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!
Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious Caper Novel
Review: I would highly recommend this very funny easy-reading caper novel. I've read Elmore Leonard, and Kerr does it better here. Hilarious mobsters, witty ex-con hero, feisty g-woman, and a host of other eccentrics -- and somehow Kerr brings them all together in a believable thrilling plot involving an at sea heist. And as a film buff, I loved the endless references to the movies. (In fact, this novel's got movie written all over it.)
Rating:
Summary: What can I say but "Great"!
Review: If you're looking for a book to hook you from the start, if you're looking for some adventure, some danger, and a little romance and one heck of an ending--you're in the right place. I was a little skeptical about buying it because I really did not like Kerr's book, "Esau". However, that was balanced out by his book "The Grid" which I enjoyed. So, I took a chance, and what can I say, but that this was a very good book. It's a book I would "read" again, and recommend to a friend. (Review refers to the abridged audiotape version of the book.)
Rating: 
Summary: Tries to be cute, but isn't
Review: Mr Kerr likes to vary his subject matter, which is probably the best thing about him as a writer. I've read some of his books in the past, and though he sometimes gets too bogged down in technical matters, and is no great stylist, he always displays a fascination with his subject that can be infectious. Perhaps tired of all that technical hard work, he decided to lighten up, enjoy himself - and at the same time appeal to those film makers who baulk at the over technical content of his books. If so, he's made a mistake. This over-complicated mess of a story trips over itself trying to be cute and appealing, but ends up just being annoying. The characters are never believable and as such their exploits matter less and less to the reader. Clearly the plot isn't meant to be very serious, but this becomes annoying too. Comparisons to Elmore Leonard go very wide of the mark. Most of EL's books are pretty gritty and realistic in tone, and peopled with strong, credible characters. This is not.
Rating:
Summary: The Tiresome Wisecrackings Killed A Good Story's Tempo
Review: Mr. Kerr actually is a very talented writer and a great story teller. But the stereotyped wiseguys' wisecracking one after another also killed the flow of a thriller. In my humble opinion that wiseguys are also ruthless killers who may hold more guns or knifes than books and might not have too much sense of humor or read books. I've tried very hard to finish this book but those darned wisecracking sentences just kept coming endlessly that made the reading quite difficult. Why movies' screenplayers or writers would make wiseguys wisecrack so much is a myth to me. They are killers and criminals; killers and criminals would not have so much wisecracking sense of humor. I've also read Kerr's 'The Shot.' Its wisecracking problem also very big yet not as serious as this one. I just wish that when Tom Cruise makes this book into a movies would not waste too much screen time talking like a comedian. Sorry, I've tried very hard to finish it but failed miserablely.
Rating:
Summary: Derivative Dreck From A Talented Writer
Review: Philip Kerr is a gifted writer, as anyone who's read his brilliant Berlin Noir trilogy (March Violets, The Pale Criminal, A German Requiem) can attest to. Unfortunately, he completely abandons the tight plotting and deep characterizations he capable of in this derivative South Florida hiest-at-sea thriller. Kerr ventures into territory already well covered by crime luminaries such as Elmore Leonard, James Hall, Carl Hiassen, and Lawrence Shames, and fails to add anything new. Protagonist Dave Delano is a stock character (as is everyone in the book), the guy who went to jail for five years and came out well-read and ready with a big score to take down. He enlists the aid of a cast of comic-book Florida mobsters in his scheme to steal $20-$60 million in cash being sent by sea to Russia to be laundered. Also on the boat is FBI agent Kate Kury and two other law enforcement types, who are tracking a shipment of cocaine. Kerr sets this up so that it's clear that Dave is intent on simply stealing from other thieves, and doesn't wish to hurt anyone, which makes it OK when he and Kate predictably hook up. From then on, the main tension is not whether the score will go off OK (that's pretty obvious), but whether workaholic Kate will turn her back on the FBI and join Dave in carpe-dieming as partners. Hmmm, thief and FBI agent fall for each other.... where have I read that before... oh, maybe in Elmore Leonard's Out of Sight, which pulls it off with a much more delicate touch. It's basic airplane/beach reading garbage, with not an ounce of originality, and is even more disappointing coming from a talented writer like Kerr.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Phillip Kerr is probably better known for "The Grid" or "A Philosophical Investigation" than his wonderful "Berlin Noir" trilogy which is sad, since Berlin Noir is his best ever. A Five Year Plan is completely different from anything he has previously written but is recognisably the work of the Berlin Noir man all the same. Our hero leaves prison with a plan to make a lot of money very quickly, and therefore illegally. He approaches the boss crook, for whom he took the five year fall, for financial backing and sets off across the Atlantic on a yacht transporter. He is accompanied by multifarious crooks, millionaires, seamen and FBI agents and falls in love with an FBI lady on a mission to catch some other crooks. Will he get away with it? Will true love conquer all? Will he get everyone killed? It's always hard to know with Kerr and I'm not going to tell you. I strongly recommend this book. Kerr is a wonderful writer, akin to Michael Dibdin in the quality of his craftsmanship and flexibility. He writes witty, fluid and keenly observed prose and can always keep you up all night to finish just one more chapter.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Phillip Kerr is probably better known for "The Grid" or "A Philosophical Investigation" than his wonderful "Berlin Noir" trilogy which is sad, since Berlin Noir is his best ever. A Five Year Plan is completely different from anything he has previously written but is recognisably the work of the Berlin Noir man all the same. Our hero leaves prison with a plan to make a lot of money very quickly, and therefore illegally. He approaches the boss crook, for whom he took the five year fall, for financial backing and sets off across the Atlantic on a yacht transporter. He is accompanied by multifarious crooks, millionaires, seamen and FBI agents and falls in love with an FBI lady on a mission to catch some other crooks. Will he get away with it? Will true love conquer all? Will he get everyone killed? It's always hard to know with Kerr and I'm not going to tell you. I strongly recommend this book. Kerr is a wonderful writer, akin to Michael Dibdin in the quality of his craftsmanship and flexibility. He writes witty, fluid and keenly observed prose and can always keep you up all night to finish just one more chapter.
Rating:
Summary: shallow fun
Review: Reading this book was as close as I believe I've ever come to actually reading a blockbuster movie. Not an artsy film, but an actual big budget big stars big production kind of a movie. Which is not exactly what I look for in a book. It was an easy and fast read, with smart cracking characters possessing the depth of a soapdish. The story line was simple enough to follow, with predictable twists and double crosses. The cover says that the book was optioned for a movie, so I'd reccomend waiting for the big screen treatment. After all, the typical things one normally worries about with a book adaptation, won't be a problem here. No depth or charm will be lost surely. Exept for maybe an occasional spark of wit, which in my opinion is the book's most redeeming quality. Should have given it less then 3 stars, but I'm feeling generous, after all I didn't fall asleep once while reading the book:)
Rating: 
Summary: A very disappointing effort.
Review: Since Kerr is the author of the excellent and highly regarded Berlin Noir trilogy, I had high hopes for this title. However, I found this a cheap, sleazy read, hacked together with little regard for the tight, thoughtful storytelling Kerr has proven he's capable of. Plot? Nothing Kerr made me care about. Characters? Uneven, and mostly unbelievable. "A Five Year Plan" almost reads as it was inspired by Joan Collins, or maybe Nancy Taylor Rosenberg. With the Berlin Noir trio, Kerr has proven that he can write; with this one, he proves that sometimes he just gets it all wrong.
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