Customer Reviews

Straw Men

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I've absolutely devoured every one of Michael Marshall Smith's books (that's the name under which his past works were written, in case you'd like to find more of his work.) Another book released earlier in the year by a different writer named Martin Smith called The Straw Men likely precipitated the change of pen name, although why the publisher calls this "his debut novel" is puzzling. His books are bestsellers in the UK.

As someone said earlier, Mr. Marshall (or Smith) really knows how to "turn a word." As wonderfully dark and fast-paced as this book is, I, too, kept finding myself re-reading certain paragraphs here and there, just because the author has an incredible gift of being able to sprinkle profound insights amidst a breakneck plot and non-stop progression of the story. His literary prowess never gets in the way of the story.

For horror buffs, this is a completely fresh, wonderful read, and it's indeed a shame that the author has not gained the stellar notoriety he so rightly deserves. (Although two of his prior works have been secured for VERY large sums from movie studios, including Spielberg's Dreamworks, who paid a whopping seven-figure sum for the rights to Spares.)

To the story: The book centers around two different protagonists, each tracking down what appears to be a serial killer, but in the end, turns out to be much, much more. The main, first-person protagonist attempts to unravel and come to grips with a very intriguing set of clues that shed light on an extremely bizarre past that he'd never imagined. At the same time, a pair of detectives are drawn into a similarly bizarre serial killer case that turns out to be much bigger than what appears on the surface, and as we come to learn, anything the world has ever seen. As more is learned and the story progresses, the two sets of protagonists find themselves on the same case, with a satisfying conclusion that still begs a sequel. Not to be trite, but this truly is one of those rare page-turners that melts the hours away as you read it.

One thing that I really like about Marshall's (Smith's) books is that unlike many horror stories or thrillers, his lead characters are strong and intelligent - not the typical meek, everyday Joes who end up embroiled in some kind of dark situation, as many horror novels tend to be. His characters drive the story, and are not "passive" about it in the least. I just like that. I wholeheartedly recommend this book as a must-buy, and all of Smith's past works as well (which venture more into the "light Sci-Fi/horror" realm.)

One side note: Smith is British, and if you go the amazon.co.uk site, you can find a collection of short stories published in a book called "What You Make It" by him that's not available in the states, which is also a wonderful read, and well worth the airmail surcharges to import. If you enjoy Smith's work, don't miss it.

Jove's packaging of this book is a little puzzling, seeing as this author has three other novels and a short story collection to his credit, albeit under a (very slightly) different name: Michael Marshall Smith. Check the copyright page, since the novel is copyrighted under his full name; or check the author's website (the full name, plus a .com... since Amazon doesn't allow URLs). I can understand their desire to not have the novel confused with another _The Straw Men_ released just last year by another Smith, but aside from the "debut novel" statement being a lie, it deprives many readers of the chance to check out his old work, and it means that many old fans won't know a new book has come out.

Okay, enough of that...

This novel starts a bit slowly, setting the scene and scenario, developing characters, and slowly working towards the revelations that kick the plot into motion. Like another reviewer stated, the less said about the details the better, but suffice to say, once things start to move you won't be able to put this book down.

Also, it is a very well writen novel, and there is a fair bit of social commentary there if you want to look for it. However, this book can be just as enjoyable as a page-turner, if that's what you are looking for. But be warned, it is a very, very bloody book. There is a good deal of violence, especially towards the end, and there are some graphic scenes involving children (though not of a sexual nature).

As it stands now, this is my favourite new novel of 2002, and I only hope that Michael Marshall (Smith) won't take as long to finish his next novel as he did to finish this.

A nice surprise amongst a bunch of books I purchased at a sale recently. I was into it from the beginning, the style of writing and humour made it very comfortable to read. It's always a pleasure to find an author at random who can deliver the goods.

Without going on about the well-told story, my only complaint is the far-reaching abilities that ex-cops and their FBI friends seem to have here in the supposedly real world. It reminded my of `Trace', the last Kay Scarpetta novel I read, where a quick phone call or access to a computer provided too many answers, too easily.

I enjoyed the story, and look forward to reading the remaining books.

Three horrific events separated by time and distance are united by a hidden, cunning conspiracy that threatens the foundation of civilization.

I happened across THE STRAW MEN totally by accident. I was checking out a hotel sundries shop one rainy Sunday morning in New Orleans and saw the book on one of those wire, wall-mounted paperback racks popular in hospital gift shops and airports. Two things attracted me to it: the name of the author, "Michael Marshall," was the name of a kid I went to grade school with; and the two word cover blurb by Stephen King: "A Masterpiece." I picked the bad boy up; the story looked intriguing, and I scraped some bills together and bought it. It was the best several bucks I've spent in quite a while.

