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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Dusk do sprawl ", 16 Jun 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
I,ve never got how co-authors work . Is the dynamic 50/50? Does one of them , based on seniority probably, have ultimate veto over the material ? The reason i mention this is that Peter de Jonge ( not the most promising name for a thriller writer it must be said) has co-authored three books with best selling bloke James Patterson but this is his first solo effort.
Now i have never read anything by James Patterson so the blurb on the book that says hilariously " As good as James Patterson or your money back " doesn't really appeal to me .What i will say is that if James Patterson's books are anywhere near as good as "Shadows Still Remains " I will be reading them all.....very quickly indeed. This is a cracking thriller.
Too often thriller writers, well too many writers of all genres in truth, indulge in needless character exposition that anchors the narrative rather than propelling it forward. There are no such problems with Peter De Jonge who writes with a lean mean style that mirrors his main protagonist mean lean NYC cop Darlene O'Hara who is investigating the torture/murder of a glamorous student. Like Ellmore Leonard, like George P Pelecanos, like Don Winslow De Jonge gets to the nitty gritty of every scene with nothing extraneous. That's the way to write thrillers .
The book is not without flaws. Too many characters are drawn with broad strokes( an inherent flaw with the lean mean style maybe?)and in the case of the obese grouchy captain who wants things done his way or not at all a walking ( or should that be a waddling ) cliché. O'Hara though is a compelling character ,not without flaws herself , not least of which is her love of awful heavy metal. (She has named her son Axl after the screeching singer of Guns,N,Roses ) The twist ending is a little hard to swallow as well ,though it's not one that is easy to see coming .
Overall though this is a pacy relentless thriller with a grip like a pneumatic vice. Here's hoping Patterson's next book has the tagline As good as de Jonge or your money back.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly good, 4 Jun 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
Let me be honest upfront, when I saw that the author had worked with James Patterson previously, my heart sank. Patterson's approach to writing embodies much that is wrong with modern fiction; simplistic plotlines with shallow, poorly written characters, all set to a formula to produce a sensationalist cover to lure the unwary - you may gather I have little time for him.
There's nothing much new or inventive here, either, but it's an enjoyable tale, well told. If you read much detective fiction, you'll have encountered the characters, but the plot is believable, even if some elements are a little too conveniently concluded. As the author acknowledges, there is much that is stereotypical in the NYPD, so perhaps it's unreasonable to expect innovation in a cop novel.
I guess this will hook large numbers of people seeking something engaging for the beach, and it certainly fits the bill - it's not great literature, but nothing wrong with that - whatever, it's better than buying a Patterson novel .
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Telling Tale, 2 July 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
Use of short pacy chapters, alternation of differing scenarios, and narration of current and continuing events mainly in the form of present tense makes the telling persuasive and easy to read - in spite of irritating American language. As requested by his British publisher, at the end of `Shadows Still Remain' Peter de Jonge sets out how he writes - researching first and then producing a story rather than the more usual storyline first followed by research. After spending time in New York with detectives of the NYPD obvious results are topographical accuracy and the series of convincing descriptions of seedy and grim parts of the city, supported further by black and white photographs of some of the locations. Yet however intimate de Jonge's research may have been, the results from persona are somewhat implausible and readers may ponder over authenticity of observations and actions, particularly in view of a high degree of stereotyping of `good cops' and `bad cops'. Even so the main characters are made credible by the telling of `Shadows Still Remain' as an ongoing compelling narrative skilfully revealing and piecing together involvement of witnesses, suspects and accomplices. With evidence drip-fed it is not practicable to approach `Shadows Still Remain' as a `whodunnit' with all clues available to the reader, but de Jonge manages to introduce numerous intriguing twists and turns to his tale, and he exposes his conclusion as a bombshell. Gimmicky publicity promises a money-back guarantee of enjoyment - unlikely to be often called on.
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