Customer Reviews

Jitter Joint: A Novel of Suspense

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

jitter joint is a decent thriller..i found it very Sandford like..it is a murder mystery with rehab and aa mixed in..Jeb seems to put everything in front of his sobriety and still come through..very well thought out by the author and i look forward to his next work

Wasn't sure at the beginning but all of a sudden I was hooked. I didn't even see it coming! It's just what you want to happen when reading a book. The characters are likable and the storyline interesting. The book is set in Dallas and Swindle's descriptions of the city make you feel like you are there. I would say all in all a good first outting for Swindle. I am already looking for the next. I hope he takes Jeb along on the next ride. I feel like I know him now. This will make a great beach book!!!!

"Jitter Joint" is about Jeb Quinlin. He is a Detective for the Dallas Police Department. He is a heavy alcoholic and both his wife and Captain know it. One day, Jeb's captain tells him that he must go into D-Tox or he will lose his job and marriage. One of the main conflicts in the novel, is the fact that Jeb will not go into D-Tox for his wife, but when his Captain demands it, he does, because his job is the most important thing in his life.
Jeb decides to check into a D-Tox center, and before he is there very long, they find a dead body with the first step of the AA's (Alcoholics Anonymous) 12 steps tagged to the body. In request of his Captain, Jeb is assigned to handle the job.

"Jitter Joint" was made into a film in 2002 called "Eye See You" aka "D-Tox". The film is directed by Jim Gillespie and stars Sylvester Stallone to play the part of Jeb Quinlin, however in the film the characters name is Jake Malloy.

Overall, "Jitter Joint" is a great read. If you are a fan of Dark Detective novels, you will enjoy this novel. Also, after read "Jitter Joint" I recommend you watch "Eye See You" the film version of "Jitter Joint."

While the writing in this novel, technically speaking, was very sharp, the villian was obvious from the moment he entered the action. Granted, the author spent the rest of the book unraveling the "why" of the plot, but he made no effort to disguise the bad guy. I listened to the unabridged version of this book and early into Tape 2, I realized that I had four tapes to go and already knew the identity of the killer. The author describes every element of the killer's dress, mannerisms and even puts him in a suspicious light. At no point in the book do you suspect anyone else.

While this might be a good "beach read" for those who don't read often, for a regular reader, it's pretty bad. The plot is somewhat implausible and the author spends a lot of time on characterization backstory that has little or no bearing on the action of the novel.

If suspense is what you are looking for, skip this one. If you like a lot of needless backstory and an obvious killer, this is the book for you.

Jeb Quilin is a cop with a problem: drinking. Forced into rehab by his captain and Sarah his wife, Jeb works the program in order to get back to the job. However, when fellow "inmates" are murdered, the job is following Jeb. The twists and turns of the story capture your attention. This is a book you won't put down. Jeb is a complex character who deserves another book; many other books. I hope the author won't abandon Jeb. I'd love to read more. He's a character with flaws and strengths. I look forward to many more books following his up and downs. They should be wonderful.

Homicide detective, Jeb Quinlin, is an alcoholic who doesn't care about much, except the bottle and his job. So when his boss gives him the choice of detox or you're fired, he packs his bags and heads off to the Cedar Ridge Hospital because, after all, it's the job that counts. Once there, he barely has time to start the program before one of the patients in the Substance Abuse Unit is murdered. And when a second patient is murdered, soon after, Jeb's boss decides to put him on the case...he's already on the inside and in the perfect position to investigate. Howard Swindle has written a terrific first novel, that grabs you from the first page with fast paced scenes, interesting characters and enough twists and turns to keep you turning pages to the very end. His writing is smart and spare with down to earth, irreverent dialogue and the story itself is very compelling and full of suspense. A terrific debut novel with one of the best new characters to hit the mystery/detective scene. Let's hope Mr Swindle continues this series.

When I first came across this book I was excited because it pertained to alcoholism and recovery, a topic that I love to read and learn about. It also took place in Dallas, a town I'm very familiar with. However, after diving right into the book, it quickly became somewhat of a letdown. While the premise is good and the author had a good idea, I feel that he didn't really do the story justice like he could have. It's obvious from the beginning who the killer is in the murder investigation. Also, there is tons of backstory that really isn't needed to progress the story. I felt like I was in the middle of an ADHD episode when the author would go off on tangents about the characters. I found a few typo's as well, but nothing extremely huge.

All in all, it was a quick read and it was okay, I just felt that the author could have made it a phenomenal story rather than mediocre.

I thought this was an excellent mystery. The characters were all very real, and the plot plausible. In so many novels, the plot is so far-fetched and coincidence laden that it gets boring. I'd be interested in the continuing adventures of Jeb as he "trudges the road of happy destiny".

I just finished Howard Swindle's "Jitter Joint" and I loved it. I learned a lot about AA and serial killers. His book is packed with suspense and likable characters. If you love a great suspensful book that you won't be able to put down..Then buy this book.

One of the best I've read in some time. Content was suspensefull and realistic. Perfect number of key characters. Many of the peripheral stories where as good as the primary. A book that everyone can relate too.