Past Crimes

I picked this up because, in just glancing at the author s last name, I mistakenly thought this was a book in another series I m reading It was a purchase made in error but once I realized it I decided to go ahead and read it anyway I m glad I did This is a solid entry into a new series that introduces Army Ranger, Donovan Van Shaw Brought up in a lifestyle with decidedly criminal element present, Van made a clean break ten years ago, leaving the life behind to join the Army,and never once I pic [...]

I was really quite taken with this debut from Hamilton, I must confess As regular readers of my reviews know, I am always keen to discover new American writers and what appealed to me about Hamilton was the way that his book neatly bypassed the simple label of thriller and instead, through the strength of his characterisation and observation, was on a par with the very best of American contemporary fiction With his main character returning from military service to his old stomping groun I was re [...]

Past Crimes is a very authentic feeling, cleverly written thriller with a main protagonist in Van Shaw that I absolutely adored.A note from his Grandfather brings Shaw back to Seattle, despite having left that life behind vowing never to return When he discovers his Grandfather has been attacked, he starts to delve into the time that he has been away and finds himself drawn inexorably back into that world.This is a fast, action packed story a la Reacher although to my mind with much greater de P [...]

The story involves a bunch of crooks killing each other This is not my first choice for crime control policy Nor is it a great way to set up dramatic tension for a thriller whodunit because I don t really care which bad guys offed the other ones.

Simply couldn t finish this one.

One of the best debut crime thriller novels I ve read in the past decade Hamilton crafts an excellent page turner which intrigues as much through his characters as the gripping plotlines Van Shaw, a wounded Army Ranger who grew up as a childhood thief, appeals as a multi layered protagonist with the potential to be the spine of an ongoing series In this first book, he finds himself back in his hometown of Seattle after a decade away, visiting his estranged grandfather following a cryptic mess On [...]

Every so often a book comes along where the typical way I review a book just doesn t seem right, and I find myself wishing I could write better reviews that can do the book justice To describe Past Crimes in a basic this is what happens way could end up making it sound like just another thriller, yet it s so much than that, and really, it was one of the most exciting and original novels I have read in a long time, and one that totally consumed me over the past day reading it.Van Shaw, so Every s [...]