Customer Reviews

Heartbreaker

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I can't remember the last time a I read a book in a day because I couldn't wait to find out what happens next and the characters were so compelling. I remember liking THE HORSE LATITUDES but did not read the two novels in between. Terrific and entertaining read!

Eight months ago in Miami, the Jackson brothers, working for Junior, a drugpin, kill undercover cop Steffano. At a Cuban restaurant Steffano's police partner Val Duran shares a meal with the Jacksons. The hired guns take immense pleasure in bragging to Val about the bombing death of Steffano as much as the meal they savor. Fearing for his own life, the next morning Val flees for Los Angeles.

Not wanting to obtain any jobs involving law enforcement, Val quickly accepts work as a stuntman. Val also meets and falls in love with Kyle Abbott. However, he soon finds himself embroiled with a family on the ropes. Kyle's half-brother hires some thugs to kill his wealthy stepmother. Adding to his woes, Junior wants Val dead. As both situations and his passion for Kyle heat up, Val finds himself in the middle of trouble that easily could leave him dead.

No one who enjoys a fast-paced Hollywood mystery will suffer from a broken heart after reading Robert Ferrigno's best novel in about a decade (since THE HORSE LATITUDES). The story line is reminiscent of Elmore Leonard's Shorty tales as the myriad of subplots blends together into an action-packed story line where California dreaming meets Miami vice. Fans of the sub-genre will cherish Val for his quest for love even as thugs threaten his life. Readers will definitely desire his return in a sequel.

Harriet Klausner

It was a blast! Heartbreaker was just the right thing for a summer's afternoon. The characters were a little shallow; but, what the heck! It was still fun. The story was fast paced and action filled. Take a copy with you on your next vacation.

Robert Ferrigno just keeps getting better. Unfortunately, this means that while "Heartbreaker" is far better than his 1990 debut novel, it is far worse than 2001's Flinch. Ferrigno once again depicts the low-lifes of Orange County, California, and features the usual noirish cast: a protagonist with his own "moral code," a femme fatale, a rich stepmother, a spoiled pretty boy playboy, and a hired thug.

Heartbreaker is a more deeply layered story than previous efforts, and he cleverly melds two main subplots centered in drug-obsessed Florida and in glitzy/seamy Orange County. For the most part, the writing is brisk and humorous, and Ferrigno does breezy dialogue and tense situations very well. (Theres also the usual graphic violence that may turn some readers off.)

However, the storys implausible twists and betrayals made this a disappointing read. Why would someone trying to lay low appear on a drug-dealing killers favorite TV show and taunt him, thus making it easy to track him? Theres an unappealing victim who is portrayed as an admirable person, and an appealing person who abruptly changes towards the very end of the story. While these catch you by surprise, they seem contrived, especially in the latter example. Flinch is a much better book, although populated with similar characters and action, you dont feel so manipulated.

It's a shame that Robert Ferrigno's first novel, "The Horse Latitudes," is out of print. That work showed a terrific sense of style and mood, and marked Ferrigno as a great writer to watch. Unfortunately, his next few works fell short of the promise he displayed in "THL." It wasn't that his books were dull; they just were missing the ingredients that made "THL" so readable: noirish atmosphere, sharp characterization and dialogue, and brief but explosive bits of violence and action.

In "Heartbreaker," Ferrigno rediscovers his touch. In plot, "Heartbreaker" is basically a revenge and chase novel: the main character is an undercover cop (sort of), whose partner gets murdered and his cover gets blown. So he runs from the bad guy, and along the way, falls in with a beautiful biologist with a quirky family. Brother is a loser sociopath who is hooked up with an even more sociopathic knockout redhead with murderous thoughts. The main character gets drawn into the looney family, at the same time, taunting yet trying to evade the bad guy who killed his partner.

But it isn't the plot that makes this so readable. Ferrigno captures a certain almost romantic sense of adventure, akin to Raymond Chandler's novels, but with a modern feel.

The ending is a little maudlin, but generally works.

In this comic thriller, the characters and settings snap, crackle, pop off the page.

Ferrigno keeps each of the characters distinct and interesting, whether he's in the head of protagonist, witty tough guy Val Duran, or whether he's exploring the people in Duran's life, like Junior, who has almost as much affection for Duran as he does his favorite program, Jeopardy!, but nevertheless wants Duran dead. Then there's "dead boy" Armando, the unlikely and eccentric muscle; the hulking, love-sick Dekker; Jackie, the lethal seductress who enchants both Dekker and pretty boy Kilo; Duran's shrewd Seminole grandmother, Grace; and Kyle, the sexy marine biologist for whom Duran falls hard.

The scenery is equally compelling, whether the action takes place in a Miami penthouse, a dangerous coastal cove in Southern California, or a backyard miniature golf course that pays tribute to cheesy horror films.

But despite the snappy settings and dialogue, there is also real suspense, primarily because the characters consistently seem motivated by their own inner demons and not by the needs of the plot. There are some unexpected "wow" moments, like when the two storylines converge, or when certain characters meet for the first time, where the readers is left surprised, muttering, "Oh, that's it." And even the pay-offs for events that seem pre-destined from page 1 are layered with an unexpected poignancy.

Okay, so by now you know I love the book. My husband, who's much harder to please and has really liked only two or three of the books he's read in as many years, also claims this as a favorite. Ferrigno does something that is a challenge: he presents a flawlessly written and plotted masterpiece and makes it all look like entertaining, escapist fun.

Undercover agent Val Duran, unaffiliated with any particular law enforcement agency, watches his best friend murdered by a crime network he's worked hard to infiltrate. Convinced they'll soon find out he's who he is, Duran flees to Los Angeles in part to save his life but also to plot revenge for his friend's death. Along the way, he gets tangled up in a romance he knew better than to start, which in turn gets him in deeper trouble with his girlfriend's severly dysfunctional yet very wealthy family.

Eventually his relationship with the woman and his relationship with the crime ring come to a head to make a fantastic summer novel. Highly reccomended.

My first Ferrigno. I can't wait to read the rest of his books. Lots of action and humor. I hope that Valentine will be back many times!

Val Duran, our hero, works on the set of several B action movies, not unlike the book itself. It would have (and often reads like) a solid screenplay. There is not a lot of depth to the characters and frankly it is hard to care about them. There are some interesting points to each of them, but they are not explored. The ending was a good solid suprise, but it does not rescue what is a really a fairly interesting story, but no more. There are some laughs... This book was not a waste, but there are so many better thrillers out there...

This is my second Ferrigno book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The pace is fast with memorable characters. I like the way the action keeps moving. The style reminds me somewhat of Elmore Leonard or Ross Thomas. Mr. Ferrigno has a very barebones way of telling a story without introducing excess editorial that is superflous to the storyline. The ending was a surprise, totally unexpected.