The war is over, but that doesn’t mean things are getting better. For PR man Wayne Ogden or any of the returning vets. The town of Wichita, Kansas—built around the industry of Collins Aircraft and its wealthy founder, Everett Collins—is not how they remember it. Against the background violence committed by the returning soldiers trying to make an adjustment back into civilian life, Wayne attempts to destroy his former mentor and take down Collins Aircraft—the once fabled company that provided planes to Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, and Wiley Post. All along the way he is haunted by poison pen letters, anonymously sent, that carry threats alluding to his black market work as a supply sergeant in the Quartermaster Corps. As the letters reveal more and more of Wayne’s secretive wartime past, his plan to destroy Collins and his company takes an increasingly darker turn that leads to blackmail, extortion, and murder. Phillips expertly crafts an instant noir classic that presents the birth of a postwar American criminal.
The Adjustment
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"The author's unapologetic depiction of a thoroughly bad egg will appeal to hard-boiled fans who don't need redeeming features to become engaged with a character." —Publisher's Weekly
"Wayne Ogden is a prince of a fellow, as long as you judge this bad-boy protagonist of Scott Phillips’s caustic crime novel . . . according to his own perverse code of ethics." —New York Times Book Review
“What draws us to the book is Phillips' taut and vicious vision, so clean we cannot help but inhabit it, even when we find ourselves repelled." —Los Angeles Times
"Phillips' novel is a brilliant work of noir, narrated in an Ogden deadpan that at times pokes the ghost of Raymond Chandler. Phillips' place of residence qualifies The Adjustment for this 'Best of St. Louis' honor, but regardless of where he chose to hang his hat, his book would rank among the best published this year." —The Riverfront Times, Best Book by a Local Author
“…as good, if not better, than The Ice Harvest . . . Like Jim Thompson with Lou Ford, Scott Phillips successfully manipulates the reader via Wayne Ogden. He forces you to stop on the side of the road, to look at the crash, and then to get out of your car to inspect every tiny details of this twisted wreckage of a man. The Adjustment is hardboiled, hardcore, and hard to put down.” —crimefictionlover.com
"Playing fast and loose with the dark side of the Greatest Generation, Scott Phillips once again creates a tight, funny noir that's rich in character, and makes the profane sacred." —from Indiebound's Next Great Reads selection
"This is Wayne's story, and what makes it memorable is his hulking presence, drifting through the world as hungry and blank-eyed as a shark . . . There's something compelling about that sort of rage, about its compression, its control . . . But what draws us to the book is Phillips' taut and vicious vision, so clean we cannot help but inhabit it, even when we find ourselves repelled." —David L. Ulin, The Los Angeles Times
"Written in pitch-perfect noir form." —Library Journal
“Like all Phillips novels, you never know where The Adjustment is going and the storytelling is nothing less than completely compelling... [this is] the best novel that I’ve read all year.”–Spinetingler Magazine
"Sly and worthy . . . Crime fans, especially those who favor a vivid sense of place and time, will love it." —Booklist
Review
Praise for The Adjustment
"The author's unapologetic depiction of a thoroughly bad egg will appeal to hard-boiled fans who don't need redeeming features to become engaged with a character." —Publisher's Weekly
"Wayne Ogden is a prince of a fellow, as long as you judge this bad-boy protagonist of Scott Phillips’s caustic crime novel . . . according to his own perverse code of ethics." —New York Times Book Review
“What draws us to the book is Phillips' taut and vicious vision, so clean we cannot help but inhabit it, even when we find ourselves repelled." —Los Angeles Times
"Phillips' novel is a brilliant work of noir, narrated in an Ogden deadpan that at times pokes the ghost of Raymond Chandler. Phillips' place of residence qualifies The Adjustment for this 'Best of St. Louis' honor, but regardless of where he chose to hang his hat, his book would rank among the best published this year." —The Riverfront Times, Best Book by a Local Author
“…as good, if not better, than The Ice Harvest . . . Like Jim Thompson with Lou Ford, Scott Phillips successfully manipulates the reader via Wayne Ogden. He forces you to stop on the side of the road, to look at the crash, and then to get out of your car to inspect every tiny details of this twisted wreckage of a man. The Adjustment is hardboiled, hardcore, and hard to put down.” —crimefictionlover.com
