WILD TURKEY [Paperback]

Michael Hemmingson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Unknown (2001)
• ASIN: B0028QHPZ2
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cool, slick modern noir, December 6, 2002

By 

LGwriter "SharpWitGuy" (Astoria, N.Y. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wild Turkey (Hardcover)

This is like John MacDonald updated to our times--middle class guy with great marriage gets into deep trouble with adultery, murder, and the whole shebang. Hemmingson, previously known for editing anthologies of erotic literature, here does a great job with prose smooth as silk. The tale is of Phil Lansdale, former lawyer now disbarred, who finds out his married neighbor, Cassandra Payne, is one swell looking babe and pursues his need to scratch that itch in spite of a wife who digs him a lot.

Phil starts drinking and doing stuff he never did before. He gets buddy-buddy with another neighbor, a retired cop, who thinks Cassandra may have done something pretty nasty. Of course this doesn't stop Phil from letting his pants go where his head shouldn't.

As Phil gets more and more involved in finding out who Cassandra is and what she may have done, things get worse and worse. The plot is fast and sharp; the momentum is powerful, and the action is intense.

Because Hemmingson's writing is so carefully controlled, you can read this in one afternoon or less. A great addition to the continuing availability of excellent modern noir fiction that also includes The Ice Harvest by Scott Phillips and The 25th Hour by David Benioff.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars David Lynch would love this book!, May 23, 2001

By 

Howard T. Rose (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wild Turkey (Hardcover)

David Lynch should make this book into a movie. Or one of Lynch's many cronies. This book screams, "I'm movie material!" No joke.

I was blown away by Hemmingson's Wild Turkey. Just when you think you have the story figured out, he throws a curveball at you.

Let's just say I didn't get to sleep until way past my bedtime as I read this little gem of a novel.

Highly recommended reading.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Hemmingson's Best Yet!, April 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Wild Turkey (Hardcover)

Be prepared for this one! Twists, turns, shocks -- violence, yearnings, and even a lot of sadness.

I have read a number of Hemmingson's books, from his erotic The Naughty Yard to the flawed SF thriller Minstrels to the weird anthologies he's edited, and the many novellas and stories of his I see in anthologies all over the place. I have to say Wild Turkey is his best yet. He's moved from the small press to commercial New York publishers, and this is a good thing.

The protagonist isn't the best hero you could find, but he's human, he's real -- he makes mistakes, and he makes them big. That's what's so refreshing about this "contemporary noir" novel: the hero isn't a tough private eye or Jack Nicholson charcater. He's an everyday Joe...or Phil.

This is a great book for those one-night sittings, maybe even a one-night stand. I look forward to Hemmingson's next book from Forge.