Rating: 
Summary: I like Frank Corso, warts and all...
Review: I read a lot of books. I wish there were more writers like G. M. Ford, who take real people and put them into ambiguous situations and let them struggle with the consequences of their decisions and behavior. Frank Corso is one of those flawed characters who finds himself in the middle of a huge jigsaw puzzle involving corrupt contractors, inspectors, jurors and more than enough bad guys to fill out the mix. Corso's a Seattle-based writer with some mistakes in his past, a huge financial settlement in his bank account, and a reclusive lifestyle. Corso is the only invited guest to the murder trial of Nicholas Balagula, a bad-to-the-bone mobster who is responsible for the deaths of 63 people when the hospital he built collapses. This is Balagula's third trial and the prosecution is looking pretty secure. Corso is taking notes and gathering material for his new book when his world is rocked by the savage attack on his former girlfriend, a photojournalist who believes there's a link between the seemingly insignificant death of a school district's maintenance man and the Balagula trial. After the assault, Corso's thrown into a whirlwind of plot twists, bad guys, and paper trails. There's even some Cambodian culture thrown in for good measure (maybe the beginnings of a new book?). I like Frank Corso and found myself drawn into the plot lines, even though the tidy Hollywood-like ending was a bit too predictable. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: I like Frank Corso, warts and all...
Review: I read a lot of books. I wish there were more writers like G. M. Ford, who take real people and put them into ambiguous situations and let them struggle with the consequences of their decisions and behavior. Frank Corso is one of those flawed characters who finds himself in the middle of a huge jigsaw puzzle involving corrupt contractors, inspectors, jurors and more than enough bad guys to fill out the mix. Corso's a Seattle-based writer with some mistakes in his past, a huge financial settlement in his bank account, and a reclusive lifestyle. Corso is the only invited guest to the murder trial of Nicholas Balagula, a bad-to-the-bone mobster who is responsible for the deaths of 63 people when the hospital he built collapses. This is Balagula's third trial and the prosecution is looking pretty secure. Corso is taking notes and gathering material for his new book when his world is rocked by the savage attack on his former girlfriend, a photojournalist who believes there's a link between the seemingly insignificant death of a school district's maintenance man and the Balagula trial. After the assault, Corso's thrown into a whirlwind of plot twists, bad guys, and paper trails. There's even some Cambodian culture thrown in for good measure (maybe the beginnings of a new book?). I like Frank Corso and found myself drawn into the plot lines, even though the tidy Hollywood-like ending was a bit too predictable. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointment
Review: As a visual artist, I know about the frustration when your fans don't want you to change...but.
I just couldn't get into the amoral guy pictured here. I prefer an outright crook, with a little humanity. The real world has enough unthinking violence; from G. M. Ford, I expect a little entertainment.
Rating: 
Summary: Frank Corsi Returns
Review: Frank Corsi, reclusive investigative reporter, is the only spectator permitted in the trial of a West Coast crime boss (an unwelcome import from the Russian Mafia) who bribery and intimidation permitted a huge profit on building a hospital. Unfortunately, the materials were so bad that the hospital collapsed in a 2.2 earthquake,killing 63 children.
Unrelated (he thinks, not so) his friend walks in on an ongoing murder and is hooked up to tubes in an ICU, possibly not going to make it. From here, the plot explodes with action.
A spell-binder, beginning to end a taut plot, great character, dialogue that moves the plot. Best to start on Friday night so you have the weekend!
Rating:
Summary: From MyShelf.com
Review: Frank Corso, a true crime writer in Seattle, is following the case of Nicholas Balagula, a mobster who finally cut one corner too many. A hospital in California has collapsed, killing 63 people, 41 of them children. Balagula's sticky fingerprints are all over the tragedy, and Corso wants to see justice finally visited on this "Teflon Don." But the paths that lead back to Balagula are many - and unraveling them will take all the talent and courage Corso has. What does truck found with a body that is riddled with bullets from three different guns have to do with a vicious attack on a former girlfriend, Meg Doughtery, that leaves her life hanging by a thread? And how do the bodies of two previous witnesses against Balagula that were found floating in the river connect to the disappearance of a man Meg had gone to interview before her car was forced into a devastating accident? What picture are all these seemingly unconnected pieces forming? Are they actually connected? And, can Corso find the truth before the mobster walks away from all the voices of pain and death that cry out for justice? Frank Corso sees himself as a flawed human being. He is flawed more than some - but much more human than many. He is likable without wanting you to like him - and appealing without trying to appeal to anyone except himself and his own conscience. BLACK RIVER is an edge-of-your seat thriller. The action never stops, and the plot moves quickly, pulling you along with it. This is a hard-boiled detective mystery with a heart. Frank Corso is someone I will have to visit again. I cared about this case and I cared about Corso. I highly recommend BLACK RIVER.
