Customer Reviews

Sons of the City: A Novel

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Scott Flander's "Sons of the City" is one of the most compelling books I've read in a long time. He certainly did his homework. The book was a real "page turner"; with the only down side being that I was finished much too quickly. Scott -- how 'bout a follow up to the story? I feel like I know the characters personally. If this becomes a movie -- you will definitely be on the edge of your seat! This book would make a great Christmas gift -- even for yourself!

Flander's novel is much more than a typical genre novel about cops and criminals. Picking it up casually in the book store, I was struck immediately by the strength of the voice and the exceptionally high quality of the writing. The scenes, the images from the streets, the variety of the characters, the funny and/or horrific set-pieces, the blistering action - very quickly, I found that I'd read a third of the book and become completely absorbed. Not that Flander cheats you out of the pleasures of the genre - it's all there, the chases, the bad guys, the boys in blue - but it's rendered with a level of authenticity, a sophistication about the way cops think and behave, a deep understanding of the ways in which the police and different communities within a boiling metropolis relate to, and negotiate with, one another that's, in my experience, really rare. At the center of it all is Eddie North, a deeply conflicted, angry, affectionate, smart, stupid, blind, observant, and finally extremely sympathetic and winning cop who is as human and intriguing as any character you're likely to find in a book like this. What can I say? I loved it, I loved everything about it - and I'd like to see these guys again. Any chance of a sequel (or two)?

Scott Flander's book so immersed me in the world of Philly cops that I no longer look at cops the same way. A few weeks after reading Sons of the City, I was sitting in a diner and noticed a large group of cops having lunch together at the next table. I found myself smiling at them and felt like I actually knew them. I realized that I recognized them - their smiles and mannerisms - as the characters from Flander's book. And I felt such a strong respect for what they do on a daily basis. Aside from enhancing the way I perceive cops in real life, Flander's book is superb! Very gritty, a lot of humor, and fantastic dialogue. The plot lines have been seamlessly woven together and the characters are so solid, you never question their actions or motivations. A definite pager-turner recommended for anyone who likes cop novels, mysteries, mafia story lines, the city of Philadelphia and/or just great writing!

I can't say this is the best crime novel I have read as some readers have stated, but if you are looking for a fast read with lots of twists and turns, I recommend this book. The story about the streets of Philadelphia and all of the city's inhabitants gives a real cross section of what life is like, from the law abiding to the law breaking. The characters are well written and the plot flows well. I'm sure this author's talents will grow and I look forward to reading future books. This is not GREAT, but good and he is definitely honing his talent.

Sons of the City is an engaging, fast-paced police procedural/crime novel that gets you out of the precinct office and catapults you onto the mean streets of some of the toughest neighborhoods of Philadelphia. Scott Flander writes about Philadelphia in a way that only someone who really knows the city and its moods could. This novel successfully explores the many fault lines that exist in a large, multi-cultural urban/suburban environment, which may, at any time, begin to move and shift, causing social upheaval. From the moment you step into Eddie North's patrol car, with its ghosts of old cheese steaks, doughnuts, and 7-11 coffee, you are swept into a world that "civilians" rarely get to experience. You learn the very high price that certain individuals in our society are willing to pay so that the rest of us can sleep at night and feel that the world is, basically, a decent place. This novel is a real page-turner, with surprising twists and turns of plot. Just when you think you've finally got something nailed down, it's pulled right out from under you. Sons of the City is an exciting novel that is tough and cynical, yet, at times, surprisingly tender and moving. Much of the humor is the black humor of people who live on the edge and never know if the next moment will bring a fresh doughnut or death. As a lover of this genre of literature, I give Sons of the City my best recommendation--it kept me up late, reading, for three nights.

This book was so good. I'm only 16 and a female so I thought I might not enjoy this book. I usually can predict what's going to happen but this book was suspensefull and so clearly written. Very nice!

This was an excellent first novel. It is fast paced and gives the reader a great tour of Philadelphia and its neighborhoods. The story's quick tempo and many surprises keep the reader intently interested. I am hoping to see more from this upcoming author.

a very fast paced novel that i couldn't put down! I recommend this to any true crime fan!!

I judge the writing in a crime novel by how well it carries me along with it. Sons of the City did a fine job in this regard. If not a book for the ages it's certainly one for the airplane flight. Eddie North and his cop colleagues are up against a lot - they're besieged not only by the usual bad guys, but to some extent also by their own bosses as well as the citizens they're employed to protect. Lots of conflict, lots of action, lots of suspense. The dialogue and character interactions are credible -- all too rare in this genre. You feel that Scott Flander really knows these people. I hope he has more stories to tell us about them.

"The covers of this book are too far apart." AMBROSE PIERCE

It was with relish that I initially opened this book by Scott Flander. And when I say that I couldn't wait to finish it, it is merely to indicate that it was to be done with it and never see it again. "Sons of the City" is basically a 308-page script for a mediocre television crime drama. My guess would be that someone watched one-too-many episodes of Starsky & Hutch as a young adult and parlayed it into a novel. To be fair, this story does have all the necessary ingredients of a hard-boiled mystery...but unfortunately, the ingredients were left sitting out far too long and had already gone stale by the time they were used. The good cop, the bad cops, the mob boss and his henchman, the black community of some inner city...all these are here, but you could most likely guess the storyline and the outcome just from reading this review! The characters were wooden, mouthing exceptionally predictable dialogue, and the action was related in such a monotonous voice, I nearly acquired a bout of narcolepsy while trudging my way through it. All in all, reading this ate up a few hours of my time...but I can say honestly that I'll never make THAT mistake again!