Reviews

Bust by Jason Starr, Ken Bruen

dantastic's review

4.0

Max Fischer hires a hitman to kill his wife so he can marry his secretary, the surgically enhanced Angela. Little does he know, the hitman is actually Angela's boyfriend and they're plotting against him. Throw in a blackmailer who catches Max and Angela in a compromising position and you have Bust.

Trying to choose someone to root for in this story is like trying to choose which shit sandwich you want to eat. They're all double dealing. You lose count of all the double crosses in this book as it weaves its serpentine course toward the climax. Wheels within wheels as Jeeves would say. Max Fischer reminds me of a boss I used to have so I was waiting with baited breath for him to take the fall.

throatsprockets's review

3.0

A slight, darkly funny tale of morons tied up in murder, sex and blackmail. Although the characters are unlikable, I am tempted to see how the writers have managed to wring two sequels out of this, as there's no obvious hook.

kurtwombat's review

3.0

The genre term pulp comes from the cheap paper that these books were printed during their original heyday. Another way to define pulp is as just plain fun. The authors were clearly having fun as they teamed up on this and two more books in the series and the reader is not left behind. Lots of sex, double dealing and violence splash from every page. After a bit of a rough start, the plot settles into a nice pass the ball rhythm--each character taking turns being on top of things before falling under the thumb of someone else. While fun, it doesn't rise much above that. Each character seems to be given a James Cagney "Top o' the world Ma!" White Heat moment whether it makes sense or not and the little characterization that exists is betrayed in the last third of the book when characters do things inconsistent with who they are. So many balls are thrown in the air to keep you entertained but eventually you realize they are there to distract you from there being no one to catch them when they fall. Fun but not satisfying.

jdcorley's review

dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I actually don't mind a book about a bunch of scuzzy characters doing scuzzy things (I just dropped a 5 star review on American Tabloid by Ellroy for god's sake), but by the time everyone in this one's introduced, you're pretty much done with them. Yet we need to watch them circle each other on a confidence game, hired murder, and other criminal activities for the rest of the novel. The love affair that erupts between two of them is actually pretty charming but it is just too cynical to be able to carry our sympathy emotionally. The writing and situations are such that we are clearly meant to be having fun, but there's few enough people here to have fun with. Everyone's a fake or a piece of shit. I could have lived with it if it were shorter, simpler, darker, or lighter. As it is it isn't so good.

menniemenace's review

2.0

I guess the Angel Dare books were a fluke.

This book isn't bad in it's genre, I guess. It's full of grit and action and "bad men", it's racist, classist, and hella offensive. Open a random page and tell you've found nothing offensive in it. I dare you! I double dare you!

The premise is simple enough. A guy cheaps out on a hitman and gets in so much trouble over it. every single character tries to double-cross the other characters and a different character is ruined for it. It's ridiculous in the so-bad-it's-good way.

I don't regret it but I'm diffidently not reading anything by the author again.

boesgesicht's review

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

whitethief's review

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

rachface's review against another edition

dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

wynnz's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 

Max, a disgruntled husband,

Popeye, a psychotic hitman,

Angela, a seductive and sexy go-getter, Max's mistress, and Popeye's girlfriend,

A deadly ménage à trois.

Take a peek into the lives of the paranoid, despairing, and deranged. Follow Max's life, a man who, on the surface, has everything: a wife, his own successful company, a gorgeous mistress—just like a duck swimming on a pond, on the surface calm and serene, but manic and chaotic underneath. Watch as his life and the lives of those in his orbit slowly dissolve and go down the drain.

A black comedy that examines the absurdity and desperation of people searching for the perfect life. An entertaining and fast-paced read with despicable and shallow characters and an interesting plot. 

mayarelmahdy's review

2.0

I guess the Angel Dare books were a fluke.

This book isn't bad in it's genre, I guess. It's full of grit and action and "bad men", it's racist, classist, and hella offensive. Open a random page and tell you've found nothing offensive in it. I dare you! I double dare you!

The premise is simple enough. A guy cheaps out on a hitman and gets in so much trouble over it. every single character tries to double-cross the other characters and a different character is ruined for it. It's ridiculous in the so-bad-it's-good way.

I don't regret it but I'm diffidently not reading anything by the author again.