Customer Reviews

Rain Dogs

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

 

 

His daughter would have turned five yesterday if she had not died. Former Chicago reporter Tom Coleman celebrated the day by getting drunk in a cheap motel room. His marriage ended with their child's death so no one will care except perhaps the lawyers at Tyler & Tyler in the "Heart City" Valentine, Nebraska. They expected him three days ago to discuss the will of his late grandfather Parker, who he had only seen a few times as the man had turned into a cantankerous hermit since his wife died.

Tom mulls over what to do with the canoe business on the Niobrara River his grandfather left him. He figures he has nothing else so why not make a go at it though he is not so certain about the pot using employee Duane Foster he also inherited. Tom also hopes to hook up with his college girlfriend widow Abby though he is not as certain about her unruly teenage stepson Scott. The DEA scrutinize Tom when a methyl-amphetamine lab blows up near his property. Unable to stop his journalist genes, Tom, over the warning from the local and federal law enforcement, investigates drug trafficking in the heartland.

The key to this powerful crime thriller is Tom who holds the exciting story line together with his shaky relationships with his family, his ex, and his new acquaintances. In many ways his only friend is the bottle though he tries to score with Abby even as he cannot stand the moody Scott. The drug investigation is cleverly devised so that the reader obtains a strong mystery, but the RAIN DOGS belong to Tom terrific, who drinks to hide his loneliness and fear that he is just like his grouchy grandfather.

Harriet Klausner

If you like your mystery anchored by a rock-solid plot, enhanced by sharply-drawn characters who act like real people, and speak believable dialogue, topped off by a setting so starkly and vividly and gorgeously described, that (like a John Ford landscape), it is nearly another character itself, then Sean Doolittle's "Rain Dogs" is for you.

A native Nebraskan himself, Doolittle places his story among the sand dunes and prairie grass of the northwestern part of that state. In language reminiscent of the best of Hemingway, he sets his scene: "It felt like nothing but sky here. No buildings, hardly a tree- just a kingdom of grass in all directions, a world of sky meeting the low horizon all around."

Against this backdrop, Doolittle paints a shifting mirage of a story, a tale the truth of which shifts with the narrative. For the pigments in this painting, the author uses unforgettable characters to move his story along: characters such as Tom Coleman, the brooding, haunted narrator, attempting to anesthetize the pain of an unspeakable tragedy with alcohol and isolation. Joining Coleman in this endeavor is an unforgettable supporting cast, including a practically homeless burn-out who is more than he appears to be, an angry fifteen-year-old who is (in all but one way) exactly what he appears to be, a former lover who appears by turns to be both Tom's past and his future, and a wildlife journalist who is anything but what he appears to be.

Doolittle is not a thriller writer, and is willing to take the time to let his story unfold. The fact that he is able to do so while keeping the pace steady and holding the reader's interest, speaks to the power of Doolittle's writing, and his facility for building the tension in his narrative by slow degrees. From the first page till the haymaker of a conclusion, Doolittle's narrative never falters.

And the payoff is well worth the effort. Doolittle's language will stick with you long after you've finished one of his books. This writer is a comer.

Don't read this book for the mystery, it is not very good, but that doesn't matter. This book is terrific for the characters.

The characters in the book are realistic. From the depressed main character who has quit his big city reporter job to run his late grandfather's canoe and camping gropund, to the local sheriff and deputies to the punk kids messing with drugs, the personalities all run true.

The reporter returns to his father's hometown and gets mixed up in drug deals when he would rather drink himself into oblivion over the loss of his daughter. There is no heroism here nor good feeling endings, just realism.

The writing is good. Mr. Doolittle has a stark and economical style that matches the tone of the book and keeps it moving. The plot leaves something to be desired, but it is more a vehicle to showcase the personalities and tribulations of the characters than the be all of the book.

