Rating: 
Summary: More Than Ambience
Review: REVIEW BY GARRETT PECK for DARK FLUIDITY2002 is proving to be a year a lot of authors who earned their stripes with short fiction in the small press are coming into their own with debut novels: Scott Nicholson, Teri A. Jacobs, John Urbancik, Gary Jonas...and Michael Laimo. When the word "atmosphere" is employed in literary discussions, it usually refers to the sense of place the author conveys through descriptions of the setting and weather conditions. To be sure, Laimo delivers plenty of atmosphere in this sense. His novel opens up with a vivid depiction of a rainy day on the streets of New York. You can almost feel the raindrops running down the back of your neck. But it's not the water that proves troubling to Detective Frank Ballaro; it's the blood he finds on his shoe. Having just closed a high profile murder case, Ballaro is looking forward to a well-earned three-day vacation. But just as there's no rest for the wicked, there is no rest for those who track them down. Following the trail of blood, Ballaro is shocked when a naked boy comes running out of the alley, only to be splattered by a taxicab. The boy's dying word is "Atmosphere." An investigation of the alley the blood was running from reveals another naked boy, whose genitalia is as horribly mutilated as the other boy's. Before the startled eyes of Ballaro and the responding policemen, a bald-headed man dressed in black and wearing sunglasses seizes the boy's body, dragging it into a hole. Though Ballaro is technically only a witness in this case, as he's off duty and this isn't his jurisdiction, he can't walk away from the mystery. He prevails upon his old friend Captain Hector Rodriguez to let him help with the investigation. It seems the more leads they follow up, the more inexplicable it becomes. What do young bald men wearing black and sunglasses and young men who like techno music have to do with a series of abductions across the country? And what does this have to do with the dying boy's enigmatic last word, atmosphere? Evidence points to a conspiracy of incredible proportions-one which the detectives soon begin to believe the FBI knows much more about than they're saying. In Frank Ballaro, Laimo has created a believable, multi-faceted character worthy of a full series of books. Ballaro is made up of three disparate personalities: the strong truth-seeking detective, the timid common man and the irrationally impulsive tough guy. These personalities conflict with one another, vying for dominance of his decision making. Laimo borrows equally from pulp and mainstream traditions, concocting a heady, fast-acting brew that will satisfy fans of mystery, horror and science fiction alike. In structure, the novel is a police procedural. It's full of investigative detail and jurisdictional rivalry between city cops and the FBI. The murder scenes (and other set pieces best not described here) are loaded with enough gruesome detail to please any gore hound. The science behind the book's events is well explained and original. The different genre elements are woven together so tightly they become inextricable. This is the only book I've encountered this year that ought to be given equal consideration for a first novel Edgar, Stoker and Hugo. Laimo's short fiction signaled him as a promising young author. Atmosphere delivers more generously on that promise than anticipated. Laimo's going to be big; count on it. I would recommend purchasing the limited edition hardcover available from Delirium Books this July, but if money is an object, Leisure Books will have an eminently affordable edition on the shelves in September. Whichever one you go for, you're in for a hell of a ride.
Rating: 
Summary: Weak first effort
Review: The novel did absolutely nothing for me. The characters were poorly drawn, the plot had way too many contrivances and the science fiction elements simply didn't work. Although Mr. Laimo makes an attempt to cross genres here, he fails in sustaining any kind of suspense or interest.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: This is one of the best books that I have read in a while & I read quite a bit. I was not familiar w/this author before reading this book. He pulls you right in right away. It's a horror, mystery, sci-fi all rolled into one. If you like modern day horror w/new ideas this is a great book to read. The characters are believeable & the plot is very suspenseful. There is quite a bit of gore, but not enough that I stopped reading. Looking forward to more books from this author!
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting.........
Review: This novel read okay. It's sort of a cross genre of detective and horror with a bit of science fiction added in for flavor. A bit heavy on gerund and participle clauses, but no big deal. Worth a look.......................
Rating: 
Summary: close, but no cigar
Review: When I first started reading this novel, I didn't have high hopes for it, as the writing was awkward and needed a rewrite or three to get just the right effect. However, the plot was sufficiently novel to keep me reading. Though the story really didn't begin to take off until halfway through, I stuck with it, and found that he brought all the elements together quite nicely. It's too bad he didn't take more time to develop the characters or the, um,*atmosphere*-- a good deal more of Lovecraft or, better yet, William Burroughs would have made this novel a lot more memorable. Better than most, but not worth cancelling any appointments or taking the phone off the hook for.
Rating:
Summary: close, but no cigar
Review: When I first started reading this novel, I didn't have high hopes for it, as the writing was awkward and needed a rewrite or three to get just the right effect. However, the plot was sufficiently novel to keep me reading. Though the story really didn't begin to take off until halfway through, I stuck with it, and found that he brought all the elements together quite nicely. It's too bad he didn't take more time to develop the characters or the, um,*atmosphere*-- a good deal more of Lovecraft or, better yet, William Burroughs would have made this novel a lot more memorable. Better than most, but not worth cancelling any appointments or taking the phone off the hook for.
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