Fast Pace, legal thriller - involving kidnapping, accidental death, revenge and justice ( )

I won this book through the wonderful first-reads program.

When I first began reading this book, it was with a great mixture of emotions. I typically don't read crime thrillers, but here was [a:Dennis Lehane|10289|Dennis Lehane|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1227580381p2/10289.jpg] praising [a:Sean Doolittle|277865|Sean Doolittle|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg] on the cover. [a:Dennis Lehane|10289|Dennis Lehane|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1227580381p2/10289.jpg] of [b:Shutter Island|21686|Shutter Island|Dennis Lehane|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1329269081s/21686.jpg|1234227] fame, and well known for just about everything else he'd ever written. Fears of reading outside my general genre somewhat abated, I opened it up.


It took me a while to get used to the writing.

The general premise of the book is a fascinating one. Years earlier, a young girl was killed by a well known architect - not in a drunk driving accident, but rather in a tired driving accident. The architect, terribly wealthy, got off fairly easy and without great injury. The girl was in a coma for forty eight hours before passing away. The girl's brother was killed in combat, the girl's father committed suicide. The girls mother certainly wasn't getting it easy.

To make matters worse, the fellow behind the wheel of the car who killed her - he got off easy with a fine and the added punishment of spending forty eight hours in prison on the anniversary of her death for five years. That's it. This is justice? The whole novel hinges upon that question.

On the fifth anniversary of this, it looks like someone had finally had enough of this and taken matters into his own hands. The architect's daughter is kidnapped, and all signs are pointing towards the kidnapper being a relatively unhinged ex-vet who was friends with the murdered girl's brother. Our protagonist, who also knew the murdered girl's brother, is trying to figure out just what's going on.

The novel switches between the reporter covering the story, a bookie trying to collect from the kidnapper, and the friend of the kidnapper's point of view making for the case being watched from all eyes. The writing is crisp, quickly moving, and easy to read. I can't say I had any complaints stylistically, or plot-wise with the piece. It made for fast reading, and while I would refer to it as 'genre fiction' is there really anything wrong with that?

All in all, this is a good book to read during the summer, and one that I would pass on to friends who I know love the thriller genre. [a:Sean Doolittle|277865|Sean Doolittle|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg] does have great writing chops, and I'll be keeping my eyes open for more of his books. Heck, I'd be surprised if some of his books didn't get tapped for movie adaptations in the near future. This is writer with a bright, bright future. ( )

This book has had some good press and was recommended by a reviewer, so I expected good things from this author. The book started out well, had some interesting quirky characters, but soon turned into a run-of-the mill mystery story. The ending was no surprise. A forgettable read. ( )

I don't usually read thrillers. The focus on action often means that characterization is short-changed, with cartoon-depth villains and women who exist only for the hero's enjoyment. That is changing. In his last adventure, not only does Jack Reacher not sleep with his much younger female partner, but he also indicates interest in a woman his own age, wishing that he had time to get to know her in between fight scenes. But the patterns and expectations remain.

Luckily, there are exceptions and the best of those exceptions is Sean Doolittle. He writes well, but most importantly the characters in his books feel like real people. Sure, Lake Country follows the pattern of a guy rescuing a woman in peril, but he's tweaked the expected into something both surprising and a lot of fun to read. The woman in peril is a lot more capable than anyone expected. There are two bad guys, neither of whom are stock villains, although one comes close, Doolittle provides just that little insight into his motivations to make him human. And as for heroes, there are two. A female television news reporter who is both a little burned out and a veteran of the war in Iraq, with a rebuilt knee who is unemployed and spending a lot of time in the local bar. Doolittle doesn't short-change readers on the action. There's plenty of that. But the action makes sense, the hero is not indestructible. His plans don't always work and when they do the consequences aren't what he anticipated. The pretty face reporting at the scene is able to notice things the cops don't and she's worried about what being that person who is first to arrive at the homes of victims means about her own morality.

Lake Country, like the other books by Sean Doolittle that I've read, is intelligent and entertaining. I'm looking forward to reading more by him. Still not a fan of the genre, however. ( )

Review posted to The Mystery Bookshelf on 8th Sept 2012
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