Customer Reviews

Cut And Run

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

 

 

This is a rerelease of a 1989 Carla Neggers novel. However I had not read it, so I bought it thinking it was new. This is not a bad novel it is just not quite up to her other novels. With a three star rating you can understand that it was OK but it was dated because of the time setting. I guess that is why it didn't appeal to me, but if you have already read it beware is has a new cover.

Julianna Fall is a concert pianist, she is given a large uncut diamond by her Uncle. The Minstrel's Rough is a large uncut diamond held by her family for over four hundred yrs. No one has proof of its existance. At least that is what they think.

Matthew Stark is a journalist, he was also in the Vietnam war which plays a large part in this story. He is following a story that leads him to Julianna and the diamond.

There is a very bad man who wants the diamond and will do anything to get it. Then there is a senator who is willing to do anything to keep a secret from the Vietnam War. Then there is the person who knows that the diamond is real and he has told these men all about it.

Now only Matthew and Julianna stand between them and the diamond they covet.

It may only be me but I simply did not like the Nazi connection, or the vietman war references. It was slow and I just did not like it.

I loved, loved, loved this book and couldn't put it down. I can't get enough of Negger's current books, but her older books are fabulous, too. I haven't read all of them, so it's a treat when they are reissued because they are out of print.

CUT AND RUN had a lot of elements that I didn't know. Like the occupation of the Netherlands, the history of the diamond industry there, and I didn't know a lot of the Vietnam chopper stuff either. I enjoyed this book as much as I did CLAIM THE CROWN, which is one of my all time "old" favorites by her.

I'm a huge Carla Neggers fan!! I totally got into this book... loved the background on diamonds, Juliana Fall is a fascinating character and Matthew Stark is to die for!!!

I love a good mystery. This lived up to that with a little love on the side. Kept me guessing, and that's the fun of it. Little too much sexual content for me, but I could skip over that description.

Having had just read "On Fire" I was unsure about reading another book by Carla Neggers this soon. Glad I did! I really enjoyed this one, I could not put this one down. I read it in one night.

I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery, the history, the romance, the details.
I love J.J. and her outfits. I get frustrated with her mother but I can understand why she keeps her secrets. I love Matthew who carries the air of Bogey. I love grumpy Aunt Wille. Carla brings characters to life! I am in the process of collecting ALL her books- this is my fifth.

Cut and Run is a re-release of a 1989 novel. Although labeled as "Romantic Suspense" by the publisher, this book provides a better read when the reader thinks Suspense because the romance element does not develop until the end and holds the attention less than the suspense and character histories.

Johannes Peperkamp attends a concert of his niece, Juliana Falls, in the Netherlands. In a private moment, he gives her a diamond, the Ministrel's Rough. Legends dating back to the 1500s surround this gem which also has a more recent history with the Peperkamp family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Juliana is the last in the Peperkamp line and the tradition passes to her. To family outsiders the stories of the largest uncut diamond in the world are merely legend. No one has been able to prove its existence because no one outside the family has seen it...but someone leaked the secret and now the diamond carries another legacy with it -- danger! Matthew Stark, a Vietnam hero and current day journalist, chases down the story. Trails lead him back to Vietnam and a U.S. Senator and a Nazi collaborator. Can he uncover the details for his story without risking lives? Will his hunt uncover Juliana's close-held secrets? Will her family survive?

Readers will be intrigued by the character of Juliana, a world renowned classical pianist with secrets in the world of classical music. Normally dressed in a controlled elegance, she has taken to hair dye (not just blond or black but pink!) and outrageous clothing. It's not just the clothes either. She sneaks out in her J.J. Pepper disguise and plays jazz (!) and blues at a local night club. Will her music mentor Shuji disown her if he discovers the full truth? Juliana is an only child, used to solitude and intense focus on her art with little care for the outside world or expected female roles in society. When history, legend and current conflicts interrupt her solitude, can she save herself and the diamond?

The story is great, the characterization is great, the look into history, both WWII and the Vietnam war legacies, was fascinating. Cut and Run readers might find discover some nice reading reflections on choices people make in war time and even outside of war. How did everyday people during Vietnam and WWII find those voices of courage and also those who did not act in courage?

Often scene changes create or add to the atmosphere of suspense and allow the reader to see all the threads leading into the nexus of the major event. Here, however, the rapid and frequent scene changes did not increase the suspense but scattered the natural flow that seemed to emerge from the awesome characters' stories. If Carla Neggers had just made each scene twice as long before switching, readers would have had the time to become more emotionally invested in the characters and the characters here are worth the emotional investment.

This re-release is a fun read and a good way to intro into Carla Neggers work. It has all her trademark elements and you can enjoy them as they are just as fresh now as they were when it first came out. In fact, it's fun to go back and rediscover the depth of character and intricacy of plot that Neggers does so well. No one should disparage a re-release simply because it's been out before. You should savor it one more time because it's well worth the trip.

I can't believe that I was stupid enough to not look more carefully. I avoid re-releases like the plague. Plus, it really wasn't that great. Not up to the standards of her current releases.

One Star: Just because it is a re-release!