"Playing fast and loose with the dark side of the Greatest Generation, Scott Phillips once again creates a tight, funny noir that's rich in character, and makes the profane sacred." —from Indiebound's Next Great Reads selection
"This is Wayne's story, and what makes it memorable is his hulking presence, drifting through the world as hungry and blank-eyed as a shark . . . There's something compelling about that sort of rage, about its compression, its control . . . But what draws us to the book is Phillips' taut and vicious vision, so clean we cannot help but inhabit it, even when we find ourselves repelled." —David L. Ulin, The Los Angeles Times
"Written in pitch-perfect noir form." —Library Journal
“Like all Phillips novels, you never know where The Adjustment is going and the storytelling is nothing less than completely compelling... [this is] the best novel that I’ve read all year.”–Spinetingler Magazine
"Sly and worthy . . . Crime fans, especially those who favor a vivid sense of place and time, will love it." —Booklist
"The author's unapologetic depiction of a thoroughly bad egg will appeal to hard-boiled fans who don't need redeeming features to become engaged with a character." —Publisher's Weekly
"Wayne Ogden is a prince of a fellow, as long as you judge this bad-boy protagonist of Scott Phillips’s caustic crime novel . . . according to his own perverse code of ethics." —New York Times Book Review
“What draws us to the book is Phillips' taut and vicious vision, so clean we cannot help but inhabit it, even when we find ourselves repelled." —Los Angeles Times
"Phillips' novel is a brilliant work of noir, narrated in an Ogden deadpan that at times pokes the ghost of Raymond Chandler. Phillips' place of residence qualifies The Adjustment for this 'Best of St. Louis' honor, but regardless of where he chose to hang his hat, his book would rank among the best published this year." —The Riverfront Times, Best Book by a Local Author
“…as good, if not better, than The Ice Harvest . . . Like Jim Thompson with Lou Ford, Scott Phillips successfully manipulates the reader via Wayne Ogden. He forces you to stop on the side of the road, to look at the crash, and then to get out of your car to inspect every tiny details of this twisted wreckage of a man. The Adjustment is hardboiled, hardcore, and hard to put down.” —crimefictionlover.com
"Playing fast and loose with the dark side of the Greatest Generation, Scott Phillips once again creates a tight, funny noir that's rich in character, and makes the profane sacred." —from Indiebound's Next Great Reads selection
"This is Wayne's story, and what makes it memorable is his hulking presence, drifting through the world as hungry and blank-eyed as a shark . . . There's something compelling about that sort of rage, about its compression, its control . . . But what draws us to the book is Phillips' taut and vicious vision, so clean we cannot help but inhabit it, even when we find ourselves repelled." —David L. Ulin, The Los Angeles Times
"Written in pitch-perfect noir form." —Library Journal
“Like all Phillips novels, you never know where The Adjustment is going and the storytelling is nothing less than completely compelling... [this is] the best novel that I’ve read all year.”–Spinetingler Magazine
"Sly and worthy . . . Crime fans, especially those who favor a vivid sense of place and time, will love it." —Booklist
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Now that this book has been published, I can say that my original 5 star review has been earned.
This slim volume packs more sex and violence into 217 pages than you'd find in an early 1970s drive in triple feature!
Scott Phillips keeps a consistent tone by staying within the viewpoint of his deranged, self serving, sexually driven narrator Wayne Ogden, back in Wichita from the gravy train that WW2 was to him as a supply sergeant- i.e. pimp, black marketeer, murderer, extortionist. Now back in the states, he's forced into the narrower confines as wing man to the wealthiest man around,Collins, a whoring drunk maintaining a shaky hold over Collins Aircraft. Wayne needs to stay on his toes to assess threats to his boss and his livelihood and to figure out where to use his Army training and where to just apply brute force or natural cunning.
This is a deliciously nasty read that manages to show a lot about American History without lecturing. Not for the faint of heart, perhaps, but anyone who appreciates a little extra rough in their rough and tumble should get this book right away.
ORIGINAL REVIEW from 2010- According to Scott Phillips, author of this book, Phoenix Books had intended to publish this novel in September 2010. Instead, they went bankrupt in the Spring of 2010 and the listing remains for a book that doesn't quite exist.
THE ADJUSTMENT will be published, though, in September 2011 by COUNTERPOINT PRESS.