The Michael Marshall who wrote THE STRAW MEN is not the kid I went to school with. This Michael Marshall is from Great Britain, and his name is actually Michael Marshall Smith. He's published three books, I believe, under the latter name, works of speculative fiction that I'm going to get into as soon as I finish keyboarding here. Why he has been abbreviated to Michael Marshall is a question I can't answer; it's confusing, apparently, even to his publisher, which on the back of THE STRAW MEN, describes this book as his debut novel.

Regardless, this guy is incredible. Let me put it this way: I was firmly convinced before I was a third of the way through the book that Michael Marshall was one of those Richard Bachman identities that Stephen King comes up with. Or, even more improbably, that THE STRAW MEN was some collaboration between King and Dean Koontz. Marshall writes as if he is possessed with the strengths of both writers and bereft of their occasional weaknesses. But he apparently is his own, real person. Why angels are not calling his name right now, I don't know, and why THE STRAW MEN went straight to paperback, as opposed to getting a huge hardcover release first, is a question I can't answer. This novel, however, is incredible.

Marshall starts things off by recounting three separate, seemingly unconnected events. The first is an occurrence at a fast food restaurant; the second is the abduction of a teenaged girl named Sarah Becker from a Santa Monica mall; and the third is the death of a husband and wife in an automobile accident. Their son, Ward Hopkins, finds a note in his father's handwriting stuffed into a chair, reading "Ward, we're not dead." Hopkins, a ne'er do well who has been at loose ends for most of his life, haltingly begins an investigation and in the process begins to connect the random dots of the three events, revealing a horrific plot that stretches across the country and fifty years into the past, involving his parents and ultimately himself. At the same time, an FBI agent and John Zandt, a retired and grief-stricken Los Angeles police detective, investigate the Becker abduction, an incident which is tied to three prior abductions --- one of which involves Zandt's own daughter.

As Zandt races against time to rescue Becker, his path becomes intertwined with Hopkins as they race toward a tumultuous, apocalyptic conclusion. Marshall keeps the suspense level ratcheted to atmospheric levels practically from the first page, so that the reader turning the page while actually fearing what will come next. Marshall is a master of the unpredictable; nothing is as it seems, and no event can be anticipated, from the first page to the last.

With THE STRAW MEN, Marshall demonstrates that the Next Big Thing is already here. If you wish you had held on to that first edition of CARRIE, here's your second chance. This guy is a marvel. Highest possible recommendation.

I recently adopted a no more 5 star review policy. Nada, nothing, except maybe my grandmother's sour cream pound cake. But then I picked this book up and had to recant. This is a terrific book and this guy, of whom I'd never heard, is one heck of a writer. It's not often that someone's prose has the ability to inspire terror and incite laughter in the same sentence. This guy has a keen insight on the things that make my generation laugh, cry and feel a little nervous. I hear there's a sequel out already, and sequels, especially to great books and great movies (see Jaws II) always scare me. Great expectations, I suppose. But, in the end, I'll have to see. By all means, read this book.

I bought The Straw Men on impulse while wondering through a book store trying to find something different to read. And I got it!

I couldn't put the book down.. I read it straight through. Michael Marshall has a wonderful way with wording, I found myself greedily reading each phrase and sentence once after the other.

His switch between first and third person might seem awkward to some, but I found it intriguing and a nice a change as the book went along, adding a more personal view from the character who was probably the most confused and traumatized by the truths that began revealing themselves.

The end could have been a little deeper, a little more informative, but it stuck with the mystery that had surrounded the plot throughout the whole book and was obviously (I hope!) left open for a sequel.

I would suggest this book to anyone who looking for a chilling, different read. You'll certainly find it here.

And to all the other reviewers who let us in on Mr Marshall's other books, thank you!

Ward Hopkins returns home to Dyserburg, Montana only to step into what seems like an episode of the Twilight Zone when he finds a book taped to the underside of a recliner. Contained inside the book is a note that states his parents aren't dead. Tearing the house apart, he stumbles upon a video showing his parents and two twins, one who they leave behind in a crowded area. Unable to believe his parents are capable of such an act, he along with his CIA friend Bobby discovers that there is no record of Ward's birth.

