Atmosphere

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding debut!
Review: If Jack Ketchum and Lawrence Block ever wrote a book together, I'd wager it would look a lot like ATMOSPHERE. Laimo's detectives are tired but determined characters, out to discover the truth about a string of gruesome deaths which seem to revolve around a strange black object and one whispered word, "Atmosphere". From the opening chapter until the mind-blowing finale, Laimo keeps you riveted. His characters feel very real and likeable. The bad guys are menacing, and a little pathetic - victims themselves and lost in their own tempestuous minds by a strange (and admittedly pretty cool) dark force lurking under the streets of New York. With an equal mix of horror, sci-fi and police procedural, ATMOSPHERE is an outstanding debut for Michael Laimo.

Rating:
Summary: Atmosphere didn't exactly leave me breathless!
Review: In his debut novel, Michael Laimo, has created a bizarre world filled with the unexplained murders of young males in New York City. As lead protagonist, Detective Frank Ballaro, and his friend and former partner, Police Captain Hector Rodrequez, try and sort out the reason(s) for these grisly murders, they soon find themselves with clues that lead them to believe that the killers might not be from this planet. The plot thickens when Frank's only child, daughter Jaime, is kidnapped by one of the many "bald men with sunglasses" that are under the control of the aliens.

Sounds pretty bizarre doesn't it? Laimo somehow tries it all together at the end of the book, but between a few great opening pages and the expected climax, there's a lot of repetition and downtime throughout the body of the novel. Oh, don't get me wrong, it's a quick read and there's plenty of violence and descriptive scenes of blood and gore, it's just that there's not enough character development and plot setting for my liking. I would have liked to know more about the Ballaro family and certainly would have liked a little more about why the aliens landed in NYC in the first place.

For a first novel, however, it's not bad. If I could, I'd give it 2 and one-half stars, but that's not part of the Amazon grading system. Fans of Richard Laymon, David Lozell Martin, Rex Miller, and Michael Slade will probably enjoy "Atmosphere", they just shouldn't go into it with a lot of expectations.

Rating:
Summary: Atmosphere didn't exactly leave me breathless!
Review: In his debut novel, Michael Laimo, has created a bizarre world filled with the unexplained murders of young males in New York City. As lead protagonist, Detective Frank Ballaro, and his friend and former partner, Police Captain Hector Rodrequez, try and sort out the reason(s) for these grisly murders, they soon find themselves with clues that lead them to believe that the killers might not be from this planet. The plot thickens when Frank's only child, daughter Jaime, is kidnapped by one of the many "bald men with sunglasses" that are under the control of the aliens.

Sounds pretty bizarre doesn't it? Laimo somehow tries it all together at the end of the book, but between a few great opening pages and the expected climax, there's a lot of repetition and downtime throughout the body of the novel. Oh, don't get me wrong, it's a quick read and there's plenty of violence and descriptive scenes of blood and gore, it's just that there's not enough character development and plot setting for my liking. I would have liked to know more about the Ballaro family and certainly would have liked a little more about why the aliens landed in NYC in the first place.

For a first novel, however, it's not bad. If I could, I'd give it 2 and one-half stars, but that's not part of the Amazon grading system. Fans of Richard Laymon, David Lozell Martin, Rex Miller, and Michael Slade will probably enjoy "Atmosphere", they just shouldn't go into it with a lot of expectations.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't finish it.
Review: It was okay, but not very compelling - but okay doesn't cut it when there are GREAT books out there to be read. I read about 50 pages. Look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Actually 4 1/2 stars....
Review: Laimo has debuted with a fast-paced read that I finished in less than 24 hours.

Laimo's style is similar to Dean Koontz and is great stuff. He writes like a bat out of hell and is very good at characterization and setting the plot up very nicely. He knows how to scare and adds a touch of humor to this fascinating tale.

The ending seems to set this up like a series in the making. This book reminded me of the X-files series on Fox. This would make an interesting movie.

Rating:
Summary: Well paced and executed!! Don't pass this up!
Review: Looking for a great book to read? I highly recommend Michael Laimo's first full-length novel, Atmosphere. Laimo writes to tell a story, he doesn't write to make a story longer and that is one sign of a very talented author, one who doesn't compromise his work. There is nothing worse than to have to wade through page after page of "fill". You won't find any fill in Laimo's writing, only pure story that is both well-paced and masterfully executed all the way to the end. It won't be long until Michael Laimo sits in a prominent position among seasoned horror titans like Laymon; Clark: Masterton; Little; Lumley, and...
So there you have it. Buy Atmosphere. Read it, and wait in anticipation for his next novel Sleepwalk. I know I am !

