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Charlie Hardie #1
Fun & Games
Charlie Hardie, an ex-cop still reeling from the revenge killing of his former partner's entire family, fears one thing above all else: that he'll suffer the same fate.
Languishing in self-imposed exile, Hardie has become a glorified house sitter. His latest gig comes replete with an illegally squatting B-movie actress who rants about hit men who specialize in making deaths look like accidents. Unfortunately, it's the real deal. Hardie finds himself squared off against a small army of the most lethal men in the world: The Accident People.
It's nothing personal-the girl just happens to be the next name on their list. For Hardie, though, it's intensely personal. He's not about to let more innocent people die. Not on his watch.
Languishing in self-imposed exile, Hardie has become a glorified house sitter. His latest gig comes replete with an illegally squatting B-movie actress who rants about hit men who specialize in making deaths look like accidents. Unfortunately, it's the real deal. Hardie finds himself squared off against a small army of the most lethal men in the world: The Accident People.
It's nothing personal-the girl just happens to be the next name on their list. For Hardie, though, it's intensely personal. He's not about to let more innocent people die. Not on his watch.
286 pages, Trade Paperback
First published June 20, 2011
68 people are currently reading
1934 people want to read
About the author
Duane Swierczynski
523 books912 followersDuane Swierczynski is an American crime writer who has written a number of non-fiction books, novels and also writes for comic books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 336 reviews
August 20, 2016
Charlie Hardie was once a secret weapon in the Philadelphia PD. But he blames himself for a tragedy that occurred three years earlier. He's left the force and slowly faded away into his own personal oblivion. He now "works" as a house sitter, and passes his time watching DVDs of classic movies and drinking heavily. This is all he wants out of life.
He takes a job sitting a house in Hollywood. He arrives and is checking the place out when he's attacked by an apparently deranged woman who has been hiding in the house. Charlie recognizes the woman as Lane Madden, a semi-famous actress. She has been injured and claims that she is the target of a group of super assassins--the so-called Accident Squad.
Charlie naturally refuses to believe her and insists on going for help. But the second he opens the door to so so, he discovers that the woman is telling the truth and that by interfering, Charlie has made himself a target as well. What follows, as the title suggests, is some deadly serious fun & games, in which Charlie must draw upon rusty skills he hasn't used in years as he attempts to match wits with a clever team of assassins. One false step will mean that the fun is over for Lane and for Charlie as well.
I was a huge fan of Sierczynski's book, The Wheelman, but although I enjoyed it, I wasn't as bowled over by this one. There are a lot of developments in the plot that strain credulity to the breaking point and I found that I just couldn't get into the flow to the point where I could suspend disbelief that far. There were a lot of fun and scary moments in the book, and the leader of the assassin team is a great character. But that wasn't enough for me to boost the book to four stars.
He takes a job sitting a house in Hollywood. He arrives and is checking the place out when he's attacked by an apparently deranged woman who has been hiding in the house. Charlie recognizes the woman as Lane Madden, a semi-famous actress. She has been injured and claims that she is the target of a group of super assassins--the so-called Accident Squad.
Charlie naturally refuses to believe her and insists on going for help. But the second he opens the door to so so, he discovers that the woman is telling the truth and that by interfering, Charlie has made himself a target as well. What follows, as the title suggests, is some deadly serious fun & games, in which Charlie must draw upon rusty skills he hasn't used in years as he attempts to match wits with a clever team of assassins. One false step will mean that the fun is over for Lane and for Charlie as well.
I was a huge fan of Sierczynski's book, The Wheelman, but although I enjoyed it, I wasn't as bowled over by this one. There are a lot of developments in the plot that strain credulity to the breaking point and I found that I just couldn't get into the flow to the point where I could suspend disbelief that far. There were a lot of fun and scary moments in the book, and the leader of the assassin team is a great character. But that wasn't enough for me to boost the book to four stars.
August 28, 2011
One reason I never bought into any of the conspiracy theories that swirl around celebrity deaths like Princess Di or Marilyn Monroe is that they always seem to be based on the notion that there are these shadowy figures that can orchestrate murder on demand and cover it up without leaving a trace. Hell, when Nixon wanted the Watergate black bagged, he had to use incompetent bastards like G. Gordon Liddy and a ragtag group of Cuban exiles, and he was president of the United States. If there really was a network of efficient criminals to do some dirty deeds, you’d think Nixon would have had them on speed dial.
However, while I don’t believe in the idea of vast conspiracies with armies of hired killers, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy stories about them. Duane Swierczynski (And I won’t be typing that again.) has come up with a highly entertaining twist on the whole conspiracy theory thriller genre.
Charlie Hardie used to work for the cops but these days he’s a professional house sitter. The job lets him indulge in his hobby, binge drinking. When Charlie shows up for a gig in LA, he doesn’t even get his bottle of bourbon open when he’s attacked by a woman hiding in the house. Even more shocking is that she is Lane Madden, a B list actress who frantically claims that people are trying to kill her. Charlie thinks he’s just dealing with another drugged out celebrity until some very bizarre and dangerous shit starts to happen very quickly. It turns out that Charlie has interrupted the Accident People as they were in the midst of their latest project, killing Lane Madden.
The Accident People are a group that specialize in killing high profile targets and providing an air tight cover story so that no questions will be asked. In Lane’s case, their plan to off her via a car accident went off the rails when Lane managed to escape and hide.
Duane S. put a unique twist on the shadowy conspiracy operatives in this with the Accident People. They are made up of a lot of former film people with a ’director’ coming up with the narrative about how they want the death to play out, and then using actors and technical people to make it happen. They’ve also got access to a variety of lethal weapons like poison gas and drugs that induce heart attacks. It’s a little over the top (What conspiracy thriller isn’t?) but it at least puts a thin layer of plausibility and explanation as to just where the hell one would an obtain a covert network of people able to get away with murder.
Fast, dark and fun, this was some high octane reading. Duane S. springs some big surprises in this, and it keeps you guessing throughout. This is the first part of a trilogy so there’s a bit of a cliffhanger at the end. If you’re in the mood for a crime thriller that reads like a good action movie, this fits the bill.
However, while I don’t believe in the idea of vast conspiracies with armies of hired killers, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy stories about them. Duane Swierczynski (And I won’t be typing that again.) has come up with a highly entertaining twist on the whole conspiracy theory thriller genre.
Charlie Hardie used to work for the cops but these days he’s a professional house sitter. The job lets him indulge in his hobby, binge drinking. When Charlie shows up for a gig in LA, he doesn’t even get his bottle of bourbon open when he’s attacked by a woman hiding in the house. Even more shocking is that she is Lane Madden, a B list actress who frantically claims that people are trying to kill her. Charlie thinks he’s just dealing with another drugged out celebrity until some very bizarre and dangerous shit starts to happen very quickly. It turns out that Charlie has interrupted the Accident People as they were in the midst of their latest project, killing Lane Madden.
The Accident People are a group that specialize in killing high profile targets and providing an air tight cover story so that no questions will be asked. In Lane’s case, their plan to off her via a car accident went off the rails when Lane managed to escape and hide.
