Customer Reviews

Finder: An Atticus Kodiac Novel

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Rucka does certain things masterfully. His dialogue crackles with realism and intensity; his characters breathe down your back, they're so alive; and the emotions he conveys are rich without being melodramatic. Atticus Kodiak, his protaganist, moves in a circle of foul-mouthed, partying friends, yet maintains a style all his own in the midst of the muck about him.

Here, again, Atticus Kodiak is at work as a bodyguard, this time watching over the daughter of his former lover. Erika's all grown up now--or thinks she is--and isn't always hip to the idea of his guardianship. What's truly eating young Erika, though, is the power struggle between her despicable parents. She takes out her frustrations on those sent to protect her, but finds a friend in Kodiak's off-and-on romantic interest, Bridgett. With trained assassins opposing Kodiak's team, the odds seem stacked against him, but he manages to come through...not without some physical and emotional scars along the way.

If you're a fan of G-rated mysteries (in the Mrs. Pollifax vein), steer clear of Kodiak. If you like your mysteries tough and gritty, with a bit of heart (think Dashiell Hammett after the sexual revolution), then give this series a shot.

I thought this second adventure of Atticus was even better then the first. Although there are some implausible events, I felt it was an entertaining read with an air of tension. Atticus seems cut from the down on the luck hero rather then the invicible superman cloth that arises too often these days. If you can't see the movies one night and are in the mood for an action detective type flick definitely pick this up.

So I'm about 1/2 way through Keeper (the previous novel) and I decided to order Finder since I'm enjoying the Kodiak character. Unfortunately the Amazon review of the book gives away the (an?) ending to Keeper in the first sentence. I guess it's expected but annoying nonetheless.

Love his books. I read Keeper and Finder, and am ordering Smoker too.. Atticus Kodiak isn't the typical invincible hero, and doesn't always win. Once I start reading, I have a hard time stopping... And he wears glasses, stud :-)

"Finder" is the follow-up to Greg Rucka's highly praised debut "Keeper." Rucka's hard boiled hero is Atticus Kodiak, ex-military bodyguard and detective who now has his own freelance personal security service. The end of the last book left Kodiak physically and emotionally battered, and this book opens with him working below his potential as a bouncer at a club catering to the New York S&M scene. He is pulled out of his slump when he encounters the daughter of a colonel for whom he had provided security while at the Pentagon, Erica Wyatt. After this chance encounter, he is thrust into the role of her protector. Once he is forced into this role, his personal life, past and present, violently collides with his duty to protect his client and his need to find the truth behind the lies that everyone is telling. Rucka shows again that he has mastered two very important skills in the page-turning genre: he writes interesting, well-drawn, and complex characters, and he knows how to write a chapter, that when it ends, compels you to read the next one. Once "Finder" gets going, just as with "Keeper," you won't want to get off until you get through the entire wild ride. I dropped everything to mentally sprint through the last 60 pages alongside the hero. I highly recommend this book and its predecessor, and I truly look forward to the next one

Professional bodyguard Atticus Kodiak lost his best friend during his last assignment. The
incident leaves him extremely wary to be entrusted guarding the life of another human being.
Working as a bouncer in a New York S&M club, he is horrified to recognize fifteen year old
Erika, the daughter of the couple he once guarded when he still served with the Marines.
Although he had an affair with her mother, Atticus always thought of Erika as his little sister. Even
without having seen her in four years, his protective instincts surface. He quickly hustles her out of
the club and back to his apartment. When he awakens in the morning, she is long gone.
....When he goes to her father's house to see if she went back home, he finds a very angry old man
dying of AIDS, whose lone joy in life is scoring off his ex-wife. Both of them use Erika as the
battleground and given his history with the family, Atticus is shocked when his ex-boss hires him
to watch over Erika. Apparently, she is the bait between two sets of British trained agents. One
works for Erika's mother. The other works for her father. Atticus becomes caught up in a
maelstrom of slush funds, rogue agents, and multiple deceptions as he seeks to protect his young
charge from becoming killed, or perhaps even worse.
......Greg Rucka's breezy style of writing makes for a fast-paced, exciting story line filled with fully
developed three dimensional characters that readers will easily care about, especially Atticus.
The audience's involvement with the characters turns FINDER into a wonderful reading
experience that is easy to start, but impossible to put down until it is finished. The main
protagonist is a complex anti-hero, who is still learning about himself and his environment. It is
easy to feel sympathetic towards him especially when he becomes his own worst enemy by
allowing emotions such as love and trust get in the way of his job. It will be fascinating to see how
Atticus grows and changes in subsequent tales.
....... Harriet Klausner 5/18/97

