Customer Reviews

L.A. Outlaws: A Novel

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I'm a big fan of T. Jefferson Parker, but in his last two novels he seems to have changed his writing style for the worse. LA OUTLAWS is an entertaining, fast-paced romp of a book, but it isn't even remotely believable. While this short novel is certainly fun, it has a borderline silly quality, like a James Patterson potboiler.

Further, much of the nuanced characterization that Parker is well known for is absent here. The main character is more of a cartoon than a real person. She's amusing to read about, but I couldn't identify with her at all. As a result, I found this book less engaging than Parker's other work.

In short, LA OUTLAWS is worth reading, but it's far from Parker's best book. Personally, I strongly prefer Parker's earlier work, like SILENT JOE, THE FALLEN and CALIFORNIA GIRL, which had far more realistic plots and characters. Perhaps Parker is making some necessary concessions to the publishing marketplace, but I hope he returns to his earlier style of storytelling.

T. Jefferson Parker is an extraordinary writer. If you have not yet discovered his work, do yourself a favor and grab "Silent Joe", "California Girl", "Storm Runners", or start with "L.A. Outlaws"--I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. The rhythms of his writing are so subtly contagious that before you know it, time has melted away and you are 100 pages into the story.

Parker's work reflects spot-on character development and such stunning descriptions of Southern California locales that you immediately recognize the scenes if you have ever been there or feel like you are there even though you have never been there. He can certainly bring the gritty underbelly of LA to life while developing plotlines that never seem hackneyed or repeated. I always find refreshing nuances and new territory in a Parker novel.

In "L.A. Outlaws", the new territory includes a female protagonist who may or may not be a female Robin Hood character. Suzanne Jones is a school teacher and mother of three who lives near an indian reservation for her solitude, peace of mind, and privacy needed to cover her alter-ego, Allison Murietta. Suzanne claims to the media that she is a descendant of Joaquin Murrieta, a real life outlaw in California history who has been portrayed variously as a romantic Robin Hood character and as a murderous brigand.

In her Allison guise, replete with wig, deadly derringer, and fashionable mask, she holds up liquor stores, fast food establishments etc., and "boosts" high end automobiles for sale on the hot car international market. She is amassing quite a fortune but is quick to let the world know that she donates a significant part of her ill acquired gains to local charities. It seems Allison is bold enough to send filmed interviews and statements of her activities and plans to local media (and, by extension, to law enforcement). Additionally, she often "plays" to the security or bystander camera while being filmed in the commission of a crime. What is Suzanne's motivation for all this lawless behavior? Why does she tease the police and use the local media for her purposes?

Suzanne's games begin to falter when a planned diamond heist get sidetracked in a gun battle between rival L.A. gangs, the Asian Boyz and the deadly MS13. When Suzanne arrives at the scene, she finds 10 dead bodies and the missing diamonds. As she hurriedly escapes the area, she is spotted by Lupercio, a stone cold machete wielding killer who is the enforcer for his gangland boss, the Bull, who wants the stolen diamonds back. Lupercio gets a good look at Suzanne because she has been pulled over for speeding while leaving the scene of the massacre by sheriff's deputy Charlie Hood. Later, after discovering the grisly massacre, Charlie thinks she may be a witness to the crime.

This scenario sets in motion a chain of events that eventually sees Charlie and Suzanne engaged in a torrid affair, Lupercio closing in on Suzanne in his determined pursuit of the stolen diamonds, and Hood becoming more certain that Suzanne and Allison may be the same person. How does Charlie reconcile his passion for Suzanne with his deep sense of ethical behavior and honor? What does Suzanne ultimately want from Charlie?

Readers may initially be disconcerted by the multifaceted aspects of Suanne/Allison. She has never married, yet has 3 children by 3 different men...and lives with one of them while entering her intense affair with Charlie. She is a criminal, a tease, and not afraid to openly seduce Charlie. She flirts with her outlaw celebrity yet loves her family and does have principles. This reader fairly quickly warmed to her, however, and to the complex and tormented Charlie Hood. The fast paced action builds the suspense to an ultimately satisfying climax that leaves the reader breathless for more Parker.

