Mine All Mine (Paperback)

by Adam Davies (Author)
Key Phrases: steppe polecat, dart gun, Rat Burglar, Jimmy the Hat, Frankie Nickels (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The third novel from Davies (Goodbye Lemon; The Frog King) is a hilarious caper narrated by down-on-his-luck good guy Otto Starks. Having worked his entire life to become a top-notch pulse (highly specialized security guard), Otto falls from grace when several of the works of art under his watch are stolen by the Rat Burglar. Otto, who pops toxic pills in an effort to build immunity to paralyzing and lethal substances, starts to look like an accomplice when he repeatedly fails to apprehend the thief. Also grinding at Otto is his torment at keeping his job a secret from Charlie Izzo, the woman he loves but is too afraid to propose to. Charlie is as smart as she is beautiful, but to Otto's dismay, she praises the Rat Burglar, whose m.o. is to steal back plundered masterpieces and return them to their original owners. After the Rat Burglar steals a secret map to a massive plundered treasure, Otto's compartmentalized worlds collide. Otto's narration is biting and bitter, but also charming. Parts are laugh-out-loud funny, and there's enough suspense to keep readers riveted throughout this svelte page-turner. (Aug.)
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From Booklist
*Starred Review* Know why Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible trapeze act wouldn’t work in real life? Because a hyperspecialized security guard—a “pulse”—would have already been inside the vault, patiently waiting to push the panic button. At least, that’s the premise of Davies’ fantastically imagined novel, set in a world where people with things to protect don’t rely on technology that can be subverted by airshaft egress or clipped green wires. Otto Starks is a pulse whose ability is off the charts but whose recent track record has him heading toward termination. Why does the Rat Burglar keep getting the drop on him? And why can’t he pop the question to Charlie Izzo, the love of his life? And what will happen if he can’t make the loan-shark payments on his boat, the Clean Getaway? In a novel that is equal parts comic monologue, screwball romance, and crime story, Davies employs clichéd suspense devices with results that are wholly original. If we’re mildly impatient when the plot mechanics take over, that’s only because we can’t get enough of Davies’ wonderful word-nerd writing, which scarcely needs a raison d’être. Our own words can’t do this cartoonish but touching novel justice—you’ll have to read it for yourself. --Keir Graff

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Trade; 1 edition (August 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594483140
• ISBN-13: 978-1594483141
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #294,186 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great story, great narration, great characters , August 19, 2008

By	Geof Arwood "mulehead" (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews

I never heard of this author before, but decided to pick this up because it sounded interesting. I was right. It is an intriging story with great narration by the main charater, Otto Starks. The language is very cool and his voice sucks you into the story. I would recommend this book for all fans of crime novels, especially fans of Elmore Leonard or Carl Haaisen. Lots of fun, you will not regret reading this wonderful novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, fun read....., February 7, 2009

By	BJ "Brett Starr" (East Peoria, IL United States) - See all my reviews

Good, not great comedy / action / love story novel!

"Mine All Mine" starts out as a smart comedy, then turns into a full blown action novel throughout the second half of the book.

This book is not a mystery, look at the front cover, read about 10 pages into the book and you will already know who the "Rat Burglar" is. If your looking for a classic, hard to figure out "who done it", this definitely isn't it! But I get the feeling Adam Davies did that purposely, the point is to enjoy the story itself.

Alot of great characters, with great names: The Rat Burglar, Jimmy the Hat, Kong, Azar, Po-Mo, Frankie Nichols & Jagjeet Singh

The main character Otto Starks is great! Alot of very current references and themes. There are many laughs in this book and I never really came across any part of the book that I thought was boring.

Other reviews mention Adam Davies tendency to use alot of words no one has ever heard of, that is true. You could keep a dictionary handy if you like looking up words you dont know, but there are so, so many in this book, you may never finish the novel. Ex. - alacrity, maenadic, stentorian, indurate, ataraxia

Good smart & funny book, a great change of pace book, if you read alot of one genre books!

"Mine All Mine" would make a great movie~

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where did my Frog King go?, November 17, 2008

By	Eric A. Klee "gapkid" (Charlotte, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Oh, Adam... Your work has been progressively getting less interesting and more...experimental. I guess i'm just spoiled. The Frog King was such a brilliant piece of work. It was comical and tender, and instantly became one of my favorite books ever. Then I read your Goodbye Lemon and, while I enjoyed your writing, I was disappointed that it didn't capture the magic that was The Frog King. Now with Mine All Mine, I have to ask, what the heck happened?

Mine All Mine was a bit too reminiscient of My Little Blue Dress for me with "talking" to the reader and adding footnotes that detracted from the story. Couple these with a touch of Minority Report sci-fi and The Thomas Crown Affair art theft storyline, and you've lost me. I guess my expectations were too high. Mine All Mine would probably be good for your first-time readers and fans of science fiction, but not for those of us who have read your other pieces of work.

Adam, I really hope you return to your roots with your 4th book, whatever it may be. If not, I'll wish you the best of luck and find my reading pleasures elsewhere.