Greg Rucka, who is best known as a contributor to several comic book series, once again flexes his literary muscles in the second installment of the Atticus Kodiak series. Although the plotting and events border on the improbable, this in part is what helps the book succeed. Like the old saying about life being what happens when you are making other plans, the consequences of the characters actions in this book do NOT always happen the way the reader anticipates them. This adds a touch of reality to this book, that combined with Rucka's tight verbal prose make this an interesting and exciting read, and leave me looking forward to reading more. If you want your formulistic action thriller then you will probably not like this book. However if you want your characters to be fallible and human and struggle to their victories and enjoy lean and well crafted prose- then don't miss FINDER.

While I feel that his action pacing needs some work,the very human dimension to Kodiak's character is refreshing. The story was not written as a handbook for VIP protection and this shows, however, as a story with a security specialist as the protagonist it works well. Mr. Rucka's writing style took some time to get used to but I found myself caring about Atticus Kodiak. The stress on quasi "realistic" action is okay but some cinematic stuff would be entertaining as well.This is especially so in a novel that does take dramatic license with the close protection field. Mr. Rucka has definitely created a cast of characters that I want to read about again as it is their personal journey that is the true heart of the stories.

In Finder, as in Keeper before it, Greg Rucka has given us something incredibly rare these days; a story that is rife with the consequences of human actions. Finally a story that is not
a "comedy" in the strict sense of the word; order is not restored at the end of Finder...a resolution indeed occurs, yet it is an outcome based
on the actions of the characters. Many authors and screen-playwrights today seem to be
afraid to let their heroes suffer for choices made, not Rucka. This not only makes for a refreshing and welcome change, but also a realistic story with deep three dimensional characters that get into your head and take up residence. This is one of the gutsiest books out today and you would all do yourself a favor by snatching it up.

(MAY CONTAIN A SPOILER.)
I purchased this book and Mr. Rucka's previous Atticus Kodiak novel "Keeper" largely due to the reviews here on Amazon. Unfortunately, the reliability of Amazon as a source was less, in this case, than has previously been my experience.
It's not that this is a terrible book, but it certainly isn't great, or even very good. The dialogue is frequently perfunctory, and often unbelievable. Most of the characters are shallowly drawn, and many of the minor players are actually more developed than the central cast. Too often the only reason for a character's very existence seems to be as a device to move the plot forward, instead of having the plot grow from the actions and motivations of the characters.
Also, there were significant technical errors, especially with regard to police procedures and firearms. While I realize that most authors do not have extensive real-world experience in law enforcement, military service, or high-risk private military contract work, I do feel that they have a responsibility to their readers to either exclude technical detail, or else get it right. In one scene a character, supposedly a highly-trained Israeli special operator, fires a high-velocity assault rifle on a downtown New York street, but tells Kodiak that there is no risk to bystanders, since he loads his own ammunition and uses such low powder charges that the bullets will not injure anyone past a hundred yards. I won't bore you with all the technical detail, but take my word as a veteran of both the military and law enforcement, that simply isn't possible.
There were also certain inaccuracies relating to the SAS that seem to indicate the author merely skimmed some general source about the Regiment, and has no real knowledge of their structure, training, or methods. One minor example of this is his repeated and pointed use of the phrase "brick" to refer to a four-man team. Having done some liaison and exchange program time with member of the 22nd SAS, I can say categorically that I have never heard them refer to a four-man component as anything other than a "patrol", within the higher structures of Troops and Squadrons. (The term "brick" is used by the British Army to refer to a four man tactical element, but this was a development of the Army's Northern Ireland Training Team (NITAT) and the brick concept was used for improved flexibility by every regiment which operated in Ulster. While the 22nd SAS did participate in NITAT, they retained their own terminology.)I cannot categorically state that members of the 21st SAS or 23rd SAS may not use the word "brick", as I have no operational or personal experience with either unit, but my understanding is that these units function more as training and development commands, and occasionally in support of various British intelligence and security agencies, and would not therefore be involved in such activities as Mr. Rucka imagines. I also have to say that in one scene, and this is a key plot point, an SAS entry team is outwitted, and outmaneuvered , by a much older man who is dying from AIDS and is barely able to draw enough breath to speak, yet can outrun SAS troopers.
So while I understand that many readers might feel, as some reviewers point out, that Mr. Rucka explores a world of close-protection specialists that few authors have examined, I'm afraid that his books are simply too slapdash to be on any lasting interest.