I don’t recall snorting crystal meth* so I’m not an authority on the subject. But I will tell you that the opening pages of GHOSTMAN are so vivid and real that I considered calling Roger Hobb’s family to plan an intervention. Maybe he made up all those details about crack and meth and has no real experience, but he’s pulled off what every writer dreams of: putting the reader in a place and time so visceral he/she forgets its fiction.
This book feels so real you get high just reading it. And you find yourself looking over your shoulder when you hear strange noises. Zat the cops? Flush it! Quick! Oh, wait … man, that’s my cat. Most writers struggle for pages to put the reader in the right frame of mind. Mr. Hobbs will take you there page one.
The hero is an unapologetic anti-hero. There’s not much good about him. You won’t be inviting him over for Thanksgiving dinner. But you’d invite him to your bachelor/ette party in a heartbeat. He’s killed people. He’s robbed banks. He reads Greek and Latin for fun.** Of course, to hear the Ghostman tell it, he’s only killed the guys who needed killing. And he’s only robbed the banks that … Well, don’t all banks need robbing?
Roger Hobbs has mastered the staccato voice of Lee Child without imitating him. It’s not a trick. It’s not forced. Lee Child set the bar for prose in thrillers so high that Roger Hobbs is the first guy to get close in fifteen years. That’s a testament to the skill of both men. Best of all, Mr. Hobb’s prose does what the MFA professors tell you not to: he dumps expository details, like the history of casino heists, early on—and it will fascinate you.
What about the writing? Here is a bit of that literary no-no I mentioned:
Take the elevator down from the suites, walk up to the high-roller roulette table, take out your gun and put a bullet right through the double zeros. Everybody runs at the sound of the shot, especially the croupier. Rich people aren’t brave, and employees even less so. Once they’ve scattered, get a bag and scoop up all the chips.
What about the most important element, the story? Mr. Hobbs excels at spinning a yarn that makes logical sense, keeps you on the edge of your seat, and never lets you see what’s coming. You might work out a few guesses about what’s coming in the next few pages, but you’ll be wrong. And you’ll be happy about it. The best part is: it’s a complex web of treachery that can only lead to bad things happening. You’ll want your anti-hero to live through it, but you’ll be resigned to the idea that he might not. And that might not be bad.
Recommendation: One of the best books I’ve read this year. It deserves the accolades it’s been getting. If you like Jack Reacher, if you like thrillers, if you like fictional murder and mayhem: you’ll love Ghostman. If you don’t … there’s something terribly wrong about you.
Peace, Seeley
* Pretty sure I didn’t, but there are a few cavernous gaps in my recollections.
** The only time Mr. Hobbs stretches credibility is when he convinces you (and he will convince you) that the Ghostman translates ancient Greek and Latin the way others doodle on scratch pads. After a few months helping prisoners in a jail a few decades ago, I find that part very hard to believe. VERY. However, I went with it and the detail was well worth the stretch.
Sock Puppet NOTE: MY REVIEWS ARE MY REACTIONS TO THE BOOKS I READ and not a response to the voices in my head. I have no relationship, financial or familial, with the author. I do not expect, but would not refuse, any cash, gifts, or reciprocal reviews. Just sayin.
