Rating: 
Summary: the Hook
Review: I bought it on last wednesday in Holland and finished it sunday.
Remind I'm Dutch, so I read a bit slower than the most of you.
It's a great plot and it turns unexpectedly.
There is some humor and the situations are almost sad, but still believeble.
It is great when a writer can keeps your attention and constant make you curious to the next page.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful entertainment with an unusual plot.
Review: I do not need to summarize the plot. You can see that above. I found this to be one of the most compelling books I have read in a long time. The tale twists and turns in the most interesting ways. "The Hook" is compulsive reading. I read this book in one sitting-something I have only done a couple of other times in my life. Westlake outthinks the reader. This book has the most surprising ending of any book I have ever read. I never saw what hit me on the last page. Read this book now.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful entertainment with an unusual plot.
Review: I do not need to summarize the plot. You can see that above. I found this to be one of the most compelling books I have read in a long time. The tale twists and turns in the most interesting ways. "The Hook" is compulsive reading. I read this book in one sitting-something I have only done a couple of other times in my life. Westlake outthinks the reader. This book has the most surprising ending of any book I have ever read. I never saw what hit me on the last page. Read this book now.
Rating: 
Summary: Only the buyer is "hooked"...
Review: I enjoy this author and I particularly liked The Ax which was a real departure from his Dortmunder series, which I also like. (the review is in here somewhere if you care). The Hook was a huge disappointment. Not only is the story unbelieveable, the ending is the kind that leaves you saying.."Huh?" The central character is a popular author who is "blocked" due to the fact he is locked in a miserable divorce with his 2nd wife and during this he has a chance meeting in the library with an old friend, another writer who is far down the list of successful authors. During that conversation a plan is hatched to rid the character of his problem by having the friend murder his wife. Up to that point the story has promise, but thereafter it reads like the plot outlines that Bryce, the "blocked author" has written that his own agent can't even swallow. Too bad. The story line could be much improved, but the author chose to pull the plug on the yarn and I suggest that you save your money...even at paperback prices.
Rating: 
Summary: The Drag
Review: I have read other Westlake books and, after reading The Hook, he needs to stay with his Dortmunder series. I say this because I think he is best when he employs humor to add to his mysteries. The Hook goes nowhere. There is not much complex plotting at all--a writer who has writer's block decides to kill his wife from whom he is getting a divorce. He manuevers a writer friend, Wayne Prescott, to do the deed in return for taking this writer's manuscript and turning into a best seller. Thus both will get rich, and Bryce Proctorr will be rid of his estranged wife. This is a hackneyed plot and after the murder very little happens to move the story along. The characters are wooden, the setting barren, and the tone too matter-of-fact. For me this was a real comedown from The Ax, which was much more complex as a story and, it seems to me, written with more panache.
Rating:
Summary: Moves along, but not in a class with "The Ax".
Review: I have to be a bit of a dissenter on this book and I agree with some of the comments of "Konrad". In fact, the only reason I gave it 4 stars is due to Westlake's undeniable ability to hold the reader's interest throughout the book, (which is kind of a threshold test for any novel) as well as his fascinating insights into the publishing industry. However, I was hoping for something as good as The Ax, which I thought to be a masterpiece, and this was just not in that class. For one thing, the humor in The Ax was absent here.One of the major problems I had with the book was what I would call the "false notes". This was particularly ironic, since Westlake refers to these "false notes" himself right in the middle of the story (although presumably not referring to his own work). I could not possibly improve on Westlake's own description of the problem, so I'll just quote him: "There are moments in almost any novel when it's necessary to move a character from one position to another, so that you can go on with the story... [I]n order to make the transition, the writer has to bend something out of shape. Some behavior is wrong, some reaction is wrong. It's a rip in the fabric of the novel, but it's necessary to get the story where it has to go." I thought that the book abounded with these false notes--instances where characters simply did not act (or react) in ways that I considered to be realistic based on who they were, and each time it was jarring. For example: False note No. 1: Susan's agreement to go along with Bryce's plan to kill Lucie. No. 2: That Wayne would actually carry out the plan and particularly in the way he did (although, as Westlake admits, if he didn't, there would be no story). No. 3: That Bryce would spill the beans to his ex-wife. No. 4. That Susan would want to suddenly move into Bryce's apartment (especially at $6,000 a month on their income, and because why would Wayne ever agree to that and risk identification by the doorman?). No. 5. That the New York Review of Books would ask Wayne, an (almost) unheard of author, to interview the famous Bryce Proctorr, because "he had written the same sort of the novel in the past." Somehow, none of these scenes sat right with me. Finally, I also thought that the ending was rather abrupt and hurried. For example, what happened to Detective Johnson's investigation. Despite all of this, I don't think any readers would be bored--but don't expect another "Ax" either.
Rating:
Summary: A Guilty Pleasure
Review: I have to say that this book surprised me. This is not the sort I normally pick up and I didn't think I would like it that much, but I did. I enjoyed it. The Hook reaches out and grabs you right from the beginning. The story is readable, engaging, compelling. Of course, there are some flaws (such as the Lady Macbeth-ness wife of one of the characters who thinks he has this great marriage), but the novel is so entertaining that it's easy to ignore them. The Hook is an interesting look at the world of publishing and novel writing. It is the story of two writers, one successful, one not and their deal to publish the work of one under the name of the other. The catch or "hook" is that the unsuccessful writer must kill the wife of the successful writer. The Hook is not great literature, but doesn't pretend to be. It's just an engaging story. I think most readers will enjoy The Hook, just as long as they are not looking for War and Peace.
Rating:
Summary: A very enjoyable read
Review: I highly recommend taking this novel on your next plane trip or vacation. Or plan on curling up at home for this bizarre tale of revenge, writer's block, and modern-day publishing. Since I don't usually read detective, action, or suspense fiction, the one violent crime described in here bothered me. But I was very impressed with how Mr. Westlake added a moral/psychological dimension to the crime. THE HOOK is almost Dostoevsky-like in its exploration of guilt, yet Mr. Westlake is a lot more funny than the Russian master. Read and enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: OK For A Diversion
Review: I started The Hook with much anticipation, having loved The Ax. The Hook starts out well, but gets muddled in the middle, but has a terrific end (if somewhat predictible). Wayne's character was especially maddening - I couldn't believe his lack of emotions after Lucie's death. His wife Susan turned into a gold-digger that was never on target. Still, it was OK for the diversion I was looking for. Westlake does have a warped sense of humor.
Rating:
Summary: 3 1/2 stars - Not as hooked as I hoped to be
Review: I wish I could use half-stars in Amaxon ratings. This books is better than the three stars I give it but certainly not a four-star thriller like "The Ax." The plot, clearly a riff on "Strangers on a Train" is rather clever and I never quite know where's it's going. But then it just gets there, and ends. I feel like Westlake needs another 30 pages to build up to that ending - can he borrow a few from Stephen King next time? :) A lot rings trues about the lead characters, and Westlake doesn't spend too much time talking about the intricacies of writing and publishing (a flaw in far too many books about writers). But I don't feel like the big payoff matches the set-up. This is a more enjoyable book in many ways than "The Ax" - it lacks the darker edge of Westlake's surprisingly sharp political commentary - but i just wish it went somewhere more interesting.
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