It is so easy to be a criminal that everyone should do it. The main character, steals cars, shoplifts half the things she has, and sticks up 7-11's almost daily with never even a brush with the law. That is until a random cop sees her leaving the scene of a mass murder shootout where she steals a bag full of diamonds. Not to worry because he winds up loving her. Her personal life is actually a shambles but the author makes it sound happy and normal. Don't waste your time.

Perhaps it's not fair to review a book you didn't finish, but since I've read from beginning to end everything else written by T. Jefferson Parker (I loved Silent Joe!), I'm giving it a shot. I couldn't finish L. A. Outlaws because A) I found nothing likeable or credible about Allison/Suzanne and couldn't get past her personal morality, her know-it-all-attitude about cars and everything else, her excuse that she robs the greedy and gives to charity--let her work for a living and give to charity like the rest of us do--and her victims: McDonald's? Burger King? lots of children go into those places and she carries a gun. Why not a Chucky Cheese, while she's at it? Can you tell I didn't like her?; B) Charlie Hood is not very credible, either; C) it's reminiscent but not as well done as No Country for Old Men (anti-hero comes across a stash of ill gotten goods, takes the loot, is identified by both the police and the bad guy, and is pursued by both), and D) I don't need to read another book about a patient with dementia, and E) it doesn't even feel like something written by T. Jefferson Parker.

I don't think Parker is very adept at creating women characters who serve as the heroine or anti-heroine of the story. He had a brief series about a woman detective (his books with a color in the title) and I found her uninteresting, too.

I'm happy for all those who liked it; personally I'll hope for better things in his next one.

It's hard for me to pick a favorite T. Jefferson Parker book. I tend to favor his later novels, such as SILENT JOE and COLD PURSUIT. Yet occasionally I wonder if he'll ever top LAGUNA HEAT or LITTLE SAIGON. More often than not, however, my favorite Parker title is his latest one. Such is the case with L.A. OUTLAWS, a work that is --- dare I say it? --- perfect from beginning to end.

One is always just a bit off balance when reading a Parker novel. His method of eschewing series books for independent, stand-alone works leaves the reader with more-than-vague expectations as to what will take place. This has never been more true than in L.A. OUTLAWS, which matches a modern-day female bandit against --- and deliciously with --- Charlie Hood, a troubled L.A. County rookie deputy sheriff. The bandit, who calls herself Allison Murrieta, claims to be the direct descendent of a 19th-century California bandito who may or may not have existed, and is as self-assured as Hood is insecure.

An Iraqi war veteran who left the service with unfinished business, Hood is unknowingly drawn into Murrieta's world when he stumbles upon the aftermath of a gang transaction gone terribly wrong, which has left nine gang members and one civilian dead. It is Murrieta who comes in and picks up the spoils --- a small fortune in jewels --- and Hood who unknowingly and unwittingly stops her after the fact in her persona of Suzanne Jones, a history teacher who is as charismatic as she is enigmatic. Hood senses that Jones knows more than she's telling, and pursues her both professionally and romantically, even as he's aware that he's endangering his investigation on the one hand and risking heartbreak on the other. Jones/Murrieta, for her part, does a dangerous dance, pursued by Lupercio, a hit man, and The Bull, his enigmatic boss, relying on herself for protection even as she seduces Hood and gives herself over to the relationship.

From beginning to end, Parker keeps things moving in a number of different directions at once, though his story never gets muddled, bogged down or confused in any way. He somehow manages to keep the different plotlines equally interesting, switching among them at irregular intervals so that the reader does not --- cannot --- become bored even for a moment. And Parker, though two decades into his writing career, can still turn unforgettable phrases. Consider the simile he introduces a little less than one-third of the way into the book, the one dealing with the tornadoes (you'll know it when you read it). It is perfect, and sticks in the mind long after the last page is turned.

Parker could have ended the book in several different ways. He chose a bittersweet conclusion with a twist or two that, like the rest of the story, was somewhat unexpected and haunting. And I don't mind telling you that it was a day or two before I could read anything else. L.A. OUTLAWS is an outstanding novel from an author with a groaning shelf full of them.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

The paid book reviewers can do a better job of plot description than I can.

