Customer Reviews

Mad Dogs

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I've been a Hodge fan for a lot of years, and I was so excited to finally get a new novel by this talented and criminally overlooked author. Hodge started out writing very dark horror novels, but with Wild Horses he proved into the crime genre, proving he could handle it equally as well, not to mention loads of humor. I devoured his newest, Mad Dogs, while also trying to stretch it out so I could savor every word. The story is a masterful satire that never gets too heavy-handed and perfectly balances humor with more serious moments. Over the course of the narrative, I really fell in love with the characters and became invested in their fates. The climax of the novel was incredibly tense and gripping, and I really liked the ending. I will say that the humor of the earlier parts of the novel kind of disappears in the last third, and that kind of shift in tone can be jarring for some readers. Overall, another winner by Hodge, and when I finished I felt somewhat sad because who knows when I'll get my next Hodge fix. This is a writer who deserves to be a household name.

When Jamey Sheppard pulls into a remote Stop-n-Gulp, he has no idea the drive to his imminent wedding is about to go terribly wrong. Jamey's last acting job was portraying wanted fugitive Duncan MacGregor for a TV re-enactment on one of those crime shows. But the boozed-up deputy who mistakes Jamey for the real MacGregor doesn't want his autograph -- he wants a bust. While frisking Jamey, a freak accident occurs and the cop shoots himself dead. Almost before he knows it, Jamey's on the run for real, wanted for the deputy's murder. The whole world's watching and turning Jamey into a star, if he can only survive. For unfortunately, it's not just the police who are on his trail, but also a dysfunctional family of criminal opportunists, a revenge-driven friend of the dead cop, the real sword-wielding outlaw Duncan (who wants to meet his alter ego), and some rather incompetent but motivated hitmen sent by ... but why spoil it for you? There's more to this zany novel than its surface action. It's a serio-comic road caper that screams nihilistic existentialism from every page while poking society for its cult of news and infotainment (and the blurred lines between them), short attention spans, and greed culture. Hodge's work (World of Hurt, Wild Horses, The Darker Saints) is always deeper than it seems, here recalling Bradley Denton's Laughin' Boy when examining how television and the media tend to shape our realities.

I really enjoyed the 1st novel. This one I could have gone without. If you're a die-hard Brian Hodge Fan, then you'll probably like the book. I hope this was just an off-day for the author.