Duane S. put a unique twist on the shadowy conspiracy operatives in this with the Accident People. They are made up of a lot of former film people with a ’director’ coming up with the narrative about how they want the death to play out, and then using actors and technical people to make it happen. They’ve also got access to a variety of lethal weapons like poison gas and drugs that induce heart attacks. It’s a little over the top (What conspiracy thriller isn’t?) but it at least puts a thin layer of plausibility and explanation as to just where the hell one would an obtain a covert network of people able to get away with murder.
Fast, dark and fun, this was some high octane reading. Duane S. springs some big surprises in this, and it keeps you guessing throughout. This is the first part of a trilogy so there’s a bit of a cliffhanger at the end. If you’re in the mood for a crime thriller that reads like a good action movie, this fits the bill.
March 12, 2018
Damn, talk about a thriller! This thing comes guns blazing right out the gate and maintains it's fast pace all the way through. One thing you definitely can't say about Swierczynski is that he's boring. He really knows how to keep the reader interested. He tells us the story of Charlie Hardie, an ex-police "consultant" who is trying to distance himself from mistakes in the past by enjoying the exile and solitude of house sitting. On his latest job in the Hollywood Hills, he stumbles onto a beautiful woman claiming to be hunted by a connected network of professional assassins, and the action only rises from there.
One thing I've noticed about Swierczynski's work is that he's not afraid to go over the top. But he does it with so much gusto and confidence that I totally go with it. Sometimes that walk on the tightrope of ridiculousness is what makes things really engrossing. The book also doesn't ignore the important stuff either, which sets it apart from your usual forgettable action thriller. Instead of slow-paced exposition at the beginning, the backstory and character development is cleverly laced into the action throughout, so not only do we get discoveries and twists amidst the real time action, but we're also constantly learning new twists about the history of the characters. In my opinion, this is one of the smartest things a writer can do to keep a reader engaged.
If you're curious about how to write great thrillers, check out this and Swierczynski's other work, to see how clever plotting and structure, humor, relatable characters and fearlessness can leading to pure entertainment.
One thing I've noticed about Swierczynski's work is that he's not afraid to go over the top. But he does it with so much gusto and confidence that I totally go with it. Sometimes that walk on the tightrope of ridiculousness is what makes things really engrossing. The book also doesn't ignore the important stuff either, which sets it apart from your usual forgettable action thriller. Instead of slow-paced exposition at the beginning, the backstory and character development is cleverly laced into the action throughout, so not only do we get discoveries and twists amidst the real time action, but we're also constantly learning new twists about the history of the characters. In my opinion, this is one of the smartest things a writer can do to keep a reader engaged.
If you're curious about how to write great thrillers, check out this and Swierczynski's other work, to see how clever plotting and structure, humor, relatable characters and fearlessness can leading to pure entertainment.
April 2, 2013
This story contains a high octane charged sequence of events that grip you from the very first page and does not let down in momentum. The story has a great plot and some good old hard boiled characters, elements that pan out into a solid thriller. There is loads of tension and intrigue, the writer displays craftsmanship in weaving this story together.
One actress finds herself the target of a hot pursuit and to be cleaned, eradicated. A house-sitter, fixer kind of guy who has connections with FBI finds himself tangled up in the web, a cover up. They must both find a way out in this cat and mouse game because once The Accident people are called in they can only be one outcome. I wait in anticipation for his next instalment in this Hardie trilogy with Hell and Gone by Duane.
Check out the second and thirdinstallments, all great thrillers.
One actress finds herself the target of a hot pursuit and to be cleaned, eradicated. A house-sitter, fixer kind of guy who has connections with FBI finds himself tangled up in the web, a cover up. They must both find a way out in this cat and mouse game because once The Accident people are called in they can only be one outcome. I wait in anticipation for his next instalment in this Hardie trilogy with Hell and Gone by Duane.
Some insightful excerpts.
'Number of accidental vehicle crash deaths in the United States per year: 43,200.'
'Number of vehicle stolen in Los Angeles every year: 75,000.
'Number of accidental suffocations per year: 3,300.'
'Number of accidental falls per year: 14,900.'
'Percentage of murder victims killed by someone they know: 58'
"She never cared that she was going thirty miles faster than any sane driver would attempt on this road. She loved the ocean air smashing into her face, the feel of the tires beneath as they struggled to cling to the asphalt, the hum of the machine surrounding her body, the knowledge that one twitch to the left or right at the wrong moment meant her brand-new car, along with her brand-new life, would end up at the bottom of a ravine, and maybe years later people would ask: whatever happened to that cute actress who was in those funny romantic comedies a few years ago?
Check out the second and thirdinstallments, all great thrillers.
July 5, 2013
A far-fetched story must be plausibly told,
so your nonsense isn't showing.
Alfred Hitchcock
Every chapter of this first Charlie Hardie thriller is prefaced with a quote from the movie world. This is not accidental, as the story is set in Hollywood, mostly in a luxury mansion perched on the side of one of those steep canyons overlooking the city of angels. The style of the book is also very cinematic, more like the 80's action movies than the classic 'noir' I was expecting. The influences are clearly stated both in the chapter headings and in the cardboard cutouts decorating said mansion : Van Damme, Segal, Willis, Stallone, Gibson et al. are cut from the same mold as Charlie : hard men who can take a lot of punches and yet always come back for more, unable to give up and accept that they are licked. There's also a Gene Hackman nod in there, and I would add from my own reading a Clint Eastwood vibe, not so much in his Dirty Harry persona, as in one of those road movies from the 70's where he has to protect a damzel from the bad guys. Another overt homage is paid to Quentin Tarrantino, with an intermezzo in the middle of the book that seems lifted word from word from Natural Born Killers
So, Charlie Hardie is a burnt-out ex cop who lost is marbles after the whole family of his partner got machine-gunned my the mob in front of his eyes. Now he loafs around house-sitting for well-to-do Hollywood characters, drinking heavily and watching old movies. His latest job turns ugly fast, as he finds a sitter in the mansion that was supposed to be empty: Lane Madden is an actress who started in romantic comedies before switching to action movies. Lane is on the run from a group of professional killers that have a contract on her, and Charlie finds himself unwittingly thrown in the middle of the action. The Accident People have, beside apparently unlimited funds and very high connections in business, politics and police circles, a very high tech approach to the art of murder that looks like an accident. Mann, the killing team leader, makes one of the most memorable villains in the genre and is presented mostly in terms of a movie director who decides on the script and the roles each member must play, reinforcing the earlier analogy I made to the dreamfactory.
This novel is as good as it gets when it comes to action intensive thrillers combined with conspiracy theory paranoia. I would have rated it five stars if it weren't for the casual atitude, even fascination, for explicit violence and the heavy use of guns. The talent of mr. Swierczynski for edge-of-the-seat scenes is evident right from the opening sequence of high speed cars chasing each other around the deadly twists and turns of a mountain road, and the stakes could only go higher from here. A younger Bruce Willis (from when he made Moonlighting and the first Die Hard flick) would make the perfect cast for the role of Charlie Hardie in my book, maybe with Natalie Portman as Lane Madden and Joan Severance as Mann. The dialogue is another throwback to the bad-ass action movies of the eighties, and in its combination of profanity, bad jokes and heavy sarcasm ( What is it with you and punching women in the face? Is that your signature move or something? ) helps relieve the tension of the gruesome plot and avoids the temptation of take the book too seriously. A sense of humour is in fact the reason I prefer those 80's action flicks to the more recent fare of grimdark CGI.
