Customer Reviews

Animal Rites

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Animal Rites is one of the best books of its kind. Having read some books about those avenging the unnecessarily abusive treatment of animals, I found this book to have many of the things that I loved about the others and found it free of some of the more stereotypical concepts that tended to annoy me in books like "Free the Animals" for example.

What you won't get is 300 pages that read like a PETA booklet. What you will get is an enthralling storyline of what can happen when selfish exploitation pushes the compassionate too far. Animal Rites is focused not only on the exploitation of animals for human frivolities, it also focuses on the connection between those who oppress animals and those who exploit human beings for profit as well.

Once I started reading this book I literally could not put it down. I seemed to forget the pages and words and instead saw the events playing out in my mind. The detail and fluidity are remarkable.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone.

Frank Noble did two tours in Vietnam and spent twenty years with the Secret Service when he left it all to move to the woods above Los Angeles in search of a little peace. He has his dog, Bones, and a family of bears living close by who have accepted Frank into their lives. But his peace is shattered when he discovers the mutilated bodies of two of the bears. With the help of a swarf named Marcell, Frank sets out after the poachers -- only to find himself drawn into a seamy underworld of illegal animal parts traffic, drugs, and child prostitution. Animal Rites is a deftly written, compelling novel that falls into that class of character-driven fiction so easy to pick up and so hard to put down!

Mr. Panno has come up with a colorful cast of characters that keep the plot moving from begining to explosive end. Frank Nobel is our reluctant hero who does what he gotta do. Marcel is classic as the sidekick. This novel has it all; People, bears, love, hate, sex, violence and sight gags. You
must read this book at least once.

I really enjoyed this book; a real page turner. The characters are well drawn and the story exciting. It's entertaining and also has something to say about animals and the way they are treated in our society. Check it out.

A good friend of mine recommended that I read Mike Panno's new book. First question...who's Mike Panno? When I got my copy, I started reading with a great deal of skepticism, which quickly gave way to annoyance at anyone or anything that interrupted me. I've read a few (sadly, very few) "page turners" in my life. This book caused a bit of anger towards myself that I couldn't read fast enough to find out what was coming next. A carefully crafted walk through several weird slices of oddly skewed Americana. I can't help but think of the thousands and thousands of people trying to figure out how to write a first novel. Uncountable classes "teaching" people to write (they should use Animal Rites as a lesson in character building). It's obvious no one had to teach Panno. You can't teach it. You can't learn it. You either have it or you don't.

It is a great adventure, great poetic lines and where the heck is the sequel? Marcell's attack on Cleve made me "squinch" but he did get what he gave. Wonderful writing. Discriptive without turning into Snow Falling on Cedars (I gave up on that book), colorful, insightful, perfect move from scene to scene. He is truly an author to be read and enjoyed. You'll love the experience and be looking for more.

Read this book twice because it was entertaining. The characters were layered right along with the plot, and kept my interest from beginning to end. Frank was indeed Noble. Marcell and his family provided a different twist on humor, passion, and unique experiences. Rudy even made me laugh, disgusting as he was. They were all vivid and interesting to follow. I've never rooted for a character as much as I did Marcell. This should be made into a movie starring Alec Baldwin.