As depressing as all this sounds - drinking, depression, etc., the book is not tear-jerker. It is the account of people, men and women, working through life's vicissitudes. Some do it successfully, others do not. Highly recommended. I will go on to other books by Mr. Doolittle.

This is the first novel by Mr. Doolittle I've read -- an impressive,
first-rate read. His characterization (including a romance) and
setting (rural Nebraska) are dead on. The title concerns an
ex-reporter from Chicago returning home to run his late
grandfather's canoe/outdoor expedition camp. Our hero runs into
local nasties including a vicious deputy sheriff. The pacing is
smart and the dialogue is seamless. The narrative stays on
course and doesn't drift. IMO, one of the best books I've read
this year.

Surprising how Doolittle can take a little barren patch of geography and weave a compelling tale featuring realistic characters and an orderly plot which he reels out a little at a time. I disagree with reviewers who say the plot is dull -- it isn't -- and that the main character, Tom Coleman, is a pain in the neck. Actually, I liked the guy. As an ex-reporter, I felt his portrayal was authentic and I found him a sympathetic character, although he did drink too much. Anyhow, I thought it was a good, five-star read.

"Rain Dogs" is a difficult novel to review. On the book's back cover, author Sean Doolittle is described as "a young writer with serious chops". And for sure, this is a well-written drama with all the right ingredients - finely drawn characters and a rich rural western-Nebraska setting pulled together with believable dialogue and confident prose. This is the story of Tom Coleman, a down-on-his-luck big city (Chicago) journalist summoned back to Nebraska's sand hills to claim his inheritance - a smalltime camp that caters to the summertime rafting and canoeing trade along the scenic Niobrara River. With a broken down pickup truck and the burned out camp-hand, Duane, the camp is the perfect escape for a man coming off a difficult divorce and the death of his young daughter. The explosion of a nearby fishing camp injures a trio of local teens and sets off rumors of meth labs and drug rings, and soon Coleman is in the center of a mild storm of local politics, cops with attitudes, and neighbors with memories.

The problem is that despite the finely written paragraphs and well-rendered cast, the story never really resonated with me. Coleman surely had enough sorrow in his life to evoke pity, but the ever-present flask, his blinding hangovers, and a generally depressing disposition made it tough to ever really be rooting for him. And while the plot held my interest, it was always just a sentence or two away from being just plain boring.

Nonetheless, Doolittle is indeed a writer with "serious chops", and while this was my first Doolittle book, "Rain Dogs" promises enough to make me want to give "Dirt" or "Burn" a try.

Sean Doolittle's Rain Dogs is one of the most original crime novels I have read in some time. The story is about Tom Coleman who relocates to Nebraska to claim his inheritance (an outdoor adventure campground) from his deceased grandfather. Coleman is mourning the recent loss of his daughter, is coming out of a broken marriage, has just left a successful career in Chicago, and is caught in the downward spiral of alcoholism. Tom lands in the midst of a brewing conflict that is tearing apart the lives of those around him in his new environment. As Tom gets caught up in the events, he continues to lose control of his own life. The result is a well-crafted novel that is part character study and part crime fiction. Highly recommended.

I am a mother of three young children with little time to read. I started reading this book and I took it everywhere with so I could sneak a few minutes to read. I was addicted. The story is written casual and I could picture the people and places in my mind. I great read for people that like a good story and a good suspense. I didn't think Doolittle could beat his novel Dirt but he may have with this one.
Charlotte

An OK read (I'm a hard grader). I liked the setting and the interplay of the local law enforcement types stuck in the middle of nowhere. You are not going to particularly like the "hero" but he has his moments. Toward the end the DEA comes in with enough resources to catch Pablo Escobar not to mention a Nebraska meth gang. I read it on a business trip to a third world country with few entertainment options. It was fine in that context and to be fair, fine as what I call "junk" reading. However, when I finished I didn't want to run out and get the author's other efforts (if any).

But a half hearted story. We never really care about what's going on. And large sections of the story feel under-developed and unresolved.