Scan barcode
tittypete's review against another edition
5.0
Man, I feel like I should really just hammer home how much of a ‘taut thriller’ this book is because ‘hoo boy is it ever taut. Like a geetar string cranked so tight it’ll cut your finger. We’re talkin’ taut! And along with that tautness comes thrills. Imagine a hot taut Texas town where a stranger comes in and starts working at the local car dealership. Before long he develops the the taut hots for the lady in the loan office. She’s a babe but she’s young and sort of a prude. A building burns down and the stranger discovers that everybody leaves the town bank to go look at it. That gives him a real taut, thrilling idea. The idea gains even more tautness when his boss’s busty wife shows him a building that would burn down extra fast if it had a little help. He throws her the hot taut tube a couple of time and gets sick of her mostly because the lady in the loan office is just so much tauter, albeit less racked out. Also it turns out she’s being blackmailed for a sapphic misunderstanding that happened a while back. Thing really get taut when our guy burns down the building that tits lady showed him to create a diversion while he robs the bank. The cops are on to him but in a moment of tautness, ol’ chesty gives him an alibi. But he’s still wants the loan lady and this pissed boobzilla off. He beats up the guy that is blackmailing his girl about the nub-rubbing incident and in turn jiggly-babe tells that guy about the robbery so he starts blackmailing the stranger instead. Like I said, it’s fucking taut. Our hero has no choice but to kill the guy but when he gets to his house Lady Heftynugs inside takin’ the plug. Thrills! On top of that it’s raining and lightninging and the taut-factor is off the chain. He almost gets away with it but Whopperwoman ends up blackmailing him into marrying her and breaking things off with the lady in the loan office. Holy shit. Talk about tautness.
I liked this one.
I liked this one.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
Madox is new to town when he hatches a scheme to rob the bank. At the same time, he's having an affair with his boss's wife and has the hots for the loan officer at the used car lot where he works. The robbery goes as smoothly as it can but Madox's life goes spiraling out of control in a web of sex, murder, and blackmail.
I'm going to have to track down more Charles Williams books. The writing was slick and the book had so many "Oh shit!" plot twists that I lost count. While Mrs. Harshaw was pure poison, it was easy to see how Madox wouldn't be able to resist her. Madox's internal conflict about the robbery, murders, blackmail, and feelings for Gloria was very well done. As things fell apart, the book took on a frantic pace and I couldn't put it down.
The Hot Spot is one hell of a read and my favorite crime novel to be adapted into a movie starring Don Johnson.
I'm going to have to track down more Charles Williams books. The writing was slick and the book had so many "Oh shit!" plot twists that I lost count. While Mrs. Harshaw was pure poison, it was easy to see how Madox wouldn't be able to resist her. Madox's internal conflict about the robbery, murders, blackmail, and feelings for Gloria was very well done. As things fell apart, the book took on a frantic pace and I couldn't put it down.
The Hot Spot is one hell of a read and my favorite crime novel to be adapted into a movie starring Don Johnson.
writermattphillips's review against another edition
5.0
A master of suspense...Plot thickens with each chapter and then unravels with utter brilliance. A great book.
tbim's review against another edition
5.0
See...another book that proves the "the book was better" axiom. Pulpy, noiry, and femme fataley. Crisp and clean like a green apple.
sinimini's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
queleoar's review against another edition
2.0
La novela tiene a Harry Madox como protagonista, un hombre que, movido por la tentación, eje de la historia, se ve envuelto en una serie de complicaciones que forman el entramado de este libro. Su tentación tiene rostro de mujer, no solo una sino dos mujeres que aparecen en su vida, por las que siente cosas diferentes y a las que no podrá resistirse. El robo al banco, la ambición por el dinero y las ansias por escapar de un pueblo donde se siente encerrado, resultan ser el inicio de una intrincada sucesión de hechos, enredos y confusiones, en las que estas dos mujeres, Gloria y Dolores, mucho tendrán que ver.
Una novela del género negro, un thriller que me ha decepcionado un poco. Al ser uno de mis géneros predilectos siempre espero mucho de él, intriga, misterio y una lectura adictiva, que no encontré en este ejemplar. El tipo de escritura no logró conquistarme, por momentos me resultaba un tanto confusa y, asimismo, me parecía que en el principio las personalidades de los personajes cambiaban en forma demasiado abrupta y no lograba entender esos comportamientos. No logré encariñarme ni generar empatía alguna hacia los protagonistas de la novela y, fundamentalmente, no encontré eso que esperaba del libro, esos giros inesperados, esa sorpresa, y ese enganche que, en este género en particular, me gusta sentir y que no sólo espero y me gusta encontrar hacia el final, sino que disfruto también a lo largo de todo el libro, desde la primera y hasta la última página. Una novela que califico con 2/5 estrellas que me deja con un sabor amargo.
Una novela del género negro, un thriller que me ha decepcionado un poco. Al ser uno de mis géneros predilectos siempre espero mucho de él, intriga, misterio y una lectura adictiva, que no encontré en este ejemplar. El tipo de escritura no logró conquistarme, por momentos me resultaba un tanto confusa y, asimismo, me parecía que en el principio las personalidades de los personajes cambiaban en forma demasiado abrupta y no lograba entender esos comportamientos. No logré encariñarme ni generar empatía alguna hacia los protagonistas de la novela y, fundamentalmente, no encontré eso que esperaba del libro, esos giros inesperados, esa sorpresa, y ese enganche que, en este género en particular, me gusta sentir y que no sólo espero y me gusta encontrar hacia el final, sino que disfruto también a lo largo de todo el libro, desde la primera y hasta la última página. Una novela que califico con 2/5 estrellas que me deja con un sabor amargo.
joeydetroit's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this noir classic. Starts off like a shot, a little slow in the middle, then a pulse pounding finish!
booksnguitars's review against another edition
3.0
Solid crime novel in the Black Lizard line, brief & well-written. What's not to like with plenty of lines like "You stick out like a cootch dancer at a funeral."
cullen_mi's review against another edition
4.0
A great example of 50's pulp crime, told from the "bad guy's" perspective. The plot starts to go a little off the rails in the third act, but the great ending redeems it.
adiamond's review
5.0
This is one of the best noirs I've ever read, with steadily-building tension and suspense across all plot lines and characters throughout the book. Williams writes straight-forward prose when the situation calls for it, and can also be witty and insightful. His characters ring true, and he provides good insight into their motivations and weaknesses. Dolores Harshaw may be the best femme fatal in all of crime fiction: seductive, conniving, compelling, manipulative, jealous, unhinged, ruthless and smart. I can't believe this book is out of print. That's a crime.
More...