Rating:
Summary: From MyShelf.com
Review: Frank Corso, a true crime writer in Seattle, is following the case of Nicholas Balagula, a mobster who finally cut one corner too many. A hospital in California has collapsed, killing 63 people, 41 of them children. Balagula's sticky fingerprints are all over the tragedy, and Corso wants to see justice finally visited on this "Teflon Don." But the paths that lead back to Balagula are many - and unraveling them will take all the talent and courage Corso has. What does truck found with a body that is riddled with bullets from three different guns have to do with a vicious attack on a former girlfriend, Meg Doughtery, that leaves her life hanging by a thread? And how do the bodies of two previous witnesses against Balagula that were found floating in the river connect to the disappearance of a man Meg had gone to interview before her car was forced into a devastating accident? What picture are all these seemingly unconnected pieces forming? Are they actually connected? And, can Corso find the truth before the mobster walks away from all the voices of pain and death that cry out for justice? Frank Corso sees himself as a flawed human being. He is flawed more than some - but much more human than many. He is likable without wanting you to like him - and appealing without trying to appeal to anyone except himself and his own conscience. BLACK RIVER is an edge-of-your seat thriller. The action never stops, and the plot moves quickly, pulling you along with it. This is a hard-boiled detective mystery with a heart. Frank Corso is someone I will have to visit again. I cared about this case and I cared about Corso. I highly recommend BLACK RIVER.
Rating:
Summary: Highly entertaining
Review: I have read all of Ford's books and liked them, without exception. Fury was a wonderful introduction to a new series. In this second outing featuring Frank Corso, the writing is as tight and lean as ever; the characters are well-developed, and there are plot nuances that elevate this to an above-average book. There are a number of issues that come into play, both primariy and secondary, but not all of them are equally addressed. The ones that are introduced but not adequately addressed have to do with the behavior of some of the secondary characters--in particular, the drinking of prosecutor Renee Rogers. This woman consumes so much booze in the course of the book that Corso's failure even to consider her possible alcoholism is notable, because most definitely the reader cannot help but be aware of it and wonder. The other issue deals with the matter of using children for sexual purposes. In this instance, the author as narrator makes no serious statement on the matter beyond the unvoiced disgust of one of the villains who subsequently makes minced-meat out of the vendor of the child's services. This, too, I found somewhat troubling. It's one thing to introduce this sort of thing in order to indicate just how foul the ultimate bad guy is; but the way it's handled is less than satisfying because this other villain, when given the opportunity, never expresses his personal repugnance. One is left to assume what could and should have been stated--if only to lend additional dimension to the character of Ivanov. That said, Corso is an intriguing man with some laudable sentiments about celebrity, among other things. And there is great pacing to the narrative, as well as some nicely convoluted plotting. I will very definitely be waiting with anticipation for the next Corso adventure.
Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: still a fun ride
Review: I like Frank Corso, but I miss Leo Watermann.
Rating:
Summary: Great writer, great book
Review: If you are looking for a writer who churns out well-crafted mystery novels with believable characters, G. M. Ford is one of the best. "Black River" is the second in a nw series with Frank Corso. I just finished it last night and am anxious to read the next. Ford's Leo Waterman series is equally good.
Rating:
Summary: Great writer, great book
Review: If you are looking for a writer who churns out well-crafted mystery novels with believable characters, G. M. Ford is one of the best. "Black River" is the second in a nw series with Frank Corso. I just finished it last night and am anxious to read the next. Ford's Leo Waterman series is equally good.
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