Devils Hole

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Summary: Old killer has midlife crisis, makes fool of self over babe
Review: Even hitmen fall in love with women half their age, try to act like young studs, and embarrass themselves. That's the message of DEVIL'S HOLE, Bill Branon's second novel. It, too, is peopled with uninteresting characters, and you may find yourself hoping they die in inventive ways, just to hold your attention. If you like the "old goat with young doll" concept, pick up anything written in the '50s by John D. MacDonald. JDM had a lot more insight about men following their crotches than Mr. Branon. Better plots, too

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Summary: Branon really knows how to develop his characters
Review: I happened to run across this book knowing nothing about it, but the description on the jacket cover intrigued me so I picked it up. I had not heard of the author before, but after finishing it I can say that I was extremely impressed. He has a special talent for developing characters through subtle scenes, and I found myself really rooting for all of the characters. There is one chapter where Arthur and Melody go shooting in the desert which was one of the best chapters I've ever read in any book for the interaction, bonding and friendship between the characters. It helps to explain what would otherwise be an unlikely relationship between them. Unlike other customer reviewers, I thought that there weren't any unneeded scenes or chapters, and thought that the 1st chapter, although not really referenced later in the book, was an attention-grabbing opener. I'm really looking forward to reading his other books!

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Summary: Not as good as expected...
Review: I read this book on the beach in Ixtapa (along with about a dozen other books) and thought that the plot was OK, but the execution was iffy at best. He tends to dawdle a bit when exploring the sexual side of his heroes (darn near stops the book, in fact). He explains in excruciating detail what he is doing with his girl in bed (an embarassing look at his ideas about women and what he THINKS they want) while glossing over important plot details that would explain his protaginist's motivation and goals. If you enjoy the types of books that Bill Branon is trying to write, a better choice would be any of the books in the 'Bob the Nailer' series by Stephen Hunter. I will probably buy his next book, but if it has the same 'narrative stoppage' with his sex scenes that this book does, I will not buy any more.

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Summary: A writer with great potential but need writing style change
Review: Mr.Branon should be and could be a great writer, if he could improve his trivial and roaming writing style like James Joyce. His two books were both with hopeful stories but just failed to deliver clearly and conclusively. You could only absorb some of the scenes and plots in his two books, but just could not patiently read through. Such as DEVILS HOLE, for example, the 2nd Chapter should become the 1st Chapter, and the 1st chapter should be completely deleted and/or moved to the back with just several condensed short paragraphs in narration. Because if not doing so, it would turn off a prospective reader to drop the book after three minutes. The twin assassins as shooter/spotter are a very good design but failed to deliver again. Their acceptances and carrying out contracts for common people is but an idealistic poetic justice, but how they got such contracts and how regular people would know their existence and how they approach them for how much cost, Mr. Branon simply overlooked it. There are so many scenes totally unnecessarily probed but went nowhere, like chapter 14, from page 141 to 144,42-43, 66-67(two lines),151-152,181-198, 211(lowest part)-212, and etc, were totally waste of readers' time, and definitely should be deleted. Chapter 12, is alike Thomas Perry's BUTCHER'S BOY, the readers and the author should both be conscious! The whole chapter 7, is a long but tasteless going-no-where. Yet some of the Chapters and scenes were beautifully written and should be collected into some writing textbooks! Such as chapter 3,p.135-p.140. The worst problem of Mr. Branon's writing is the obscurity of his characters,especially the male characters and frog-leaping writing style with too many unnecessary flash-backs. No-big-deal characters doing no-big-deal jobs, making the readers going no-big-deal whereabouts. Like LET US PREY, same problems didn't improve but worsened in DEVILS HOLE. Lot of digressions, lot of blab,blabs,blabs! These are two books which should be rewritten, if possible. And the vertical stripes on every page should also be deleted, since they bothered the reading a lot!! Mr. Branon should write a book with clearer characters instead of vague personalities, it should developed like a tree grow into a forest, not a forest into a tree, especially, a rootless and fruitless tree

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Summary: Ref. "Customer Comments"
Review: Ref. the Amazon.com "Customer Comments" entries (unsigned) on my books LET US PREY ("Decent dialogue, characters...etc.") and DEVIL'S HOLE ("Old killer...etc."): May I quote a few other reviews? On LET US PREY--N.Y. Times: "A serious book...never a letdown in tension or expertise." People: "...exquisite realism...vivid and vulpine characters..." Publisher's Weekly: "...Altogether engrossing, well etched characters...a crowd pleaser." Denver Post: "...tremendous impact."