mschlat's review against another edition
4.0
I'm closer to 3.5 stars than 4. On the plus side, you have a lot of humor, an intriguing antihero who works as a thief, and a nice complex climax where all the pieces come together. On the minus side, the major threat and question of the book is whether or not Junior Bender will prevent a former child star from making a porno film, and I found that an uncomfortable place to be in the middle of the book. I might try another in the series.
attytheresa's review against another edition
4.0
I very nearly gave this 5 stars. Junior Bender, a professional burglar, finds himself in a sticky mess after a contract theft, leaving him beholden to a bunch of folks, including a leading crime boss trying to go legit. To square himself, and get paid the $20,000 he desperately needs to pay child support, he agrees to work for the crime boss and make sure that former-child-star-now-druggie Thistle remains safe and alive and makes the porn flic that will make enough millions to assure crime boss can finish legitimizing the biz. You see, things keep happening on the shoot and the target seems to be Thistle, and they are increasingly threatening...
This was a totally entertaining, engaging romp full of sympathetic characters and the down and dirty side of Hollywood. Almost everyone is a crook and you just like them, except for the really bad ones. Junior himself is so relatable - a man who loves both his daughter and his ex, but whose profession is a problem to keeping the family together. He's smart, a bit slick, kind of cool, and definitely has a Robin Hood complex.
This had enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, paced well and wirtten well enough that when you have figured some piece of it out, you really don't mind that it is 'revealed' many chapters later.
I will definitely be reading more in this series.
This was a totally entertaining, engaging romp full of sympathetic characters and the down and dirty side of Hollywood. Almost everyone is a crook and you just like them, except for the really bad ones. Junior himself is so relatable - a man who loves both his daughter and his ex, but whose profession is a problem to keeping the family together. He's smart, a bit slick, kind of cool, and definitely has a Robin Hood complex.
This had enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, paced well and wirtten well enough that when you have figured some piece of it out, you really don't mind that it is 'revealed' many chapters later.
I will definitely be reading more in this series.
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
4.0
First in a mystery series recommended by Jo, who calls Junior Bender a humorous, memorable protagonist. Read her review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/842279537?book_show_action=false&page=1
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Scrashed%20hallinan__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Scrashed%20hallinan__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl
csdaley's review against another edition
2.0
I don't know why this book didn't cut it with me. I really wanted to like it but I just kept finding myself thinking about other books. It wasn't nearly funny enough to keep me going.
gogglor's review against another edition
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The whole Junior Bender series is amazing. The characters that occupy the world are creative and interesting. The one-liners are quippy and hilarious. The premise - a genius burglar PI with a heart of gold - is awesome. I’m just starting a reread because I love the writing so much. Little quips like “He set one foot on the slippery slope, and bought himself some skis for the way down” and “she was wearing distressed jeans that got distressed by rubbing money on them.” It’s almost like a Sorkin show. 10/10, love this whole series.
danaswift_'s review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
taque's review against another edition
3.0
A classic tongue I cheek PI fiction story. Enjoyable and got better as it went.
alisa4books's review against another edition
5.0
SF Valley setting. Great characters. Compelling story. Quick, enjoyable read.
thunderbolt_kid's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good. That said, I don't think there's a singly fully-developed female character in this book.
bjt1977's review against another edition
4.0
A fun read. There's something about the charismatic crook that always intrigues me. The story occasionally jumped quickly and caused me to stop and determine what and who were involved, but that's the only real drawback.