Customer Reviews

The Hunt Club

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

 

 

I've read all of Bret Lott's books and it's always fun to see somebody stretch their wings. This is, to my knowledge, Lott's first whodunit and I was on the edge of my proverbial seat.

Now, I'll admit I don't read a lot of mysteries. But Lott's interesting speech pattern for the book's hero, Huger Dillard, was so unique, it was like you were reading the transcript of a tape recording and when I did have to put the book down I felt like I was being cheated. There's a movie here, you can just feel it.

Unlike some of the people who have reviewed this book on this website, I didn't see the end coming for a minute. But then again, maybe that's because I don't read mysteries much.

This book just proves what I've known for a while now--Bret Lott is a hell of a good writer and I would say that even if I hadn't known the guy since high school.

Having read several good reviews from various critics, I lookedforward to this book's paperback release for some time. Unfortunately,while Lott seems to be have an adequate grasp of the language, hisstorytelling skills just do not rise to the same level.

A whodunit of sorts is marred by an overly tedious narrative and far-too-convenient plot twists that ultimately lead to a flat climax. Furthermore, the story is tied up just a tad too neatly--when the person........... You've no doubt seen any number of cheesy James Bond villains do the exact same thing ("Since I am going to kill you very soon, Mr. Bond, it doesn't matter if I let you in on my little secret, does it?"). Ugh. Take a pass on this one--it's not worth the effort. END

Brett Lott's The Hunt Club is a wonderful mystery filled with murder, lies and cover-ups. Starting with page one you are presented with lies that you will not learn of until well into the book. The plot is so thick you could cut it with a knife; mysteries build on top of mysteries. Just when you think you have it figured out, the next page will prove you wrong. This is not your average murder mystery. It starts out with what may appear as just a murder and a possible cover-up. Then soon turns into a world of lies and confusion, that one boy must discover to save his precious land, Hungry Neck. It starts with a piece of land, covered in swamps and growth totaling 2,200 acres. Basically nothing anybody would want, except for Huger Dillard (pronounced "YOU-gee") and his family. One day as Huger drove the members of the Hunt Club to go hunting, he stumbled upon a dead body. The corpse with little of a head, and the hands are skinned. There laid Charles Middleton Simons, a member of the Hungry Neck Hunt Club; and then on starts the twisting and turning of the truth. The more he learns about the death of Simons the more he learns that this might not just be about a murder. Huger learns after much investigation with Unc that greedy doctors, also members of the Hunt Club, are behind this. The people who loved to hunt the land every Sunday, are now trying to get Unc to sell his land for their profit. However this is Huger's land and there is no way they are going to take it away from him, or so he thinks. Huger and his family gets drawn deeper and deeper into this mess and find themselves right in the middle. The doctors weren't the ones setting all this up, it now gets even more dangerous as the police get in the scheme. But the question is, can the police be trusted? It seems that everyone they looked to as a friend will betray them all in the name of selfishness. The plot only starts to unwind, when your typical villain decides to unveil his masterful plan right before he kills them. The end is shockingly good, you're heart will drop to your stomach. Will they survive?

Too many times I read mysteries where the main character gets tangled in a pretentious retread of a relationship only to provide the author and publisher with a romance angle. These novels never come close to plucking any kind of a heart string, let alone touch on real human issues. Bret Lott succeeds where others fail. Obviously, he is not a typical wystery writer. But, wow, how refreshing was it to read a book that was on one hand engaging as a twisted whodunit and on the other a heart-felt story of growing up and dealing with an imperfect world filed with flawed people. Mystery fans as well as human interest fans will enjoy this novel.

I usually don't go for novels about murder, unless they come highly, highly recommended by someone with reading tastes not unlike my own. So when my sister recommended this book, I sat up and took notice.

Huger (a French name, which is pronounced YOU-gee) Dillard is the 15-year-old who narrates this story of murder, betrayal, and family secrets. Despite things he doesn't understand, Huger's heart is intertwined with the life and fate of "Unc," Uncle Leland, made blind by a household accident. The accident was all the more dreadful because Unc lost something dear to him in the fire. But that's only the beginning of the dark secrets and tragedies that unravel slowwwly in this book.

Slowly, because you feel every breath the characters take--but also quickly, because you'll read like a speed reader just to find out whether the main characters survive what is happening to them . . . not only in body, but in heart and spirit.

I loved this book. I thought the book was exceptionally well-written with a lyrical quality about it. I could visualize the scenes in my mind as I was turning the pages. I found it difficult to put the book down and finished it in two nights. I hope there's a sequel in the works.

Bret Lott is a great writer, very lyrical and fluid. It's a joy to read his writing -- to an extent. What brings this book down is the muddled plot and the way that the second half doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Reading Huger's thoughts and feelings is fascinating, and Lott's descriptions of the South are wonderful -- being a transplanted Southerner myself, reading this book only makes me long more severely for my home state. But I was really disappointed by the way that it seems he felt he had to give the plot a lot of twists and complications. The pleasure I got from reading this book stemmed from his artful use of characters and how everything affected them, not the flimsy murder-suspense plot. I was glued to it at the beginning, but as I approached the end, my interest began to wane.

In my opinion, The Hunt Club does not measure up to the great reviews it has received. The descriptions of South Carolina may be enjoyable, especially to locals, but the plot drags in the second half and the characters are not quite believable. Bret Lott compared to John Grisham? Based on this book, the only Lott title I've read, there's no way!

I got this book initially from the library, loved it, and lost it in my house before finishing the last 30 pages, so I went to Amazon to buy a copy. It is very hard to find in paperback. Lott is not known for his thrillers, and this was his first endeavor in the genre. Fans generally know him for his "oprah book club" novel "Jewel." This was very entertaining and may be an oldie but definitely a goodie.

Great read. The only problem is that as a native of Charleston it is a bit too close to home and I am pretty sure I recognize some of the characters.