Forgiving Solomon Long [Paperback]

Chris Well (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

A hit man is haunted by a preacher’s dying words: “I forgive you.”

Bestselling author Sigmund Brouwer called this thriller “fast–paced and thought-provoking.”

Crime boss Frank “Fat Cat” Catalano has dreams of building a legacy in Kansas City—but a coalition of local storeowners and clergy have banded together to try to break his stranglehold.

Detective Tom Griggs is determined to bring Fat Cat down, no matter what the cost. Even if that cost is neglecting—and losing—his own wife.

Hit man Solomon “Solo” Long is a “cleaner” flown in from the coast to make sure the locals get the message from Fat Cat. But when one of his kills goes awry, his whole world comes crashing down.

It all adds up to a sizzling page–turner that crackles with wit and unexpected heart—and hits the reader in the gut with a powerful message of forgiveness.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Just when it seemed Christian publishers had explored every possible fiction niche, enter this debut contemporary gangster novel that occasionally falters but still tells an engaging story. When a Kansas City coalition of local churches tries to break the grip of organized crime, a mobster flies in cold-blooded hit man Solomon Long (aka "Solo") to knock off influential members. After one of Solo's dying victims forgives him, he is overcome with guilt and unable to complete the assigned serial murders. Well makes Solo a believable and fully rounded character, a killer plagued with obsessive-compulsive disorder and haunted by a fundamentalist childhood. Another compelling figure is Det. Tom Griggs, a workaholic who spends his sessions at the marriage counselor mentally working through a case rather than shoring up his faltering relationship. There's plenty of unexpected humor, including gunmen who play chess and a whiz-kid detective who likes Fruit Loops in his coffee. The snappy dialogue and occasional KER-CHUNK or BLAM, BLAM show evidence of Well's background as a comic book and radio series author, as do some short scenes and tight prose. There are a few trouble spots, including an unbelievable concluding chase scene and at least one unfortunate insider joke (a rapper named for a Harvest House editor). However, Well's fresh voice makes this an enjoyable addition to faith fiction.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Clergy and storeowners have banded together to force out Kansas City's last crime boss, Frank "Fat Cat" Catalano, and Fat Cat isn't happy. He brings in hit-man Soloman Long, aka Solo, to kill ministers and priests, but one such has the temerity, even as he dies, to forgive Solo. Solo, who had a terrible childhood in a fundamentalist home, falls apart. Meanwhile, Detective Tom Griggs, a likable workaholic who mulls over his cases even as he sits in sessions with his wife and a marriage counselor, closes in on Fat Cat. This sounds like an unlikely story line for Christian fiction, but Kansas City was once a major hub of organized crime, and Well knows his way around the neighborhoods. He also serves up brisk dialogue and interjects references to pop culture into even his most violent scenes. This is Christian fiction, but Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction comes to mind. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0736914056
• ISBN-13: 978-0736914055
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,994,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Fascinated with stories from a young age, Chris Well always knew he wanted to write fiction. Following a lengthy tangent during which he became an award-winning writer and editor for magazines and newspapers (which, of course, is still "writing"), he published his first novel in 2005.

Chris' whodunit trilogy the Earl Walker Mysteries comes out in 2012 from Spyglass Lane Mysteries. He and his wife make their home in Tennessee, where they create the weekly comic strip drama "Best Mann For The Job." He is also hard at work on his next novel(s).

Chris is represented by MacGregor Literary.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So Clean, So Deep, March 28, 2005

By 

Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Forgiving Solomon Long (Paperback)

It's a simple, yet profound, premise: When a contract killer makes a move to kill an innocent preacher, the preacher offers unconditional forgiveness. The killer, Solomon Long, is rocked by the man's reaction.

"Forgiving Solomon Long" is a story of redemption, couched in the organized crime scene of Kansas City. At times, it reads with the vivid focus of a comic book; at others, it delves deeply into the wounds that many violent men carry. We meet Det. Tom Griggs, a man numbed by his job and impotent to change his own marriage. We journey with "Solo" through his ugly childhood, his contract-killer career, and his guilt-driven attempts to come clean. We bump into criminal low-lifes, attractive female cops, and greasy crime lords.

In the story's conclusion, most of the pieces come together in a moving, yet understated manner. Although the plot thread concerning Solo's mother seems to unravel, the action never flags, and Chris Well stays true to his characters and their inner struggles. Like a classic comic book (think "Spiderman" and "Batman"), this novel is so cleanly drawn that a non-reader could enjoy it, yet so deeply developed that a voracious biblophile can find numerous things to appreciate.

In the growing world of Christian fiction, "Forgiving Solomon Long" proves there is room for new styles, gritty characters, and stories that can move us without sermonizing. Keep bringin' it, Mr. Well. We're ready for more!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Breath of Fresh Air, July 17, 2007

By 

whitewave - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Forgiving Solomon Long (Paperback)

I came across Forgiving Solomon Long while searching for interesting and edgy books that didn't leave me feeling like I needed a bath. I appreciate how Chris Well does not shy away from the darker sides of life yet does not dive into them himself. As a Christian artist I am often faced with the difficulty of remaining true to life without losing my principles. Chris Well's approach is a great study in how to accomplish that. I also liked all the theater and Shakespearean references.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not your typical CBA fare, January 25, 2005

By 

Michael Snyder (Spring Hill, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forgiving Solomon Long (Paperback)

What a fun ride. Chris Well's debut masterfully weaves humor and a Sopranos-like attitude through this well-crafted thriller. Recommended for any book fan primed to embrace both a Christian worldview as well as the cynical wit of Hiassen and/or Leonard.