Don't be deceived by the leisurely opening of James Lasdun's new novel, The Fall Guy. Dark clues are hidden in the ruminations of the quiet, analytical protagonist. There are no car chases, no shootouts, no plane crashes. Instead, we explore the ambiguous relationship between two cousins--Matthew and Charlie--during a sleepy summer in the Catskills. Matthew cooks gourmet meals. Charlie mulls plans for socially conscious investments. Charlie's beautiful wife slips off for afternoon trysts with her lover. Suspicions swirl, questions become obsessions, analysis turns into self-deception. Lasdun, who is both a novelist and a poet, creates an inner world that is seductive and convincing. The ending (like the ending of a great poem) is both shocking and inevitable. ( )

This book had such a great premise, and I was excited to dive into another gripping thriller. Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver what I was hoping for at all! The characters were thoroughly unlikeable without any redeeming quality - especially Matthew, whose point of view we were in the entire time. The plot was excruciatingly slow, partly due to the fact that the writing was so overworked and pretentious. The novel read like it was written by an English professor trying too hard to be literary. There were entire sections that rehashed what had happened, or leisurely explored Matthew’s thoughts and obsessions, which quickly grew tedious. Then the author threw in in some unnecessary and tiresome talk about banking and the Occupy movement, which made me wonder whether his editors forced him to pad his word count. I was completely unsatisfied with this book. ( )

This book took me waaaaay to long to read. It was good but I kept finding other books to take it's place--not a good sign. I think this would be a good book for a trip because you can get back into it very easily. Outcome is predictable, in my opinion. ( )

If Alfred Hitchcock were alive this is a book he would make into a movie, and that is a high compliment coming from me. The story revolves around three characters who think they really know each other but truly how well can anyone know another? It is a fast and enjoyable read and it reveals itself in nearly perfect pace. There are many small bits and pieces in the narrative that end up being important and I always enjoy books that reward careful reading. I really enjoyed this book. ( )

Nice little unreliable narrator set piece. ( )