I read the book on holiday, during long stretches on the tour bus from one location to another. It was a very entertaining time-killer, with memorable characters and a satisfyingly complex plot that kept bringing more elements to the basic story as I read along. I would have read the next book in the series right away, but I only purchased the one for a taster before leaving home. This was my first book by the author, but definitely not my last.
December 15, 2013
“The world will run you down and slam a tire over your exploding skull and not even wonder what it had just hit.”
Duane Swierczynski's Fun & Games is the kind of wild hardboiled action thrill ride of a book that people only dream of creating. It's the first in a trilogy of books about a seemingly indestructible down on his luck noir protagonist type character. Charlie Hardie is a burnt out ex-law enforcement consultant determined to drink himself in to oblivion over some atrocity in his past that he can't stop blaming himself over.
The book starts with a wild car chase around LA's winding canyons and inflicts pain on its protagonist for another 24 hours without pausing for breath. Charlie just wants to sit and watch TV in the Hollywood mansion he's house-sitting but from the moment he arrives a distressed starlet drags him in to an unbelievable labyrinth of intrigue, facing off against a mysterious organisation of Them who have all of the power, all of the resources and all of the connections to wipe his existence from the face of the planet if they choose to.
It's important to buy in to the absurdity of it all early on if you're going to have a whale of time with this book, if you can't accept it as the Arnie movie dialled up to eleven and put in to novel form then you may as well put the book back on the shelf and read something tame like the new Jack Reacher. Swiercyznski is the master of the form, the ultimate noir-action fanboy with all the references, all the nudges and the winks, the tongues in cheek and the audacity to bring it all together in one incendiary tale (actually it's a trilogy, so there's two more of these things to dive straight in to). He even has one of his cahracters set fire to Arnie, Sly, Bruce, McQueen, Hackman et al, in the most knowingly ridiculous Hollywood scene of them all.
This was fricking awesome!
Duane Swierczynski's Fun & Games is the kind of wild hardboiled action thrill ride of a book that people only dream of creating. It's the first in a trilogy of books about a seemingly indestructible down on his luck noir protagonist type character. Charlie Hardie is a burnt out ex-law enforcement consultant determined to drink himself in to oblivion over some atrocity in his past that he can't stop blaming himself over.
The book starts with a wild car chase around LA's winding canyons and inflicts pain on its protagonist for another 24 hours without pausing for breath. Charlie just wants to sit and watch TV in the Hollywood mansion he's house-sitting but from the moment he arrives a distressed starlet drags him in to an unbelievable labyrinth of intrigue, facing off against a mysterious organisation of Them who have all of the power, all of the resources and all of the connections to wipe his existence from the face of the planet if they choose to.
It's important to buy in to the absurdity of it all early on if you're going to have a whale of time with this book, if you can't accept it as the Arnie movie dialled up to eleven and put in to novel form then you may as well put the book back on the shelf and read something tame like the new Jack Reacher. Swiercyznski is the master of the form, the ultimate noir-action fanboy with all the references, all the nudges and the winks, the tongues in cheek and the audacity to bring it all together in one incendiary tale (actually it's a trilogy, so there's two more of these things to dive straight in to). He even has one of his cahracters set fire to Arnie, Sly, Bruce, McQueen, Hackman et al, in the most knowingly ridiculous Hollywood scene of them all.
This was fricking awesome!
August 25, 2013
Meet Charlie Hardie, former cop, resident badass, coming to housesit in a neighborhood near you. He gets drunk and watches old movies as often as Congress runs a budget deficit, before he meets Lane Madden, a chick with more attitude and gumption and fighting ability than the top UFC contender, and gets tossed in the middle of the ring with a group of coldblooded killers. Lane’s tough, and she’s not about to take attitude from anyone, including a group of hit men and one woman who want nothing more than to see her dead.
If I had to pick a favorite character (and this is nothing short of a difficult task), I’d have to say Mann topped the charts. She focuses on the score, and she has a body and an attitude that just won’t quit. Despite being maimed and mauled (and her thing against guns), she’s going to see her assignment through all the way to end, as long as she still has a breath or two left in her. She focuses on her script, and she sets out to direct her masterpiece, even if she has to improvise her plan multiple times.
If FUN AND GAMES had been set anywhere other than LA, the high speed chases on narrow mountain passes, the tan, shaved woman sunbathing on her deck in the nude in broad daylight, the impalement of Charlie by a beautiful woman in a t-shirt and bikini underwear wielding a microphone stand like it’s a machete, and the house that goes up in flames faster than a hayfield after a lightning strike, the antics might have strained my believability factor, even though I have a high tolerance for suspending disbelief. But I figured this was LA and all bets are off, literally, and I thought absolutely nothing of the shenanigans, as I pushed the car close to ninety in the middle of the freeway, flipping page after high-octane page, and enjoying the ride with every smooth turn.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
If I had to pick a favorite character (and this is nothing short of a difficult task), I’d have to say Mann topped the charts. She focuses on the score, and she has a body and an attitude that just won’t quit. Despite being maimed and mauled (and her thing against guns), she’s going to see her assignment through all the way to end, as long as she still has a breath or two left in her. She focuses on her script, and she sets out to direct her masterpiece, even if she has to improvise her plan multiple times.
If FUN AND GAMES had been set anywhere other than LA, the high speed chases on narrow mountain passes, the tan, shaved woman sunbathing on her deck in the nude in broad daylight, the impalement of Charlie by a beautiful woman in a t-shirt and bikini underwear wielding a microphone stand like it’s a machete, and the house that goes up in flames faster than a hayfield after a lightning strike, the antics might have strained my believability factor, even though I have a high tolerance for suspending disbelief. But I figured this was LA and all bets are off, literally, and I thought absolutely nothing of the shenanigans, as I pushed the car close to ninety in the middle of the freeway, flipping page after high-octane page, and enjoying the ride with every smooth turn.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
August 14, 2012
Charlie Hardie is a former under-the-table employee of the Philly police force before an incident altered his life and forced a drastic career change. Charlie is now a house sitter who agrees to sit on your couch, down beers and watch old movies why you're off having a life somewhere else. Hardie takes a job watching a home when upon arrival, he's attacked by well known actress/socialite, Lane Madden.
Madden is spouting off conspiracy theories about "them", an unknown group dubbed, "The Accident People" who eliminate higher-ups while constructing detailed alibis that make death appear accidental and plausible. The planned killing of Madden threw a wrench in their mission and now she's on the run and inadvertently dragged Charlie into the situation. Can Charlie escape with his life or is he doomed to suffer Madden's fate as well?
I really, really like Duane Swierczynski and he's quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. His work is so gripping that he never fails to keep me interested throughout any of his novels.
