Tuesday 15 April 2014

J.F. FREEDMAN - TURN LEFT AT DOHENY

Synopsis/blurb……….

Down-on-his-luck drifter Wycliff has come to Los Angeles to scam his dying brother out of his estate. But as they get to know one another, having not been in contact for decades, the two brothers forge an unlikely bond. Just as he's planning to put his sordid past behind him, Wycliff meets a glamorous woman who offers him his first taste of the high life, and finds himself involved with a team of hustlers much more sophisticated and brutal than he is. Wycliffe begins to suspect he's being set up. But for what? He's about to learn the cardinal law of crime: there's always someone badder than you.

JF Freedman
I read Against the Wind the author’s debut novel back in the early 90’s. In truth though I can remember very little about it other than I think I enjoyed it. (A tale of a lawyer and some elements concerning a biker gang and a court case.) Pretty sure I enjoyed it, inasmuch as I kept the book and it has survived several judicious culls from the heaving shelves in the past 20 plus years. Surprisingly though, I never kept pace with Freedman through the years, until my memory was re-awakened when scouring Net Galley additions a month or two ago.

Prior to this latest offering Mr Freedman has penned 9 other novels post-debut that I have missed out on. Digressing but kind of interesting to me at least, is the fact that only 2 books could be classed as a series and the rest are all standalones – which kind of bodes well for dipping in and out of his other books without making a major time/money/shelf space commitment.


Back to Turn Left at Doheny then.  

Positives……

Length – 230-240 pages. I’m unsure about his intervening books but some established authors would be stretching things to 400 – 500 pages come book 11. Kudos to JF, less is more.

Story line – bad brother trying to ingratiate himself with good, rich dying brother – ergo death and ching-ching inheritance, happy days! That’s the plan, at least.

Not mega-amounts of action, there’s a bit of unsavoury violence, some bed-hopping without top shelf explicitness; mainly a tale that shows a re-connection between two estranged family members, under difficult circumstances and one harbouring dubious motives. Plenty of side action and distractions and plays occurring on the sidelines.

Character – Wycliff……our main man, not particularly likeable when we pick up with him at the start; he’s a bit of a scam artist, unscrupulous and out for himself. Within a few short chapters we see a softer, more caring side to him. An epiphany, a life change or a temporary aberration?

Supporting cast – brother, Billy…….dying; Charlotte - the older-woman-cum-bar-pickup-easy lay – who may be running a game on Wycliff; Amelia – nurse, girlfriend, straight ace, marriage and possible settling down material, plus an interesting assortment of minor characters, two of whom become critical to Wycliff’s eventual outcome.

Setting – LA and some of its landmark districts, a place that always goes down well when I’m reading….Santa Monica, Echo Park, North Hollywood, Sunset, La Cienega.

Negatives….. none in my book.

Conclusion……a satisfying outcome, which as an alternative to a happy ending was the best I could hope for. The author smacked me in the face with one of the reveals when it came – something I felt I should have spotted upon reflection, but hadn't – so an extra hat-tip to him. (I’d be curious to know if other readers were surprised, or if it was just me.)

Freedman had me caring and rooting for Wycliff despite some of his decisions and actions. Poor decisions, horrific decisions even, allied with a naivety that had me covering my eyes as I read………NO!  DON’T DO THIS! Did he listen? Read it yourself and find out.

Testament to the author’s skill that he could weave this tangled web around the main dude, within such a short period of time, manipulating this reader into rooting for such a flawed, conflicted character.  

5 from 5

Net Galley acquisition, this one.


14 comments:

  1. Col - Thanks for this. I'm not sure it's for me to be honest, but I couldn't agree more about the value of brevity in telling a story. And I like it too when an author can take me by surprise and still 'play fair.' Glad you enjoyed this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Margot cheers. Not the right book for everyone, but I enjoyed it.

      Delete
  2. I quite like the sound of this one, because I always say I like books about relationships, so the connection with the brother, and the woman, would be appealing. But there is so much else on my list...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No problem Moira, It's a problem streamlining all the recommendations for books that are around. Do what I do, buy it but don't read it!

      Delete
  3. Col, it doesn't seem right that I haven't heard of the author in spite of his novels being around for more than two decades. A clear oversight on my part and it's happening all too often.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Prashant - we're even now. Bill Granger was unheard of until last week - and he is possibly better known than Freedman.

      I wonder how many authors (including aspiring ones) there are plying their trade in the US today, add on all the deceased, but still read today , chuck in self-published......How many would that be. No wonder some slip past unnoticed.
      PS Enjoyed your last blog post immensely. Very interesting.

      Delete
    2. Not really, Col. I hadn't heard of Bill Granger before I picked up that book and he has written 25 novels plus some non-fiction too. He impressed me. There are so many contemporary and not so contemporary authors I have never heard of. I try and read them as and when I can, usually a book or two each. Thanks for your support and appreciation of my last post, Col. I'm not going to make it worse by replying to all the comments!

      Delete
    3. Prashant - I did order a copy of the Granger book you read and posted about - it would have been rude not to after you explicitly tipped me up about it.
      After Tracy kind of elaborated on his espionage stuff I looked that up as well, but showing unusual restraint, I haven't ordered anything else yet!

      Oh digressing - breaking news - LUTON TOWN won promotion back to the football league last night after Cambridge suffered a defeat. All is well again, a wrong has been righted and the sun is shining!

      Delete
  4. Really glad the football turned out well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too - about a week later than I hoped for, but hey we got there in the end. We can all relax now until next season, thanks!

      Delete
  5. I am glad you liked this book, having returned to read this author after so many years. If I see any of his books at the book sale, I will grab one.

    Speaking of Bill Granger, I just read that there will be a movie starring Pierce Brosnan based on Bill Granger's espionage series. Called November Man. coming to the US in August of this year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tracy thanks. If I cross paths myself with anything else from him, I will probably pick it up, but not actively seek it out, which kind of seems a fair compromise. I did look up a random 2 of his and they did seem more like the proverbial house-brick @ 400 plus pages - so maybe 240 is an exception then.

      Thanks for the tip-off re Granger-Brosnan film. I don't mind PB as he seems not too far up himself in a Hollywood fashion. I have Thomas Crown Affair still to watch (and read), plus he wasn't too bad as 007, and I kind of liked him singing in the Abba thingy. He's alright in my book! November Man from memory is the first in Granger's espionage series, so I'll probably plunge on a copy.

      Delete
  6. Hey Col,

    Just stopping by to say Hello and to also say that I cannot wait to see what you think of The Cold, Cold, Ground. I've sorta stalled on the second book and have the third one. The first book was gripping and I loved it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Keishon cheers, looking forward to it. Kind of tempted to rip through the 3 of them if I enjoy the first.

      Delete