I will just say that this book does not disappoint. For those who are familiar with Parker's works, this is every bit as good as the other 14 or so. For those that are new to Parker, this is a good place to start. With the exception of a couple of his early works, he does not use recurring characters. Therefore, any book is a good place to jump in.

I have never been disappointed in his work and I am pretty sure new readers will find him enjoyable as well. All of his novels feature fully developed characters, without going overboard. There is very little wasted verbiage to wade through.

Sit down and be prepared to spend several hours in one sitting, enjoying the ride.

A school teacher and mother of three boys, Suzanne Jones leads a secret life as the dashing Robin Hood-like outlaw Allison Murrieta in Parker's latest fast and stylish thriller. Allison calls herself the descendant of legendary Mexican bandito Joaquin Murietta. Instead of stealing horses she steals flashy cars and robs fast food joints instead of wealthy aristos, giving the money to her favorite L.A. charities and posing for cell phone pictures during her crimes.

When she catches wind of a diamond deal about to go down, she can't resist waylaying the not-very-nice diamond dealer. But the diamond dealer has outsmarted himself in trying to double-cross everyone. Allison arrives at the meet to find ten dead gang-bangers, the gems still clutched in the cold dead hands of the diamond dealer. Allison takes them, of course, getting out just as the baddest gang-banger of them all comes in.

Allison narrowly escapes the utterly ruthless Lupercio but when she gets stopped for speeding, Lupercio gets a good look at her. Which shouldn't be enough to find her in her idyllic family hide-away, but Lupercio has inside help.

Meanwhile Charlie Hood, the cop who stopped her and subsequently discovered the nearby massacre, develops an interest in Suzanne. First as a possible witness, then as a lover. He also catches on to her Allison Murrieta alter ego. Which presents him with a dilemma.

As the body count mounts, and Lupercio tracks her wherever she goes, Allison/Suzanne has no idea who to trust. The action is clever and twisty, the characters smart and engaging, the villains vicious and relentless. Although the reader knows more than any of the characters, given the roving point of view, Parker will keep you guessing how he's going to wrap things up, right up to the last page. This is one of his best, which is saying something.

The central character of this story, Suzanne/Allison, is supposed to be a big-time expert on cars, especially performance vehicles. She tosses automotive terms around with the same abandon that computer geeks use when touting their favorite subject.

And yet, on page 2, she refers to a BMW automobile as a "Beemer." She does it again on page 133, but on page 135, she refers to it as a "Beamer." This is not only inconsistent, it is dead wrong. An auto buff such as she would know that while the BMW Motorcycle may be called a "Beemer", the BMW automobile is properly referred to as a "Bimmer."

Then there's the whole matter of blondes. Mr. Parker's editors should have advised him that the word blonde comes from the French, where words have different spellings by gender. Men are blond, and women are blonde, and never the twain shall meet. Mr. Parker uses the terms Blond and Blonde indiscriminately to refer to women, which is as inconsistent as it is incorrect in the case of blond.

Still, all things considered, it was a fun read, and I really, really hated to see Suzanne come to the inevitable bad end.

T. Jefferson Parker has delivered another ripping good read with L.A. Outlaws. The customarily sharp prose, deft characterizations, gritty atmosphere and hairpin plot turns are all on impressive display here. These elements get woven into a thoroughly satisfying tale of misdeeds and malfeasance in the City of Angels. Charlie Hood is a believably complex protagonist who gets drawn into a seedy and scary side of L.A. that he's not entirely prepared to deal with. Readers who thrive on suspense and surprises will be delighted, and I'd also recommend Crimson Orgy by Austin Williams, another new thriller that gripped me from page one.

I have enjoyed many mysteries by T. Jefferson Parker but the latest, LA Outlaws, is not one of them. The woman anti-hero was totally unbelievable and seemed to be made up to fit in some male fantasy world--- a great looking woman who thinks like a man. The character belongs in a comic book.