books_and_planners's review against another edition
5.0
What a great book! A bizarre plot, with plenty of turns & twists. I won't give away anything - just read it for yourself! Very quick read. I couldn't put it down!
dave37's review against another edition
3.0
A super quick read - this literally took part of a single afternoon. Very fast-paced story, but minimal character development. Some nice twists and turns made this fun.
scknitter's review against another edition
3.0
The Ninth Step is quirky, dark, well written and definitely different. I just wish I could have liked the main characters. I felt sorry for Edgar at first but by the end of the book I really didn't like either he or Helen - but, I also couldn't stop reading until the end.
I think this is more of a man's book. I just couldn't get over my feelings about Helen long enough to enjoy the wicked trail of deceit and twists and turns that Jerkins created.
I think this is more of a man's book. I just couldn't get over my feelings about Helen long enough to enjoy the wicked trail of deceit and twists and turns that Jerkins created.
in2reading's review against another edition
3.0
It is a real page turner but it left me with an unsettled, dark feeling.
aditurbo's review against another edition
4.0
A suspense novel about the illusion of control in our lives and what happens when we wake up from this illusion. I love Jerkins' writing - it's minimalist and realistic, with no embellishments and no mercy for the reader. The characters are not likable, and their morality is dubious. As in real life, they operate according to their interest and make decisions based on what's good for them, regardless of what is considered "good" or "bad". It seems that they do not care about being considered "good" or "nice", which mirrors modern society, where people have dropped all pretense of trying to be or at least seem to be considerate, civil or kind to one another. There is no real friendship, no trust and no true love.
The characters find life unbearable, and have ways to drug themselves so as not to experience it in full - whether by alcohol, obsessive puzzle solving or greed. This also feels true to me, as a member of an older generation in which shame and guilt were still considered positive emotions that drive people to behave themselves, and who now has to adjust to an "every-man-for-himself" kind of atmosphere and to a post-modernist dismantling of the concepts of good and evil.
In short, this is a well-paced, suspenseful novel which is a fun read and leaves you with some food for thought as well.
The characters find life unbearable, and have ways to drug themselves so as not to experience it in full - whether by alcohol, obsessive puzzle solving or greed. This also feels true to me, as a member of an older generation in which shame and guilt were still considered positive emotions that drive people to behave themselves, and who now has to adjust to an "every-man-for-himself" kind of atmosphere and to a post-modernist dismantling of the concepts of good and evil.
In short, this is a well-paced, suspenseful novel which is a fun read and leaves you with some food for thought as well.
chriswolak's review
4.0
Whenever I think about no longer accepting review copies because they "get in the way" of my own reading list, I think of Grant Jerkins and immediately decide it's better to keep on receiving them. It was by saying yes to a review copy request that I read his first novel in 2010. Now, three books later, Grant Jerkins is one of my favorite writers.
The Ninth Step, Jerkins' third novel, was released last month by Berkley Prime Crime. It's a fantastic read. It will especially freak you out if you're in a twelve step program or have ever worked the steps. Yes, The ninth step of the title refers not to stairs, but to step nine of the big twelve: "Made direct amends to to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others."
Edgar Woolrich is a happily married high school geometry teacher who collects Japanese puzzle boxes. Helen Patrice is a veterinarian and an alcoholic. When his obsession and her addiction cross paths the result is an intriguing story of who-done-what and who'll-do-what next. I love Jerkins' characters. Even though they are not always likeable, they have a realness and a warmth that makes them seem all so human. And in this case . . . oh, the humanity.
What I like about Jerkins' novels is that they're all so different from one another. I enjoy a good series, but it is also refreshing to read a good crime novelist who can create such solid stand alone novels that you're not left wishing the author had written a book more like the last one.
A Very Simple Crime (2010) was about a down on his luck prosecutor investigating a murder that takes him into the depths of a family's psychological abnormalities. At the End of the Road (2011) goes back in time to the summer of 1976 when a young boy witnesses an accident, tells no one, and what unfolds afterwards for the boy and others. I think of it as a coming of age novel with a creepy, dark core.
I don't want to say that The Ninth Step is his best yet, because that makes it sound like his two previous novels weren't up to snuff. They are. But what I especially admire about The Ninth Step is it's black humor. I often don't enjoy humor mixing with crime because it can seem too forced or too flip or too cruel. Jerkins uses humor in a way that acknowledges the pain of the human condition, but this humor also reveals that our pain is often the result of past choices, as well as showing the reality that we do have choices now, no matter how messed up things seem.
Here's an example from early on in the novel, about Helen:
The self-inspection did not reveal additional damage. Externally, Helen was still quite attractive--her breasts sagged only a little; her ass, while bigger than in the past, had not succumbed to gravity and was plump in a pleasingly feminine way; and the broken capillaries that formed a haphazard Etch A Sketch across her nose and cheeks were easily concealed with modest amounts of makeup. The shell, the facade, was fine. Unfortunately, she was rotting from the inside out. Like the shiny apple that concealed the corruption of the worm deep inside. It occurred to her hungover mind that she was the perfect hybrid of Doctor Dolittle and Dorian Gray (41).
I like this example because it tells you so much about Helen: about her age, her chronic drinking, how she deals with it, her sense of humor, her denial. Her checklist is on the light side, but it hints at the tragic darkness to come. It's avoidable, yet inevitable.
If you like suspense novels that focus on interpersonal relationships, check out The Ninth Step and Jerkins' early novels as well. They'll keep you in their grip and leave you thinking about the story and characters long afterwards.
