Hard Freeze (Joe Kurtz Thriller) [Hardcover]

I was actually praying last year that Dan Simmons would write a follow-up novel to his excellent "private eye" thriller, HARDCASE. Think of the early "Burke" novels by Andrew Vachss, and you have an idea just how dark, violent, suspenseful and entertaining this debut series is. When I found out that a new "Joe Kurtz" novel was in the works, I jumped up and down, singing praises to the gods above, wondering if I could hang in there till the book was published. Well, I made it, and HARD FREEZE is finally out. That's not all, either. Not only is HARD FREEZE better than the first "Joe Kurtz" novel (if that's even possible), but Mr. Simmons is now working on a third book in this fabulous series about an ex-P.I./ex-con who's hard as nails, yet has a code of honor reminiscent of the Japanese samurai. This time around, Kurtz has to do battle on several fronts. First and foremost, there's a contract out on him. Stephen "Little Skag" Farino, who's still in Attica, wants Kurtz dead because the P.I. knows too much about the Farino family business, especially with regards to the deaths of his father and older sister. Little Skag has his younger sister, Angelina, hire the necessary killers to take Kurtz out, but they prove to be no match for our dark hero. When Angelina sees just how good Kurtz really is, she decides to use him to kill mobster Emilio Gonzaga, who's trying to take over the Farino business, and to neutralize her older brother, who's due for parole in a few months. As if this wasn't enough to deal with, Kurtz is also being followed by two cops who want a little helping of revenge for the death of Detective Hathaway six months before. While Kurtz is trying to stay alive, his homeless friend, Pruno, gets him to help a dying concert violinist, John Wellington Frears, hunt for a serial killer that murdered his daughter. But wait, that isn't all. Kurtz is also keeping an eye on Donald Rafferty, the legal guardian of Rachel Fielding (the daughter of Kurtz's dead partner, Samantha). He's afraid that something bad is going to happen to Rachel and is ready to kill Rafferty, if it does. On top of everything else, Kurtz's secretary, Arlene, is pushing him to help find some new office space and to come up with $35,000.00 to start a new Internet business. Last but not least, Buffalo, New York is having the worse snowstorm of its history, and when the snow finally melts, there's going to be a dozen dead bodies scattered around the city for the local police to deal with, compliments of Joe Kurtz. HARD FREEZE is an intensely dark and utterly violent novel with touches of humor mixed in and a hero that isn't always the most likeable person in the world. It starts out at a brisk pace with the Three Stooges (three ex-cons from Attica) trying to take Joe Kurtz out and doesn't let up till after the final battle at the end when Kurtz will have to tangle with one of the most deadly serial killers around and a skilled martial arts expert that makes Bruce Lee seem like a Boy Scout. Not only does author, Dan Simmons, manage to expertly juggle a large number of intricate plot points and to tie up each one by the end of the book without it seeming forced or contrived, but he also creates a somber atmosphere with Buffalo, New York as the backdrop that is perfect for this type of story. The reader is with Joe Kurtz throughout the entire journey, rooting for his survival and for him to take out the bad guys. Mr. Simmons not only fulfills the reader's expectations in every way imaginable, he leaves the reader wanting more, and that is a skill only an accomplished writer can achieve. I'm now eagerly awaiting the third book in the series, knowing that it will probably be at least a year or longer before I can once again enter the thoroughly entertaining world of Joe Kurtz. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Joe Kurtz, ex-PI, has been out of Attica only four months, after serving a twelve year sentence for manslaughter, when he finds himself bombarded by hit men hired by the Farinos, an upstate New York crime family interested in making him dead. And then there's a dying violinist who thinks Kurtz might still be a PI and asks him to look into the case of a dead child killer who just might not be dead. The two plots soon converge, in a clash of bumbling Farino family bodyguards, the lovely and dangerous Farino daughter Angelina Farino Ferrara, two crooked cops who would just love to catch on-parole Kurtz carrying a gun, a freezing cold Buffalo winter, and the most dangerous element of all -- a serial killer hiding behind a big name right out in the open.