I'm not sure what he has in store for the next two Hardie stories but I really feel like this was strong enough to stand on it's own. Hopefully he always had a trilogy in mind and based on the release/publication dates of the remaining installments, I assume that was always the case.
While Hardie himself can seem sort of bland at times, the "Unkillable Chuck" angle that Swierczynski attaches to him creates a nice level of intrigue as well as making me want to know more about his past. Hopefully we'll know more about him as the books move forward.
Madden is spouting off conspiracy theories about "them", an unknown group dubbed, "The Accident People" who eliminate higher-ups while constructing detailed alibis that make death appear accidental and plausible. The planned killing of Madden threw a wrench in their mission and now she's on the run and inadvertently dragged Charlie into the situation. Can Charlie escape with his life or is he doomed to suffer Madden's fate as well?
I really, really like Duane Swierczynski and he's quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. His work is so gripping that he never fails to keep me interested throughout any of his novels.
I'm not sure what he has in store for the next two Hardie stories but I really feel like this was strong enough to stand on it's own. Hopefully he always had a trilogy in mind and based on the release/publication dates of the remaining installments, I assume that was always the case.
While Hardie himself can seem sort of bland at times, the "Unkillable Chuck" angle that Swierczynski attaches to him creates a nice level of intrigue as well as making me want to know more about his past. Hopefully we'll know more about him as the books move forward.
July 16, 2013
Aptly named Fun & Games, I loved this book because it was just that, fun and games FAST times two. It was also a Shamus winner. Now that should catch some eyes for those of us book nerds who follow such award nominations and winners.
It wasn't high octane either, it was jet fueled and at times I thought the book was going to jettison out of my hands it went so fast.
Haven't had this much fun reading since Laurence Shames and Joey's move from New York City to Key West to romp in the sun and surf. And yes, to live. Yeah, just like most Florida residents these days. Read all of Shames' books non-stop a few years ago and loved each and every one because...because they had humor and mystery. Magical words for me.
As my friends know, I love humor and humor with a good mystery is a double bonus. So that is what I got with this author, Duane Swierczynski, who is now a new author on my list of favorites. An aside, Duane and his brother Gregg were named after The Allman Brothers. Sense of humor as a family trait, perhaps.
Duane is a writer of comic books. Hummm, comic books; I thought that was interesting. He's from Philadelphia and his bio indicates this is one multi-talented guy, maybe the most talented guy I never heard of until now. Besides the Shamus Award, his books have been nominated for the Edgar and Anthony Awards.
Let me think now who said I've got to read this book, this writer; it was Col, I think, or Jim Thane, or Harry, Shawn or Viccy or Ed, Pete, or Leon. All these guys know my love of fun in reading mysteries. So it was one or maybe all and I'm giving them all credit for sending DS my way, and my new favorite guy, a dark horse, Charlie Hardie.
In Fun & Games there's a slice of noir and hard-boiled threaded throughout, not overwhelming but enough to satisfy me. That noir really goes a long way with me, too, and Charlie's story set in LA atmosphere helps a bit. Oh, fun, too, in that it's set in what...a 24-hour period...if not, not much more than 24.
Can't wait to dig into the second of this trilogy of ex-cop contract cop? turned couch potato house-sitter Charlie Hardie. He's to be trusted (he's an ex-cop remember?) and will fly to sit, waiting only for the next Jim Beam bottle with a comfortable couch and a big screen plasma TV, thank you very much.
It was JB wasn't it? Well, with Charlie, any bourbon in the cabinet will do.
One friend said he read it one sitting and sure wish I could have done that. I wanted to after the first chapter, believe me.
Charlie Hardie, a fun fellow who trouble follows. I'm coming, Charlie, I'm coming back soon! We're not finished yet, Charlie, not quite yet! Wait for me, Charlieeee. I'll be right back.
It wasn't high octane either, it was jet fueled and at times I thought the book was going to jettison out of my hands it went so fast.
Haven't had this much fun reading since Laurence Shames and Joey's move from New York City to Key West to romp in the sun and surf. And yes, to live. Yeah, just like most Florida residents these days. Read all of Shames' books non-stop a few years ago and loved each and every one because...because they had humor and mystery. Magical words for me.
As my friends know, I love humor and humor with a good mystery is a double bonus. So that is what I got with this author, Duane Swierczynski, who is now a new author on my list of favorites. An aside, Duane and his brother Gregg were named after The Allman Brothers. Sense of humor as a family trait, perhaps.
Duane is a writer of comic books. Hummm, comic books; I thought that was interesting. He's from Philadelphia and his bio indicates this is one multi-talented guy, maybe the most talented guy I never heard of until now. Besides the Shamus Award, his books have been nominated for the Edgar and Anthony Awards.
Let me think now who said I've got to read this book, this writer; it was Col, I think, or Jim Thane, or Harry, Shawn or Viccy or Ed, Pete, or Leon. All these guys know my love of fun in reading mysteries. So it was one or maybe all and I'm giving them all credit for sending DS my way, and my new favorite guy, a dark horse, Charlie Hardie.
In Fun & Games there's a slice of noir and hard-boiled threaded throughout, not overwhelming but enough to satisfy me. That noir really goes a long way with me, too, and Charlie's story set in LA atmosphere helps a bit. Oh, fun, too, in that it's set in what...a 24-hour period...if not, not much more than 24.
Can't wait to dig into the second of this trilogy of ex-cop contract cop? turned couch potato house-sitter Charlie Hardie. He's to be trusted (he's an ex-cop remember?) and will fly to sit, waiting only for the next Jim Beam bottle with a comfortable couch and a big screen plasma TV, thank you very much.
It was JB wasn't it? Well, with Charlie, any bourbon in the cabinet will do.
One friend said he read it one sitting and sure wish I could have done that. I wanted to after the first chapter, believe me.
Charlie Hardie, a fun fellow who trouble follows. I'm coming, Charlie, I'm coming back soon! We're not finished yet, Charlie, not quite yet! Wait for me, Charlieeee. I'll be right back.
July 29, 2011
Duane Swierczynski must be exhausted. I don't know how else you could write a story with the breakneck pace of FUN & GAMES without having to take a long nap afterward. It's that action-packed. But no nap for Duane, instead he wrote two more Charlie Hardie books set to come out over the next year.
FUN & GAMES hits the ground running and never lets up. And it's able to do it while maintaining at least some footing in reality. It's over-the-top to be sure, but the humanity that Swierczynski gives to his characters elevates this above most straight thrillers.
If you want to be original in crime fiction all you have to do is make the characters react like real people. It sounds crazy, but the genre has become awash with nonchalance toward a dead body and an uncanny knack for MacGuyverism. There are so many tough guy conventions, that I think some writers have forgotten that even genre books should be drawn from life, not other books. Swierczynski understands this. For all of the craziness of the situations, the characters generally defy convention and just act how a person would act when confronted by craziness. And that's a huge thing for this reader.
Highly recommended. This book is hard not to like. I'm eagerly looking forward to the next Charlie Hardie book and the one after that.
