The Kind One [Paperback]

Tom Epperson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2009

In the kill-or-be-killed criminal underworld of 1930s Los Angeles, "Two Gun Danny" Landon has a distinct disadvantage. According to the fellas, he used to pull all kinds of shoot-ups and shenanigans...but damned if he can't remember a thing from before last year, when he got hit over the head with a lead pipe. Sadistic mobster Bud Seitz -- known to friends and enemies alike as "The Kind One" -- seems to have big plans for him, but truthfully, Danny can't stomach the dirty work. His aim is off, the other wiseguys laugh at him, and he'd gladly trade in the drunken parties and the endless broads for a day at the movies with his colorful and mysterious neighbor Dulwich and eleven-year-old Sophie, whose deadbeat mother delivers an endless stream of emotional and physical abuse. But when Bud's beautiful girlfriend Darla begs Danny to help her escape the Kind One's dark, brutal world, Danny must confront a dangerous test of loyalty that could irrevocably change his future -- and his past -- forever.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Scott Brick brings the perfect tone to Epperson's noir tale of mobsters, molls and murder in 1930s Los Angeles. Two Gun Danny Layton is literally a man without a past: an amnesic and reluctant gangster, he can't figure out how he came to work for psychotic crime boss Bud The Kind One Seitz—or how he fell in love with Bud's girl, Darla. Brick brings a subdued sense of melancholy to his portrayal of Layton, capturing the amnesiac's conflict between what he thinks he knows and what he feels. Weaving world-weariness into each character's voice, he brilliantly recreates the shadowy glamour of Depression-era Los Angeles. A Five Star hardcover(Reviews, Oct. 1). (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Review

"Tense, emotional, and unforgiving.... A beautifully written take on the dark Hollywood of the '30s -- a perfect noir novel that is pure and original, with a heavy heart that beats through each page." -- Robert Crais

"On every page, the language is crisp and fresh, the details sharp and keenly observed, the dialogue real, never forced." -- Los Angeles Times

"Epperson manages to throw in an occasional turn of phrase that Raymond Chandler might have penned....An impressive debut." -- Publishers Weekly

"What's memorable about Epperson's take on the '30s is its balance of brutality and optimism. He portrays Los Angeles as the last outpost of the Wild West...but he's even more adept at portraying the eternal hopefulness of a more innocent America." -- San Francisco Chronicle

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 339 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; Reprint edition (April 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416596984
• ISBN-13: 978-1416596981
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,151,307 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars guns and roses, February 6, 2008

By 

Ilze Petersons - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kind One (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

Tom Epperson's "The Kind One", set in Depression-era Los Angeles of the 1930s, is a well written and fast-paced gangster tale with heart. The main character is Danny, literally and figuratively a "lost soul". Having no memory because of an unspecified accident, Danny finds himself consorting with killers and thugs and molls, and on the payroll of a psychotic crime boss. The brutality of his criminal companions is a stark contrast to Danny's humaneness and decency - he saves an abused and neglected little girl, he's chivalrous to the woman who beguiles him, the beautiful Darla, he's even loyal to his monstrous boss. The action in this book keeps our interest piqued while its non-action - Danny's melancholy dreaminess and search of self - engage our empathy. There is an elegant symmetry to the surprise ending of this story. It's an altogether pleasurable read.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Thrilling Read., February 6, 2008

By 

Champ Clark - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kind One (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

Tom Epperson's thrilling Hollywood noir echoes the greats--Chandler, Cain, Ellroy--while at the same time introduces a hugely original new voice to the genre. Though as hard-boiled as the best of them, "The Kind One" moves beyond category with the artistry of its character depth and descriptive eloquence. Epperson's 1930s Los Angeles is portrayed with time capsule clarity, every page in the novel filled with fascinating (and well-researched) period detail. This is a book that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars No Raymond Chandler, May 4, 2009

By 

Donald A. Coppock (thailand) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Kind One (Paperback)

After all the five star reviews I was excited to get this book, but other than the period I found no comparison to Raymond Chandler. You can get a gist of the plot from all the other reviews but I found the characters separate stories, particularly Dulwich's and the Butler's, to be distracting at best and filler at worst. As for the tale, while marginally holding my interest from beginning to end, it truly surprises me seeing all the five star reviews this little noir novel is getting. I'm a big fan of Chandler, James lee Burke, and Ed Mcbain among others and certainly didn't feel that this stacked up along any of the aforementioned.