Gary Reilly – Cannonball Read 17

Vacation Reading

All I Did Was Shoot My Man by Walter Mosley

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka

The Big Blowdown by George Pelecanos

Pickup At Union Station by Gary Reilly

February 22, 2020 by Jake Leave a Comment

I got some great reading done while I was on vacation this past week. No knockouts but a nice range of good-to-good-enough books. Didn’t have time or resources to catalogue each individually so I’ll do small reviews of every book here. All I Did Was Shoot My Man I continue to be pleasantly mystified by Walter Mosley’s Leonid McGill series. These books are so odd, so transgressive considering what else is out there. He clearly has a gift for this kind of writing. The plot […]

Tough Decisions

Dark Night of the Soul by Gary Reilly

February 5, 2020 by Jake Leave a Comment

I don’t know what to make of Gary Reilly’s Dark Night of the Soul. I liked it for what it is and it’s a vast improvement over its predecessor in the Murph series, Doctor Lovebeads. But it’s also a departure from the rest of the series, far more introspective and maudlin than the neo-cozy label it’s earned. There aren’t nearly as many laughs as I’m accustomed to in an Asphalt Warrior novel. The interesting thing about it is while Murph usually gets caught up in someone’s nonsense, this time, […]

Two Duds

The Wounded and the Slain by David Goodis

Doctor Lovebeads by Gary Reilly

January 21, 2020 by Jake Leave a Comment

How much does it suck when you read two books concurrent with one another by authors you normally like…and they turn out to be complete duds? I took time to write this review after finishing both books to wonder if it was just me. Nope. Both were not good and very close to bad. The Wounded and the Slain There are good ideas in this David Goodis noir tale: ideas about marriage, accountability, colonialism, loss, sense of place and justice. But they’re buried underneath Goodis’ […]

Let It Snow

Available Dark by Elizabeth Hand

Home For The Holidays by Gary Reilly

December 12, 2019 by Jake Leave a Comment

For the first time, I’m reviewing two books at once! Fortunately, both were solid 4-star reviews so I guess I don’t have to note that. Available Dark I read Generation Loss, the first book in the Cass Neary series over the summer and it absolutely knocked me off my feet. I don’t know what I expected but I didn’t expect that. I think it goes to show how the idea of having to “root for a character” in order to be invested is a crock of […]

Take It Easy

Heart of Darkness Club by Gary Reilly

October 30, 2019 by Jake Leave a Comment

I am a slacker at heart. Even though I work hard at my job and try to give a good effort in other endeavors in life, my goal is to just crawl somewhere and be left alone. I love my friends and I love my family, but I have no greater aspiration in this life than to have time to myself. Murph, the star of Gary Reilly’s Asphalt Warrior series, is a kindred spirit for me. He has a shabby apartment where he grills burgers, […]

Colorado Boulevard

Ticket to Hollywood by Gary Reilly

October 18, 2019 by Jake Leave a Comment

I have not always appreciated Amazon’s impact on the book market. I prefer indy bookstores when doing my shopping, especially used indy bookstores. However, if Amazon is good for one thing, it’s being able to produce obscure books that I would not otherwise discover. Mind you, it’s no skin off their nose to buy up and distribute Gary Reilly’s little known Asphalt Warrior series. If people like me find em and read em, great. If not, it’s not making or breaking their bottom line. So […]

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Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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