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Summary: A very different type of thriller from John Saul
Review: The Manhattan Hunt Club is a much different read than all of the other John Saul books I have read. There's no family curse or haunted youths to be found here; rather, this is a book of gritty, gripping realism. I admit it took me a while to get completely wrapped up in the story, but the final hundred pages had me captivated. The book starts with young college student Jeff Converse trying to help a lady being attacked in the subway; his good Samaritanism earns him a conviction of attempted murder as the victim fingers him as her assailant. Then a freak accident as he is being transferred to another prison finds him taken down into the unseen depths below the New York subway system, thrown together with a bona fide murderer, and forced to play a game he can barely comprehend: you win, you go free; you lose, you die. So begins a terrifying ordeal pitting Jeff and his new-found friend against a team of vigilantes straight out of The Most Dangerous Game. Meanwhile, Jeff's father and his "uptown girl" girlfriend refuse to believe the evidence given to them that Jeff in fact died in the traffic accident. They eventually go into the tunnels themselves in search of Jeff, and the convergence of all the characters takes place in an exciting climax of action. There are some surprises in these pages, and a feeling of justice that sometimes does not find its way into Saul's fiction. The makeup of the Manhattan Hunt Club and the ideas behind its formation are disturbing yet frighteningly plausible. Saul does an admirably fine job of humanizing the homeless in all of their guises; the characters we meet underneath the subway tunnels are not all bad or shiftless, yet even some of the best of them, through their mute cooperation with "the game," cause one to face some troubling propositions and wonder if, in their shoes, he might do the same thing. The most enlightening character here is Jinx, a young girl who found a home beneath the city after running away from her mother's abusive boyfriend; despite the bad luck life has sent her way, she retains her dignity and bravely seeks to do the right thing when she does not have to get involved at all. One is struck by the fact that much of this story could in fact be true to life. There are people living the kind of life described herein, but John Saul would seem to have done such unfortunate folks a great service. He brings out the humanity of these people, making the point that they are not all druggies and addicts but are all too often very human characters forced to live as best they can. Perhaps the motivation fueling some of the true villains here, the members of "the club," is not strongly enough developed, and the character of Jeff's deeply religious mother is somehow forgotten along the way, but The Manhattan Hunt Club is an increasingly compelling read that will take you into the filthy subterranean tunnels alongside its characters and very likely change you in some way by the time you finally manage to find the light at the end of the tunnel.
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Summary: John Saul Strikes Again!
Review: In "The Manhattan Hunt Club", John Saul weaves a frightening tale of underground Manhattan... After being wrongfully accused for a crime he didn't commit, Jeff Converse's world was turned upside down in a matter of seconds. But on his transport to prison, an "accident" happens and he is thrust from the police van by strangers that claim to want to help him escape. So without much time to think about the consequence of his actions, Jeff Converse chooses to follow his rescuers deep into the subway tunnels of underground Manhattan where the homeless (or rather, "houseless") now take shelter. But little does he know that he is about to become prey inside this labyrinth of caverns and chambers as he struggles to find his way to the surface before the hunters (which also happen to be guarding all possible escape routes) can kill and then claim him as their prize. And just to warn you ahead of time: Once you reach Chapter 31, the storyline takes a huge plot twist as the character's reveal their true nature and the book title suddenly becomes crystal clear... John Saul is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite writers when it comes to suspense and horror. And while I find "The Right Hand Of Evil" to be slightly better, it's hard to compare the two of them for they're completely different. I find "The Manhattan Hunt Club" to be a very entertaining thriller that (for once!) doesn't have those dull, page flipping moments in between! This is highly recommended. MoonGoddess
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Summary: John Saul's "Hunt" Captures Thrills and Suspense
Review: This modern tale takes the reader into a world beneath the streets of America's largest city where convicted criminals are hunted down by New York's elete in a fatal game of ultimate justice. That is, until an innocent man, Jeff Converse, is thrown into the frey. Saul weaves a complex tale that is both riviting and believable at the same time, with characters that stay "true" throughout the book. Saul's political commentary on justice and the death penalty are integrated so well into the plot, that at no time is it pushy or preachy. A job well done.
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Summary: A psychological horror story with a meaning....
