Customer Reviews

Lying Crying Dying (Otto Penzler Book)

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The scene is Barcelona and Pascual is a former terrorist who would work for anyone, but is now living out his retirement as quietly as possible. That is until his former colleague and lover, the beautiful Katixa, locates him and puts a lucrative proposition to him. They need to disappear along with the 5 million francs that she has stolen.

In the early stages, the story is convoluted with numerous flashback sequences serving to set the scene and give us an idea of how ruthless these main characters can be. It also gives us an idea of what a big part in this story trust is going to have to play.

Pascual and Katixa have to leave Barcelona, pick up the money from where it's hidden and then, somehow, smuggle it out of the country. It's a hard enough task at the best of times, but Pascual finds that his past is starting to catch up with him. He is a marked man and his pursuers are zeroing in on him, causing him to go to ground while still trying to organise his passage out of Spain.

This is a very good story of intrigue and deception, with no character above suspicion of double cross. When dealing with spies, thieves and murderers and in possession of a lot of money, you have to have eyes in the back of your head. From a slowish start, this story builds in momentum and provides a satisfying conclusion.

This is another thought-provoking book from Dominic Martell that grabs you by the throat and won't let go, even after you've finished reading it. Pascual Rose was once involved with a number of groups who committed terrorist acts across Europe. But then he abandoned these radical causes and ratted out all of his former associates, save one--his lover, the beautiful Katixa, to the C.I.A. in return for a new identity and a safe "retirement."

Six years later, Pascual is scratching out a meager existence in the slums of Barcelona, drinking too much, occasionally bedding an overripe widow, and trying to keep his head down so as to avoid being found by his old associates who would very much like to extract revenge for his defection. Then, from out of nowhere, Katixa bursts back into his life, on the run with five million francs that she has stolen. Katixa proposes that she and Pascual find a way to sneak out of Spain with the loot so that they can finally live happily ever after.

Pascual has never lost the passion and the love he felt for Katixa, and he is totally intoxicated by the idea of being reunited with her. His efforts to make this plan work and to realize his dream open the door to a complicated tale of intrigue and double-crosses, punctuated by a considerable amount of violence.

As is often the case in novels like this, it's ultimately hard to determine who the good guys are or if, indeed, there even are any good guys at all. But you instinctively root for Pascual. For all the terrible things he might have done in his earlier life, you want things to work out well for him in the end and once you've started the book, it's almost impossible to put it down until you know if they will or not. One thing you will know for sure, though, once you've finished the book, is that Dominic Martell is an author who deserves a much wider audience.

Well Plotted, Shabbily Written.

This story is well plotted and set, but the prose was atrocious.

In general, I liked the story, with its intricate cross, and double-cross. The setting was also well-done (although I remember Barcelona as shabbier and smellier). The Katixa character was well rendered, but Pascual lacked motivation.

What really hurt the novel was the clichéd and overly-intellectual prose. This flaw was noticeably worse in the beginning. For example, there was the terribly over-used description of Katixa being "lithe as a jungle cat". But, my favorite passage (This had me running to the dictionary.) is listed below:

"Pascual runs Benigno to earth in a grimy `tasca' in the Carrer del la Merc'e, with a .... demimonde clientele."

Either the author needs to be slapped-up against the side of the head for writing this, or his editor needs scrounging for letting it be published in a Thriller.

There is a lot of Terrorist inspired fiction market right now. "Lying, Crying, Dying" is too flawed to compete with the best of them. I think with at least as much concentration on his prose as his storyline this author may have some future potential.

This story is well plotted and set, but the prose was atrocious.

In general, I liked the story, with its intricate cross, and double-cross. The setting was also well-done, although I remember Barcelona as shabbier and smellier. The Katixa character was well rendered, but Pascual lacked motivation.

What really hurt the novel was the clichéd and overly-intellectual prose. This flaw was most noticeable in the beginning. For example, there was the terribly over-used description of Katixa being lithe as a jungle cat. But, my favorite passage (This had me running to the dictionary.) is listed below:

Pascual runs Benigno to earth in a grimy tasca in the Carrer del la Merce, with a crapulous demimonde clientele.

The Thriller-reading public is generally not interested in building their vocabulary. Either the author needs to be slapped-up against the side of the head for writing this, or his editor needs scrounging for letting it be published in a Thriller. (But, the authors verbosity did teach me a new word: fellatrix.)

There is a lot of Terrorist inspired fiction market right now. Lying, Crying, Dying is too flawed to compete with the best of them. I think with at least as much concentration on his prose as his storyline this author may have some future potential.