Fresh Kills

A complex gothic character study! How did this first time author do that so easily? Bill Loehfelm uses a cleverly crafted blend of slow-paced, compelling action together with some down to earth, gritty, even vulgar dialogue to introduce the seeds of the plot and his characters at the same time. His......more

Am I getting harder to please? This book was wildly well-reviewed, and I didn't get it at all. I thought it was a clumsy mashup of sentimentality and hard boiled noire, with unrealistic dialog and a whiny main character. But the Staten Island atmosphere was very well done.......more

FRESH KILLS (Pub. 2008) by Bill Loehfelm was an interesting novel. I read this book because it won the Amazon Breakout Novel Award for 2008. By the end of the first page, you know you are in the hands of a strong writer. The author's prose style and voice are what I loved most about the book. The to......more

PROTAGONIST: John Sanders, Jr. SETTING: Staten Island, New York RATING: 3.5 There are few things sadder than seeing the hopes and dreams of a child crushed by growing up in a dysfunctional family where love and acceptance are in short supply. The ramifications of being emotionally and physically abused......more

Fresh Kills is marketed as a crime mystery, but don't be fooled, it's really a story about John Sanders, Jr, a man trying to deal with his internal turmoil after the sudden death of his father. John Sr. was an abrusive man to his wife and mostly to his son. John Jr. is prone to angry outbursts, cons......more