4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A GREAT READ, December 9, 2009
Because I am a voracious reader of mysteries and suspense, I'm pretty discerning about the genre. And I have been known to say, "Oh, it was a good try", and put the book down never to finish it. This is not just a good first book, it's a great read. It's been a while since I've awakened in the middle of the night glad to be awake. Why? Because I knew I could pick up the book and continue reading.
Geoff Neill has combined social commentary, terror, interesting and thoughtful characters, and vivid descriptions of a great part of the country. Though totally engrossed in the story, the author made me think twice about what I consider my helpful and meaningful approach to dealing with the homeless. So, a page-turner that piques my conscience, makes me eager to return to the book. What more could one want? I look forward to Mr. Neill's next book. Do read it - you won't be sorry!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Plenty to satisfy ANY fans of murder/mysteries, February 24, 2010
This review is from: Dire Means (Paperback)
A long time ago I had just a few kids and a LOT of extra time on my hands. I'd finish probably a minimum of 2 books per week...in my SPARE time. Now I'm older, I have MANY more kids and my time is just plain non-existent these days (or at least it SEEMS that way) and if I finish a book in a single MONTH I consider myself lucky. Here's the interesting part: back when I actually HAD time, I could hardly afford to buy very many books, so I was really careful in what I purchased...and I almost NEVER took a chance on an author I was unfamiliar with. Jump ahead a few decades and now I have virtually zero spare time, and yet with the help of amazon.com and my radio book club, I have books coming at me left and right--many are simply GIVEN to me, without my even asking for them.
Such is the situation with Dire Means. Mr. Neil is the 3rd author to contact me in the last 4 weeks via email asking if I would be interested in giving his novel a shot. He had done his homework and found my profile here at amazon and based on the novels I had already read and reviewed, decided Dire Means was similar enough to other such books that I may enjoy it, too. Years ago I never would have agreed to such a proposal. NEVER. However, that was before I had been contacted by David S. Michaels about his novel
Red Moon - A Novel. I took a big chance reading a book by a guy I had never heard of before. Boy was I glad I did! Red Moon remains to this day my all-time favorite adventure novel of Fiction. Since then I have had an entirely different opinion regarding novels written by people I had never heard of before...and I suggest more people give these types of books a try. I cannot TELL you the number of incredibly amazing books I have been exposed to just for simply giving Red Moon a shot.
Dire Means gives us a fantastic tale of What If...think about it: what IF on each day of November, a new person disappears in California. Before long, the missing begin to turn up...but here is where the rubber hits the pavement (so-to-speak). With each of the bodies that mysteriously shows up, they come complete with video while they were alive, abusing the homeless. Some vigilante is kidnapping and killing people who secretly prey on the helpless among us. During this violent upheaval in the otherwise fairly quiet Santa Monica, Mark Denny, a man who distrusts Police Authority on a level most of us simply cannot understand, becomes somewhat of a hero for saving a man from suicide. This act of extreme heroism is made even more amazing when just a few days before, in an attempt to help someone in need, becomes the victim of a brutal attack.
How are these events connected, or are they? Finding out is only PART of the satisfaction within the pages here of Dire Means. The social implications are VERY well thought out, and I must admit, I found the entire story to be, well, VERY original. I like that in a story. It doesn't have to be SO original that I'm blown away, 'cuz let's face it: I like a good chase scene...even one that has been imitated millions of times in books all over the world as well as virtually every television show...however the more original, the more I usually will remember and appreciate--especially when that originality comes wrapped in a freshly written and exciting storyline.
I submit that Dire Means IS exactly that and more.
In this day and age of Publishing On Demand, allowing almost ANYONE the opportunity with a story to tell the chance at mass publication, we ought to be more willing to take a chance on that new, unheard of before writer out there. I am PROFOUNDLY grateful that I have learned to take a chance on someone new. As I finished this book, I felt that yet again. Go ahead. Take the chance. See if I'm right...oh and by the way, You're Welcome.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Social commentary and suspense make for an insightful and engaging page turner, November 10, 2009
Mark Denny is a likable and benevolent 29 year old computer technician who eats most meals at the same local diner, tolerates his cloying trust fund landlord/neighbor and harbors guilt over the suicide death of a friend. A victim of his generosity gone wrong, Mark becomes an unwilling pawn in a calculating and terrifying homeless vigilante's scheme to eradicate the homeless population in Santa Monica, California (and beyond) by killing those who are repeatedly less than humane to the vagrants who inhabit the coveted beachside community. Part suspense, part social commentary, Geoffrey Neil's debut piece of fiction offers a refreshing new voice and provokes the reader to explore their own feelings and actions toward homelessness while delivering a page turning tale of terror.
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