Rating:
Summary: A stunning debut
Review: Michael Laimo is a writer I've become familiar with through the list of short stories he's had published. He certainly doesn't dissapoint with his debut novel ATMOSPHERE. The story is a thrill ride from page one all the way to the end, non-stop action and suspense filled with gut wrenching horror elements. A great police procedural plot with buckets of gore!! This is a truly electrifying read. You won't be let down. Just make sure you have time to read this, because you won't be able to put it down.

His characters a very real. Frank Ballaro is a believeable character that we can all associate with. Teamed with his ex-partner Hector Rodriguez, we are led all through Manhattan as they uncover clue by clue the horrific cause to a series of cult like serial murders. The ending is truly genius, a twist that'll keep you smiling. I truly recommend this book!!

Rating:
Summary: Detectives, Aliens and a Whole Lotta Blood!
Review: Michael Laimo's Atmosphere feels like a noir thriller. It also feels like sci-fi yarn. And, most of all, it's also a horror book. That's why I enjoyed reading this one so much; it gives you the best of all worlds!

Here, we find Frank, a detective who, during his weekend off, stumbles upon one heck of a conspiracy. It all starts when he follows a trail of blood that leads him to a mangled corpse. And then, right in front of his very eyes, a bald man wearing sunglasses comes to steal the body away.

Frank starts investigating with the detective given the case, Hector, who also happens to be his old boss. Together, they stumble on an age-old mystery involving aliens and a great deal of murders. Saying any more than that about the plot would be giving away too much. To enjoy Atmosphere, you have to go in without knowing much about the plot and about the characters.

Laimo knows how to grab his readers from the start. After reading the very first page, I just couldn't put the book down. The story is fast-paced and so entertaining that you'll find yourself reading long past your bed time.

I love books that take a familiar story and makes it new again. People have been writing about aliens for years; but this one puts a neat twist on it that involves young males and techno music. And Laimo does not shy away from the gore; although the book is never too graphic, it does have many moments of high tension that usually result in a lot of blood being shed.

Atmosphere is a very entertaining read that will keep you guessing until the end. It has vivid characters and a very intricate plot. It has comic scenes, scenes of tense horror, and very touching moments. What more could you want fom an escapist fare?

Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable!!!!
Review: Michael Laimo's ATMOSPHERE is a stunning debut novel from this writer that's breaking out from the small press into the pros. A truly dark urban horror tale, we follow two gritty cops from the very beginning and don't let go until the very end. Non stop action from page one on. A great mystery story coupled with disturbing horror elements makes this one gratifying read, reminiscent of Dean Koontz's The Bad Place, or Cold Fire. Folks, you won't be dissapointed here. The only sad part about the book is how quickly the end comes. You're gonna wish for more, take my word for it. I bought the Limited Edition of this book, and read it in three days. You won't be able to put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Slow beginning, but man, does it take off.
Review: Michael Laimo, Atmosphere (Leisure, 2002)

The first hundred fifty or so pages of Michael Laimo's debut novel are your typical kidnapping-murder-mystery with a twist, nothing we haven't seen before, with somewhat subpar writing thrown into the mix. There were a few times I'd have been flirting with just not finishing it at all, were not the pace so quick. But it hits critical mass, and suddenly becomes one of the finest premises in a thriller in recent years. Almost enough to forgive the subpar writing.

Frank Ballaro is a New York City homicide detective a couple of years from retirement. On his way home early one morning after twelve hours of paperwork on a recently-finished case, he gets out of his car and steps into a puddle of blood. Investigating, he finds a horribly mutilated teen, who runs past him in terror straight into the path of a taxi. As they wait for help to arrive, the kid whispers one word to Ballaro: "Atmosphere." Ballaro and his longtime friend Hector Rodriguez are quickly drawn into one of the oddest cases of kidnapping and murder anyone's ever seen.

The first half of the book is unabashedly setup, and can be a little difficult to get through. Laimo makes it as easy as possible by keeping the pace rapid. Once things take their right turn at suspension-of-disbelief, there's nothing you haven't seen before in a number of TV shows and movies, but Laimo cribs together so many disparate ideas and works them into a narrative whole that it's hard not to just sit back and wonder what sort of twisted mind came up with such a wide-ranging bunch of ideas to throw into this melting pot.

There are a few extreme bits, but for the most part Laimo is more from the Charles L. Grant school of horror than the Robert Devereaux school; not much in here is going to make the reader of modern horror (especially that from Leisure Books) cringe much. This is more straight thriller than horror novel, and should appeal to fans of the genre who are willing to let belief fly out the window.

Aside from some deadwood (cliches, badly-written sentences, oddly out of place words, that sort of thing), Laimo's first novel is a stand up sit down bang up ride, well worth the price of admission. *** ½