Customer Reviews

Zero Cool (Hard Case Crime)

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

 

 

"Zero Cool" is a stripped-down thriller that moves like a high-speed train non-stop from its opening on a babe-filled beach in Barcelona to its deadly conclusion in the catacombs of the Alhambra. Dr. Peter Ross is an American radiologist on vacation in Spain who is quickly drawn into violent intrigue surrounding an ancient treasure. He finds himself in the middle of a winner-takes-all struggle between three different groups seeking a priceless artifact, none of whom will hesitate to kill him to get it. This book has everything: kidnappings, death threats, secret disguises, animal attacks, massacres, dying declarations, arson, poisoning, even an autopsy and a dwarf thrown in for good measure. It's an entertaining read, but with no depth whatsoever.

I enjoyed the book, for what it was, but you have to understand that everything takes second place to moving the story along. That makes for a fast read, but not a very satisfying one. It's like watching a movie with cardboard sets. Most of the exotic locations, including the "rain-swept streets of Paris" and the "towers of the Alhambra" are described so quickly and generically that they lack authenticity or interest. There is no back-story here; by the end of the book, we know almost nothing personal or individually important about Peter Ross or the raven-haired beauty he meets on the beach, Angela Locke. The villains, too, are one-dimensional. The dialogue is so simple at times that it feels like reading a kids' book. The author does throw in some nice twists and turns, but the plot falls back on at least one coincidence that I found dissatisfying.

So, three stars for a clever and entertaining plot, but none for depth or character development.

I'm a big fan of Lange's Grave Descend, but this book is even better.

This is the classic Hitchcock plot; ordinary guy gets caught up in a web of intrigue beyond his comprehension in 1950's Europe, principally Spain. No one is whom they seem to be, there's a beautiful woman who may be more than she seems, and event move faster and faster towards the close.

What makes this better than the average noir story is the unfolding clues and sense of mystery as the protagonist, Peter Ross comes closer to the truth. The locale descriptions are detailed and captivating. The final scenes, played out in the catacombs of the Alhambra, are quite exciting.

If you like fast paced thrillers like The Da Vinci Code, you'll like this fine reissue by Hard Case Crime a lot. They have yet another winner.

Come on people, time for a little objectivity here. This story was copyrighted in 1969 OK! So
cut it some slack.

This book is more Tarantino generation than it is a 60's piece, and it works. Very quick read,
and I've just read that Michael Crichton wrote this book under the Lange pseudonym. Amazing,
and a must read of you are a Crichton fan.

If you do the autopsy, we'll have to kill you.

If you refuse to do the autopsy, we'll have to kill you.

What's a vacationing radiologist to do? Dr. Peter Ross is going to find himself very busy over the next few days, involved with so many people, he'll be lucky to make it in time for the radiologists' convention.

Zero Cool is the second John Lange novel (after Grave Descend) to be revived by Hard Case Crime, but it was actually published first originally. It is also, I think, the better-written and more entertaining of the two.

John Lange was the pseudonym for an author who later became a huge best-seller under his own name. I'll hint by saying he's an "admirable" sort of fellow (unless that's a reference too dated for modern readers), but a quick Google search will reveal all.

Events in Zero Cool pile on one another in an almost improvisatory fashion, as if Lange were simply taking dictation from a compulsive liar with A.D.D. The seemingly unplanned nature of it simply means I was unable to predict much of what happened.

Ross hops from Spain to France and back again, mostly against his will, all the while leaving behind what must be the world's most tolerant (and trusting!) girlfriend, a woman he only met days ago on the beach (portrayed in Gregory Manchess's cover painting by model Meredith Napolitano, who is cleverly shown reading a copy of Grave Descend.)

It's a lot of fun, but it's not the best-written book in the world. Its classic pulp adventure-inspired origins shine through brightly, with at least three occurrences of "And then it happened." But the fact that the author added new material for this reprinting makes it just that much more special. The new pieces, a prologue and epilogue that bring the action into the current day, make Zero Cool feel like a new book, even though it's almost 40 years old.

The nubile brunette on the cover of this novel has by her side a copy of the Hard Case Crime edition of Grave Descend - also written by "John Lange." Nice touch!

I have read and enjoyed almost all of the titles from Hard Case Crime; however, this one, I'm sad to say, just does not make it. Poor development of character, grade school sytax, witless plot, and rambling jibberish make this book almost impossible to finish. In fact, I just barely made it through the first quarter of the book before I had to ditch it. I almost didn't include it on the shelf with the other 42 fantastic Hard Case Crime hits. Sorry, but this one ain't worth a fraction of the paper it's scribbled on.

John Lange aka Michael Crichton...

I expected more from Michael Crichton, but what can I say. Zero Cool was loosly written with loosly put together chareacters. The plot went this way and that without making any sense at all.

I gave it one star because there is no zero star ratings.

Flawed but entertaining fast paced read from Michael Crichton's early writing career (1969). The Costa Brava and the Alhambra are reasonably well realised, but the pace and convoluted contrived plot don't leave much time for travelogue writing.

Pointless add-on bookend `interviews' to bring it up to date.

Plenty of one liners and betrayal and double cross. There's a unique method of killing featured, too.

The painting by Gregory Manchess is excellent, even to featuring the bikini-clad girl reading another John Lange book, Grave Descend!

Twenty-six year old Radiologist Peter Ross is in Barcelona, Spain. It's 1967 and he's there to deliver a paper to the annual meeting of the American Society of Radiologists. After the talk he intends to spend some time on vacation, as he's not had one in years and it seems to start out okay when he meets a well-endowed, bikini-clad, long-legged English stewardess (it's okay to say stewardess, because they hadn't graduated to being flight attendants back in `67).

However his vacation quickly turns sour when he's approached to do an autopsy. He refuses, he's not qualified and besides even if he was, this isn't America. But his refusal doesn't end his relationship with these men or others. All of a sudden Peter is caught up in a murderous web and he's in more danger than you can shake a stick at.

This book is a bit over the top, but it's on purpose, so the colorful characters really play well against each other. If you're a fan of hard boiled mystery, you'll like this book. If you're a fan of the late Michael Crichton, you'll really like this book, because John Lange was/is Michael Crichton and this book proves that almost half a century ago, when he was a young man, Crichton had what it takes to keep a reader glued to the pages.

An enjoyble novel. Crichton wrote it on the side during his medical school years to pay his bills. I am delighted that these books have been reissued.