A Five Year Plan

Rating:
Summary: Kerr's worst
Review: 3 1/2 stars

Of all of the Kerr books that I have read up to now, this is the worst, which is unusual, because from what I have read, it has the best chance of being made into a movie.

My problem with the book is that by the time the book is over, I felt like not much had happened. Sure there is a story and action, but I felt like I had only read 100 pages, and that is not meant in a good way. I felt like there was a lot more to be said. It just wasn't captivating. Unlike Kerr's other books, I was able to put this book down. The characters are not extremely interesting, and by the time they start to get interesting, the novel is over.

Still, this would make a good movie. Hopefully it will happen.

Rating:
Summary: What Happened?
Review: After being enthralled by his beautifully evocative "Berlin Noir" trilogy, it came as a huge disappointment that Kerr has elected to trespass on Elmore Leonard's turf armed with as little wit and originality as this book exhibits. We've met more interesting versions of these characters in Leonard's works and, what's worse is that the reader can see each plot twist come from 50 pages away. Compared to "Berlin Noir", the writing is lazy and uninspired. The plot line, itself, seems to have been pulled from the B-movie recycle bin.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful read from start to finish!
Review: After reading ESAU and THE GRID, I was anxious to get my hands on another Philip Kerr novel. A FIVE YEAR PLAN is one of his best books yet!

South Florida, gangsters, feds, and a plot to steal millions of dollars on the high seas are all part of the fun! The dialogue, the characters (especially Al), and the plot make it a hard book to put down. Not to give anything away, but watch out for the surprise ending!

Rating:
Summary: Only one suprise is too few for a Kerr Novel
Review: After reading March Violets, I was a Kerr fan. Pale Criminal and German requiem were outstanding and then the slide began. Philosophical Investigation and Dead Meat were just a little off center. The Grid tried but didn't have the snap, Esau slowed and then Five Year plan is the least interesting. Too much moralizing became corny or cant and while four letter words can add snap, in this case they bacame as boring as "ahh". THere are interesting parts to this tale, but I would rather reread Berlin noir.

Rating:
Summary: This can't be written by the Philip Kerr I've read before
Review: Although I missed his Berlin noir trilogy, I found Philip Kerr'S "Philosophical Investigation" to be a truly provocative book written by an author of intellect, existential wisdom and intriguing speculations of life in the near future. Kerr's "The Grid" screams screenplay, but as a Hollywood action film, could be one of the better offerings and was an absorbing, good read. "Esau," exploring still another sub-genre in the thriller category(mountaineering/anthropology etc.) to me, further affirmed Kerr's versatility and talents. I genuinely relished all three novels and eagerly anticipated Five-Year Plan.

I thought my disappointment with "Five-Year" Plan was unique, but upon perusing readers' comments here on Amazon, others seem to have also felt Kerr shows himself as an Elmore Leonard wanna be in this prosaic and sometimes banal, gangster farce. The gratuitous scatological obsessions appearing with little reason other than to offend, definitely distracted from any merits the plot may have had. The characters went beyond stereotypical into cardboard caricatures. If this had been the only book of Kerr's I'd read, I would not ever have known he was a gifted, literate writer. I hope Kerr's intellect returns from its hiatus for his next venture.

Rating:
Summary: This can't be written by the Philip Kerr I've read before
Review: Although I missed his Berlin noir trilogy, I found Philip Kerr'S "Philosophical Investigation" to be a truly provocative book written by an author of intellect, existential wisdom and intriguing speculations of life in the near future. Kerr's "The Grid" screams screenplay, but as a Hollywood action film, could be one of the better offerings and was an absorbing, good read. "Esau," exploring still another sub-genre in the thriller category(mountaineering/anthropology etc.) to me, further affirmed Kerr's versatility and talents. I genuinely relished all three novels and eagerly anticipated Five-Year Plan.

I thought my disappointment with "Five-Year" Plan was unique, but upon perusing readers' comments here on Amazon, others seem to have also felt Kerr shows himself as an Elmore Leonard wanna be in this prosaic and sometimes banal, gangster farce. The gratuitous scatological obsessions appearing with little reason other than to offend, definitely distracted from any merits the plot may have had. The characters went beyond stereotypical into cardboard caricatures. If this had been the only book of Kerr's I'd read, I would not ever have known he was a gifted, literate writer. I hope Kerr's intellect returns from its hiatus for his next venture.

Rating:
Summary: Good enough for pool-time!
Review: As a not-so-avid reader, i picked this book up because it was so cheap and i needed something to read at the pool! It has met my expectations. A little romance, a little trash, a little humor; it is perfect for passing the time! I have really enjoyed it but have never read any other books by this author. I think for a hard-core reader, it may not do the trick, but for a quick and easy read, this is your ticket!

Rating:
Summary: An Entertaining Thriller
Review: During his five year stretch in a Florida prison Dave Delano comes up with a brilliant plan that's going to make him a millionaire. The plan involves stealing drug money that is being shipped in a luxury yacht that's being transported in a huge ship bound for Europe (one million and a half to be exact). The dilemma is that the FBI has a tip and has sent a couple of agents along for the ride.

The whole story develops during this sea voyage. It may seem limiting to keep the whole tale in this uncanny setting, but somehow Philip Kerr manages to keep the story exciting. There are a lot of plot twists in this thriller that keep you guessing all the time, but it never gets too confusing.

The story gets better as you keep reading. You are going to meet some pretty funny and bizarre characters, and the ending which kills a lot of novels in the, "Thriller that has a lot of Plot Twists" genre, is very rewarding. Overall it's a great novel.



Rating:
Summary: Disappointing for Kerr
Review: I have read a couple other Phillip Kerr novels and found them to be very complete, well researched and truly captivating. "A Five Year Plan" does not however have any of the flare that Kerr's past novels have. The story for the most part drags, there is no interesting facts or history, and characters that the reader coundn't care a less about.

This novel made me wonder if Kerr just published this to get a movie deal. It is missing all the essential parts to make a good novel, but has just a basic storyline that will tranfer to film. For the new "Kerr" reader I suggest "Esau" or "The Grid" which are much better well rounded books.

Rating:
Summary: views of a first time Philip Kerr reader
Review: I personally was not entrhalled by this book. The dialogue was someimes witty, although more often it was slow, wannabe gangster, and plain boring. A lot of the time I found myself skipping entire chapters, or scanning paragraphs. The reader feels like they have to wade through a lot of muck to get to the point. The one thing that caught my attention in this book was the relationship between the protagonists, FBI agent Kate Furey, and ex-con Dave Delano. For once, the couple does not get together at the end of the book after knowing each other for, maybe, 2 weeks. Very enheartening for the future of book plots. The plot was twisty, and it was hard to keep up, especially if the reader is not used to fast-paced action stories.

Also it seemed like Kerr was going to make Figaro(the lawyer) a main character, but that fizzled out. Very cool hero and heroine. Would make an excellent mafia/action movie!