Customer Reviews

Fast Lane

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read this book after reading and enjoying Ken Bruen's Blitz. This is great too. It's a tight, dark PI story that grabs your attention on page 1 and keeps it to the end of the last page.

Zeltserman has quickly become one of my favorite writers. He seems not to care what anyone else thinks if they dont agree with him. I like that because Zeltserman takes his indifference and with it, produces dark stories that will never find their way onto the new york times best seller list.

I have read several novels where the protagonist is not the best of people, and here, as with Zeltserman's other books, we are given just such a character to ponder. What makes the story so enjoyable to read, and kind of unique because I dont think I have ever encountered this as a plot device, is that you are wondering page by page if Johnny Lane is really so bad or if is nice deep down as Zeltserman occasionally hints at.

Johnny Lane is a PI, much loved in his community, and someone who gets the job done well... or maybe not. The beauty of reading a few of zeltserman's books back to back is that sometimes his character is heading straight to hell, and sometimes he is the re-incarnation of Saint Anthony. Your just never sure until the last page.

I would totally get this book if I were you. If your looking for a dark Jim Thompson style story. If your looking for good contemporary noir. If your looking for a down and dirty roll through some mud well told and held together with a strong plot, this book is for you.

This is a book for those who truly love noir; and I mean those fans of Jim Thompson and Quentin Tarantino. Although I don't number among those ranks, I could appreciate the quality of the writing and certainly found myself caught up in the story. However, personally, I was grateful the book was only 195 pages long. But if you are a Thompson / Tarantino fan, this book is probably for you.

Dave Zeltserman is a versatile writer reminiscent of Block and Westlake, able to move from his clever traditional Julius Katz mysteries to his darker noir crime tales with aplomb. His debut novel from 2004, "Fast Lane", starts as a hard drinking PI tale, but morphs into something that owes more to Jim Thompson. Darkly funny and just plain nasty (in the best way).

Hi everybody: I saw this cover and it intrigued me. So I bought the book and the story gripped me. The author, Dave
Zeltserman, has the ability to engross somebody like me who has a million other things that I need to do. I had almost given up on noir but this is the best noir book I've read in years. This one caught me totally by surprise and I can't recommend it enough! If you want to take just one book to the beach, to your deck, on the subway, to your den--Fast Lane is it.

I can't wait to read Dave Zeltserman's new books. How do I find out what's coming out? His plotting is full of twists and the writing is strong and inviting.

S. Johnson

I loved this book. Great new author Dave Zeltserman. I don't ordinarily read this genre, but this book was engaging, a different
kind of detective story and was well written. There's none of that
excessive descriptive fluff, Zelsterman gets right to the point as
we follow Johnny Lane along on his ride.

PI Johnny Lane is somewhat of a celebrity in Denver due to his monthly column "Fast Lane" in the local paper. He is very busy and has so many clients that he needs to outsource some of his work. Oh and in tradition of Jim Thompson, he is also a psychopath. When a young woman asks for his help finding her birth parents, things flip in a hurry and Johnny makes the most insane decisions every time, yet his explanations almost make sense. This is one of Zelsterman's early books. Great fast paced psycho noir.

Normally, I dont read mysteries, but I couldn't put this down once I started. The unexpected plot twists reveal the true nature of the characters, as false fronts and self delusions are stripped away. You are drawn to keep reading to see if of the players get what they deserve.

Zeltserman is a lean, mean noir machine, a guy who can dig into the psyche of a cold blooded killer like almost no one else working today. If ytou haven't read him, this is a terrific place to start.