2004; 416 pages. New Author? : Yes. Book 1 (of four) in the Zack Walker series. Genre : Crime-Humor. Overall Rating : 8*/10.
Science
Fiction writer Zack Walker is tired of living in the city, what with its
druggies, hookers, and street hoodlums.
So he sells his house and moves his family (wife, two teenage kids) to a
place called Oakwood, in the ‘burbs. To a
development with the impressive name of Valley Forest Estates.
It’s a quiet place, a perfect environment for finishing his next
novel. A pleasant little Eden. Well, except for the leaking plumbing in his
new home. And the Mississauga Salamander
in Willow Creek. And the body he finds
there.
What’s To Like...
There’s
plenty of thrills and even a couple of spills.
After a slow start (the first 10% or so), the plot moves along at
a fast pace. But really, the story plays
second fiddle to the wit and antics. The
action and plot-twists are often over-the-top, but that’s in keeping with the
tone of the book.
I
liked Zack Walker. He’s not the
brightest bulb in the candelabra (in fact, he may well be the dimmest), but
he’s funny and means well. He cares
about his family, although his OCD nature often makes him a PITA for others to
tolerate. Most of his “plans” go amiss,
and most of his mental conclusions are wrong.
With one exception, the rest of the characters are black and white. You easily fathom out all the baddies, but
figuring out which ones did which bits of evilness is a fun challenge.
Cusswords are commonplace, but not excessive. There is some sex. This is a light read for adults, but probably
shouldn’t be given out to the kiddies.
All the threads get tied up, and this leads to a stutter-step
ending. The main issue is resolved
around 90%, and I kept wondering what the last 10% was going to deal with. Bad Move
is a standalone novel, but also part of a series.
Excerpts...
“It’s not that big of a job. I might be able to do it myself.”
“You’re joking.”
“I could take a
shot at it. I’ve got the caulking
gun. I could put some stuff in the
corners of the shower, see if that took care of the problem.”
“I’ve seen what
you can do with a caulking gun. There
should be a three-day waiting period before people like you are allowed to own
one.” (loc. 750)
As we drove to General Mart, I found myself looking in the
rear-view mirror more than I usually do.
I figured someone would be after me.
Someone should be after me.
I had, after all,
stolen something. But I was not, I told
myself, a purse snatcher. Not
technically. A purse snatcher was
someone who ripped handbags from the clutches of their owners, usually little
old ladies who didn’t have the strength to hang on to them and who got knocked
down in the process, suffering a broken hip.
I had broken no little old hips. (loc.
1738)
Kindle Details...
Bad
Move sells for $5.99 at Amazon. The other three books (so far) in the series sell for the same price. Linwood Barclay has another dozen or so books
available. Most seem to be more serious-toned crime novels, but there are a couple of humor books, including the hilariously
titled Mike Harris Made Me Eat My Dog. I borrowed the Kindle version of Bad Move from my local library.
”How many times have we told you not to pretend you’ve killed
yourself?” (loc.
850)
Bad Move seems to have carved out a niche of its
own, genre-wise. It’s not a whodunit;
you don’t “solve” the case alongside Zack.
Nor is it a Murder-Mystery, since the perp of one of the killings is
revealed early on.
I
list it as a “Crime-Humor” story; but it’s different from a Carl Hiaasen or
Donald Westlake offering. The best
comparison I can make is it’s kinda like the old television series Kolchak, but
with the main character resembling Monk.
Once I got the genre issue straightened out, Bad
Move became a page-turner for me. I
will probably read some more in the series, since the library has them
available as e-books.
8 Stars. Full disclosure. This book was recommended to me by my cousin
Janet, and I have yet to be steered wrong by her. It helps to have someone close by with
excellent literary tastes.
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