FUN & GAMES hits the ground running and never lets up. And it's able to do it while maintaining at least some footing in reality. It's over-the-top to be sure, but the humanity that Swierczynski gives to his characters elevates this above most straight thrillers.
If you want to be original in crime fiction all you have to do is make the characters react like real people. It sounds crazy, but the genre has become awash with nonchalance toward a dead body and an uncanny knack for MacGuyverism. There are so many tough guy conventions, that I think some writers have forgotten that even genre books should be drawn from life, not other books. Swierczynski understands this. For all of the craziness of the situations, the characters generally defy convention and just act how a person would act when confronted by craziness. And that's a huge thing for this reader.
Highly recommended. This book is hard not to like. I'm eagerly looking forward to the next Charlie Hardie book and the one after that.
June 27, 2011
This a wild high speed action novel that will leave you gasping for air. Reading I was reminded of seeing Die Hard the first time in a theater. Not in plot or setting sense, no more that gleeful gut feeling that was seeing a fresh new wild take on the action movie. FUN & GAMES grabbed my from word one, and never let go. I'm dyslexic, I read slow, I lost several nights of sleep to this amazing book. If you are fan of good action movies, you will love this book. It ready like the best John Woo Hong Kong ripper. If Fact maybe Woo can direct it, finally have a story worthy of his talent. I digress, but this is the kind of novel that plays out in your head like a movie.
Duane Swierczynsk is one hell of a writer, read this, agree, and then do what I'm doing - twiddling my thumbs nervously whist I await the next installment.
Duane Swierczynsk is one hell of a writer, read this, agree, and then do what I'm doing - twiddling my thumbs nervously whist I await the next installment.
November 28, 2019
FUN AND GAMES is a riot. A full-blown wildfire burning beneath a raging thunderstorm blast of adrenaline-fueled action with a strong dose of black hole-level darkness. Unexpected story twists that made me rewind the pages and read them again just to be sure I'd read what I thought I'd read - that's how surprised I was at some of the plot decisions made by the author. A rocking good time that will also leave you uncertain at just what will happen next. I'm eager to check out the next two books in this trilogy - highly recommend.
August 11, 2011
Hollywood has its own mythology, or maybe it's just really good at revamping the mythologies of other places with a lot of glitz. In either case, Duane Swierczynski has concocted a novel, the first of a trilogy it turns out, that taps into the kind of conspiracy-laden thrill rides only Hollywood could call its own.
Take a washed-out Hollywood starlet, Lane Madden, and put her behind the wheel of a fast car in one of the richer sections of L.A., then have a crew of killers try to run her off the road to make it look like an accident. The killers: a fabled organization called "The Accident People." They're the people who are offing politicians and celebrities in such a way to appear accidental, but still leave a few onlookers wondering if maybe something else is at play.
On the other side of the coin is Charlie Hardie, a retired cop-of-sorts turned house-sitter to the wealthy. The biggest thing on his plate is pitching his tent at his next gig, watching old movies, and getting shitfaced. So when he gets to L.A. on the same day Lane Madden breaks into the house he's hired to look after, inadvertently putting him between her and her would-be assassins, sufficed to say everyone's day is ruined.
The sheer amount of ass this novel kicked cannot be measured. When I started into this book, I was in the mood for a hard-boiled, relentless piece of pulp. I'd been getting a good dose of it this spring from the likes of Jeff Strand, Lee Goldberg, and Joe R. Lansdale, but Swierczynski managed to up the ante with this one. The pace is quick, and punctuated by shifting points of view between Charlie, Lane, as well as a gorgeous ringleader named Mann and her gang of techno-savvy thugs. A scene barely has time to end before a twist is thrown in and the characters are scrambling to recover and start the cat-and-mouse all over again. Well, "cat-and-mouse" might be too delicate a term for the kind of utter torture Charlie and other characters are put through in the course of this novel. Maybe "profanity-laden meatgrinder" would be apt.
The layers of mystery within the story is surprising, as certain things are held back from you as the reader for the sake of intrigue and suspense, and once certain details are revealed, some new question is raised that has you wondering how far down the rabbit hole this thing goes. While the book can be accused of being convoluted, it's done in such a way that it's hard not to appreciate the lengths to which it has been laid out for your enjoyment.
There was only one niggling detail concerning the climax of the story that irked me. I won't go into details, because I don't want to spoil anything for folks tempted to read this book, but there is something about how the book plays out in the end that sucked me out of the story immediately and threatened to ruin the entire experience. Fortunately, it didn't become an overriding factor, and I still walked away from this book utterly satisfied and salivating at the chance to read its sequel, Hell and Gone. This just might be my new favorite novel of the year.
Take a washed-out Hollywood starlet, Lane Madden, and put her behind the wheel of a fast car in one of the richer sections of L.A., then have a crew of killers try to run her off the road to make it look like an accident. The killers: a fabled organization called "The Accident People." They're the people who are offing politicians and celebrities in such a way to appear accidental, but still leave a few onlookers wondering if maybe something else is at play.
On the other side of the coin is Charlie Hardie, a retired cop-of-sorts turned house-sitter to the wealthy. The biggest thing on his plate is pitching his tent at his next gig, watching old movies, and getting shitfaced. So when he gets to L.A. on the same day Lane Madden breaks into the house he's hired to look after, inadvertently putting him between her and her would-be assassins, sufficed to say everyone's day is ruined.
The sheer amount of ass this novel kicked cannot be measured. When I started into this book, I was in the mood for a hard-boiled, relentless piece of pulp. I'd been getting a good dose of it this spring from the likes of Jeff Strand, Lee Goldberg, and Joe R. Lansdale, but Swierczynski managed to up the ante with this one. The pace is quick, and punctuated by shifting points of view between Charlie, Lane, as well as a gorgeous ringleader named Mann and her gang of techno-savvy thugs. A scene barely has time to end before a twist is thrown in and the characters are scrambling to recover and start the cat-and-mouse all over again. Well, "cat-and-mouse" might be too delicate a term for the kind of utter torture Charlie and other characters are put through in the course of this novel. Maybe "profanity-laden meatgrinder" would be apt.
The layers of mystery within the story is surprising, as certain things are held back from you as the reader for the sake of intrigue and suspense, and once certain details are revealed, some new question is raised that has you wondering how far down the rabbit hole this thing goes. While the book can be accused of being convoluted, it's done in such a way that it's hard not to appreciate the lengths to which it has been laid out for your enjoyment.
There was only one niggling detail concerning the climax of the story that irked me. I won't go into details, because I don't want to spoil anything for folks tempted to read this book, but there is something about how the book plays out in the end that sucked me out of the story immediately and threatened to ruin the entire experience. Fortunately, it didn't become an overriding factor, and I still walked away from this book utterly satisfied and salivating at the chance to read its sequel, Hell and Gone. This just might be my new favorite novel of the year.
September 20, 2021
Този път нямам от какво да се оплача, ама и за една буквичка. Шеметен криминален трилър, като авторът е свалил психопатщината и нелогизмите до едно комерсиално ниво и е забъркал чудесна пълп история с много екшън, преследвания и треперене за съдбата на главните герои.