While I agree that it's not quite fair to rate a book I haven't seen, it is the only way Amazon makes available for me to pass this information along. The five star rating is the average for all three other Scott Phillips books- juicy, raunchy, sexy, violent, well researched books about Wichita and points beyond that will put you in mind of the good citizens of DEADWOOD or the spare black humor of Charles Willeford. The titles are The ICE HARVEST, The WALKAWAY and COTTONWOOD.
You can thank me later.
This slim volume packs more sex and violence into 217 pages than you'd find in an early 1970s drive in triple feature!
Scott Phillips keeps a consistent tone by staying within the viewpoint of his deranged, self serving, sexually driven narrator Wayne Ogden, back in Wichita from the gravy train that WW2 was to him as a supply sergeant- i.e. pimp, black marketeer, murderer, extortionist. Now back in the states, he's forced into the narrower confines as wing man to the wealthiest man around,Collins, a whoring drunk maintaining a shaky hold over Collins Aircraft. Wayne needs to stay on his toes to assess threats to his boss and his livelihood and to figure out where to use his Army training and where to just apply brute force or natural cunning.
This is a deliciously nasty read that manages to show a lot about American History without lecturing. Not for the faint of heart, perhaps, but anyone who appreciates a little extra rough in their rough and tumble should get this book right away.
ORIGINAL REVIEW from 2010- According to Scott Phillips, author of this book, Phoenix Books had intended to publish this novel in September 2010. Instead, they went bankrupt in the Spring of 2010 and the listing remains for a book that doesn't quite exist.
THE ADJUSTMENT will be published, though, in September 2011 by COUNTERPOINT PRESS.
While I agree that it's not quite fair to rate a book I haven't seen, it is the only way Amazon makes available for me to pass this information along. The five star rating is the average for all three other Scott Phillips books- juicy, raunchy, sexy, violent, well researched books about Wichita and points beyond that will put you in mind of the good citizens of DEADWOOD or the spare black humor of Charles Willeford. The titles are The ICE HARVEST, The WALKAWAY and COTTONWOOD.
You can thank me later.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
After the first chapter, I thought this was going to be a plot-driven thriller. Instead, I got a character sketch of a smart, sleazy schemer taking down anyone and everyone who happens to enter his field of vision. Taut, well-researched, and dark as hell. Great book.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Wayne Ogden is pretty much a reprehensible human being. But Scott Phillips sure as hell makes him a lot of fun to hang out with. Every character in this story is, for better or worse, memorable. Five stars ain't enough to measure how much fun I had with this little package of nastiness.
Setting, humor (lots of that), great dialogue, perfectly drawn characters. It's got it all. For folks who aren't overly timid in their reading, this one is perfect.
Setting, humor (lots of that), great dialogue, perfectly drawn characters. It's got it all. For folks who aren't overly timid in their reading, this one is perfect.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Unless you have the Time!
The Adjustment by Scott Phillips is "thankfully" a quick read. I read 217 pages hoping for some kind of redeeming quality for the main character........there is None! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Chris Felcher
Dark and Daring
It takes impressive skills to write a crime novel about things such as boredom and domestic alienation. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jean-Benoit Lelievre
Bad man in Wichita
He's nasty. He's a pig. Conscience has abandoned him. It's a quick read. But to what purpose? A lost soul, enjoying it.
Published 3 months ago by John Bowes
Dark, and funny
If you like your Noir as dark as possible this is a book for you. The protagonist has almost no redeeming qualities. Read more
Published 5 months ago by James P. Patuto
I was disappointed
A redemption story it isn't but one of a rather degenerate young veteran who like his sex, violence and alcohol more than his pregnant wife. Not my cup of tea.
Published 5 months ago by schmeagle
Great read
I just finished reading The Adjustment. It took me a week. It's one of those books you do not wish to consume, but rather to savor. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Monkeyman
Another Knockout Noir
Scott Phillips has done it again! I've always thought his novel THE ICE HARVEST was a modern classic on the level with James M. Cain and Jim Thompson. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Isreal Potter
Sorry, Dorothy, you're still in Kansas
Wayne Ogden has things pretty sweet. WWII is over. He's back in Wichita, the nominal head of Publicity and Marketing at Collins Aviation. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Vince Keenan
Pimp's Progress
In The Adjustment, Scott Phillips takes America's sacred cows and gleefully grounds them into hamburger. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Lynn B. Kostoff
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