Customer Reviews

The Shop

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Today's thriller market has a number of franchise authors who consistently grind out "best sellers." Their plots are, for the most part, skillfully constructed, and they know how to tell a story. But their writing skills are often ordinary, even mundane, and rarely soar into that rarefied atmosphere of "style" that is the mark of a great writer. There was a time when stylists such as Eric Ambler and Graham Greene owned the thriller genre and lifted it to the level of literature. J. Carson Black is a throwback to that generation. She not only has the technical skills to shape a novel, but a gift for words that crosses into that exclusive literary terrain of art.

THE SHOP opens in a tense action sequence with the assassination in Aspen, Colorado of Brienne Cross, a well known actress/pop star. The hit is carried out with military precision by a lone assassin who vanishes from the scene, leaving no clue behind, least of all a motive.

The assassin is Cyril Landry, former SEAL and now a member of a black ops unit (known as "the shop") operating within a private security firm. The firm has been used on occasion by the government for missions requiring solutions outside the law. Landry is a man of contradictions - on the one hand devoted to his family, on the other capable of killing dispassionately. But the execution of Brienne Cross troubles him. For the first time, he finds himself drawn emotionally to a dead target. The years of mental programming that have conditioned him to kill, never questioning an order, are suddenly coming apart. In the course of this psychological dislocation, Landry will come to learn why Brienne's death was ordered, and will turn against the shop.

A second story line opens in a motel room on the gulf coast of Florida where a police chief has been found dead. Sheriff's homicide detective Jolie Burke is assigned to investigate. She suspects the suspicious death was a suicide, covered up by the victim's wife to protect his name. A tough, seasoned investigator, Jolie has some deep issues in her life, and a terrifying, repressed fear from early childhood.

Jolie's investigation will lead to a puzzling string of interrelated homicides that reach into the highest corridors of power. Eventually it will bring her into contact with Landry, on his own mission of vengeance against the shop, and a confrontation with the childhood memory she has blocked out. The life and death climax, when the antagonists finally clash on a private island off the Florida coast,is a masterpiece of narrative tension and suspense.

THE SHOP is original in concept, skillfully plotted and paced, with three dimensional characters, all of which make for an intriguing read.

Cyril Landry is a loving husband and father, a former SEAL, and now a killer working for The Shop. After his latest assignment -- a massacre in Aspen, Colorado -- Landry develops an emotional bond with one of his victims, a young and beautiful pop star. Feeling that something went wrong, Landry sets out to uncover the plot he's been part of. Meanwhile, homicide cop Jolie Burke is investigating a case that quickly goes out of control. As she untangles the mystery, the body count rises. When the subplots converge, Landry and Jolie find themselves facing a shocking conspiracy with an electrifying climax.
Anyone who enjoys a good thriller should check this one out. The Shop is full of intrigue, twists and turns. With such glowing blurb quotes from Gayle Lynds and David Morrell I knew I couldn't go wrong -- and I wasn't disappointed!

So many thrillers nowadays seem to have the same premise, with nothing new to set it apart from the pack. Not so with J Carson Black's THE SHOP. Even the title hints at intrigue and something out of the ordinary. I've read all of this author's novels, and each one demonstrates her skill for the craft by way of extensive research, character development, prose that sings, and thought-provoking plots that stay with you long after you read The End. Black is truly a master at writing police procedurals and high-concept novels. They just get better and better. Once you've sampled one, you won't be able to stop there.

This book had a lot of potential. However, there were far too many plot twists and turns for no logical reason, too many unrelated characters, core characters who were not fleshed out enough and too many loose ends. It's as if the author lost her way, or forgot to take the story all the way to the end. I really like this author's books, but this one just lost control.

Other reviewers have already described some of this book so I will refrain from going into any details. If you have not read any J Carson Black you should definitely get this book as well as all her other books. She has such a way with words and always comes up with a fabulous story and this book really had a great story. I would love to see it as a movie.

The characters are fascinating as always and it was so interesting to see how she fleshed out the main characters. I love the way she describes things as well. It is always so well done and you almost feel like you are part of the scene. Her books are never too short or too long and you always feel like nothing was left hanging so you are satisfied and not left wondering what or why something happened.

For those of you who don't like swearing and sex there is none in this book. It doesn't bother me but I know it bothers some people so that is why I am mentioning this. There are some murder scenes but they are not described and talked about too much so if you are squeamish nothing should bother you too much.

I agree with the other reviewer that J Carson Black is every bit as good as the most well known authors out there.

I guess I am going to have to find something else to read because I have read all her books now & cannot wait for a new book (hint hint) !!!!!!

Lately I've expanded my reading to include free, independent and low-cost books, with mixed results. The Shop sounded like a promising choice.

J. Carson Black can certainly write a page-turner, and I found The Shop to be a quick read. I wanted to get back to it when I had to put it down, and try and solve the mystery. You don't get many clues or foreshadowing, so the author keeps you guessing pretty much to the end.

One problem for me was that I wasn't attached to any of the characters in this novel. They were pretty well detailed and fleshed out, may be too much so on a few of the peripheral characters. Somehow, I just didn't have any emotional interest in either of the two main characters, Jolie or Landry. That isn't to say it's the author's fault, as I didn't suppose I'd want to be rooting for Landry, based on his occupation and background. He's not someone I'd have anything in common with!

As other readers have mentioned, the plot was a tad confusing along the way. If you were to put the book down for any length of time, I feel certain you'd get lost. Perhaps too much time was spent on the hostage-taking set up, which could almost have been its own book. I did keep reading to see how all the various plotlines were going to come together, and feel Black didn't quite do a stellar job here.

So not quite as satisfied as I would have wished on this one. Will try the other series (Caldwell) and see how I make out with those.

June 13, 2011 - Edited typo.

The Shop is a very well written, meticulously researched thriller. It grabs you from the very first paragraph, and doesn't let go until the thrilling climax. This one is not boring, so be prepared to keep reading until you finish it!

This book was very entertaining and I couldn't put it down. Easy flow with a fast pace made this book very enjoyable.

This was good!
I like these kind of action adventure books.
Every so often you have to suspend your dis-belief, but I liked both main characters.

I know it must be hard to get all the details right, but in a crime novel when the
gun is chosen it's a Sig 26. There is no Sig 26. Did you mean Sig 226?

A bit later, they get on the Hinckley Yacht and navigate by the Loran. I don't even think they sell Lorans any more, GPS is cheap and reliable. It's a yacht...I have a GPS!! That's like saying, "we went to the penthouse and listened to my collection of records"

Okay, I nitpicked. But that's why I didn't give it 5 stars.

So, overlook the little details, enjoy the read, and feel good that you got a great book cheap.

This book is terrible! After reading the other reviews I thought this book showed a lot of promise, but found the writing and plot to be confusing, disorganized, and boring. The character development was subpar and several characters were developed that then had almost no bearing on the story. The only reason I finished this book was in the hopes of it all making sense in the end, only to find the book has no ending! Instead you are directed to a website which is just a marketing ploy! I found this to be an abuse of the audience and a cheap ploy to market the author's other (probably just as terrible) books. It is as though the author wrote this the weekend before the deadline and felt no need to submit quality work. This book should never have been published. Do yourself a favor and do not waste your time reading this book.