Apaches

Rating:
Summary: CRIMINALLY bad
Review: If you want a bad book, look no further than Apaches. I wound up wondering if Carcaterra meant this book to be even a fraction serious. If he did, then another waste of binding glue should bury his career hopefully. Six cops who all got injured in the line of duty decide to form a renegade group of cops who fight drug dealers and kidnappers. Stereotypes abound, laughable inattention to detail, blatant lazy construction. If this book was a house it would collapse after one flush of the toilet, where this thing should end up! I want the $5 I spent on an excess stock hardcover (I should have known better than to buy a recent hardcover marked down so cheap!!!) If I could give half a star I would!

Rating:
Summary: An entertaining, yet graphic tale of cops on the beat.
Review: A novel by the man who wrote Sleepers, this book held my attention till the last page. At times I had to sit back and consider the appitude of what I had just read, as this book can get pretty graphic. That is the only problem really, and I'm just being picky. Perhaps you could say Carcaterra's narrative is a little...choppy at times. But that is hardly noticable. I guarantee a good read cover to cover if you are to pick up "Apaches".

Rating:
Summary: Implausible
Review: Too many mistakes. Eviscerating a living child with your hand over it's mouth would leave bad bruising impossible to ignore. Dead babies look dead. Carrying dead babies and getting caught carrying them would result in worse punisment than drug smuggling, who would do it? Blowing up a drug lords house and murdering twenty+ people doesn't bring legal consequences? Remember Waco? Malcolm blows up and beats the girl nearly to death because she swears at him? Nunzio is a bad guy, a wise guy like Lucia, the Apaches use him as the enforcer. Bad novel, no suspension of disbelief, tiresome and lots of extremely graphic gratutious violence.

Rating:
Summary: Uneven and very lazy at times...
Review: I have not read Sleepers, but I am going to guess from what I have heard that it is a better book than Apaches. Apaches has some potential, but Carcaterra is too sloppy or simply stopped caring after a while to take advantage of a couple of good ideas. Unfortunately, most of the good ideas get cancelled out by some rather ludicrous ones. Most of the main characters are just plain shallow, and they are often hard to distinguish, filled with stereotypes. While reading this novel I kept thinking that it felt like Carcaterra wrote it expressly to be turned into a film, namely with some big stars and lots of gunshots. The ending belongs in a Rambo film, and even the idea of setting it in the early 80's loses any relevence after a while. I must admit that it was quick and rather fun at times but you won't gain a whole lot from reading it. Pick up a used copy of the paperback, don't spend $25.

Rating:
Summary: CARDBOARD AND FORMULAIC
Review: The good news is that the characters are interesting. The bad news is that the violence is either "over the top" (i.e., the initial violence to the girl which motivates the creation of the Apaches group) or absurdly unrealistic and cartoonish. It is also misogynistic - NO women survive...guess they just can't hack it, eh? The real problem here is the absurdly unrealistic urban legend "dead baby stuffed with cocaine" premise, followed by the supposedly brilliant villainess (Lucia) who undergoes a lobotomy before the final chapter, then sits around as a conveniently stationary target for the suicidal attack by a gang of misfit ex-cops. Haven't we seen this enough in bad B movies? Was this written as a screenplay, due to the author's success with Sleepers? At least twenty people die in the last chapter, but most of them are generic cardboard cutouts, Lucia's minions. Sorry, can't recommend this book at all. Read some Dennis Lehane (Darkness Take My Hand or A Drink Before the War), for something worth comparing.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent boy's own action with depth
Review: This,like Lorenzo's previous books is well written, drawing the reader in with quick-fire, quirky, and authentic dialogue and gritty action. Boomer and Dead-Eye are the two main characters- one black, the other white. Each are retired, but, after Boomer's friend's daughter is kidnapped, he decides to form the Apaches, a group of action-starved,retired NY cops. There are seven of them, and each encompasses a wide range of society. One is a woman, while another is of Indian descent, for example. The book, noirish, while still retaining a certain cartoonishness, is gripping and hard to put down. The villains are despicable and realistic- one dissects a young girl's finger, another gets dead babies and stuffs them with drugs for easy shipment. Although relatively short, the book captures many events, and years, and nothing seems premature. In fact, the book feels longer. Just like Sleepers, however, the resolutions come much too easily, and repercussions are sometimes igored by Carceterra to keep the story flowing along. And what a story!! In the right hands,this should be a great movie, action-packed and eventful. The dialogue is excellent, and casting should be easy. However, it would be extremely difficult to capture all the nuances and character of the book, one of the best I've read, into a two hour movie. Don't analyze tis book too much. It ain't Roth or Fitzgerald. Take it like it is- a pulp classic and rollercaster ride with a touch of rebellion.

Rating:
Summary: Great blood and guts book!!
Review: If your not a whimp then you will like this book. Action,action, and more action. Book draws you in by starting with explosive chapters devoted to each character. When the plot starts you know each characters background and get ready for fireworks people!!! Forget what the whimps are saying...buy this book!!!

Rating:
Summary: Ludicrous story with boring, stereotypical characters.
Review: I did'nt like SLEEPERS very much and this one is no better. The characters have all been seen before; there's not one bit of uniqueness in any of them. If you're looking for a quick, unchallenging read and can put up with the forced and unconvincing hipness of the writing, this one's for you.

Rating:
Summary: STUNNIN' *RIVETIN' *BONE CRUNCHIN' *SPINE CHILLIN' *THRILLER
Review: Well, what an excellent story this one is, I could hardly put it down. you have 6 brave cops on one side & an evil whore[ :) NO offence to the ladies] on the other, who do you trust?

I did hear a rumor that Bruce Willis was to play the lead character "giovanni [Boomer] frontieri" & that Jerry bruckheimer was tied to the movie as well. I would definitely go see it, cos after 'The rock' & 'armageddon', I doubt anyone can refuse to view a bruckheimer movie.

I was truly moved by the story, and how 'boomer' and 'dead eye' had the guts to carry on after their accidents.

great bedtime reading for all bruce willis fans out there (including meself of course).

anyone who has similar thoughts on this book, please email me.

once again - :) NO OFFENCE to all the ladies out there.

Rating:
Summary: A very important novel
Review: I have no idea why other amazon.com readers did not like this book. To me, this is one of the most important books I have ever read. Apaches, like Sleepers, is very hard to read at times. This book exposes some of the revolting habits of criminals. In the day of internet pornography and pedophilia, this book really sent me a message. There are some disgusting people in this world. If you did not enjoy Sleepers, you will not enjoy this book. Yet, it is important to be aware of what goes on in this world and Lorenzo does an excellent job of making a dramatic tale out of it. I am anxiously awaiting his next book.