( 7 reviews )
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Posted: Oct 19 2008
This is the best book I have ever read. Great suspense that builds the whole time. You will not want to put it down.
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Posted: Sep 1 2008
I read a lot of crime fiction, and frankly most of it is unremarkable. The few five star novels I read stand out in a sea of mediocrity. It usually doesn't take long (sometimes within a few pages) to know that a novel isn't like all the others; that it's exceptional. Such is the case with True Crime, the most flat out entertaining novel I've read in a while. This high praise is not because of the novel's groundbreaking plot (the race to save a man on death row has been done before and the race against the clock conclusion is admittedly contrived and melodramatic). No, what sets this novel apart is the writing. Klavan has created a cast of characters who are vividly compelling, flawed human beings. His dialogue is sharp, insightful, and convincingly authentic. His observations about human nature are remarkably perceptive. He gets inside his character's heads in a way that few authors of crime fiction ever try to. Klavan puts you on death row, with all its rituals, and makes you feel the same heartbreaking desperation that Frank Beachum feels in the hours before he has been condemned to die. If I'm giving you the impression that this is a slow paced character study, with a depressing story line to boot, this couldn't be more wrong. This is as pure an adrenaline rush as you are likely to find in a novel. True Crime is pure entertainment. The suspense is relentless and the narrative, from the perspective of a reporter assigned to the execution on short notice, is cynical and darkly funny. The reporter, Steve Everett, is an unconventional leading man, an absolute (and there's no other word for it) sh**heel. He's also one of the most entertaining characters I've come across in a long time (right up there with Clete Purcel from the Dave Robicheaux novels). True Crime could have been another run-of-the-mill thriller, but it isn't. Yes, it's thrilling, but more than that, it's perceptive, and thoughtful, and at times quite moving. PS: I added a comment to discuss the ending that is a ***SPOILER***. Don't read the comments if you haven't read the novel.
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Posted: Sep 13 2007
Why isn't Andrew Klavan better known? He's written a large number of superb crime novels, many of which have put me on the edge of my seat. TRUE CRIME is no exception. This is a truly first-rate suspense novel. The story is simple: a man seats on death row, with only 18 hours before his execution. But Steve Everett, a newspaper reporter, finds reason to believe the man is innocent, and races against the clock to find evidence that will support a last-minute reprieve from the governor. Klavan does a superb job of describing the death-watch scenes, which I felt were both chillingly realistic and emotionally compelling. All the characters are superbly drawn, and none of them are straight heroes or villains. The reporter character, for example, is not a very nice guy. But that doesn't stop him from trying to do the right thing. I plowed through TRUE CRIME in one sitting, and the last 200 pages just flew by. This novel is extremely tense, but it's a real blast to read. I enjoyed it enormously. I know Klavan is taking a break from novels to write for movies; I hope he returns to book-writing in the near future. I want more novels like this. Highly recommended.
