Customer Reviews

Already Gone

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

When a book starts out with the main character getting a finger lopped off by a couple of hoods, and proceeds to get weird from there, well, you can consider yourself warned. This isn't your standard thriller, isn't your standard mystery; it isn't a standard anything. It's like a printed version of a carnival fun-house, where everything is off-kilter, shocks and surprises become the norm, and nothing is quite what it appears. And it's unforgivingly addictive. Don't even think about picking it up if you have anything else to do for the day.

I won't even try to summarize the plot, because I can't give any detail without giving away some of the surprises. Suffice to say, you'll be seeing the world through "9-finger" Jake's eyes, trying to figure out why his whole world is coming apart. Although he's not an entirely sympathetic fellow, it's awfully hard not to empathize with his plight. None of the characters are fully fleshed out, but I believe that's deliberate, to keep the reader off-balance and guessing.

If I was to nit-pick, the one flaw this book has is Jake's behaviour. Given his background as a hard-bitten child of the streets, he can be awfully naïve at times, and tends to get man-handled a lot. I can understand showing some restraint in order to keep his marriage together, but he really does seem overly dainty.

Most books tend to have a character or style that reminds me of another character or author. Not this one: it's one of those rare books that's truly innovative and unique. It's absolutely brilliant, easily in the top three of about 100 books I've read in the past year. I'd highly recommend this to just about anybody!

I just put this book down and practically ran to the computer to write this review. If you like a good thriller, buy this book. Mystery? Buy this book. Page-turner? Ditto.

I discovered John Rector's work by accident. I saw and liked the cover art for "The Grove," thought the description was intriguing, and took a chance on it. It turned out to be one of my favorite books of the year: taut, suspenseful, and a terrific exploration of a wounded mind. I then went right to Rector's "The Cold Kiss," and found the same qualities there that I had loved before: riveting suspense, believable characters, and more than a few gasp-out-loud moments. Needless to say, I was eager to see what Mr. Rector would come up with next, and I wasn't disappointed. "Already Gone" is a terrific thriller, following a college professor with a questionable past as his life unravels around him at a breakneck pace. One of the things I liked most about the novel was its opening: the reader barely has cracked it open when an act of shocking violence occurs. We don't know why it occurs or anything about the hero. But then, rather than jumping into a ton of background and exposition, Rector gives us tiny bits and pieces about the story's hero, leaving his past - and all the "Why's" of the story - a mystery for quite some time. As a reader who doesn't like things obviously spelled out, I found this choice brilliant. Once the plot gets going, you'll meet some unforgettable characters and be taken through some incredible and creative twists - all of which I found in keeping with the story, style, and genre. Once I hit the halfway point, I couldn't put it down and read well into the night.

One thing: I noticed on this page that one reader talked about how sadistic the novel's violence is. I seem to recall a similar comment on the page for "The Grove." I don't know if it's the same person, but regardless, I totally disagree. Rector's stories are dark, to be sure, but "sadistic" is absolutely overkill. His style is lean and direct, even sparse, but never gratuitous. (I'd bet that the reviewer prefers more old-fashioned mysteries.)

Rector is the real deal, and I hope he finds the audience he deserves. Give this book a shot, as well as "The Grove" and "The Cold Kiss."

You have to admire this novel's very strong, clean and straightforward writing style. It evokes the noir feeling of a 1940s "B" crime flick in tone and its characters. There is a credible sense of threat and foreboding well maintained throughout the novel. The story is full of hard-drinking men, classic gangsters and women who are dames (unblinking opportunists). The storyline is also pretty good. A young man who started a successful academic career but has a rough past suddenly finds his life going south. He is viciously attacked outside a bar; his new wife disappears and he is continuously harassed by a cop and a shadowy group of toughs in suits. Increasingly desperate to find out what happened to his wife, the protagonist is sucked up into situation that rapidly becomes beyond his control. The story ends in a very unexpected and maybe not completely credible way (my opinion.)

For all its real strengths, "Already Gone" is less successful when it crosses the line into excess. The book's protagonist is too frequently completely clueless about what's happening around him. The author has also made him a perpetual punching bag for the bad guys. Other characters radically morph as the tale is told. While the latter process is sometimes a strength, I thought it ultimately went overboard. This is a book done with some skill but which comes up somewhat short on reflection.

