By Cate AgostaThis tough and gritty crime thriller is definitely a book for adults only, full of violence and savagery it will keep the reader turning its pages until the end.The main protagonist is a man who appears to have no heart, no morals and is entirely comfortable with doing whatever it takes to get a job done. These would seem to be great traits in certain circumstances, but when the reader discovers the occupation of the main character it actually leaves a feeling of discomfort with them, that follows them throughout the book; but this is not a discomfort born out of wanting to know how this man is allowed to do what he does, but out of knowing that, at times, we need people just like him to keep things under control. I actually liked the main character immensely, and found it a refreshing change to read of someone in this type of novel that was not bound by the ‘normal’ constraints and truly believed that the ends definitely justified the means. Some readers may find this too much to handle, and set the book aside purely because of their dislike of him; just keep reading to the end I promise you won’t be disappointed.As much as I enjoyed this fast paced read, the reason for my three thumbs rating is the constant shifting between the first and third person narratives, as well as the tense shifts from past to present. When these occurred it seemed not only unnecessary but also injected a definite distraction from the rest of the novel which is either narrated or described from the point of view of the main character. I had a feeling, in one of these particular instances, that the Author had done this as it was expected when writing this particular genre of novel; I say they should have stuck with the break in convention they had already started with the main character, and done their own thing which, aside from these departures from the plot worked really well. This novel is not hard boiled crime and gruesome detail, the Author takes the time to inject a small portion of romance and humour into the book towards the end; an end which is not tied up in a neat and pretty bow, but left wide open and heralding a possible sequel to the ‘Wolinski’ story.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to all who enjoy and gritty crime thriller, however, those with a weak stomach may need to either give it a miss or have a bowl on hand.
http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/06/11/review-wolinski-ed-morawski/
