Customer Reviews

Bag Men

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although a remarkably depressing story, with few characters you can actually empathize with, in many ways it was a pleasant departure from some of the traditional serial killer and "screenplay" style thrillers.

Being set back in a time before mine (1960s), in a city that I have only visited (Boston), I cannot vouch for its authenticity, but I can say that it seemed quite a beleivable cast and environment -- perhaps a little "hokey" at times when references to the hippie movement, tripping, and the drug culture are involved.

The most disconcerting point I found was that the story never really concluded. The book ended, and we are given some information on what happens to the characters, but I can't help feeling that one or more entire chapters were left out of the back of my copy.

This tale of two Irish brothers from Boston, captures the essence of a specific time and place, Boston 1965. Flood manages to portray Boston in the drug addled 60's at a time when the Catholic Church and race relations were both under extreme controversy. It isamazing that within his complex and action packed plot Flood takes the time to acurately portray Boston in such a way that being a Bostonian myself, I was blown away by the sheer amount of image evoking descriptions and observations of my hometown. This made the book even more realistic and enthralling, elevating a great thriller into the category of Great literature. Unlike Grisham whose cardboard cutout characters are undistinguishable from one another, Flood is a superior character writer who has supreme command of his story and geography, written in fine, terse language that harkens back to Chandler and Hammet. If Americans knew their ass from their elbow about great writing, BAGMEN would be number 1 on the bestseller list and NOT The Firm. However, dispersions cast against my ignorant countrymen aside, I hungrily look forward to Mr. Flood's next work, God Bless His Beantown Soul

John Flood's Bag Men takes place in the Boston of 1965, post JFK assassination and pre MLK assassination. The old order crumbles to give way to the new. The Catholic church plans to conduct mass in English. The boys in blue who've always kept order with their fists are under scrutiny for the beating of three black choirboys on Christmas Eve. And on the streets, addicts die in record numbers from strange new synthetic drugs.

The book opens with the body of a murdered priest, found on a snowy runway at Logan Airport. Ray Dunn, assistant D.A. and son of a cop who was on the take, investigates the killing as his younger brother Biff joins up with the guys at Narcotics. In the background: the shadowy hand of the federal government conducting experiments on psychiatric patients.

Bag Men fulfills its potential as a suspenseful read with an unguessable climax. Some of the secondary characters are a little weak, but the primary characters are interesting enough to keep the reader's attention on the story. One note: John Flood is the pseudonym of Mark Costello, a federal prosecutor in Boston and author of Big If. Bag Men is the more rough-hewn of the two books. So if you read Bag Men and enjoy it, do yourself a favor and read Big If as well.

Mr Flood's book is a very worthy first effort. Although meant to be a thriller, the emphasis is on character - where it should be. The early part of the novel does a good job of setting the scene and letting you get to know the main characters, Roy Dolan and Manning. Assuming that Mr. Flood, a pseudonym, practices anywhere in the Boston area, it was wise to keep his real name disguised. The picture he paints of offical Boston is not pretty. Granting that this is still a genre novel, the effect is convincing. Unfortunately, Mr. Flood places less emphasis on character in the latter half of the book and stresses action instead. This wasn't a surprise but it is a disappointment. At the end I wanted to know more about the characters

You don't need to be from Boston or to have visited there to enjoy this book. A first class novel, with great dialog, fast-paced action, and many surprises. The author's legal background adds to the credibility of the story line. I would highly recommend this novel for dyed-in-the-wool mystery fans, as well as for those who would like to experience a new dimension in reading enjoyment

Cliched caricatures vie for the attention of Scorcese, or at least Ben Affleck, in this smug, reactionary hack-job. Aside from its self-satisfied, cloying style, the story also suffers from a paternalistic attitude toward women, pubescent comprehension of recent history, and complete inability to put together original, convincing dialog.

This was the first John Flood book that I read and it was okay. It was set in 1960s Boston which I found to be interesting. The plot was somewhat predictable and the writing style provided enjoyable reading. I would like to read another book by John Flood to determine why I wasn't overjoyed with the book. I believe it may have been because of the characters. There were police, doctors, lawyers, priests and spouses and none of them were likable. All the characters were shady and dishonest and it was impossible to find any integrity.

The novel has a complex plot with no winners. There are flashbacks to establish characters and relationships. Various sub-plots wind together to reach a conclusion, but it's not a complete conclusion, even with the epilogue. If you are looking for a clean, clear-cut case, with a hero prevailing, this is not the book for you.

The setting is Boston in the early 1960's. The story deals with the seamier side of life. There were still open racial prejudices, and police who kicked down doors and beat non-white citizens who they thought might be guilty of something, especially if they were in the wrong neighborhood. Drug dealers, informers, and police did their thing, with payoffs in both directions.

The main consideration was image. Things could be done to cover up potential scandals that might embarrass the government, the church, or high placed individuals and their families. You could get ahead by playing the game, or get trampled by going against the establishment. Spear carriers sometimes get sacrificed, like pawns in a chess game.

Great character development. A great plot. A lot of action. An explosive ending. What more could you want