Dnf ( )

Ottimo.Sul genere Don Winslow spostato nella violenta Los Angeles. ( )

'Safe' is stunningly good read, especially if you're into crime novels and don't have a problem with reading about violence. Ryan Gattis must specialize in this type of novel- 'All Involved' is likewise a gritty one with a bunch of really bad guy characters you'd avoid in real life but you can't stop reading about.

I'll try to avoid spoilers here..... Safe starts off as what seems to be a pretty standard 'heist' novel but gradually morphs into something both bigger and smaller. As in 'All Involved', the characters are all criminals but what separates Safe from others in the 'heist' genre is the near stream-of-consciousness you get from both of the narrators, the 'heister' and the 'guy who better find the heister'. The two narrators eventually intersect with a conclusion that to me was inevitable. Along the way, you learn backstory details in abundance that draw you into a crime story that has a surprising amount of humanity in it.

Gattis writes in the voices of his narrators, poor language and grammar and all. I don't have a huge problem with that- the criminals are almost all Mexican-American and use a lot of colloquialisms that you may or may not be able to interpret. If you're looking for well constructed sentences with perfect language usage, be advised it ain't that type of book.

'Safe' is going on my 'Best of 2017' shelf. It's one of the most unusual stories I've read in a long time and I highly recommend it. ( )

I highly recommend this book to readers interested in experiencing feelings of empathy for characters, while remaining on the edge of your seat rooting for the “good guys.” This book makes you realize we are deeper than our past and people we run with. It’s ultimately a story best described as a “ghetto robin hood.” A brilliant safecracker you can’t help but feel for.

https://fortheloveofthepageblog.wordpress.com/ ( )

Safe – A Modern Day Robin Hood

Safe is the latest book from Ryan Gattis, set over 48 hours with a backdrop of the dark underbelly of Los Angeles and its drugs gangs. Gattis uses two voices to narrate the story, in the form of Ricky “Ghost” Mendoza and Rudy “Glasses” Reyes with a punk rock mixed tape giving the story an old school vibe. This old school vibe can be seen as an American version of Robin Hood, with guns, drugs, money and cancer running central to the story.

Ghost is a reformed drug addict, who is now a locksmith, and safe cracker for the DEA, who when the story opens is cracking a safe of a major drug dealer for the agency. He has been left alone by the DEA agents who leave the scene as he cracks the safe, while they have gone he also removes a large amount of money, $887,000. Unfortunately, his car has been seen and the gang will be searching for him within a few hours. Glasses is sent by his boss to find the missing money and get it back, as he cannot be seen to be going weak with a sneak thief.

What we get is the back story to why Ghost has taken this money, and he is not planning on keeping a penny for himself. As he drives to meet his friend who will pay off people’s mortgages for them as they are heading for trouble as the financial system is crashing. Ghost has become Robin Hood in his desire to help unfortunate people who will never know him, as he knows he is going to die, if the cancer does not get him then a bullet will.

Glasses has his own private reasons for looking in to getting out of the drug trade, and he is not afraid to act covertly to further his interests. He is a husband and a father and he is getting desperate to escape the clutches of his boss and the violence of the drugs trade. He knows that leaving the gang culture and life is not easy and like a cancer will slowly kill you.

Gattis’ uses vernacular language to voice the characters and gives it authenticity, and the narrative is better for it as this is a fast-moving thriller. Amidst the violence, there are touching moments of tenderness Ghost when he thinks back to Rose and Glasses when he thinks to his own family.

This is a wonderful story, full of hope and tenderness, things not normally associated with a thriller, but this book is better for it. There are mutual definitions that could be used for the word safe, from where we see money and drugs, to something far deeper.

Safe is a book that will live long in the memory. ( )