Book Review: London Frog
I've been reading a lot of mysteries and thrillers lately. Here's a review of the latest, which I very much enjoyed:
London Frog: A Todd Gleason Crime Novel by Joseph Pittman, isbn # 9781594145896, 377 pages, hardcover, Five Star, $25.95
The omniscient narrator of "London Frog" has the kind of voice the narrator of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" has -- you feel like you're sitting in a pub while your inveterate storyteller friend tells you a tall tale. There a lots of "knowing asides" to the reader, little winks and jokes (mostly about liquor and sex, but not in any really blatant or offensive way). Pittman's voice (very different here from his earlier, non-crime novels) pulls you into the story from the start, and pulls you along the roller-coaster adventure he has to tell. It's about this guy, see, and you wouldn't believe the world of trouble he gets himself into.
The guy in the story is Todd Gleason, small-time con-man. Todd is possessed of a rapid wit that sometimes works for him (he can be a real charmer to the ladies) and sometimes works against him (bad-guys don't usually like a smartass). Todd also has a very strong belief that anyone who wins the Lottery can afford to share their wealth -- especially when that winner is already married to a wealthy businessman. Of course, Todd's latest con does not go smoothly, and we get to see him improvise under pressure (sometimes successfully, sometimes not so). There is Todd's con, complicated by his landing smack-dab at the scene of a murder (several characters claim that "there is no such thing as coincidence," but it's exactly that which puts Todd in the precarious position he finds himself in). The story is fast-paced with plenty of cons-within-cons, twists, turns and reversals and a question mark over the murder scene that keeps you guessing until the very end.
We meet a lot of interesting characters on both sides of the law along the way, but Todd is the heart and soul of the story, a truly likable (almost lovable) con-man with a conscience. How can you not like Todd, when the most important ... uhm ... "person" in his life is his pet amphibian named (you had to see this coming) "Toad." I mean, seriously. That alone is worth the price of admission.
"London Frog" is apparently the first of a series -- here's hoping there's more Todd Gleason on the way soon. (And there is at least one other character I would love to see spun off into his own book as well.)
In the meantime, I highly recommend seeking out "London Frog."
London Frog: A Todd Gleason Crime Novel by Joseph Pittman, isbn # 9781594145896, 377 pages, hardcover, Five Star, $25.95
The omniscient narrator of "London Frog" has the kind of voice the narrator of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" has -- you feel like you're sitting in a pub while your inveterate storyteller friend tells you a tall tale. There a lots of "knowing asides" to the reader, little winks and jokes (mostly about liquor and sex, but not in any really blatant or offensive way). Pittman's voice (very different here from his earlier, non-crime novels) pulls you into the story from the start, and pulls you along the roller-coaster adventure he has to tell. It's about this guy, see, and you wouldn't believe the world of trouble he gets himself into.
The guy in the story is Todd Gleason, small-time con-man. Todd is possessed of a rapid wit that sometimes works for him (he can be a real charmer to the ladies) and sometimes works against him (bad-guys don't usually like a smartass). Todd also has a very strong belief that anyone who wins the Lottery can afford to share their wealth -- especially when that winner is already married to a wealthy businessman. Of course, Todd's latest con does not go smoothly, and we get to see him improvise under pressure (sometimes successfully, sometimes not so). There is Todd's con, complicated by his landing smack-dab at the scene of a murder (several characters claim that "there is no such thing as coincidence," but it's exactly that which puts Todd in the precarious position he finds himself in). The story is fast-paced with plenty of cons-within-cons, twists, turns and reversals and a question mark over the murder scene that keeps you guessing until the very end.
We meet a lot of interesting characters on both sides of the law along the way, but Todd is the heart and soul of the story, a truly likable (almost lovable) con-man with a conscience. How can you not like Todd, when the most important ... uhm ... "person" in his life is his pet amphibian named (you had to see this coming) "Toad." I mean, seriously. That alone is worth the price of admission.
"London Frog" is apparently the first of a series -- here's hoping there's more Todd Gleason on the way soon. (And there is at least one other character I would love to see spun off into his own book as well.)
In the meantime, I highly recommend seeking out "London Frog."