Customer Reviews

Forgiving Solomon Long

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

I'm not a usual reader of crime fiction, but this book is an entertaining, quick read, and should appeal to folks beyond any artifical designation of "genre".

The characterization is unique, sometimes sparse without superfluous detail, but always catches your attention. Many side characters have enough "color" to them that they stick in your head.

The action moves along briskly. Occasionally I would like a little more detail in settings, but it all works.

The thing I appreciate the most is that the author doesn't make all of the conclusions for you. You have room for interpretation at the end. But don't worry, it's not a philosopical tome, but an enjoyable read.

Forgiving Solomon Long opens with the title character gunning down Father Mac in a confessional booth since the priest was part of a group standing up to mob boss Frank "Fat Cat" Catalano.
And Christopher Well builds steam from that promising beginning, whipping up a magnificent concoction that is part Sopranos, part Carl Hiaasen, and part Elmore Leonard. But mostly, it's all an edge-of-the-seat romp through Kansas City's underworld - with the breaks off.
Well creates some unforgettable characters here. None is better drawn than Solo Long, the clean-freak hitter. But there's also mobsters bantering about The Odd Couple, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Singing in the Rain and just about everything in between. And then there's detective Tom Griggs, whose single-minded pursuit of Fat Cat is coming at the expense of his marriage.
That opening scene is also your first hint that Forgiving Solomon Long isn't your run-of-the-mill CBA fiction. But body count - and don't kid yourselves, there are dead bodies strewn all over the Midwest by the end - isn't all that separates Forgiving Solomon Long from most works coming off Christian presses.
It is edgy and contemporary and hip, without compromising its Christian message. It's also a lot of fun.

"We distrust fiction that has a palpable design on us," as someone wrote. In my view, all fiction has a palpable design. That said, there are designs and there are designs. The designation "Christian Fiction" cannot help but suggest a design, but this isn't the place to wrangle over the merits of such a heading. I'm quite aware that some readers read just for such a design, although I read a work, if I do, apart from or in spite of it. A blurb on one of Well's later works reads "Even though it's an amusing romp, it's not light on spiritual truths." I would far rather reverse that and say, "Even though it's not light on spiritual truths, it's an amusing romp." Spiritual truths you can get anywhere, but only in fiction an amusing romp.

That said, this book appears to be, no matter how lightly handled, crime fiction, which is certainly not my cup of tea. I am perhaps the only one in America who would rather see Little Steven in the E Street Band than The Sopranos, but there it is. So I probably did read it for the amusing romp in spite and not because of its gangster setting. I also hasten to add that while Well has been criticized because his toughs don't cuss, I wouldn't read the book if they did. A great many believers have written without being saddled with the rubric of "Christian fiction", including Flannery O'Connor, Madeline L'Engle and C.S. Lewis. I venture to suggest that Well need not wear it either.

This book reads fast, and is laid out like a play, with three acts. I like short chapters and this 280 page novel has, believe it or not, 124 of them. It's a clever way to write. While there is an omniscient narrator, as it were, each chapter shifts characters and points of view, with new members of the dramatis personae being introduced in the early chapters, as in a play. It's a very visual book, almost written as a screenplay, with, curiously, the most visual part left out: descriptions of the characters. Because of this, it's slightly difficult to follow the story and keep track of all the players. If it were a screenplay, however, which is to say a movie or TV show, that wouldn't be a problem, since the viewer would see the actual characters.

Arguably, some of the gangsters are cardboard cut-outs, but others are quite astute. Well obviously enjoys dusting the crops with pop culture references, including a few covert ones as when someone echoes a Carole King song or a preacher is named for the rock band, Daniel Amos. This is a first novel, so far as I know, and if other reviewers are to be believed, they get better. But even here Well has tackled the all- important element of the novel, which is finding a consistent tone and voice, and solved the problem of how to sustain that voice for the length of the book. Needless to say, I can't wait to read the next Well- written novels.

This debut novel for Mr. Well I found was fresh and a very entertaining read. I thought the story moved along at the right pace and there was just enough action to make be turn page after page, but not too much that the action scenes were down right boring. The character were believable, which I always enjoy and in summary I hope that the author will release another sequel as soon as possible.

This was a neat book--and yes, that is a compliment. I was hooked from the first line. "On the last day of Father Michael's life..." The main character Solomon Long is a professional killer with some interesting little quirks. While Solo is connected to the overall story, his part is a story within the story. The supporting cast of mobsters, cops, FBI, and ordinary people all make for a very interesting mix of the good the guys versus the bad guys. Like most mobster related entertainment, the book has a pretty high body count, but is not excessive and is not gory in its details. The story moves along well and is filled with action, drama, and decisions. My only complaints were, the leak in the police department was given away disappointingly early and I wish a little bit more time had been spent on little Frankie. He was a very likable character and it would have been nice to see him more involved in the story over all. Wells' story telling style is unique and very enjoyable. If you're looking for Christian fiction with a sense of humor, look no further.

A great read, intriguing, a book that I didn't want to put down! I have given it as a gift twice already. Chris Well has an incredible way of getting into the minds and personalities of his characters. Highly recommended!

Solomon (Solo) Long is a killer for hire. His current employer, Frank Catalano, better known as "Fat Cat", is a mob boss who wants to take out all six leaders of the community coalition trying to clean up their city and take it back from his control. Detective Tom Griggs and his task force have been investigating Fat Cat's operations, trying to find that chink in his armor to bring him down.

Solo handles his assignments without problem until the murder of his third target, a pastor who grants Solo his forgiveness in his final moments of life. This turns Solo's world upside down as he struggles with reconciling memories of his past with the forgiveness & redemption he catches a glimpse of through the pastor's words. This plus the bible that mysteriously keeps appearing opened to key passages such as "Thou shalt not kill" in his motel room start Solo down a different path in life. And the changes in Solo begin to have far reaching repercussions that bring the story to a climatic ending.

Chris Well certainly taps into an unusual storyline for the Christian market and I enjoyed the book. However, at the end I found myself not satisfied. Other than Solo I felt I didn't have enough information on the other characters to truly care about what happened to them. Tom Griggs and his wife Carla have marital problems and are a major part of the story line. Yet very little is truly revealed to explain what got them to the place they are in. And, considering that Fat Cat thinks the community coalition is important enough to bring in a hit man to take out the leaders, very little is shared about the people in the coalition and what they have done or plan to do in the community.

I recommend this book for the message of forgiveness and redemption that it brings. I think it could have been even better with more depth to the characters.