Запознайте се с Чарли Харди - скромен човечец, който от три години пази къщи на богаташи из цяла Америка, докато собствениците са на далечни пътувания. Ежедневието му се състои от висене по дивани и гледане на филми, излезли преди рождената му дата. Поредната работа е в Холивуд и предвкусвайки уискито и чудесната филмотека на собственика, Чарли се натъква на нежелан гостенин в къщата - популярна актриса от второразрядни екшън филми, която твърди, че я преследва конспиративна организация наречена "Инцидентните хора". Големите момчета с много ресурс зад гърба, които оправят бакиите на богатите и известните. Скоро става ясно, че момичето не фантазира, но става ясно, че и Чарли съвсем не е случаен пазач. Заинатил се никой да не умре, докато е на смяна Чарли бива отровен, намушкан, изпържен, подпален, надрусан, прострелян, удавен, но просто отказва и отказва да пукне и хвърля Инцидентните в праведен бяс, като прави уж лесната им задача невъзможна за изпълнение.
Шверджински не се свени да нарани героя си, нито да пречука някой важен второстепенен кадър. В името на незабавящия темпото и спиращ дъха сюжет, реди ситуация след ситуация, типични за едно пълп криминале. Голям кеф, а има и две продължения.
Спокойно мога да заявя, че ДУейн, заеднос Трент Зелазни ми оправиха мнението за ню ноара и пълп кримките на новото хилядолетие.
Запознайте се с Чарли Харди - скромен човечец, който от три години пази къщи на богаташи из цяла Америка, докато собствениците са на далечни пътувания. Ежедневието му се състои от висене по дивани и гледане на филми, излезли преди рождената му дата. Поредната работа е в Холивуд и предвкусвайки уискито и чудесната филмотека на собственика, Чарли се натъква на нежелан гостенин в къщата - популярна актриса от второразрядни екшън филми, която твърди, че я преследва конспиративна организация наречена "Инцидентните хора". Големите момчета с много ресурс зад гърба, които оправят бакиите на богатите и известните. Скоро става ясно, че момичето не фантазира, но става ясно, че и Чарли съвсем не е случаен пазач. Заинатил се никой да не умре, докато е на смяна Чарли бива отровен, намушкан, изпържен, подпален, надрусан, прострелян, удавен, но просто отказва и отказва да пукне и хвърля Инцидентните в праведен бяс, като прави уж лесната им задача невъзможна за изпълнение.
Шверджински не се свени да нарани героя си, нито да пречука някой важен второстепенен кадър. В името на незабавящия темпото и спиращ дъха сюжет, реди ситуация след ситуация, типични за едно пълп криминале. Голям кеф, а има и две продължения.
Спокойно мога да заявя, че ДУейн, заеднос Трент Зелазни ми оправиха мнението за ню ноара и пълп кримките на новото хилядолетие.
August 16, 2012
Duane Swierczynski's debut into a three part series detective thriller comes across like a fine cabernet (and I went into it with only one bottle left). What happens is you savor the taste. In this case, I read Fun and Games and the second installment Hell and Gone in the Charlie Hardy mystery series knowing I'd have to wait until 2013 for the third installment.
For fans of Donovan Creed (by John Locke) you'll likely enjoy Swierczynski's Charlie Hardy series, whose books by the way are better than Swierczynski's stand alone novels (at least the two stand alone books I've read). The plot is captivating, very creative, sharp edged and unusual to say the least. Like Locke's hero Donovan Creed, we're thrown into a world that lies just below the reality we all know. Unlike Creed who lives outside of society, our tragic hero Charlie Hardy does not belong in that world and he is in for a rude shock starting with the first few pages of the first book. From that point on, the reader is in for a fast, easy ride down Swierczynski's lane...the plot never once letting up, not even as you reach the last words in each novel.
Come to think of it, it might be better to say that reading Swierczynsk's first two series novels is like reading chapters one and two of a three chapter single novel...each flowing into the other at the exact spot where the latter left off (something you don't see often from authors).
So, take a swig of Swierczynski's Cabernet, let this pulp writer give you an unkillable hero and then let the wine slide smoothly down your throat. You won't regret it.
As usual with series novels, if you've read my Charlie Hardy review, you've read 'em all. Assessment: damn, I wish I didn't have to wait until 2013. But, I've pre-ordered the third in the series so I know it's coming...:-)
For fans of Donovan Creed (by John Locke) you'll likely enjoy Swierczynski's Charlie Hardy series, whose books by the way are better than Swierczynski's stand alone novels (at least the two stand alone books I've read). The plot is captivating, very creative, sharp edged and unusual to say the least. Like Locke's hero Donovan Creed, we're thrown into a world that lies just below the reality we all know. Unlike Creed who lives outside of society, our tragic hero Charlie Hardy does not belong in that world and he is in for a rude shock starting with the first few pages of the first book. From that point on, the reader is in for a fast, easy ride down Swierczynski's lane...the plot never once letting up, not even as you reach the last words in each novel.
Come to think of it, it might be better to say that reading Swierczynsk's first two series novels is like reading chapters one and two of a three chapter single novel...each flowing into the other at the exact spot where the latter left off (something you don't see often from authors).
So, take a swig of Swierczynski's Cabernet, let this pulp writer give you an unkillable hero and then let the wine slide smoothly down your throat. You won't regret it.
As usual with series novels, if you've read my Charlie Hardy review, you've read 'em all. Assessment: damn, I wish I didn't have to wait until 2013. But, I've pre-ordered the third in the series so I know it's coming...:-)
June 14, 2013
A high-speed chase down the Hollywood Hills.....and, you're the girl at the wheel of the car. No brakes? The car has no brakes and, neither does this story
B-movie actress Lane Madden is next on the list of THE ACCIDENT PEOPLE.
Have you ever wondered what becomes of screenwriters and film technicians....when their careers are over...or, they've fallen out of favor....Scripted "accidents".....posed "hits"???
Lane is next on The List.....through various nefarious events (exploding gas mains and biotoxic weaponry) our girl does not end up well.....she dies...nuff said
Did i mention Charlie Hardie??? The erstwhile hero of this book...the first of a series???
Charlie.....a former cop living off the guilt of the death of his former partner?
I love Mr Swiercznyski's work....since i read The Blonde.....though i can't spell his name for shit.....the fact that he writes for Marvel Comics makes this particular book a must!
This book is a Quentin Tarantino movie..on paper....a literary Graphic Novel....fast-paced with no apologies
I'm posting this review because I love the author's work.....i loved this book and recommend it to anyone who likes Noir fiction.....i can't wait for the second book
****this was an ER book from Library Thing***
B-movie actress Lane Madden is next on the list of THE ACCIDENT PEOPLE.
Have you ever wondered what becomes of screenwriters and film technicians....when their careers are over...or, they've fallen out of favor....Scripted "accidents".....posed "hits"???
Lane is next on The List.....through various nefarious events (exploding gas mains and biotoxic weaponry) our girl does not end up well.....she dies...nuff said
Did i mention Charlie Hardie??? The erstwhile hero of this book...the first of a series???
Charlie.....a former cop living off the guilt of the death of his former partner?
