Customer Reviews

Misadventure

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

 

 

This was the second (and last, as he died before it was published) book by Kaufman, who wrote Bowl of Cherries in his nineties. Liked Bowl of Cherries better -- I found it's craziness a little more entertaining and the vocabulary/word choice was just fantastic (in a $10 word kind of way). That, said, this was still a very enjoyable book (and unlike Bowl of Cherries, had a good second half). Whereas Bowl of Cherries was more Vonnegut, this is more Coen brothers.

Noir genre, ambiguously set in the 80s in LA, murder mystery: Jack Hopkins is a real estate agent with a checkered past, an obnoxious boss, whiny girlfriend, and what seems to be a life of a hit man in front of him. A real estate mogul wants Jack to kill his wife, while his wife (our femme fatale) has offered to pay Jack $10 million to kill her husband. But then she turns up dead. Add in private islands, monkeys, illicit affairs, murder, rubies, backstabbing and dealmaking and it's an interesting, fast-paced read. This is more than just a murder mystery -- the characters are great in and of themselves and the ending is more than a "voila the murderer is revealed" type of ending (it's deeper).

I'd give this a B+. It's a rare combination of a quick read with actual substance, the characters are great, and I was entertained. It's a pleasant weekend read, but not life-altering or going to stick with you for years to come. Kaufman is such a great storyteller, you wonder what he would've done with an A+ plot.

A dark tale for the 21st century. Suspenseful, sexy, and beautifully-written homage to the 1940s noir novels of James M. Cain. A mind-blowing achievement by a gifted writer.

Solid Noir from Millard Kaufman. I didn't really have any knowledge of him prior to this novel and I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. The plot was well thought out and the web of characters are is weaved in a manner that sheds light on the peculiar nature of each person.

Kaufman is a damn wordy writer. I meant this in good way. His choice of syntax is elegant but often had me reaching for a dictionary. He reminds me of Chabon in some ways.

I liked this book a good bit. The ending was a bit meh, but I'd still recommend this to book pals.

I loved it but hated it so much. For one I have to be honest. I could not put it down it was definitely a great read. But. . . UGH the character was such a dick. Aside from that all the characters were great and had there distinct personality. It was a really great story with lots of lust, mystery seductive writing; which brings you in to read more. I fell for the book face first just at reading the first couple of paragraphs. I would highly recommend, a great read. Yet I am still tempted to punch the main characters face in. Well if it got me this worked up you know the writings great. It pulls on your emotional string with intense irony.

A marvelous serio-comedy, Millard Kaufman takes us through his lead's double hiring, first by a So Cal billionaire land developer, second by his outrageous, promiscuous wife, to kill the other. Faced with the choice of which to honor, the ex-Marine, stuck in an unrewarding job, finds himself drawn into bizarre relationships with both that lead him, ultimately, to an island off the coast of Mexico that dwarfs it all.