DOG EAT DOG [Paperback]

Edward Bunker (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: St Martins Pr (1996)
• ASIN: B000OTHU4Q
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Flawed but Real, May 11, 2000

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dog Eat Dog: A Novel (Paperback)

Edward Bunker is the real deal when it comes to crime writers, having served hard time in the California penal system, and it shows in this bleak work. A trio of reform school friends are reunited many years later, when the leader is released after 12 years in jail. One is a Teamster thug/family man, the second is a junkie psychopath, and the leader is the brains and charisma. The tension builds, and the threat of violence is everywhere as they embark on a few scams together and dislike between the family man and junkie becomes more and more open. In a story like this, there is only possible outcome, so the bleak ending comes as no surprise. It's reminiscent of the movie "Heat", where the reader starts to like some of the criminals and then sees them topple for almost absurd reasons. One small caveat about this book is that Bunker is none too subtle in preaching his critique of the criminal justice system. Points that are made over and over through the character's mouths are: (1) They were bad kids, but the system made them into adult criminals; (2) There is no such thing as justice; (3) In the criminal world your best friend can turn on you at the drop of a hat; (4) The "3 strikes" law only serves to make career criminals more desperate when down tot he last strike. If you don't mind the proselytizing, this is a great, nasty, page-turner.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars non-glamorous crime masterpiece, October 16, 2000

By 

Joshua David (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dog Eat Dog: A Novel (Paperback)

Edward Bunker's "Dog Eat Dog" may lack the sophisticated prose and style of a more seasoned crime writer, but its realism more than makes up for it. These men are real criminals with real evil in their hearts. They are not cartoonish buffoons like they would be in an Elmore Leonard novel. Bunker knows the hell of cocaine addiction, he knows the desperation that drives men to commit robbery, he knows the allure of the criminal life, he knows there is no true "honor" among thieves. This book is like a kick in the teeth. Unlike some cartoonish crime novels, "Dog Eat Dog" is not meant to entertain. It is an uncompromising portrayal of what it really is like to be a criminal, and how difficult (almost impossible) it is to distance yourself from the criminal lifestyle. It's not surprising that Bunker is a reformed ex-criminal. It's doubtful anyone else could have written such unflinching realism.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling, December 10, 2001

By 

Christian Jorgensen (Denmark) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dog Eat Dog: A Novel (Paperback)

With Dog Eat Dog Edward Bunker shows us his talent for writing down-and-dirty, there are no keeping the punches in this shocking novel about three friends and ex-cons that come up with a plot to rip off other criminals. The book does side slightly with the criminals, but it does not glorify them as misunderstood good guys, it shows them as mean and evil at times, but also let us see that they are human, and that not all the bad that is inside them is of their own doing. Bunker might not master the language as well as seaseoned crime-fiction writers, but this adds to the authenticity of the book too, making it seem more "there", while it leads us towards the ending. The book is a character study too, and we see some truly terrible characters here, even a few without any "good" sides. It is a brutal and shocking book, and not for every one.