I love Mr Swiercznyski's work....since i read The Blonde.....though i can't spell his name for shit.....the fact that he writes for Marvel Comics makes this particular book a must!
This book is a Quentin Tarantino movie..on paper....a literary Graphic Novel....fast-paced with no apologies
I'm posting this review because I love the author's work.....i loved this book and recommend it to anyone who likes Noir fiction.....i can't wait for the second book
****this was an ER book from Library Thing***
May 21, 2013
House Sitter with a difference Charlie Hardie thought he'd left the world of bloodshed and mayhem behind after leaving Philadelphia along with his former occupation as police consultant. What seems as another cushy detail sitting for an out of town Hollywood type quickly turns red with the encounter of movie starlet (albeit B-Movie starlet) Lane Madden imposing as a squatter and demanding he leaver her alone while being fixated on a collective 'them' trying to kill her. Soon enough, Hardie's got a hole in his chest and is fully aware of 'them'; The Accident People - glorified Hollywood hitmen hired to sweep out closets and falsify truths for the good of A-List industry types. Swierczysnki once again creates a fast moving, ever changing story that keeps the reader captivated and utterly enthralled. The only bad thing about 'Fun and Games' was that it ended! At least I can take solace in the fact that this is the start of a three book series, with the ending of 'Fun and Games' the perfect segway to its follow-up 'Hell and Gone'. All round likable characters (for instance: Mann - a women with very large balls with whom you don't want to mess with) and super fast plot made this one hell of an enjoyable ride - 5 stars
January 9, 2016
"You're not invincible," she continued. "You're just a man. You can be killed." "Yeah, I kn-know," Hardie said. "Pull up a lawn chair and you can watch it happen any minute now."
5 things you learn from Fun and Games:
1. When life finally stops kicking you in the teeth, you don't whine and count the gaps. You see the fucking dentist and move on.
2. When you stop understanding the plot, you put down the bottle and close your eyes.
3. You are fucked if you are having get-hit-by-a-car-and-discover-you-have-cancer kind of luck.
4. You don't blow into someone's mouth when they are dying. Freaking out increases your level of carbon dioxide and you end up blowing carbon dioxide when they really need is oxygen.
5. Don't try to be a hero. DO NOT FUCKING OPEN THE DOOR.
August 6, 2013
Well that was a fun read - talk about non stop action !
And pretty near impossible to predict what is going to happen next - some great twists in the story.
I could go for some more of that - so on to the next one in the trilogy...
And pretty near impossible to predict what is going to happen next - some great twists in the story.
I could go for some more of that - so on to the next one in the trilogy...
October 10, 2017
I can only suspend so much disbelief.I also am not in the mood for a continuous series.There were some interesting ideas,but too farfetched.
July 6, 2017
An absolutely terrific thriller featuring 2 of the most resilient "victims" in the history of crime fiction and wonderful laugh-out-loud moments amid the action that never lets up. A joy to read and highly recommended. Are "The Accident People" real?!?!?
February 5, 2020
Actual rating 4.3
Engaging and highly entertaining fun and games from beginning to end. As promised.
Engaging and highly entertaining fun and games from beginning to end. As promised.
August 5, 2012
The world is divided into three classes of people:
a very small group that makes things happen
a somewhat larger group that watches things happen
and the great multitude which never knows what happened.
-Nicholas Murray Butler
That beginning-of-chapter quote perfectly describes the premise of this book - and plus it sounds cool. Charlie Hardie (I know, I hate names that rythme) is an ex-cop from Philidelphia, who hasn't been the same for three years, and is now a simple house sitter going around the country staying in nice houses. On a particular job in Hollywood, he finds actress Lane Madden hiding in the basement, high on speed, raving about people called The Accident People who are trying to murder her and make it look like . . . an accident (did you not see that coming?)
Turns out, she just might not be as crazy as she seems.
There were two aspects of this book I found extremely dissapointing.
The first were the characters, since they had very little depth. They had some great backstories, and they were far from perfect, but I wasn't able to connect with them on any level. I liked Lane, but I needed something more from her, and because I won't ever be getting more from her. Our MC Charlie seemed at times too much like a stereotypical action movie hero.
The whole book really read like some strange action movie to be honest. Which leads into my second issue. Okay, so I understand that adrendaline can help people do some pretty crazy stuff. However, if you are YOU SHOULD FREAKIN' BE DEAD! This annoyed me greatly, since Charlie just seemed to push through, no matter what injury he got, when most people would've either died or needed immediate medical attention.
Nope, not Charlie Hardie. He's RoboCop.
I guess a third issue would be the lack of depth from the story itself, but I guess that goes hand in hand with the lack of it from the characters.
However, there is a lot going for this, even more than there is against it. The premise is completely unlike anything I've ever read before, and the inclusion of "Phillip" towards the end of the novel was very well done. The action sequences are perfectly described and very easy to visualize (part of why Kelly reccomended this author to me), and it reads like a very good action movie.
Duane's writing really grabbed me and held my attention. It isn't anything lyrical or poetic, but it's very easy to read. The ending was insane, and I definitely am excited to read the last two books in the series, although I am wondering why there is a third book. Maybe the end of Book Two will answer that?
a very small group that makes things happen
a somewhat larger group that watches things happen
and the great multitude which never knows what happened.
-Nicholas Murray Butler
That beginning-of-chapter quote perfectly describes the premise of this book - and plus it sounds cool. Charlie Hardie (I know, I hate names that rythme) is an ex-cop from Philidelphia, who hasn't been the same for three years, and is now a simple house sitter going around the country staying in nice houses. On a particular job in Hollywood, he finds actress Lane Madden hiding in the basement, high on speed, raving about people called The Accident People who are trying to murder her and make it look like . . . an accident (did you not see that coming?)
Turns out, she just might not be as crazy as she seems.
There were two aspects of this book I found extremely dissapointing.
The first were the characters, since they had very little depth. They had some great backstories, and they were far from perfect, but I wasn't able to connect with them on any level. I liked Lane, but I needed something more from her, and because I won't ever be getting more from her. Our MC Charlie seemed at times too much like a stereotypical action movie hero.
The whole book really read like some strange action movie to be honest. Which leads into my second issue. Okay, so I understand that adrendaline can help people do some pretty crazy stuff. However, if you are YOU SHOULD FREAKIN' BE DEAD! This annoyed me greatly, since Charlie just seemed to push through, no matter what injury he got, when most people would've either died or needed immediate medical attention.
Nope, not Charlie Hardie. He's RoboCop.
I guess a third issue would be the lack of depth from the story itself, but I guess that goes hand in hand with the lack of it from the characters.
However, there is a lot going for this, even more than there is against it. The premise is completely unlike anything I've ever read before, and the inclusion of "Phillip" towards the end of the novel was very well done. The action sequences are perfectly described and very easy to visualize (part of why Kelly reccomended this author to me), and it reads like a very good action movie.
Duane's writing really grabbed me and held my attention. It isn't anything lyrical or poetic, but it's very easy to read. The ending was insane, and I definitely am excited to read the last two books in the series, although I am wondering why there is a third book. Maybe the end of Book Two will answer that?
