Dead Man's Dance

Rating:
Summary: A well crafted mystery with interesting characters.
Review: As an investigative reporter who is not shy about getting involved in the uglier side of life, Quinn, the protagonist of Dead Man's Dance, is no stranger to humanity's dark underbelly. But when he has to investigate the brutal murder of his own stepfather, his protective veneer of professionalism and objectivity is entirely stripped away.
Dead Man's Dance is a well crafted murder mystery populated with a host of interesting characters. Readers know from the onset of the narrative that the killers are two frighteningly creepy hired guns named Hugo and Rick. The novel's mystery therefore revolves around the identity and the motivation of the person who has paid them to kill.
As Quinn pushes forward in his search for the truth he becomes aware that events occuring 3 decades in the past, some of which involve him personally, have led to his stepfather's killing.
Robert Ferrigno is a very talented novelist. The story is nicely paced and quite engaging. And the characters are well fleshed out and interesting. I look forward to reading other books by this same author.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty boring with a few interesting plot twists
Review: Overall, this book is extremely forgettable. The only interesting characters are the killers. Quinn is a moody, unlikeable guy who has screwed up every relationship with EVERYONE in his life, except his daughter. The whole France subplot seems like filler. Quinn's publisher is too bizarre to even mention. "Joe Steps" never grabs you as an especially heroic figure and the climax comes and goes before the reader can even begin to get into it. I also have a problem with an Assistant District Attorney going into a stranger's apartment for a hairstyling session (maybe that's normal in California, but on the East Coast we still call for an appointment). I enjoyed Mr. Ferrigno's use of words and his powers of description. If not for these weapons in the arsenal, this rating would be much lower.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty boring with a few interesting plot twists
Review: Overall, this book is extremely forgettable. The only interesting characters are the killers. Quinn is a moody, unlikeable guy who has screwed up every relationship with EVERYONE in his life, except his daughter. The whole France subplot seems like filler. Quinn's publisher is too bizarre to even mention. "Joe Steps" never grabs you as an especially heroic figure and the climax comes and goes before the reader can even begin to get into it. I also have a problem with an Assistant District Attorney going into a stranger's apartment for a hairstyling session (maybe that's normal in California, but on the East Coast we still call for an appointment). I enjoyed Mr. Ferrigno's use of words and his powers of description. If not for these weapons in the arsenal, this rating would be much lower.

Rating:
Summary: All of the right ingredients, but the mix is a little off.
Review: Robert Ferrigno can write. The Cheshire Moon and, especially, The Horse Latitudes prove that. With his southern California settings and dark, noir technique, he's been compared to James Ellroy. Dead Man's Dance falls a little short, though. It has evocative atmosphere, a couple of genuinely frightening psychopathic villains, a brooding, conflicted protagonist, some excellent minor characters, and a labyrinthine plot. The ending, however, just doesn't meet the high standard set by the rest of the book. It's not bad; it just isn't very satisfying. The book is definitely worth a read, but for a taste of Ferrigno's true potential, try The Horse Latitudes

Rating:
Summary: I was rooting for Hugo and Rick!
Review: The only thing I liked about this book was Hugo and Rick. the plot was so convoluted not to mention pointless that if it wasn't for his colorful killers I would have passed on it. Why would anyone want to start killing folk after thirty years? Too weak of a plot line for my taste.

Rating:
Summary: I was rooting for Hugo and Rick!
Review: The only thing I liked about this book was Hugo and Rick. the plot was so convoluted not to mention pointless that if it wasn't for his colorful killers I would have passed on it. Why would anyone want to start killing folk after thirty years? Too weak of a plot line for my taste.

Rating:
Summary: Not Bad
Review: This was the first novel of Mr. Ferrigno's I have read. A good story in the basics but I couldn't help to think I'd read/seen this before on countless TV movies, or other police based stories,over the years.