Rating: 
Summary: Hypnotic
Review: If he were alive today, Mr. Hitchcock would be proud. "The Hook," reminiscent of "Strangers on a Train," is a powerhouse in a small package. Only 280 pages, this book packs such a wallop it doesn't need to be any more wordy. With only a small handful of characters, each finely drawn, Mr. Westlake keeps things simple very effectively, without having to resort to an overly populated cast. The story starts out as a simple case of quid pro quo. Two writers meet: successful Bryce Proctorr, whose story-telling well has dried up, and the less well-known Wayne Prentice, able to write but not able to sell. They strike a bargain. Proctorr will publish Prentice's latest book under his own name and split the $1 million advance 50/50. But Proctorr has a hook: "My wife must be dead." Unlike other books of this sort, Westlake takes us to places in the human mind we would rather not go, places rife with psychological landmines. We watch in horror as the two writers' lives slowly become one. The shocking ending is quite startling and unexpected, yet not entirely surprising. I didn't seriously believe the author would go there ... but he did.
Rating: 
Summary: What wouldn't you do to get a book published?
Review: In Donald E. Westlake's "The Hook," the title refers to the (b) definition of the word, something intended to attract and ensnare, specifically the "hook" in a story, rather than the (a) definition, a curved or bent device for catching, holding, or pulling, as is depicted here on the book cover. The title is certainly appropriate since Westlake hooks his readers early on in this particularly twisted tale. Famous author Bryce Proctorr has an impending deadline for his next novel but is suffering from a severe case of writer's block because of the protracted divorce he is going through with his second-wife Lucie. He happens to run into an old acquaintance, Wayne Prentice, also a writer, who has gone through two pseudonyms trying to remain marketable for the computers that help publishing houses make their editorial decisions. Proctorr needs a book to turn in and Prentice has a completed book that no one wants to buy from his current alter ego. Proctorr suggests they help solve each other's problems: Proctorr will rewrite Prentice's novel as his own and split the advance money 50-50. Proctorr will fulfill his contractual obligations and Prentice will make more money than he could ever hope to see under any of his names. Prentice is interested, but Proctorr warns there is one condition: His wife must be dead. Of course Prentice is going to agree to the deal, after receiving some surprising encouragement form his own wife. But from that point on "The Hook" begins its twists and turns, achieving the goal of its title. Expecting the unexpected does you little good here. Both Proctorr and Prentice are worried about what the other is doing or thinking of doing, but both are somewhat paradoxically interested in helping the other with his literary career. The trust each other, but, of course, cannot really trust each other. Instead of breaking away from each other, they find their live becoming more and more entwined. With every visit from the police or their editor, "The Hook" takes a new and usually unexpected turn. The only thing the reader is sure of is that there is no way these people are going to live happily ever after, but even that assumption is certainly questionable. Westlake's novel is certainly fast paced and an easy read, although some might find the details on the craft of writing and the business of publishing to become a bit much at times. But the main characters are writers and we should not be surprised they think about their crime from the perspective of a writer. Readers will be reminded at times of "Strangers On a Train," "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "Deathtrap" among other familiar works, but "The Hook" is no mere pastiche. Even if this is covering old ground Westlake's twists and style make it a very fresh approach. This is a fun, fast read, perfect for days at the beach, trips on planes, or commuting to work. This is the first Westlake novel I have read and I am certainly interested in checking out his other works.
Rating:
Summary: Westlake Is the best
Review: It must be over twenty years since authors Bryce Proctorr and Wayne Prentice first met. When they were both aspiring and promising they hit the same haunts, but that was years. Their careers took off in different directions with Proctorr being one of the giants and receiving millions per book while Prentice has faded into the inkwell of nothingness using pen names to hide his dismal selling record. Sales are everything and the computer maintains the history whether it is dismal or not. Now coincidentally, they run into each other doing library research. Suffering from writer's block, which he blames on his ugly divorce, Bryce offers a lucrative deal to Wayne. Wayne writes the book using Bryce's name instead of Tim Fleet or some other alias and they split the multi-million dollar pot. However, Bryce adds one condition, namely that his ex-wife Lucie must die. Like his previous novel THE AX, Donald Westlake HOOKS his audience from the start and never lets go until the novel is finished. The psychological suspense story line leaves Wayne stunned and questioning the Faustian deal he accepted. The two writers turn the tale into an exciting novel that will leave readers wanting Mr. Westlake to publish his next book much faster than the three-year gap between this story and his preceding work. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Westlake does it again . . .
