Customer Reviews

Manhattan South

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ukrainian hitman Andrew Karis is a pro who never makes a mistake or leaves behind a loose end. His current assignment takes place in La Florentine, a Manhattan bar just before closing. He kills forty-five years old Candy Mayhew, her mid thirties lover miner mobster Donny Cesare, and the bartender Hugh Byrne. However, coming out of the bathroom is private detective Tony DiLeo, doing surveillance on Candy for her spouse. Caught off guard, Andrew shoots the sleuth, but the last victim barely survives and is rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

MANHATTAN SOUTH homicide detective Sergeant Thornton Savage and his team head the investigation. On first look the cops eliminate robbery as the motive. The case appears either to have been a mob hit on Donny or a cuckold husband killing his wife and her lover. However, the investigation begins to take strange twists that reach the highest level of political power in this country leaving a good caring cop in jeopardy of his job and reputation as nothing stands in the way of ambition.

Fans of police procedurals will welcome John Mackie into the sub-genre after reading the powerful MANHATTAN SOUTH. The story line is fast-paced, loaded with action, and filled with twists caused by external pressures. Thornton and his crew comes across as individuals yet a professional team while the villains include a great hitman and a Lady Macbeth type character. Though the NYPD brass is politically stereotyped, readers will enjoy this tale that starts faster than a colt and retains the speed and action until the tight end.

Harriet Klausner

Manhattan south hooked me in and I hated to finish it. The characters had a true feel to them, as if I knew them forever. Very humorous/edgy dialog. And the plot was a labyrinth of suprises, yet was credible and intriguing. I was shocked to learn that this is Mackie's first book. I look forward to seeing more of his work. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for intelligent and entertaining reading.

I have only question after reading this book; Why isn't John Mackie in hardcover? He is a retired decorated veteran of the NYPD. The characters in his novel are well-developed and completely believable. The plot is fascinating. The dialogue is authentic. Mackie's detailed knowledge of the City of New York - it's streets, hotels, eateries, etc - gives a colorful realistic background for his story. I've read all of the well-known authors in various genres; legal, police-procedure, private-eye, etc; Caunitz, Mahoney, Grisham, Burke, etc. Mackie is as good or better than any of them. Best of all, he has written three more books that I haven't yet read. I'm salivating at that thought. And so will you, once you've read "Manhattan South." Wow! This one would make a great movie.

I thoroughly enjoy good crime fiction novels - intriguing plots, believable characters and taught, accomplished writing. For me John Mackie's books tick all the boxes. Obviously, from his NYPD background, he writes with an authority and knowledge which I feel is essential for novels of this genre.

His narrative is involving. There is a sense of being alongside his hero cop as he delves into the darker side of life in New York City.I read a lot of crime fiction. Many of the books are good enjoyable reads. Mackie's books though, were just that little bit more enjoyable to read - and difficult to put down. I will keep checking the Amazon listings to see when his fifth book is published. Soon I hope.

This was a heck of a ride and read. When I got close to the end I would put it down and prolong the ending knowing I would soon have to get up and start doing the things I had neglected. Yes, it is that good.

I've been an avid reader for 40 years and every now and then I become engrossed in a story and morn its ending. I was very suprised to find out that this is John Mackie's first published novel and relieved to learn that there is more to come. I guess what I'm saying is, I highly recommend Manhattan South.

I've read three of the four John Mackie novels, and I must say they're just outstanding for keep-turning-the-page excitement AND excellent writing. The voices of each of the characters ring so true that I have to think that Mackie is probably basing his characters on real individuals. Since he was indeed a cop, I'm probably right. I highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys a good read, and I look forward to reading Manhattan North, the only one I haven't read. There should be more Thorn Savage books!

MANHATTAN SOUTH is John Mackie's (NYPD ret.) first novel, and a winner it is! This deftly plotted novel concerns the machinations of one Christine Maloney, soon-to-be First Lady, who hires the Russian Mafia to eliminate several embarrassing skeletons in her husband's political closet.

