Rating: 
Summary: I liked it a lot
Review: I've always been a mystery person, and I liked this books plot and its charm that is unique to the Charleston area. Those who have seen the desolate Awendaw, the WASPY McClellanville, and the stanky North Charleston can get a clear picture of this book. It's a great read, very beautifully written.
And Lott named Huger's mom after mine :) So I might be a wee bit partial.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent, fast-reading mystery
Review: I've read all of Bret Lott's books and it's always fun to see somebody stretch their wings. This is, to my knowledge, Lott's first whodunit and I was on the edge of my proverbial seat.Now, I'll admit I don't read a lot of mysteries. But Lott's interesting speech pattern for the book's hero, Huger Dillard, was so unique, it was like you were reading the transcript of a tape recording and when I did have to put the book down I felt like I was being cheated. There's a movie here, you can just feel it. Unlike some of the people who have reviewed this book on this website, I didn't see the end coming for a minute. But then again, maybe that's because I don't read mysteries much. This book just proves what I've known for a while now--Bret Lott is a hell of a good writer and I would say that even if I hadn't known the guy since high school.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated
Review: In my opinion, The Hunt Club does not measure up to the great reviews it has received. The descriptions of South Carolina may be enjoyable, especially to locals, but the plot drags in the second half and the characters are not quite believable. Bret Lott compared to John Grisham? Based on this book, the only Lott title I've read, there's no way!
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant and enthralling
Review: In South Carolina, fifteen year old Huger Dillard and his Unc Leland (who is blind) are escorting a hunting party of physicians on the family property, when they find a corpse whose head is nearly gone and whose hands have been skinned clean. A note accompanied the body, naming the victim as Charles Middleton Simons, MD; the culprit appears to be Charles' wife Constance; and even contains an aside written to Leland (who once dated her) not to blame her for the act. Before long, Huger is going to grow up as he confronts transgressions and adversity amidst his family's love for one another. He will endure a concussion, his life will be threatened, and his mother Eugenie will be kidnapped. Apparently, the hunting doctors (who all belong to the same club) demand possession of the Dillard tract of land. As Huger, with the help of Unc, race to save Eugenie, they place themselves into further jeopardy. Brett Lott is a critically acclaimed author, renowned for his fantastic family dramas that highlight problems that people face in today's society (JEWEL and REED'S BEACH, etc.). His latest novel, THE HUNT CLUB, is a bit different and yet the same. This time Mr. Lott has wrapped his family drama inside a superb tale loaded with a lot of suspense. As always, the characters seem so genuine that readers will embrace them, especially the amateur sleuth odd couple of Huger and Unc. The story line is action-packed and constantly moves forward towards a suspense-laden conclusion. Though the villains occasionally provide Shakespearean soliloquies that seem out of place here, Mr. Lott provides the audience with a top rate suspense novel that is worth reading. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: What a ride! Hold on tight for this trip.
Review: It was once an automobile slogan that "getting there is half the fun." Make that into a bumper sticker and fix it to the cover of this thriller mystery. The gem of this novel is not in the ending, which is partially predictable, but the manner in which Bret Lott keeps the reader wondering just what is rotten in the desolate woods outside of Charlestown, S.C. (aside from the headless corpse we see immediately, of course). Bret Lott brings his gifted writing of family relationships to this interesting tale of a single-parent family. The story is told from the perpective of an adolescent boy, Huger Dillard, who grows into manhood as one of several witnesses to a completed murder on his Uncle Leland's hunting grounds. As he tries to understand Unc's involvement in the crime, Huger is thrust into a tangled web of clues and danger, complete with car chases and midnight flights on foot through the woods. His world is out of control before he knows it and he musters the courage to overcome the dark evil that has jolted him out of adolsecence. Bret Lott keeps up the intensity as the plot deftly unfolds and he throws in puzzling clues that are as baffling to the reader as they are to the protagonist. Although the plot is not the usual Lott fare, it is far from disappointing as it takes off in this new direction. One disclaimer though: The profanity repeatedly used by the villians may offend those readers who are accustomed to Lott's sedate civilized dialog. But it is not gratuitous. A therapy for cooling down after finishing this heartpounding novel is an immediate purchase of Lott's JEWEL or REED'S BEACH, together with a box of tissues. Add these to your collection too.
Rating:
Summary: Quality mystery with a let down ending
Review: Like so many other mystery books, The Hunt Club begins with a murder. However Bret Lott quickly distinguishes the story from the average murder mystery with his direct writing style, original and interesting characters, and complex plot. In the beginning the murder appears to be the work of a disgruntle wife. However, story changes from a simple murder to a confused mystery when the protagonist, Huger Dillard is visited by victim's wife. The plot grow more confused as Huger and his Uncle Leland, who owns the hunt club, receive threats and discover a conspiracy by the members of the club and the police to try and steal their land. However the real architect behind the scheme is the very last person anyone would suspect.
The constant twist and surprised in this book were defiantly the most enjoyable part for me. I also thought that the vivid and well developed setting was a contributing factor to why I liked this book so much. Most of Bret Lott's characters I thought were well developed and believable wit the exception of the deputy Thigpen. I thought his character was a hindrance in the end of the book, with his sudden personality shift. In fact the entire ending of the book was, in my opinion, its greatest weakness. The strength and tension that was build up in the beginning of the book seemed to fade during the end and finally died by the end of the chase through the woods. The final showdown with the unmasked villain was not climatic at all and ended abruptly. Despite this I would recommend this book if only for the great mystery in the first part.
Rating: 
Summary: A moderately good rite of passage novel
Review: The novel grabs one;you want to know what is going to happen. This is a rite of passage novel, an Odyssey, with some unique turns. It could have been much better. A little longer, more development of the characters,less muddy in the middle, and a little less chase would have all improved it. I would like to meet the characters again in another novel--and know what happens to them !!! There is a lot of potential for growth and development in these people.--as well as an extended story line. I developed a real attachment and identification with some of them. The novel ends with a dawn. I feel the characters are just begining to wake when the novel ends, much as a dream that we would like to get back to.
Rating:
Summary: Do Not Read This Book!
Review: This book was ridiculously full of everything the author could think of: multiple murders, blindness, deafness, a parental identity "mystery", shoot 'em ups, chases and inter-racial, adolescent attraction. Oh, yes, and then there was the part where a teenage girl wants to be called by a different name and regardless of her reasons, that whole concept was stupid and should have been left out (along with a lot of other stuff). The story was told from a 15 year old boy's perspective which wasn't a bad idea. This book was chosen for our book group and not one person in the group would recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Do Not Read This Book!
Review: This book was ridiculously full of everything the author could think of: multiple murders, blindness, deafness, a parental identity "mystery", shoot 'em ups, chases and inter-racial, adolescent attraction. Oh, yes, and then there was the part where a teenage girl wants to be called by a different name and regardless of her reasons, that whole concept was stupid and should have been left out (along with a lot of other stuff). The story was told from a 15 year old boy's perspective which wasn't a bad idea. This book was chosen for our book group and not one person in the group would recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: A mystery with heart
Review: Too many times I read mysteries where the main character gets tangled in a pretentious retread of a relationship only to provide the author and publisher with a romance angle. These novels never come close to plucking any kind of a heart string, let alone touch on real human issues. Bret Lott succeeds where others fail. Obviously, he is not a typical wystery writer. But, wow, how refreshing was it to read a book that was on one hand engaging as a twisted whodunit and on the other a heart-felt story of growing up and dealing with an imperfect world filed with flawed people. Mystery fans as well as human interest fans will enjoy this novel.
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