This is a fantastic gripping thriller, has anyone else read it? I enjoyed his Michael Crichton like work 'Esau' but it would not be one of my favourites.
I just finished "The Shot" last night. I thought it was a pretty good book, with a very nice ending. Once again Kerr makes you feel like you're visiting a certain time and place.
I loved the Shot. It was a quick, easy read while still being very engrossing and fascinating. I was on the edge of my seat towards the end and really did not see what was coming! I think it's totally fascinating how P.K. doesn't seem to set any of his books in Great Britain or even write about Brits.
I am still reading the Gunther books (LOVE them so far) but meanwhile I want to say I thought this book was great too. I actually read it first. Recommended if you are interested in 1960's and JFK and Cuba and such.
Having read all of Kerr's Bernie Gunther novels (many more than once), I finally turned to The Shot this summer. Kerr's writing is masterful. I was born in Boston and can attest to Kerr's ability to transmit the essence of a place. I can't wait to visit Berlin to walk in Bernie's footsteps!
I didn't really like The Shot. Here's my 2/5 star review from Goodreads:
The Shot is a Philip Kerr thriller about an assination attempt on John Kennedy and the efforts of the Mob (!) to thwart it. A very odd book, with mostly repugnant characters, made it one of my least favorite Kerr books. It has a problem it shared with The Day of the Jackal, about de Gaulle getting assassinated - you know it isn't going to happen (well, tragically in Kennedy's case, not yet). Although he does make it all plausible in the end, and even hints of a consipiracy on the real assassination, it still wasn't a very compelling book. When your "best" character is a corrupt ex-cop hired by the Mob, you know you have problems.
Comments
Thanks for the recommendation.
The Shot is a Philip Kerr thriller about an assination attempt on John Kennedy and the efforts of the Mob (!) to thwart it. A very odd book, with mostly repugnant characters, made it one of my least favorite Kerr books. It has a problem it shared with The Day of the Jackal, about de Gaulle getting assassinated - you know it isn't going to happen (well, tragically in Kennedy's case, not yet). Although he does make it all plausible in the end, and even hints of a consipiracy on the real assassination, it still wasn't a very compelling book. When your "best" character is a corrupt ex-cop hired by the Mob, you know you have problems.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/95779062