I really think 4.5 stars, but here goes....

"AmazonEncore identifies exceptional yet overlooked books and works with the authors to introduces or re-introduce their books to our readers." And such it is with ALREADY GONE by John Rector, a really very very good read. Seems like it would have caught on the first time around. This is a story about Jack and Diane....it is!! Pretty darn good mystery since both have secrets from before their marriage. Read This One, RECOMMENDED

Already Gone is a relatively quick read. The character development is sloppy, as is much of the plot. The best summation I could give of the novel itself is that it's comparable to any of the James Patterson series within the last 3 years. James Patterson started out strong with a number of books that follow a similar layout to Already Gone. However, over the last 3 years these books have taken on the voice of an AP English high school student -- the same holds true to Already Gone.

What's frustrating, in my opinion, with Already Gone is that what starts out as a believable/realistic storyline warps into Gangs of New York meets the agents from The Matrix. If the creativity and time spent on developing the torture scenes was spread throughout the rest of the book, there is not a doubt in my mind that John Rector would be one of my favorite new authors.

Jake Reese is a mild-mannered university professor who confronts trouble when his finger is cut off one night by two goons he doesn't recognize. His past is not the traditional one of professors but rather, a troubled history of juvenile detention and a father who died in jail. Jake thinks one of his youthful transgressions has come back to haunt him. When this mess spills out into his marriage, and his wife disappears, Jake's life becomes a dangerous race to figure out who wants to hurt him and why.

The writing is good, clear prose. The author has an interesting and fresh way of description. For example, there is Jake's impression of a ride in a luxury car: "The seats are leather and soft. It's like sitting on kittens." Despite the effective writing style, though, the reader cannot get close enough to Jake, even though he's the first-person narrator, to care too much about what happens to him. Even when Jake is in mortal peril, there's not that much tension. The plot is complex and well-explained, but its execution feels almost mechanical. This book will make a great action movie, but there's not enough heart here for a meaningful read.

Nobody writes suspense like John Rector, and his newest novel doesn't disappoint. I love a book that keeps you guessing until the end, and Already Gone certainly did that. I love the cast of well-formed characters, and the plot twists are gripping and fast-paced. I think The Cold Kiss is still my favorite, but I loved this book and recommended it to everyone.

THE COLD KISS was the first John Rector book I read (and loved) so when ALREADY GONE came out it was a foregone conclusion that I'd read it. Opened it up on Saturday afternoon and finished it the next day, which is rare for me. The thing is, once I started, I couldn't stop. This book is so fast paced I could barely catch my breath. It practically turns the pages for you. I never had a chance to wonder about what the next plot twist would be because it was off and running before I could even guess. It was just a whole lot of fun (and violence, but I'm cool with that).

Do yourself a favor. Before you crack open this book, cancel all your appointments. Call in sick to work. Make no plans. Because once you start reading it, you won't want to stop until you turn the last page.

I gave this book two stars for the thrill quality - but I really feel that it only deserves one star.

This book is written in a very simplistic style - it's lacking in any real substance other than drama. Even the plot line is thin, the characters are poorly developed...instead of empathizing with the key characters (which was the author's intent) I found myself just annoyed with them. The plot line is predictable, and the ending is pedantic.

This one goes in the donation box - I won't even offer it to my friends.

Already Gone was an easy read. I quickly read through the chapters and found myself growing anxious. This is one of those stories that leaves you wondering who the bad guys really are. The main characters are Jake & Diane. Jake has a sketchy past & is trying to clean himself up after marrying a girl shortly after meeting her. Diane doesn't seem to have much of a history at all and is always pushing Jake to do the right thing. That all changes one night when Jake is assaulted for what seems to be a random act of violence but when you dig deeper it appears not so random. From there you are led on a journey that always leaves you guessing. Filled with violence, criminal activity, loyal friends and a love that could be blind, you are never left bored. As I got closer to the end, I kept reading, wanting to know the truth once & for all. This was the only place I was left a little disappointed. With all the action in this book, I expected it to go out with a bigger bang. Instead it just sort of fizzled out. Also, one of my pet peeves is loose strings & there were a few here. I was left wondering about the fate of a certain character & a plot twist that we never know the resolution to. Overall, this was a good read. Great for travel!