (especially) the aftermath. Once I got "into" it, I couldn't put it down.

On the bright side, it's a neat little story (and apparently **loosely** inspired by real events!). The plot is tightly crafted, with new angles continuously  introduced to keep the reader guessing, and is a fast-read.

On the down-beat, there are a few potential plot holes that were left open over the course of the story, though the plot goes on enough weird angles that it's debatable whether they would ever come up. Arguably, this is a story you're supposed to 'turn your mind off' with and let the investigators do the thinking, so maybe that's forgivable.  My major complaint would be the ending: without giving too much away, it just wasn't satisfying or realistic. Again, others would quite likely be more forgiving.

Worth checking out.
1889056
The book is slow to start, but once it picks up it really gets going. I couldn't put the book down for the last quarter of the story!
1554359
Ok we thought it started off very slow. We of an audience of two here...almost gave up within the first half hour. But once it finally pulled itself forward it gained some momentum. Once it started to cause you to smile or laugh and so humorous the Depp bouncing on top of the side kick's lap all the way down the back steps their pathetic car bounced. If you cut it out and showed it as a short take it would be famous. And then there was that feeling that you had seen some of these characters not long before. The tall skinny one bad eye dude, the high pitched cackle of the black witch, the sidekick and even the menacing roommate that brought rum filters to make some sort of odd high octane booze. Hadn't we just seen these people in Pirates? I feel too many people tried to make this film too serious. Once it took off we lost ourselves and went with it and it was pure fun. And whew as we waited for that other shoe to fall...it never really did. I mean we never saw the super ugly happen and there were all sorts of possible uglies. I was afraid half a dozen people might be killed but didn't happen. So except for nod to tragic there was the cock fights but even they were tempered down a bit so most squirmish like myself could get through. But the suspense it might be otherwise also kept you in suspense. I was glad the ride was over but we both enjoyed this movie ride. Will watch it again as a re-run sometime too. I haven't read the writers books it's based on but will be interested in at least his written version of this one. Half the time if you've read the book you hate the movie. I'm right there and I see a lot of people's negative or neutral reviews here are in that category.