Review: No doubt about it: Westlake is a master of the oddball plot. This one is perhaps even stranger than 'The Ax'. This time, we're dealing with two New York novelists: Bryce Proctorr (why the double-R?), a very successful A-list writer with a multi-million-dollar contract and a summer place in Connecticut, and Wayne Prentice, a fading author who's running out of pseudonyms and whom the marketing computers have consigned to Purgatory. They were acquainted in the old days, and now they happen to meet again, doing research at the library. And Bryce confesses that he's been blocked on his current novel since his particularly nasty divorce began, largely because his not-yet-ex will get fifty percent of the $1.1 million he'll receive for the finished book. Wayne, on the other hand, has a perfectly good completed novel at home that he can't sell. So, . . . what if Bryce were to take that unsold manuscript, rework it little (to make it his own work, sort of), and send it in under his own name? And pay Wayne half of that $1.1 million? Wayne has been getting more and more desperate -- not just because he needs the money (which he does) but because he's a NOVELIST, and this is what he DOES. The only problem is, if Wayne gets half the book money, and Bryce's wife gets the other half, that doesn't leave much for Bryce. So, . . . the wife will have to go, right? Can Wayne handle that part? I won't give away the story any farther, except to say that the twists and turns in the plot, and in the two men's lives, are cunningly fashioned and delightfully Hitchcockian. How great is the price one should be willing, or at least able, to pay for success? The ending is rather abrupt ? but, then, the ENDING is rather abrupt. I'm waiting for Westlake's next one!
Rating: 
Summary: Hook with sinker
Review: The Hook starts out with the impression that you'll be in for a great ride. This ride slows down towards the middle of the book. The suspense is not here. The suspense that could have been, isn't. The actual murder happened before it could even begin to get suspenseful. The relationship between Bryce and Wayne struck me as really odd and the agreement seemed all to casual to seem real. This was a quick, interesting read, but nothing I'd go out of the way to recommend..
Rating:
Summary: Very weak Westlake
Review: This book is a textbook example of a good idea gone wrong -- not anywhere near enough character development or detail to make the story believeable or compelling. The only thing that keeps you interested is that there are the bare outlines of a good novel here. The idea that Bryce IMMEDIATELY suggests offing his wife and that the wife of the other character goes right along with this is ridiculous -- and if these characters really are that bloodthirsty it would be better to show how this manifests itself in their lives. That said, the relationship of the two men is interesting, although I think it would have been funnier if the poor writer "became" Bryce with the complicity of Bryce's literary agent. This is a fine book for a long plane ride, but if you want better Westlake go with "The Ax" (a brilliant, truly creepy book) or any of the Dortmunder books.
Rating:
Summary: Hooked on Psychophonics
Review: This is a good book, well-written and compact, and that may be it's biggest drawback. Westlake doesn't give us anyone to really "root for" in the novel and without that, you're left with a professional study of two obsessive and equally demented minds. The murder is delivered with quite a punch, but the subsequent scenarios are meandering and forced at times. The resolution at the end, however, does make you both wince and smile! A good quick read.
Rating:
Summary: Very weak Westlake
Review: This is the first book I've read by the author, but I definitely enjoyed his style. The story would make a great movie. I'd recommend it as a beach read, too. I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author.
Rating:
Summary: A page turner
Review: This is the first book I've read by the author, but I definitely enjoyed his style. The story would make a great movie. I'd recommend it as a beach read, too. I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author.
Rating:
Summary: Flat, but still enyoable
Review: This woudn't be the best book I've ever read, but it has a good touch to get you involved into it. The plot is good, but the characteres aren't. They are very plain, and predictable. The high point is the interesting discover about the writing process of a pro.
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