While Bobby and Ward seek the truth, a teenage girl is kidnapped in Santa Monica with the FBI believing they are once again dealing with the Upright Man serial killer. Former cop John Zandt and his friend FBI agent Nina look to find Sarah before she is killed like the three others before her. John and Nina cross paths with Bobby and Ward. They begin working together making the necessary connections to find the Upright Man and his supporters the Straw Men.

Eerie, gothic like suspense that has more realistic twists and turns than the world's most serpentine roller-coaster, THE STRAW MEN never slows the ride until even Yogi would agree it's over. From the very beginning readers connect with a befuddled Ward at a very fundamental level. Fans root for him and his cohorts to succeed in their interconnected missions that seem so hopeless. Michael Marshall's debut novel is a very special reading experience for crime thriller fans.

Harriet Klausner

Marshall hits the ground running in one of the best mystery/thriller debuts this year. I picked up this book due to Stephen King's review that it was scary as hell. King was right. Marshall sure knows how to build the suspense as he plots seemingly random events and connects the dots well into the book. It looks to be the first book in a projected series and I can't wait for the continuation!
For those of you who hate shifting viewpoints, you may be disaappointed, but Marshall does pull it off well without distracting from the story.
If you're in the mood for something scary, something mysterious, by a new writer...this is a darn good bet!

Michael Marshall (a.k.a. Michael Marshall Smith, author of SPARES, ONE OF US, and ONLY FORWARD) has written one of the best novels of 2002-THE STRAW MEN. Unlike his previous futuristic novels, this one takes place in the present day with flashbacks to the past. It's actually two stories (each story could have easily been turned into a successful novel) in one, which come together in the last hundred pages to create an ending that will scare the living daylights out of you with regards to the evil that mankind is capable of perpetrating. The first story deals with Ward Hopkins, ex-C.I.A., who returns home to Dyersburg, Montana to attend the funeral of his dead parents, both of which were killed in a tragic car accident. What Ward eventually discovers while going through his old home is that his parents may not have been who he thought they were and that quite possibly they may still be alive, but in hiding from a deadly organization that refers to itself as The Straw Men. With the help of his good buddy, C.I.A. agent Bobby Nygard, Ward starts searching for answers and inadvertently sets in motion several attempts by The Straw Men to eliminate both him and his friend. The second story deals with a serial killer known as The Upright Man who takes his victims from the Los Angeles area of California. When young Sarah Becker disappears one evening while sitting in front of a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Santa Monica, waiting for her father to return, F.B.I. agent Nina Baynam realizes that The Upright Man has returned after being dormant for two years. She enlists the help of ex LAPD Homicide Detective, John Zandt, who'd once helped her to hunt this serial killer, until his own daughter became a victim. John, however, is determined that Sarah Becker isn't going to die. He's going to do everything in his power to save her and to kill The Upright Man in a final act of revenge for destroying his life two years before. Both stories will slowly converge into one as Ward, Bobby, Nina and John discover that's there something much more deadly out there than just a single serial killer, and that it's going to take all of their strength and courage to fight this force of evil that's killing our children. THE STRAW MEN is a tour de force for Michael Marshall. The plot is intricately woven with strong, compelling characters that drive the story forward like a battering ram. Mr. Marshall knows how to end each chapter with a hook that keeps the reader glued to every single page in a frantic attempt to find out what's going to happen next. The last forty pages of this novel blew me away and will leave you literally speechless, not to mention fearful that the possibility of what the author suggests is, in fact, true. I sincerely hope that Mr. Marshall is already at work on a sequel to this breathtaking, utterly scary novel about man's capacity to commit evil and that Hollywood, if it has any sense, has already picked up the screen rights. THE STRAW MEN is one of those tremendous surprises that all readers of suspense crave from the inner sanctum of their souls. Buy it, read it, pass it on to your friends, then see if you can sleep at night without having nightmares that The Straw Men may be coming for you. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!

THE STRAW MEN plays out like a dream-team collaboration by Stephen King (who hailed the book a masterpiece), Dean Koontz, Thomas Harris, and Michael Slade. Deliriously paranoid, lightning paced, crammed with surprise and invention, action and terror, humor and heartbreak, this is the kind of book that lesser writers will envy and everyone else will just admire to no end. And the happiest part? The formidable Mr. Marshall is clearly here to stay, as evidenced by the recent release of a sequel to this book, entitled THE UPRIGHT MAN. Discover this guy as soon as you can - once everybody is reading him and hit movies are being made from these books, it's sure gonna be fun to be able to say "Oh, yeah, I've been reading him from the beginning!"