November 16, 2011
Charlie Hardie used to be a cop but after his partner was murdered (along with the partner's entire family), he's opted for a less dangerous line of work. Now he house-sits. He's pretty in demand, too, and travels all over the country to take care of people's houses. (No pets or plants, though. He has limits.) So anyway, he heads to this house in LA and it all falls apart. He finds this woman living in the house, a woman who should NOT be there. Then he realizes that it's a famous actress. And then he realizes that she's probably crazy. She's ranting about these people who are trying to kill her and how they'll make it look like an accident because that's what they do. She says they're sort of like an urban legend in Hollywood, the Accident People...except it's true.
And it turns out that it IS true. And they ARE after her.
This book is ridiculously, insanely fun. It's also seriously next to impossible to put down* so I would advise starting it when you have enough time to read 283 pages in a row.
I was reading this book and seriously, the Accident People are like Terminators. They can't be killed. But then, so is Charlie. It's insane. Maybe in LA, the smog protects you from things.
My favorite part though is the idea that these people are sort of like a Hollywood urban legend. I picture these stars at parties and then it turns into sort of a "by the campfire" atmosphere and someone starts talking about them and then everyone piles in. "I heard they killed Belushi." "I heard that's what really happened to Brittany Murphy." And with my love of spooky stories, it's not surprising that that appeals to me, right? And the Accident People are SCARY.
But more than anything else, this book is the pure definition of "action-packed thriller." It's so much fun, I can't even tell you. It ends on a cliffhanger (a really mean one) but fortunately, book two is already out.
* = AND I HAD TO! There was this insane plot twist and I had to stop reading and go to work! It was cruel, you guys. Cruel.
And it turns out that it IS true. And they ARE after her.
This book is ridiculously, insanely fun. It's also seriously next to impossible to put down* so I would advise starting it when you have enough time to read 283 pages in a row.
I was reading this book and seriously, the Accident People are like Terminators. They can't be killed. But then, so is Charlie. It's insane. Maybe in LA, the smog protects you from things.
My favorite part though is the idea that these people are sort of like a Hollywood urban legend. I picture these stars at parties and then it turns into sort of a "by the campfire" atmosphere and someone starts talking about them and then everyone piles in. "I heard they killed Belushi." "I heard that's what really happened to Brittany Murphy." And with my love of spooky stories, it's not surprising that that appeals to me, right? And the Accident People are SCARY.
But more than anything else, this book is the pure definition of "action-packed thriller." It's so much fun, I can't even tell you. It ends on a cliffhanger (a really mean one) but fortunately, book two is already out.
* = AND I HAD TO! There was this insane plot twist and I had to stop reading and go to work! It was cruel, you guys. Cruel.
May 26, 2011
FUN & GAMES written by Duane Swierczynski
Book #1 in the Charlie Hardie Trilogy
06/11 - Little, Brown & Company - Paperback, 304 pages
There is an end to every nightmare right?
Charlie Hardie has lived the hard life and was now drinking himself in oblivion one house sitting job at a time. He was a reliable source to stay put, water your plants, and make sure no one breaks into your house. Therefore, what a surprise for Charlie when he arrives at his latest job someone has gotten there before him who knows how to throw a microphone stand.
The intruder turns out to be actress, Lane Madden who swears “The Accident People” are after her and if they find her, she is dead, again. They have tried to kill her already and staying out of sight was her main objective that became impossible when Charlie dropped into her life, literally. He is not sure what parts he believes and which are just good acting but the one thing he knows for sure is the actress is a very good liar and her story may add up but it is not straight up.
Charlie finds “they” have every high power weapon, every spy trick known to every side of the game and no issues with killing anyone that blocks their objective of eliminating that seen as a problem. However, Charlie is a fighter and he is not going down without taking out as many of them as he can if only he can survive. There are multiple attacks on him and Lane, be able to crawl up the side of a canyon and convince the police that he is not a bad guy just a man with a questionable past and shaky future.
Wow is an understatement for this book. The action starts on the first page and never stops during one single line. When you get to the last line, you know you are pre-ordering the next book and the one after that today.
Book #1 in the Charlie Hardie Trilogy
06/11 - Little, Brown & Company - Paperback, 304 pages
There is an end to every nightmare right?
Charlie Hardie has lived the hard life and was now drinking himself in oblivion one house sitting job at a time. He was a reliable source to stay put, water your plants, and make sure no one breaks into your house. Therefore, what a surprise for Charlie when he arrives at his latest job someone has gotten there before him who knows how to throw a microphone stand.
The intruder turns out to be actress, Lane Madden who swears “The Accident People” are after her and if they find her, she is dead, again. They have tried to kill her already and staying out of sight was her main objective that became impossible when Charlie dropped into her life, literally. He is not sure what parts he believes and which are just good acting but the one thing he knows for sure is the actress is a very good liar and her story may add up but it is not straight up.
Charlie finds “they” have every high power weapon, every spy trick known to every side of the game and no issues with killing anyone that blocks their objective of eliminating that seen as a problem. However, Charlie is a fighter and he is not going down without taking out as many of them as he can if only he can survive. There are multiple attacks on him and Lane, be able to crawl up the side of a canyon and convince the police that he is not a bad guy just a man with a questionable past and shaky future.
Wow is an understatement for this book. The action starts on the first page and never stops during one single line. When you get to the last line, you know you are pre-ordering the next book and the one after that today.
November 9, 2011
Charlie Hardie is a burnout. As a consultant to the Philly PD, he was responsible for the death of a cop and his family. Now, Charlie's family is in hiding and Charlie makes his living as a housesitter, drinking bourbon and watching DVDs around the country. Charlie shows up at a house in LA and runs into Lane Madden, former big-name movie star, now fading into oblivion, and the Accident People. Lane witnessed something she shouldn't have and now she has to die. The Accident People have been hired to take her out. Unfortunately, Charlie doesn't want to die and he and Lane go to war. Nonstop action and lots of it. Highly recommended for readers who love adrenaline fueled joy rides.
August 29, 2013
This guy can really write a book that packs a punch. House sitter Charlie Hardie has a real pickle on his hands when he shows up at his gig and finds someone in the house when no one is supposed to be home. Of course Charlie probably did not figure on any of the fun and games about to ensue on this latest job. Now the question becomes, can he survive? The first in a trilogy this novel actually makes you burn for the next installment. Great book and highly recommended for those who love a good action packed ride.
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December 25, 2011
Fun and games is the perfect title for this book. This was a lot of fun to read. People who watch CSI and like to point out the inconsistencies should probably steer clear. Anyone who loves non stop action should go get a copy immediately. This book hits the ground running and never stops until the end. This is the book we were all hoping Swierczynski would write after The Wheelman and The Blonde? Good, actiony, pulpy, cinematic fun (now with cursing). 4/5
June 21, 2011
It's such a cliche to say you couldn't put a book down, but that was literally true in this case. I think I was holding my breath half the time, too. Absolutely loved it.
March 10, 2015
Amazing ride! This is my favorite kind of book.....a thriller with a sense of humor and a protagonist facing Them. Can hardly wait for the next book!
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