The Ninth Step, Jerkins' third novel, was released last month by Berkley Prime Crime. It's a fantastic read. It will especially freak you out if you're in a twelve step program or have ever worked the steps. Yes, The ninth step of the title refers not to stairs, but to step nine of the big twelve: "Made direct amends to to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others."
Edgar Woolrich is a happily married high school geometry teacher who collects Japanese puzzle boxes. Helen Patrice is a veterinarian and an alcoholic. When his obsession and her addiction cross paths the result is an intriguing story of who-done-what and who'll-do-what next. I love Jerkins' characters. Even though they are not always likeable, they have a realness and a warmth that makes them seem all so human. And in this case . . . oh, the humanity.
What I like about Jerkins' novels is that they're all so different from one another. I enjoy a good series, but it is also refreshing to read a good crime novelist who can create such solid stand alone novels that you're not left wishing the author had written a book more like the last one.
A Very Simple Crime (2010) was about a down on his luck prosecutor investigating a murder that takes him into the depths of a family's psychological abnormalities. At the End of the Road (2011) goes back in time to the summer of 1976 when a young boy witnesses an accident, tells no one, and what unfolds afterwards for the boy and others. I think of it as a coming of age novel with a creepy, dark core.
I don't want to say that The Ninth Step is his best yet, because that makes it sound like his two previous novels weren't up to snuff. They are. But what I especially admire about The Ninth Step is it's black humor. I often don't enjoy humor mixing with crime because it can seem too forced or too flip or too cruel. Jerkins uses humor in a way that acknowledges the pain of the human condition, but this humor also reveals that our pain is often the result of past choices, as well as showing the reality that we do have choices now, no matter how messed up things seem.
Here's an example from early on in the novel, about Helen:
The self-inspection did not reveal additional damage. Externally, Helen was still quite attractive--her breasts sagged only a little; her ass, while bigger than in the past, had not succumbed to gravity and was plump in a pleasingly feminine way; and the broken capillaries that formed a haphazard Etch A Sketch across her nose and cheeks were easily concealed with modest amounts of makeup. The shell, the facade, was fine. Unfortunately, she was rotting from the inside out. Like the shiny apple that concealed the corruption of the worm deep inside. It occurred to her hungover mind that she was the perfect hybrid of Doctor Dolittle and Dorian Gray (41).
I like this example because it tells you so much about Helen: about her age, her chronic drinking, how she deals with it, her sense of humor, her denial. Her checklist is on the light side, but it hints at the tragic darkness to come. It's avoidable, yet inevitable.
If you like suspense novels that focus on interpersonal relationships, check out The Ninth Step and Jerkins' early novels as well. They'll keep you in their grip and leave you thinking about the story and characters long afterwards.
pandemiclife's review
4.0
I received this book as a part of a giveaway a while ago. The author's style saved a potentially very predictable storyline. It is tight, terse, direct, and dark. My only problem is that it got a little too out of control and unbelievable near the end. It was like the third half of the book was a completely different universe than the first 70%.
kellyhager's review
3.0
If you asked her, Helen would tell you she's a functioning alcoholic. Lately, though, it's taking more and more alcohol to function. In fact, to be able to work as a vet (she owns her own practice), she has to start drinking during the day. And one night, she's driving home from the bar and gets in an accident.
Meanwhile, Edgar's life is perfect. He has a job he loves, a great marriage and his wife is pregnant. And then one night, he and his wife are driving home and they get in an accident.
Not surprisingly, this accident---that kills Edgar's wife---devastates Helen. She decides to get sober and joins AA. But she's having trouble with the ninth step---the one about making amends. She goes to see Edgar (not telling him who she really is) and they quickly fall for each other.
And then one day, she gets a note in the mail. "Does he know that you killed his wife?"
This was an interesting book. I'd heard good things about Grant Jerkins and I really liked the premise.
This book felt a little rushed to me (it's under 300 pages) and I'm not sure how Edgar---who was so destroyed by his wife's death that he kept creating charts to try and determine who was responsible and who visited the police station ALL THE TIME---would remarry in less than a year.
But even though I didn't particularly buy into that aspect of it, I did enjoy the book. The chapters are short, and it was very hard to put down.
Meanwhile, Edgar's life is perfect. He has a job he loves, a great marriage and his wife is pregnant. And then one night, he and his wife are driving home and they get in an accident.
Not surprisingly, this accident---that kills Edgar's wife---devastates Helen. She decides to get sober and joins AA. But she's having trouble with the ninth step---the one about making amends. She goes to see Edgar (not telling him who she really is) and they quickly fall for each other.
And then one day, she gets a note in the mail. "Does he know that you killed his wife?"
This was an interesting book. I'd heard good things about Grant Jerkins and I really liked the premise.
This book felt a little rushed to me (it's under 300 pages) and I'm not sure how Edgar---who was so destroyed by his wife's death that he kept creating charts to try and determine who was responsible and who visited the police station ALL THE TIME---would remarry in less than a year.
But even though I didn't particularly buy into that aspect of it, I did enjoy the book. The chapters are short, and it was very hard to put down.
scknitter's review
3.0
The Ninth Step is quirky, dark, well written and definitely different. I just wish I could have liked the main characters. I felt sorry for Edgar at first but by the end of the book I really didn't like either he or Helen - but, I also couldn't stop reading until the end.
I think this is more of a man's book. I just couldn't get over my feelings about Helen long enough to enjoy the wicked trail of deceit and twists and turns that Jerkins created.
I think this is more of a man's book. I just couldn't get over my feelings about Helen long enough to enjoy the wicked trail of deceit and twists and turns that Jerkins created.
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