Customer Reviews

The River Sorrow (G K Hall Large Print Book Series)

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

 

 

Craig Holden has done some very good writing in his career, but this book can't be included in that statement. I loved his book Four Corners of Night so I thought I'd give this one a try, but I put it down after slogging through the first 200 pages. The plot seemed mildly interesting, but the characters are so one-dimensional and shallow that I didn't care one bit about anything that happened to them. They were all boring, poorly-created cliches. The writing in this book was also terrible. Holden's prose in Four Corners of Night was some of the best I've seen in years, so he's obviously learned a lot about his craft, but this novel reads like a high school kid's attempt at writing a "cool" book. Don't waste your time on this one.

At times achingly slow, and at times seemingly in fast forward mode, "The River of Sorrow" is just an "OK" book for me.

I readily admit that I could not really identify much with the reformed drug addict doctor (his behavior is odd at the beginning of the story with regards to the police investigation and moves illogically throughout most of the first half of the book) and this hurt my enjoyment of the book. However, the addict Summer Storm's character gets even more ridiculous as the story moves along (I'll not detail why so as to avoid spoilers).

On a pet peeve note, on page 243 of my edition Holden perpetuates the silly idea that police must identify themselves when they are undercover if they are asked, "Are you a cop?" Jeez.

Not good, not bad. Just a book.

I've read some of Holden's other works and saw this one at the used bookstore so picked it up. I got through 220 pages and finally put it down and I never make that kind of commitment and then not finish the book. This one is simply unreadable. Holden certainly improved dramatically in future efforts but skip this one.

Here is a story of unrelenting gloom yet also one of justice and ultimately redemption. The author, in his first try, almost makes the classic error of introducing too many characters but by the end all is resolved. Our hero, Lancaster, is a doctor and a former drug addict who emerged from rehab to work in the emergency room. In the process he lost the love of his life, a woman who one day disappears after turning him in.

The gloomy, Michigan winter mood is perfectly captured as the doctor discovers an apparent attempt to frame him for a series of murders related to "Fang", a synthetic heroin that is incredibly powerful and extremely hard to manufacture. The drug disappeared years ago but yet it is back - why? Yet the tale involved more than the doctor. Two other characters appear almost out of the blue. Storm, a former addict and sister of one of the victimes, is startling as a woman seeing vengeance. The detective, a small town officer, investigates and slowly the reader is drawn into his story of love and heartbreak. The hero has flashbacks of younger, carefree days of romantic love adn these relieve the dark mood of the story. The ending is both surprising and satisfying - the last moments of the sheriff are so strong they stay with the reader long after the book is finished.

If you want good prose with an almost poetic touch - if you like adult, realistic characters - if you believe that human relationships are what stories are about - then this is the book for you. Bravo!

A different protagonist than I am accustomed to.Lancaster has buried his demons but they are visited uopn him in this novel that never lets up.The female lead is very good the revelation of her true identity amazed me.Our hero is truly one against the world.The title , which is the river, also encompasses our lives and the protagonists. Sorrow does engulf us like a river.I recommend this novel highly

I love reading detective/crime genre fiction, but am
a real snob about good writing. This one really makes
it, both as crime fiction and as a damn fine novel.

Holder writes a fairly tight novel with interesting characters and a mostly believable plot. One of the major plot twists was sort of telegraphed ahead of time, but I found this book a page turner and I wanted more when I was finished.

Holden's 1994 debut novel features a protagonist whose flaws chip away relentlessly at his hero status.

Adrian Lancaster is a talented emergency room physician who makes no attempt to conceal his heroin-addicted past and has made enemies among the police in his efforts to establish a local clinic for addicts.

As the links to his past proliferate in a series of murders establishing him as a primary suspect, Lancaster is forced to conduct his own underground investigation, accompanied by a strange young woman who leads him back to addiction.

The story is tense and suspenseful, the medical details interesting, the character exploration deep and insightful. Lancaster is a more credible character for his weaknesses, but the reader becomes increasingly unable to identify with this realistically repellant addict. Holden strives for something more literary than the usual thriller, and succeeds, while depriving the reader of the vicarious vindication inherent in the genre.

Craig Holden's "River of Sorrow" is a mesmerizing novel, with characters that have human failings, along with their heroic traits. Reformed drug addict Dr. Adrian Lancaster is drawn into a maze of murder and betrayal, and is ultimately set up for crimes he has not committed. Holden makes us feel for Lancaster, especially when he "falls off the wagon." Frank Brandon's character is immensely appealing, as is fellow cop Ellen Burns. The character of Storm Summers is the typical femme fatale and her true identity is prophesied early on, but what happens from there is unique and twisty. Julian Kline, the DEA agent , is also an interesting character. Flashbacks aid in helping the reader figure things out along with Lancaster and Brandon.
A nice, tidy psychological study of hope, despair and revenge.
RECOMMENDED.

This is a well written mystery. Several of the main characters have an interesting mix of admirable traits with common failings, such as the doctor who is a recovering addict. The bad guys are not so credibly characterized.