Review: John Saul is a master of suspense and thrillers. Here he tells a tale with a deep socio-economic meaning and this story hit home for me. A young man is convicted of a crime he didn't commit. By chance, he gets away and searches for a place to hide; he ends up going into the catacombs of the subway system In New York, where homeless people live and die. A group of elite people in the city make a game of killing these homeless people. I won't ruin it for you, but this is an original idea from a great writer. This novel lets us know how lucky we all are to live in style. It displays the desperation and utter chaos of the homeless. It may be fiction, but this is something that could possibly happen; it's not vampires, zombies, werewolves, or any of the other cliched horror stories. This is a great story by a man who has been around for seemingly, forever. A beautifully written book by a name brand in the thriller/suspense/horror field.
This is a must-read for any person who has been down and out or just want to read a great story.
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Summary: '40's pulp fiction thriller in today's world
Review: I read John Saul's first two novels and found them hypnotic, but too sick and perverted for my taste, so didn't keep up with his development. Since then, I noticed, to my surprise, he had a following and was getting some good reviews, and so finally when I saw this book, was intrigued enough to get it. I'm glad I did. I started it during some free time on a Sunday afternoon and found myself finishing it a few hours later, mainly because I didn't find a point where I wanted to lay it down for more than a few minutes. I don't recommend it to somebody looking for a realistic thriller. There are too many improbabilities and coincidences for anyone who is greatly bothered by such. Also, I didn't find the ending quite satisfying. .... And yet, I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent reading this. It did give a rather one-sided view of the homeless, but it didn't portray the "respectable" characters as being any more likeable, so taken as a fast paced thriller, a good read as long as you're not an extreme nitpicker. Now that I've rediscovered Saul, I am planning on reading some of his other novels (though I doubt I'll ever reread his first ones}. You'll notice I don't say much about the plot. You'll see that in other reviews and on the paperback version's back cover, but feel that the less you know about it before you start, the more you'll enjoy the development.
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Summary: Mildly entertaining, highly unlikely story
Review: THE MANHATTAN HUNT CLUB is worthy of a sunny summer read when you don't want to have to think about anything past cookie-cutter characters and implausible plotlines. I very much enjoyed the premise of this book -- an elite group of urban hunters preying on the homeless living in the tunnels beneath Manhattan -- but COME ON. The coincidences in this book are unreal. For these top-end people to happen to come together to form this hunt club, for the homeless to pull together to allow hunting of their own, for the resourceless Jeff Converse to find his way through the maze of tunnels that even the hunters with their infrared goggles find nearly impassable, and for his family to pretend to be homeless and to walk the subway tunnels to find him . . . arrgh!
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Summary: Mahatten Hunt Club
Review: While the plot was terrific, and the story itself, very readable, the fact that the main characters, all found the correct person to relate to ,in the tunnels,(that we were told were teaming with thousands of homeless people,) was so improbable it spoiled the book for me.
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Summary: THE CONVERSION OF SAUL
Review: When I finished "The Manhattan Hunt Club," I had to check to make sure it was really written by John Saul. I've always been a fan of Saul's novels, although many of them were so similar in theme and characterization, it's hard to tell them apart. However, with this shocker, Saul demonstrates his gift for characterization and riveting suspense.
Jeff Converse's fate is one of those "I Can't believe these idiots think this man is guilty." Once the seemingly impossible plot emerges (sort of a twisted "The Deadliest Game"), we follow Jeff's horrifying entrapment in the massive tunnels of New York. Add some really strong supporting characters such as his estranged parents, his undoubting girlfriend, and a heinous bunch of villains, you have quite a story here. Jagger, the ruthless killer, who becomes a friend to Jeff, is also a great character---couldn't help seeing Vin Diesel in the movie role. The real stars though are the homeless people. Particularly, the teenage Jinx. She's a really well-developed, fleshed-out character, whose bravery and perseverance, help Jeff immensely.
This, undoubtedly, is Saul's best book yet. His departure from a true "horror" novel to psychological suspense is welcoming, and one can only hope he keeps up the good work. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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Summary: Amazing
Review: I still can't believe how great this book was! I couldn't read it fast enough. At no time do you know how it is going to end there are so many possiblities. Highly recommend!
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Summary: Jean-Claude Van Damme was more convincing
Review: You know, I like these storylines much better when they were movies!
I betrayed my long standing rule of John Saul only in emergency, on the basis of some good reviews. Unfortunately, what I found was the illbegotten offspring of a half way decent Jean-Claude Van Damme movie (hard target) and the sublime Silence of the Lambs.
The storyline was not original, the characters were pat and cliched, the writing made my teeth squeak. Unless you are a solid John Saul Fan - avoid this.
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