Customer Reviews

When She Was Bad

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have to admit it; I've read four or five books by Ron Faust and most of them are simply not very good, but the stars lined up just right when he wrote When She Was Bad. This book is virtually flawless; the characters are fascinating, the plot is exciting and original, the dialogue is dead-on, and the writing itself echoes the muscular prose of Hemingway at his finest. I've read this book three times over the years and loved it every single time. A gripping Hitchcockian thriller that spans a period of about 20 years, filled with both action and solid emotion. A winner on all counts.

I absolutely loved this book. I'm a novelist myself but it's books like this, that are written with such verve and style, that sometimes make me want to quit writing. I'm damn good, but I still don't think I could ever match Faust's outstanding prose, dead-on dialogue, and hold-your-breath plotting.

As another reviewer stated, why in the heck hasn't this been made into a major motion picture? It is infinitely better than 96 percent of the stuff being released. I started reading this book at midnight (I usually read for about an hour before I fall asleep) --- Well, Ron Faust got me good. I continued reading through the night and finished at four in the morning. I had to go to the office without any sleep. It was that good. I can't wait to read the remainder of Faust's oeuvre.

From the first page, Faust takes you on an adventure of mystery, intrigue and treachery. From the Keys to Aspen to Mexico and culminating in the Caribbean, one man's quest to understand what drives a woman to stop at nothing in her aspirations, leads him to experience much of the same... Couldn't put it down. My first Faust novel, have already ordered 2 more!

I read When She Was Bad in 1995 and have re-read it several times since. Faust's writing has been compared to Hemingway and for good reason. I envy the person reading this book for the first time. Not since John D. MacDonald has a writer gripped me with such force.

"When She Was Bad" gives new meaning to "I couldn't put it down". Faust grabs you from page 1 and doesn't let go until the final act. It would make one hell of a movie - I can't imagine why Hollywood hasn't done it yet! When I dream of writing the ultimate thriller, "When She Was Bad" is at the top of my list. You know the 2 main characters are going to get each other, but you don't know how. I read this book 3 months ago, and I still wonder how Ron Faust managed to capture me. This book defines the thriller standard. Well done.

Could several of these stellar reviews be written by the same person? Nahhh. Why would anyone do something that cheesy.

Faust's book is more than just a great love story, more than an adventure novel, more than a mystery. It's a parable for the war between the sexes. Heady stuff. Don't miss it.

I've read every Ron Faust book because he is an excellent writer. I'm not sure this is THE best because they are all good and always center around a different topic. If you like an author who will make you pull out your dictionary once or twice and finish chapters by you saying "this is good," look no further.