Customer Reviews

Poker Club

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

 

 

To call "The Poker Club" a horror title is a grand misnomer. I totally agree with another reviewer that this really should have been listed as a crime title.

To it's credit "The Poker Club" is a very fast and easy read. What a pity that there was no real payoff by the novel's conclusion.

What suprised me most was Mr. Gorman's use of every ethnic and racial sterotype imaginable. Our hero, Aaron Tyler tells us himself through his clumsy first person narrative that he is the token WASP, Curtis is the token black, Neil is the token Jew and Bill is the token Catholic. Or that's what he'll have you believe that's what they call themselves to one another. Do you know of anyone who would actually talk like that?

The sterotypes don't stop there. We read them when describing the residents of "rough" neighborhoods in Aaron's small Midwestern town and in describing the carnies working at the fair. If as much thought went into the plot as the racial profiling, there might have been a nub of a tale worth telling.

Detective Patterson apparently knows what went down with the men, yet does no real police work to get them to talk. "When you're ready to tell the truth..." "Stop lying to me..." make up a major portion of her speaking lines. Any police officer out there reading this novel would be insulted by her poor procedural tactics.

Aaron and his friends are supposed neighborhood saints turned sinners. There is nothing redeeming or memorable about any of these men. I half-expected these dreaded six words after the final sentence . . . "And we lived happily ever after." That's the sort of feel the novel has by the end.

There are plenty of other good novels out there that will, no doubt, entertain you more. Leave this one on the shelf.

I was a little leery of this novel at the start. I purchased this not knowing that Ed Gorman's genre was horror, which is not what I normally read. I was quite pleased that Gorman keeps any supernatural element out, and kept the horror to more true to life issues. The novel reads like a thriller, but with the "It could happen to you" element the story line was very scary.

The story like the title is based on a four man poker club, Who encounter a burglar one night during a card playing session. All four members have a different idea what to do and before they can go to the police the burglar is killed trying to get away. This starts the ball rolling and it does not stop till the book comes to an end. The main character Aaron Tyler trys to set examples, of what they should do but will the others listen. The club also knows that there is a second burglar, and when the second buglar starts stalking them the action is wonderful.

This novel reminded me about Scott Smith's "A Simple Plan". The element of should we go to the police or is it too late. The characters are nice mix and the setting of nice suburbia and the burglar's home in the worst part of the city is a nice public issue piece. The ending was a little bit predictable, however the ride to get there was pure enjoyment.

I find Ed Gorman a good, steady read, but if you have read "Out There In The Darkness", a novella, you have already read this story. Although a good story, I have to rate this one low because I dislike buying what I think are new novels, only to find that it is a rehash of an earlier work. Shame on you, Gorman.

This is the Frist novel from Ed Gorman that I have read. It will not be the last! This story does not slowly build to a peak, it grabs you by the throat early and does not let go until the end. The Poker Club consists of four men but the story is told by one, Aaron. Each of the four men have differing ways of dealing with the stress placed on them as events unfold. This is one of those stories that makes you feel uneasy as you realize that this could really happen.

Take four average, everyday-type of buddies who enjoy a weekly poker party, throw in a little murder, blackmail and mayhem and you've got the makings of a good yarn. Ed Gorman's "The Poker Club" is that yarn. The tangled web of deceit, lying, and revenge are all back stories to Gorman's plot dealing with the four friends attempting to hide their murder of a burgler who interrupts their weekly game. Gorman does a creditable job showing how the average guy just isn't cut out for this type of situation and how it unravels the friends' lives and marriages.

"The Poker Club" is scary in the sense that it IS believable and Gorman does a great job punching the "buttons" of the reader. The ending though, while not too surprising, is a little bit unsatisfying. The story ends rather abruptly as if Gorman was given a "page count". That is really the only strike against this story and doesn't detract too much from an enjoyable and unnerving novel. "The Poker Club" is a quick "read" and one that you will have trouble putting down at night.

RECOMMENDED!

Ed Gorman is a fairly well-known author in the horror and crime fields but "The Poker Club" was my introduction to his writing. Depending on your slant you could call "The Poker Club" a crime novel or thriller (possibly even horror though there's nothing supernatural). Unfortunately I'm left calling it unfulfilling.

The plot of "The Poker Club" (which is an expansion of an earlier novella) isn't breaking any new ground in the crime/thriller genre: a group of friends accidentally kill a burglar who breaks into the lead (Aaron's) home during a meeting of their poker club. The rest of the novel follows the friends as they deal with the vengeful partner of the dead burglar and the police investigation. This is, of course, intended to be thrilling and suspenseful but instead is only mildly interesting. Most of the "thrilling" events are rehashes of typical stalking/revenge tales, the characters are two-dimensional stereotypes, and the conclusion is a cop-out.

Though I'll most likely give Gorman another shot based on his notoriety, I'd recommend "The Poker Club" to only the most desperate crime/thriller fan.

I love Ed Gorman although I'd love to see him swerve more into the horror genre than mystery.. however this story is clever and sharp, my one critisicm is that the dialogue between the poker "buddies" seems a bit contrived and dated, but there are also some real gems of life observations as well as straight up suspense, no chaser!

It doesn't matter whether or not you've ever read the short story that formed the basis for this novel -- Ed Gorman's "Out There in the Darkness." No matter what, this novel is totally chilling. Is it horror or crime? Doesn't matter -- it's both. In fact, people who enjoyed Sam Raimi's flick "A Simple Plan" or the book it's based on will enjoy "The Poker Club." Put simply, it's a fast-moving disturbing tale that shows how easily supposedly every-day "normal" people can see their lives shredded by making a couple of bad judgments in a short timespan. Gorman's one of the finest writers out there, and "The Poker Club" proves it. By the way, the original short story is considerably different from the novel, so if you've read the story, pick up the novel as well.

Four poker buddies kill a burglar who breaks into their house during one of their games, and they decide to throw him in the river so they won't get in trouble with the cops. Of course, this leads to even *more* trouble, because the burglar had a partner, who takes his friend's death personally and starts stalking the poker players and their families, eventually pulling off some homicides. The guys have to decide to go to the cops and get themselves in worse trouble than they'd've started out with, or try to pay the burglar off, or kill him. The fairly simple plot is carried out well, with excellent characterization and a perfect sense of pacing. But even though this was marketed as a horror novel, it's really a crime novel with a high suspense level, so don't go into it with the wrong expectations. Definitely worth a read - it moves fast.

I loved this book. It held my interest the entire time. Why have I never heard of Ed Gorman before? He is great!