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Caught Stealing A Novel Henry Thompson Charlie Huston Books

Download As PDF : Caught Stealing A Novel Henry Thompson Charlie Huston Books

Caught Stealing A Novel Henry Thompson Charlie Huston Books

I thought I was going to enjoy this book when I started in, but around 20% (reading it on Kindle), when the protagonist was getting tortured, I didn't think I'd make it through without skimming. So I skimmed, but when they started beating the cat, I'd had enough and had to give it up. I'd received the book, and two of its sequels, free years ago, so nothing lost but my time. The writing was fine, the premise was a little unlikely, but graphic descriptions of pain and suffering are not something I want to read for relaxation, and I'm not just a cozy reader. I read McBain, Connolly, Parker, etc.


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Caught Stealing A Novel Henry Thompson Charlie Huston Books Reviews

The quotes splashed all over the outside of this novel were dead on. What was missing was any mention of it being the second in a series, so be warned and read "Caught Stealing" first. I wish I had.

Hank Thompson has the worst luck ever. His involvement in a bloodbath in New York has him hiding out in the Yucatan with the $4 ½ million he stole from the Russian mob. Life is good, except for the nightmares and the fact that the Miami Dolphins suck. He spends his days chatting with his new partner Pedro at their bar on the beach, otherwise whiling away the time in his bungalow, smoking cigarettes, and swimming in the Caribbean Sea at night. Then one day, a backpacker with a Russian accent shows up and hangs around, eventually mentioning the stolen millions and threatening Hank's parents. Hank's idyll on the beach is over, and it's time to go back to the States and save his parents, who have already been through enough because of him.

Of course, absolutely nothing goes right and a few new enemies come popping out of the woodwork. Not only is Hank famous with a cult following, everyone who recognizes him wants a chunk of the money. Hank is hanging around some very bad people, and he himself is no choirboy, not afraid to kill the people who get in his way, though it's not always so easily done. Readers who dislike violence should stay away, as the last portion of the book gets pretty bloody. There isn't a lot of joy to be found between its pages, either, but nobody reads noir for the happy endings.

Despite the things he's done, Hank is a likeable guy who tries to protect the innocent. It just so happens his associates, friend and foe, are a volatile lot so anyone who gets too close to Hank gets pulled right into the fray. There is some subtle humor woven in among the violence. Hank's football rants are hilarious, and I don't even like football. The story that unfolds twists and turns, and kept me gripped in its bloody fist. I had to read this powerful book slowly so as not to let it devour me in its blackness. For some real gritty, dark noir, Charlie Huston is a sure bet.
Bear with me on this. I'm going to write a fast review on Caught Stealing because I feel as if I owe author, Charlie Huston, a few good words about his first novel in the "Hank Thompson" trilogy. I'm in the middle of writing some other things, but I know if I don't write this review right now, it won't get done. Also, Charlie Huston isn't a famous writer as of yet, but he's definitely getting there with his "Hank Thompson" series and his "Joe Pitt" vampire novels. Give this man a few more years. He's going to soon be famous and the Hollywood movie people will be knocking on his door for the film rights to all of his books.

Caught Stealing is the first novel dealing with Hank Thompson, who is not a vampire living in New York City, but rather a bartender who once had a shot at the big leagues of baseball before injuring his leg. Now, Thompson has probably the worst luck of any fictional character I've ever read and maybe, just maybe, he reminds me a little bit of myself. Anyway, Hank Thompson is gliding along, keeping his head above water, surviving on day-to-day basis with sore feet and a steady hangover when his next-door neighbor (Russ) knocks on the door one day and gives him a large travel box for animals with Bud the cat in it, asking Hank to take care of his pet while he's out of town. No problem. If anything, Hank is a relatively nice guy and more than willing to help a friend in need. Naturally, things change for the worse a few days later when a number of unusual people start banging on Russ's door in a futile attempt to get hold of him. It isn't long, however, before they eventually start banging on Hank (and I mean this literally) in an effort to discover where Russ has taken off to. Evidently a large amount of money is missing and it looks like Russ is the one who took it. The guys looking for him (a crooked police officer, some Russian hoods, a redheaded psycho, and two very dangerous brothers who know how to hurt people) will do whatever it takes to track Russ down and Hank is all they have at the moment. Of course, Russ didn't run off with the money, and we're talking millions. He simply hid it in a storage unit somewhere in New York City and stuck the key in Bud's box. Before the story is over, however, Hank will be beaten up, his ex-girlfriend will be tortured and killed, and a number of his friends from the bar will be murdered. Still, it takes a lot more to happen before Hank finally decides to start fighting back. As he says when discovering the body of his dead girlfriend, "In a movie or a novel the guy would get mad and go on a killing rampage to get revenge, but all I wanted to do was to curl up under the table and go to sleep." When Hank does get mad enough, he quickly discovers that it's easier to kill somebody than he thought, and he's going to take out as many of the bad guys as possible before they do the tango on him.

Author, Charlie Huston, has a strange and unique style of writing (no quotation marks for the dialogue), but you get use to it rather quickly by getting caught up in the story and the somewhat unlikable character of Hank Thompson. I say unlikable because he's clearly a victim of bad luck and has to react to everything that happens to him. Most literally heroes tend to take the initiative and to act out of self-preservation by taking control of the situation that grips them like a fat lady holding a chicken wing. Hank doesn't do this till almost the end; but, boy, when he does, the bullets start flying. I think because of this his character is much more believable and that the average reader can certainly identify with him. I know that I did. Also, the author displays his extraordinary talent in character development by creating a long list of memorable figures like the two brothers, Ed & Paris, who dress up like cowboys and never hesitate when beating someone to death, or Roman the cop, who reminded me of Denzel Washington in Training Day. The characters of Caught Stealing are utterly realistic in their behavior and idiosyncrasies, the dialogue is smart and sharp and right on the mark, and the description of New York City will have you believing that you're actually there.

Charlie Huston is certainly an author to keep an eye on. I can't wait to start on the second book in the "Hank Thompson" series, Six Bad Things, so that I can find out what's happened to our reluctant hero and how he's holding up. Needless to say, this is a novel that I highly recommend!
CharCharlie Huston is one of the best crime novelists I've ever read. He is, to me, what Larry McMurtry is to the western. Huston has a way of combining authenticity with mythology, almost to show us how a myth is created. His story of a low grade loser Hank Thompson and how he slowly becomes a "criminal mastermind" is a step by step unveiling of a John Wick type before he becomes John Wick. Things just happen and the things that happen change our protagonist, deeply and forever. He isn't "trained" or a martial arts specialist, Thompson was put in situations where he just did what he had to do to survive and became a "criminal legend" in spit of himself. And Huston shows how this does not make our protaganist swell with pride. Thompson suffers all the way right to the bitter end. We could all become Hank Thompson, with just the right push at the wrong time. The saga, it’s a trilogy, has enough plot reversals and amazing characters to fill five Elmore Leonard novels. The Thompson saga is a wild ride that should not be missed. Someone smart at Netflix should grab onto these novels and make an amazing series out of them. But before that happens grab them yourself. Don't know why but the first novel , Caught Stealing isn't on the Audio web site and it should be.
I thought I was going to enjoy this book when I started in, but around 20% (reading it on ), when the protagonist was getting tortured, I didn't think I'd make it through without skimming. So I skimmed, but when they started beating the cat, I'd had enough and had to give it up. I'd received the book, and two of its sequels, free years ago, so nothing lost but my time. The writing was fine, the premise was a little unlikely, but graphic descriptions of pain and suffering are not something I want to read for relaxation, and I'm not just a cozy reader. I read McBain, Connolly, Parker, etc.