Ghostman (Jack White Novels, #1) (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)

by Roger Hobbs

[Beth C.]

The Ghostman is no one and everyone. He does his job (robbery of some sort) and then he disappears so thoroughly that most people who ever thought they knew him think he's dead. He doesn't stay in the same place very long before moving to another. He had a name once - but no one knows what it is. It can be a boring life, punctuated by moments of extreme excitement when doing a job. He's one of the best. But when he gets an email from someone he worked with in the past, someone the Ghostman owes big, things change. Suddenly he's on the FBI's radar, being hunted by one of the biggest (and scariest) drug lords around, and trying to find the money stolen in a huge heist that went badly. So, really - what could go wrong?

I wasn't sure what to expect - a debut book can be a risk, and often is far from living up to the hype. I was curious though, since the author is from Portland, and a few parts of the book are set here. Even though this is not my preferred genre, I was in for a terrific ride. Once the book starts, there is little pause - it's like riding a roller coaster while sitting on the couch. I ended up reading the entire book through in one sitting, even when I knew darn good and well I should be heading to bed.

I like the way the past is interspersed with the present - it's never confusing, and yet the back story goes a long way to explain what is going on in the present. It's very well done. There is some slightly graphic violence, and the comparison to Pulp Fiction is, in some ways, fairly apt. But it never crosses the line between advancing the story line and gratuitous. The knowledge base demonstrated in this novel is absolutely incredible and fascinating to an extreme.

I'm glad I decided to give this novel a shot. I'm certain that my husband will enjoy it as well, so it's destined for his nightstand next. I hope that Hobbs continues to write, and more stories of the Ghostman would be destined to end up on MY nightstand first!