HARD FREEZE, Dan Simmons's second book about this tough, relentless anti-hero Joe Kurtz, is hardboiled, gritty, and full of dead bodies. How many were there? I never managed to keep count but the total kept rising, Kurtz carrying out a few too many of his own executions for me to be comfortable, and the bad guy spurred onward by the cheesiest motivation imaginable to justify his horrible treatment of teenage girls. The dialogue also left a lot to be desired; no Elmore Leonard here. Still, the story is fast paced with just a hint of heartless romance, characters who thankfully remain true to their type, and a justice for the bad guy terrible enough to satisfy even Joe Kurtz.

If you like tough and bloody hardboiled tales about cruelty and violence, ex-cons and crooked cops, and outside-the-law heros who never give up fighting for their own, HARD FREEZE is sure to satisfy.

Joe Kurtz, the anti-anti-hero of Dan Simmons' latest crime novel, "Hard Freeze," is one tough ..... If you've read "Hard Case," Simmons' first foray into the hard-boiled world of crime drama, you know a little of what to expect from Kurtz and company this time out-but only a little, because Simmons has truly outdone himself with "Hard Freeze." If "Hard Case" was a cool little jazz combo swinging away for all it was worth, its sequel is a speaker-blowing blast of rock `n' roll that's guaranteed to hit you where it counts. And hit you hard.

"Freeze" begins shortly after "Case" left off, with the ex-con, ex-P.I. Kurtz on the run from the Farinos, an upstate New York crime family eager to get him back behind bars-or better yet, in the ground. Kurtz must also face an adversary even more threatening than the family's cut-rate wise guys (who admittedly aren't all that wise): winter in Buffalo. It's one of the coldest in history, and even the most stoic Buffalonians are admitting it's a little cool out. If that's not enough, the city has also decided to condemn the abandoned porno shop Kurtz and his secretary have been using as a base of operations. So, when all of the elements conspire against him, what's an ex-con to do?

Kurtz keeps himself busy. While avoiding the Farinos and a pair of crooked cops on his tail, he soon becomes entangled in the dealings of a white-collar child molester/serial killer who might very well be hiding behind a prominent false identity. In the process of bringing the killer to justice, Kurtz must avoid being squashed like a bug between the greasy wheels of city politics and organized crime. He must also make sure not to loose his footing in a deadly dance of power he's fallen into with the shrewd, estranged daughter of the Farino family, the beautiful Angelina Farino Ferrara. Both Kurtz and Ferrara are out to use the other for their own purposes, while trying not to get used up themselves. It's all very romantic, in a cold-blooded sort of way.

Simmons has managed to create something intriguing and vastly entertaining in the character of Joe Kurtz. Kurtz is like a great white shark, long acclimated to the icy depths of his own solitary world: he's compelled to move forward in order to survive, and is ready to devour anything or anyone that obstructs his path. And yet, from page one, he's got the reader's sympathy. There's something about his amoral lack of guile that's kind of endearing.

With his second Kurtz novel, Simmons has honed his ability to write in the hard-boiled genre to a dog-bothering pitch. "Hard Freeze" is lean and mean, with nary an ounce of excess fat. Even if you're not a fan of the genre, you can't help but be carried along by the sheer force of Simmons' vigorous storytelling. He creates tension and suspense and moves his characters about with the able, foresighted dexterity of a grandmaster sitting down for a game of chess.

Simmons has deservedly won high accolades and praise for his writing in many styles and genres (horror, science fiction, historical fiction, travel narrative, and mainstream). Wherever his restless muse next leads him, Dan Simmons is sure to take with him an ever-growing legion of readers. The jacket copy of "Hard Freeze" promises another Joe Kurtz novel in the near future, and Simmons is reportedly also working on a massive new science fiction epic to rival his Hyperion novels. One of Simmons' own farcaster portals couldn't get me there fast enough.