Customer Reviews

My Ride with Gus

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

 

 

"My Ride With Gus" is a highly entertaining novel which reads quickly and yet manages to convey a few life lessons. I recommend this book.

With great characterizations, Charles Carillo writes a holiday story that slaps you upside the head with the notion that no matter who you are or what you do, you have a family. Starting with the initial accident and carried over the next few hours with a family reunion, "My Ride With Gus" drives home the point that while we all go our separate ways, we all started from the same point, and if we lose our way the best solution is to head back to where the terrain becomes familiar again

I found this book a fast and delightful ride. If you are a fan of Elmore Leonard or Jimmy Breslin, this one will fit the bill. I'm surprised that no one has made a movie yet. Great fun.

while this is not the most unusual story in the world, Carilllo puts a fantastic, fun spin on it. What is ultimately a story about family, turns into a comic revelation. I laughed out loud and gave it to a lot of people. Everyone loved it, even my husband who reads maybe one novel a year, usually something from the bestseller list. Which is where My Ride With Gus belongs. This would make a fantastic movie.

My Ride With Gus Is a wild page turner. I cannot explain how much fun the ride is. I was held by the real characters and their honesty. I need to take the same ride with my family. I recommend this novel to all my friends who are looking for a quick, thoughtful, and fun read. I hope to see more from Charles Carillo soon.

My Ride With Gus is an incredibly entertaining and quick read; the story progresses smoothly and snappily, although some of the encounters seem much too coincidentally. Not a murder mystery, but instead more of a family reunion, and a touching one at that. For anyone who's forgotten what family is all about.

It's probably the kiss of death to say that a murder mystery is 'heartwarming', but that's what this one is. The book is by turns suspenseful, funny and touching, and gives one pause for thought. My Ride With Gus is a quick read, but one that will come back and tickle your memory when you aren't expecting it.

Quick page turner. Reminds us about the need for family. I'm sure you'll recognize one of the characters from your past or present in this book. Enjoy remembering them and their simple schemes about life.

Things are quickly set up as upscale New York architect Jimmy meets his girlfriend for New Year's Eve dinner in a trendy joint. Instead of pulling out the wedding ring and asking her to marry him, they argue and break up. Jimmy gets wildly drunk and brings home a sketchy addict woman, who attacks him and he accidentally kills. From there, things turn into After Hours, as Jimmy calls his brother in Brooklyn to help him out of this jam, and an evening of driving around with a dead body in the trunk begins. Built on clichés, it's hard to get too involved in the characters: Jimmy is from a impoverished Brooklyn background and has tried to hide it, his brother is a nebulous mafia figure who speaks in movie Brooklynese. Long estranged from each other, Jimmy's problem becomes a catalyst for the two brothers renewing their bonds, while flashbacks give the backstory for each. It's all a little fairytaleish as everyone gets their just deserts, and only bad people die.

I recognized all the places in the book and would have understood some of the characters. It was extremely funny. It would make a great movie.