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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling and engrossing; "The Searchers" for the modern era, February 29, 2008
This review is from: City of the Sun: A Novel (Hardcover)
In many ways, this compelling debut by David Levien is a retelling of the John Ford/John Wayne classic.
In "The Searchers", a young girl is kidnapped by raiding Commanches, and an aging ex-Texas Ranger -- aided by her adoptive brother -- tracks her down through the underbelly of Texas, their own contentious relationship turning into a partnership of mutual respect along the way.
In "City of the Sun", a young boy is kidnapped, and an aging ex-cop -- aided by the boy's father -- tracks him down through the sub rosa world of sex slavery, their own strained relationship turning into a partnership of mutual respect along the way.
"The Searchers" was a classic, and "City of the Sun" ably steps into those shoes as a literary retelling of a story with such raw emotional power.
The characters are fully three-dimensional and believable; you can feel the anguish and torment of the parents as their marriage slowly disintegrates in the aftermath of the kidnapping, and they desperately hope for the best while slowly growing to accept that their son has died, with all the attendant self-blame and guilt.
Frank Behr, the ex-cop, is meanwhile trying to deal with his own demons, and come to terms with the death of his own young son many years before.
A novel of complexity and great depth, written in a fluid and fast-paced style, this is a very solid five-star performance.
According to the flyleaf, this is the debut of a series featuring Behr; if so, I eagerly await the next installment.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You will read it in one night and then spend a few more thinking, March 17, 2008
This review is from: City of the Sun: A Novel (Hardcover)
CITY OF THE SUN is a fantastic work of fiction. You realize this within the first few sentences, the ones that sink hooks into your brain with every letter. These letters coalesce into words, sentences and paragraphs, and before you know it, the night is gone and the book is done. You're still on the edge of your seat, and your eyes are bleary (maybe a little wet, too).
Though this is not David Levien's first novel, he has been known primarily as a screenwriter. You may have seen his work on the film Ocean's 13, the television show "Tilt" and a number of other successful projects. None of what has gone before, however, will prepare you for this stark tale of good versus evil in its most basic form.
What Levien does is create a perfect modern noir tale around Frank Behr, a damaged, quietly bent ex-cop turned private detective whose people skills are somewhat lacking but whose strength and courage seem inexhaustible. Behr is based in Indianapolis, hardly a city one thinks of as being a hotbed of danger. But Levien transforms it into a fearsome locale within a few pages, with one simple yet horrific act: the disappearance of 12-year-old Jamie Gabriel while he is on his early morning paper route. The author gives the reader just enough to know that Jamie is in a very bad, if unknown, place. Unfortunately his parents, Paul and Carol, don't even possess that much knowledge.
With no trace of Jamie more than a year after his abduction, and a lackluster police investigation, the Gabriels turn to Behr, who reluctantly agrees to take the case. Still, he informs them that they must work from the assumption that their son is dead. His investigative technique is plodding, even boring, and as realistic as it gets: he waits, makes wrong turns and right moves, good guesses and bad mistakes.
One thing leads to another. Behr begins with a simple yet ingenious question, pursues it to the end, and then begins again. And again. His technique involves much more than kicking over rocks; he is slower, more deliberate and thoughtful. Since he knows in his own heart what happened to Jamie, there is no need to rush. His technique with the unwilling, on the other hand, is worth the price of admission all by itself. Behr also breaks his own immutable rule and allows Paul to join him in the investigation, an act that permits the men to form a solid if initially uneasy bond as they slowly but doggedly follow a long and deadly trail that leads to the answer regarding Jamie's fate.
CITY OF THE SUN is one of those novels that will keep you up for several nights running. You will read it the first night and then spend a few more thinking. I can't wait for Levien's next project!
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city." Proverbs, March 7, 2010
Hard knuckled P.I. Frank Behr reluctantly agrees to help Paul and Carol Gabriel search for their son Jamie, who has been missing for over a year.
Frank knows that the chances of finding Jamie are slim. He tells the Gabriels that even if they do find where the thirteen year old boy is, they might not find him alive.
Jamie never returned from his job of delivering newspapers. He loved being on his new bike and Frank uses this knowledge to get his first clue. He is able to contact one of his old snitches and gets the name of someone who used to steal children's bikes and resell them.
As the case moves forward, Paul Gabriel feels compelled to be doing something himself to aid in finding his son. He pleads with Frank to allow him to join Frank in the next part of the case. Maybe because Frank had lost a son himself, he breaks one of his cardinal rules and lets Paul join him.
The reader follows this dramatic story as the investigators get a lead and then something stands in the way of further success. It is like peeling an onion, a little at a time.
The novel shows a parent's faith and family love. The Gabriel's never give up and their faith holds them together. The story is well plotted with realistic characters and moves well with suspense that maintains the reader's interest.
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