Enter Thornton (courtesy of THE QUIET MAN) Savage, incredibly savvy and tough Detective Sergeant for Manhattan South Homicide, who soon finds himself a target, both of the Moscow Mob and Internal Affairs, as he digs ever deeper into the sordid past of The Man Who Would Be President.

John Mackie is a major, up-and-coming talent of the Florida Murder Mystery Writers Fraternity. Mackie has done a phenomenal job of capturing the gritty sensibilities of The Naked City. His sense of New York timing and place is impeccable, especially for a first novel. His dialogue and characters are each to themselves unique, yet strictly of the street.

One error creeps in: The landfill of note is at Pennsylvania Avenue and the Belt Parkway, not Fountain Avenue. Only a Brooklynite would care. The sweet, sweet stench of home!

I definitely recommend this fiery page turner for its sheer entertainment value, and look forward to the sequel, titled appropriately, MANHATTAN NORTH.

Ex-cop John Mackie's first novel is worth reading and warrants a 3 1/2 star rating. Manhattan South is a fast read, has an interesting story and pretty well-developed characters (for the most part). While the plot moves along at a brisk pace, I didn't think this book deserved more than 3 1/2 stars since there really weren't any surprises and most of the occurences were predictable. Also, Mackie leaves too many loose ends regarding some of the relationships between some of the characters. Perhaps, however, the author did this intentionally in order to create interest in a sequel or a series involving these characters. Nevertheless, despite these limitations, Manhattan South makes a good beach read or when you're in the mood for a "light ", action-packed police yarn.

Delivered to us in third person narration, we follow Sergeant Thorn Savage and his three-person homicide crew as they go up against the Russian mob, a crooked senator and his scheming wife, a Ukrainian assassin, office politics and one assassination after another.

Mackie writes at a fast pace with chapters that aren't too long-winded. Our third person narrator all too often makes commentary consistent with Savage's character, which falls into the category of indirect internal monologue. Though I didn't find this to be confusing, Mackie often gets on the soapbox to rant against police administration politics. Furthermore, with the harsh criticisms, which are obviously coming directly from Mackie, I can easily see how some people would think the author is homophobic and a little racist. But I did like how he wasn't politically correct by any means.

At times, the dialogue for the police was far too similar amongst the characters. Furthermore, some of the dialogue was outright laughable:

(After taking out an assassin) "Thorn said reflectively, `It happened too fast. I spun, drew down on him, and told him to give it up. He decided to roll the dice. He got snake eyes.' "

I almost spit iced tea across the room after reading that one. It seems Mackie watched one too many "Noir" B-movies. And tell me the name "Thorn Savage" isn't another hokey B-movie character homage. Did Mackie even have an editor to reel him in?

Here's some third person narrative after Savage guns down another bad guy:

"He then crashed face first onto the floor, his huge body twisting like a poleaxed cow in an Omaha slaughter stall."

Are you kidding me? I had to put the book down till I stopped laughing. That has to be one of the world's worst similes.

And one more regarding Savage:

"Paranoia draped him like watery, cheap syrup on a hot waffle, filling every pore."

What the hell was that?! Again, his editor must have been on vacation.

Needless to say, the book is riddled with the aforementioned, though Mackie does have his moments of acceptable prose. Mackie was inconsistent for certain, too tongue-in-cheek and too over-the-top, and I really wonder what his editor was doing when these pages came across his desk. The only plug for the book came from former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik. He said, "Mackie was a cop's cop; now he's a writer's writer." Kerik should stick to law enforcement - and keeping himself out of jail - instead of making flippant comments about writers.

The book did have a couple of minor surprises, which worked well, but the ending didn't satisfy. It was clear Mackie had another book in mind that would carry over some of the storyline. The last five pages reeked of "sequel" all the way.

The one thing Mackie gave me above all else is a lot of wonderful material regarding NYPD procedures as well as the look and feel of Manhattan South. I have a much better sense of how homicide work is handled and distributed among the detectives.

But I would only recommend reading this if one wants a laughable and brainless read.