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maryvarn's review against another edition
5.0
So dark, so hard-boiled, so thrilling. I love the heroine. She's tough as nails, with one little weakness, like so many great noir heroes. So refreshing to read a female-centric tough crime novel. More like this please.
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
5.0
If you think you know noir and you haven't read this one, you are wrong. This tautly written novel pays homage to classic noir while giving the genre a modern twist. All of the hallmarks are there; even the cover art gives a nod to classic pulp noir. But, this one turns the normally male-dominated genre on its head. The story centers around a nameless young woman who is taken under the wing of mob luminary Gloria Denton. She is ushered into the world of late-night casinos, racetracks, betting parlors, inside heists, and big money. The young protégé quickly climbs the ladder, but her sure footing is challenged when she falls for the wrong guy. She tries to hide her relationship from her mentor, and the two play an intricate game of cat-and-mouse against each other and their bosses. Who will come out on top and emerge as the true Queenpin in this high stakes game? This reader, for one, could not wait to find out, which is why I read this one in just one day!
I used this for the 2018 PopSugar Ultimate Reading Challenge advanced prompt "a book by an author with the same first or last name as you."
I used this for the 2018 PopSugar Ultimate Reading Challenge advanced prompt "a book by an author with the same first or last name as you."
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
5.0
This is a true hard-boiled tale with a twist, the criminal kingpin (the Queenpin) of the title) is a woman, as is the nameless protagonist. She's a young woman going to business school, taking care of her widowed father and working part-time cooking the books for the owners of a two-bit nightclub, when the famous Gloria Denton plucks her out of the small time to become her protege. Everything's going well. She's not as smooth or as cold as her mentor, but she's learning. That's when a good looking gambler enters the scene, a charming scammer who can't leave the tables until his last dollar has been lost.
I couldn't put the book down. It has a traditional pulp novel cover, which kept me from bringing it along with me, but it's such a tight, fast-paced story that I had to keep turning the pages. If you like this sort of thing, I recommend it highly.
I couldn't put the book down. It has a traditional pulp novel cover, which kept me from bringing it along with me, but it's such a tight, fast-paced story that I had to keep turning the pages. If you like this sort of thing, I recommend it highly.
heidenkind's review against another edition
4.0
Everything I want from a noir novel. Raymond Chandler couldn't do better.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
A young woman working as an accountant at a nightclub is taken under the wing of Gloria Denton, a cunning and ruthless mob woman. While Gloria teaches her the ropes, she falls in love with a gambler named Vic. Vic's heavily in debt and has a plan: rip off Gloria Denton!
Megan Abbott knows how to noir it up with the best of them. Queenpin is a twisting tale with a lot of double dealing. The nameless protagonist goes from being an accountant to a runner and beyond. Once the attempt to rip Gloria off goes down, the book kicks into high gear with paranoia and double crosses.
The writing is really good and reminds me of Christa Faust at times. Gloria Denton is a very well realized character. I sure wouldn't want to cross her.
Any complaints? It was too short and the ending was a little too easy. Other than that, it was one hell of a read.
Megan Abbott knows how to noir it up with the best of them. Queenpin is a twisting tale with a lot of double dealing. The nameless protagonist goes from being an accountant to a runner and beyond. Once the attempt to rip Gloria off goes down, the book kicks into high gear with paranoia and double crosses.
The writing is really good and reminds me of Christa Faust at times. Gloria Denton is a very well realized character. I sure wouldn't want to cross her.
Any complaints? It was too short and the ending was a little too easy. Other than that, it was one hell of a read.
girlofsteel377's review against another edition
4.0
I read the short story that I guess the book was based on in Damn Near Dead which is a "geezer noir" anthology I read about a month or so ago. I do like the novel--but I am also biased toward Megan Abbott. It's interesting that neither the city or the time period can be pinpointed--though the lush fashion and fabrics point the way. When the women are described as hard-boiled--they don't let you down. An image of an exterior icy perfection but with a lava-like drive and center. Gotta work fast to keep from melting.
ccil541's review against another edition
4.0
LIGHT YEARS better than Bury Me Deep. My friend loves Abbott and recommended those two - I hated BMD because of the stupid purple prose (though I do appreciate that being a stylistic choice). The style here is sharper, cleaner, much more to my liking. The story moved quick. I'd definitely read this again.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
3.0
It's a noir story and I'm not sure it was for me to be honest. It wasn't bad, liked some parts of it but overall not my thing. But then again I usually struggle with noir books.
gsatori's review against another edition
4.0
Good plotting and pacing, and solid characterisation. This bit of noir is a bit pastiche but the strength of writing is what saves it. Noting wrong with pastiche, but there is the promise of greater to come from this writer and it's my understanding this is an early work from my fellow Michigan der