Customer Reviews

Black Water Transit

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't know how I missed Stroud's first two books, but I couldn't be happier that I did find Black Water Transit. Stroud is an enormously gifted writer, with exceptional plotting skills, a fine gift for characterization, and a Damon Runyonesque sense of humor. It takes a lot to make me laugh, but some of the observations (placed in darker moments, which makes them all the more laudable) had me merrily, appreciatively chortling away. Nothing in this book is predictable; none of the characters are cliched, but are original and entirely memorable. There's not a wasted word; there's no unnecessary padding. The narrative takes off in high gear and never lets up for a moment. This is a book not to be missed! I'm now off to order Close Pursuit and Sniper's Moon.
Most highly recommended.

When Jack Vermillion returned home from serving his country as a marine in Viet Nam, he came back with titanium for a spine and the drive to become successful as a civilian. Jack takes a tiny shipping firm, Black Water Transit, and soon turns it into a multi-million dollar giant. Perhaps because he has always been a workaholic, Jack's only failure is his son, a resident of the Feds in Lompoc Correctional Facility.

Frantic to help his desperate son leave Lompoc where he is choice meat, Jack finds the avenue when US Army (R) Colonel Earl Pike hires Black Water to illegally ship a gun collection to Mexico. Jack cuts a deal with the Feds to move his son to a less secure facility in exchange for Pike and his collection. However, law enforcement organizations fail to communicate as New York State police officer Cassandra Spandau goes after Pike at the same time. The subsequent shoot-out between the AFT and NYPD leaves several cops dead and everyone blaming Jack.

BLACK WATER TRANSIT is an action-packed police procedural thriller written with intelligence and wit. The story line never allows the reader to blink as Carsten Stroud paints a strong but gloomy look at a government's dirty tricks and Lady Macbeth levels of ambition; no one in authority seems to mind whether an innocent is grinded into chopped meat. Dark humor adds to the edge yet also eases some of the tensions of this powerful plot. Mr. Stroud deserves sub-genre attention because this is one terrific novel.

Harriet Klausner

I loved Stroud's book and thought Black Water Transit was one of the most original plots that I have read in a long time. Jack Vermilion, the main character is successful businessman and the owner of Black Water Systems a shipping company. He enjoys the sucesses of his life except for his dissapointing son, Danny, a thief and drug addict. In federal prison, Danny calls and begs for help. In an effort to help his son, Jack turns informant on a client, Earl Pike, who wants to ship some guns to Mexico. When feds move in to yank the shipment, several agents are killed and of course Jack is blamed and not Pike. Pike, a former army colonel and sniper feels he has been betrayed by Jack and starts his own personal vendetta. The edgy writing of the story gives it the added substance that some writers lack. The characters were razor-sharp and very believable. This is the type of book that you won't want to put down until you are finished. Although, I initially had some problems with going back and forth in the chapters with the different story lines and characters, in the long run it was one hell of a read!...

This fellow can write. This book makes even Thanksgiving with your inlaws bearable. It is funny, poignent, and irresitable. The characters are real, you will feel their pain. I just wish dialogue in real life was quite as apt.

Five stars, a terrific book.

You hear this a lot in book reviews, but this is a novel that you need to prepare to read in one sitting. The author ties together several subplots to weave a very taut, exciting story. There is plenty of action, good character development and a sense of intrigue that keeps you reading just to find out what happens next. This is one of the best police novels I have read in quite awhile. Although somewhat violent, it all feeds the plot line quite well without being gratuitous. I highly recommend this book.

Hard to believe that Stroud is the author of the nicely paced and beautifully written "Lizardskin." With "Blackwater Transit," Stroud seems to be relying as much on a quirky writing style as much as he is on plotting - so much so that his storytelling gets in the way of his storytelling. Call this a novel with an excess of style. Too bad.

Black Water Transit by Carsten Stroud is a taut, nail biting thriller that I could not put down! (Yes, I know that it's cliche, but in this case it's true!)

I do not normally read crime fiction, and only chose this book when I ran out of other reading material... I did not realize what I was getting into! Stroud is very witty and has a narrative style unlike I've ever read. He writes in such a way that you understand exactly what words sound like coming from the characters' mouths, and he captures the essence of internal thought and turmoil like they were your own thoughts.

The action of this book is very fast-paced, and he endears you to the characters very quickly. The plot is sinuous and keeps you guessing until the very end. This book has everything from romance to the Mob, from bad-guys who turn good to good-guys who turn bad, and revenge coming out the wazoo (technical term)! I recommend this book to anyone!!

Kept me up past my bedtime - need I say more? Will be enjoyed by those who like a good Bruce Willis action film.

Earl V. Pike tools along in his pristine Mercedes. An errant driver toys with him. But Pike holds his growing rage within . . . for now.

Carsten Stroud has written a perfect suspense novel. Pike is but the first of many well drawn characters who feel and sound real. There's Earl V. Pike. Jack Vermillion, parter in Black Water Transit, a shipping company. His partner Cheek Johnson. And more.

I don't like to describe plots and story lines because I feel it detracts from the pleasure of approaching a novel fresh, withoout a hint of what happens between the covers.

But I don't mind at all telling you that Stroud's characters are rich, his plots and sub-plots intense and believable and, most happily, every page compels you to read the next and the next.

Stroud is an absolute master and "Black Water Transit" is perfect suspense.

Jerry

Black Water Transit is like many thrillers -- interesting enough to finish but forgettable right after finishing them. Stroud's plot is interesting but not particularly memorable, and the same applies to his characters. While Black Water Transit is entertaining, I couldn't develop a strong sense of caring about what was to happen and to whom it was to happen. As a result, I often found myself checking to see how many pages I had left so that I could move on to my next book. Overall, I wouldn't recommend that you rush out to read Black Water Transit. On the other hand, I don't think you'll be disappointed if you do decide to read it. For me, reading Black Water Transit was like chewing a piece of gum --the taste while chewing it is familiar and enjoyable, but because the taste is similar to most other pieces I've chewed, it becomes forgettable soon after experiencing it.