Customer Reviews

Cunning

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Forget PSYCHO (if you can), THE CUNNING is Bob Bloch's best book. Told with his legendary wit, this suspense tale has everything Bloch readers have come to expect -- psychological intrigue, murder, mystery, and black comedy. What Bloch adds to the usual mix is an examination of real life issues pressing down on his main character to the point where he contemplates suicide. Bloch makes you feel for his people through the depth of his characterization.

This work is more a mainstream thriller instead of the horror novel which it was marketed as. That marketing mistake probably cost this little known classic the audience it deserved.

Bloch deftly performs some dazzling literary feats within these pages, one of which is that he effortlessly weaves through the points of view of every character during the course of a single chapter, symbolically tying them all together.

Deliciously horrifying, sentimentally sweet, and tremendously funny all at the same time. Reading this, I knew I was in the presence of a master storyteller -- I laughed, I cried, I peed my pants. What more can you ask of a book?

While a perfectly adequate light diversion, I wouldn't say that there is anything in this short mystery novel to rave about. The writing is competent, and probably a cut above that which is found in most pulp fiction. The plot is coherent and utilizes the obligatory twists and ironies the reader would expect in this sort of story, although, personally, I thought these devices were predictable enough to be anticipated.

The element of this book which lifted it above the average for me was the deft way in which the author quickly and smoothly established an authentic feeling of rapport or understanding for the several characters. Of course, this is what gives zest to basically any fiction, but it is an absolute necessity in a tale such as this, which is told from the many-viewpoints angle.

Whether or not the reader relates to these characters might depend on age, because the action takes place within a retirement village. Oh, these are still-functioning and alert retirees, but cracks are beginning to appear in their facades. In fact, that is what provides the rationale for the events which unfold. Robert Bloch would have been in his early sixties when the book was copyrighted, so his personal experience of this time of life no doubt contributed to the air of authenticity.

To sum up, I found it to be mildly amusing, and entertaining enough to fulfill the requirements of diversionary reading, but suspect it may have more appeal to a more mature readership who will relate through personal experience to the situations of the protagonists.