Reviews

Briarpatch by Ross Thomas

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boleary30's review against another edition

3.0

Good characters, a bit muddled in some of the writing in that the conversations between characters don't always roll with ease. The ending is the kind I like the least, you do not find out who was really responsible and it is just left with different possibilities, like it should be the start of a series, yet it is not. So it just ends without the reader knowing what really happened.

_b_t_h_'s review against another edition

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mysterious fast-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

3.25

tinabaich's review against another edition

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3.0

Briarpatch opens with the death of Detective Felicity Dill. Her brother, Ben Dill, journeys home for the funeral and to find out why his sister died. A twisted web of politics, policing and crime quickly surround Dill. He is employed by a Senator who happens to have business in Dill’s home town and is the childhood friend of the criminal who is the subject of that business. While he navigates this dicey terrain, Dill teams up with his sister’s friend and lawyer to manipulate events towards a remarkable conclusion, trusting no one else to find his sister’s killer.

Though written in 1984, there is very little to date this novel. The same story could easily occur today. The only thing that took me out of the story was wondering why it was called Briarpatch, but that eventually comes out though late in the book. In researching the author after the fact, I found that Thomas is known for thrillers with a political twist. He is clearly a master at unmasking the world of professional politics as well as weaving believable and suspenseful crime stories. Ross Thomas wrote 20 standalone crime thrillers and an additional five series novels using the pseudonym Oliver Bleeck. His first novel, The Cold War Swap, won the 1967 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

I would definitely recommend Briarpatch to readers of crime fiction, especially if you enjoy a splash of politics in your crime.

http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-briarpatch.html

danbydame's review against another edition

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2.0

I can not figure out why this book ended up on my to-read list, or on my real live shelf. I must have seen a positive recommendation somewhere. I suppose it's an ok book. But a little flat, formulaic, and "guy" for me.

jakewritesbooks's review against another edition

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5.0

(4.5) About a third of the way through this book, I began to worry. It was such a good read and yet I was concerned it wouldn’t have the velocity to keep up til the end. Fortunately, I was wrong. This is a banger.

I’m a latecomer to Ross Thomas’ work and I have only myself to blame. He really does for the political novel* what Leonard did for noir. The dialogue reminds me of how I thought grownups talked when I was a kid: wry, direct and mature with a light wit. The mystery itself kept me guessing and while I docked it a half star because I wasn’t a huge fan of the book’s central relationship, all the characters, male and female, are 3D.

I will read more Ross Thomas. Maybe his entire oeuvre. But I’m not sure it gets better than this.

*aided greatly by Thomas being nonpartisan

flexmentallo's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

An excellent little neo-noir about a political fixer looking into the murder of his sister. It starts out slow, but Thomas knows how to inject a lot of color into his storytelling that makes the set-building blow by. The climax is satisfying in the pieces-falling-into-place way of a good mystery, though it did feel a bit rushed.

Content Warnings