I'd actually give this one a 4.7-4.8 on the Goodreads scale, but that rounds to 5 stars. The first 50 pages of this book were dead boring, and if I was the sort of person to give up on books after a few pages, I'd not have finished this one. In fact, a line from this book, on page 15, summed up how I was feeling reading this one for far too long- "I was twiddling my thumbs waiting on anything to happen." If there was a story developing it was so hidden in backstory and overwhelmed by details that the few times a story did seem to be peeking out from the text, it could be easily missed. Thankfully, this book is pretty good once the story actually kicks in and takes over. Actually once the story starts reaching its resolution phase, the last 50 pages are almost as weak as the first 50, but by then there is at least a context to contain all the details and make the book hold together.

In this novel, a young man who works as a private investigator during the Vietnam War era finds his best friend dead and goes off in search of the killer. His investigation lands him in the aftermath of a Vietnam nightmare. True to the atmosphere of the 60's, there are no heroes, no clear-cut good guys, and no unambiguous solutions that bring the novel to any real satisfying conclusion. ( )

Before reading John Lawton's "Sweet Sunday" (SS), a prospective reader should be aware of four things. First, contrary to what some single sentence plot summaries have suggested, this is NOT really a story about a private investigator tracking down draft evaders in Canada, nor is it a murder mystery. Rather, this is an excellent novel about changes in America in her most chaotic decade, the 1960's.

John Lawton is the highly regarded Brit author of the seven book Frederick Troy series, published between 1995 and 2010. SS spans the years from the late 30's until the early 60's. I have read all seven books and highly recommend it to all readers.

Thirdly, Lawton's stories do not follow a neat, straight-line chronology. In SS, for example, you might be reading all about the protesters at the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention, only to find a future chapter recalling a visit home during the midst of the Cuban missile crisis earlier in the decade. These are not flashbacks exactly; it's Lawton's unique style of telling a story, so be aware of time when reading him but don't be bound by it.

Lawton enjoys spiking his stories with historical characters, so be on the lookout for Norman Mailer, LBJ, and Abbie Hoffman, a rather eclectic mix. I have always found his cameos to be very insightful, and fun.

So, what is "Sweet Sunday" about then? It includes in addition to the above mentioned missile crisis and Chicago violence, the Freedom Riders, Woodstock, the NY mayoral election, conspiracies, the sexual revolution, My Lai, and drugs and what by now is a very old cliche but nevertheless true - a loss of innocence. No, none of the assassinations. But the heaviest emphasis is on Viet Nam and its impact on the country and the slow change in the country's perception of the US role there. In the background there is an investigation going on but it's little more than a plot device to link some of these issues and describe the changes in minds and hearts during those years. A powerful, well done book. But, it's probably not for some readers. ( )

It is 1969 in New York, with the Viet Nam war spiralling out of control, Tricky Dicky in the White House and Norman Mailer standing for mayor. Turner Raines, former civil rights activist and lawyer sets out to find out why his journalist best friend from way-back has been murdered – what was the story he had been working on and why has it caused all sorts of spooks and ex-military to crawl out of their hidey-holes and pursue him?
This is a marvellous read – funny, literate, politically sophisticated and utterly compelling. It epitomises the best kind of thriller writing with a finger on the pulse of its time. A series of flash-backs illuminate the characters and take us to the newly desegregated south, where we ride the freedom buses, to the moment when Abbie Hoffman and his friends try to levitate the White House, to the lair of the Moondog Hippies in the Nevada mountains, and to Woodstock, where a kind of apotheosis occurs and Turner finds his long-lost brother – or thinks he has.
I enjoyed this book immensely, but I have to admit the thriller plot played second bass all along to the evocation of a neglected decade of American history. Not that it’s lightweight - the reason for the killing is one of the pivotal moments that led to America’s death of innocence. ( )