Heartbreaker

Rating:
Summary: Terrific!
Review: Eight months ago in Miami, the Jackson brothers, working for Junior, a drugpin, kill undercover cop Steffano. At a Cuban restaurant Steffano's police partner Val Duran shares a meal with the Jacksons. The hired guns take immense pleasure in bragging to Val about the bombing death of Steffano as much as the meal they savor. Fearing for his own life, the next morning Val flees for Los Angeles.

Not wanting to obtain any jobs involving law enforcement, Val quickly accepts work as a stuntman. Val also meets and falls in love with Kyle Abbott. However, he soon finds himself embroiled with a family on the ropes. Kyle's half-brother hires some thugs to kill his wealthy stepmother. Adding to his woes, Junior wants Val dead. As both situations and his passion for Kyle heat up, Val finds himself in the middle of trouble that easily could leave him dead.

No one who enjoys a fast-paced Hollywood mystery will suffer from a broken heart after reading Robert Ferrigno's best novel in about a decade (since THE HORSE LATITUDES). The story line is reminiscent of Elmore Leonard's Shorty tales as the myriad of subplots blends together into an action-packed story line where California dreaming meets Miami vice. Fans of the sub-genre will cherish Val for his quest for love even as thugs threaten his life. Readers will definitely desire his return in a sequel.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Is it only me ?
Review: I have just finished reading this which is my first Robert Ferrigno book. I ain't gonna repeat the story here because that is up there in the Editorial Review.

Now, my two cents - Is Val Duran a returning hero ? I don't think so. Then why his past is mostly a gray area ? There is not enough information in there as to why exactly Steffano got killed, Val's past..and the most important of 'em all - how Val got onto the real person behind the whole scheme ?? I mean, what the heck ? Nothing is explained in this book!!! And since even beyond a certain point of extreme cerebration I drew a blank, I gave up !!

Some characters are pretty contrived like Jackie Hendricks and Junior, the plot is pencil thin..there are a lot of illogical things happening - why would Val wanna go on air when he is hiding out ? And why didn't Val turn the real culprit in when he is convinced that the person has committed a heinous crime ? beats me !!

The highlight of the book I must admit, is the razor-sharp dialogue that flies back and forth..especially that of Dekker and Val. Kept me through the book anyways. Worth a read. I deem this book worthy of 2.5 stars (since there is no decimal datatype here, I round it off to the next whole number).

Rating:
Summary: Snap, crackle, pop
Review: In this comic thriller, the characters and settings snap, crackle, pop off the page.

Ferrigno keeps each of the characters distinct and interesting, whether he's in the head of protagonist, witty tough guy Val Duran, or whether he's exploring the people in Duran's life, like Junior, who has almost as much affection for Duran as he does his favorite program, Jeopardy!, but nevertheless wants Duran dead. Then there's "dead boy" Armando, the unlikely and eccentric muscle; the hulking, love-sick Dekker; Jackie, the lethal seductress who enchants both Dekker and pretty boy Kilo; Duran's shrewd Seminole grandmother, Grace; and Kyle, the sexy marine biologist for whom Duran falls hard.

The scenery is equally compelling, whether the action takes place in a Miami penthouse, a dangerous coastal cove in Southern California, or a backyard miniature golf course that pays tribute to cheesy horror films.

But despite the snappy settings and dialogue, there is also real suspense, primarily because the characters consistently seem motivated by their own inner demons and not by the needs of the plot. There are some unexpected "wow" moments, like when the two storylines converge, or when certain characters meet for the first time, where the readers is left surprised, muttering, "Oh, that's it." And even the pay-offs for events that seem pre-destined from page 1 are layered with an unexpected poignancy.

Okay, so by now you know I love the book. My husband, who's much harder to please and has really liked only two or three of the books he's read in as many years, also claims this as a favorite. Ferrigno does something that is a challenge: he presents a flawlessly written and plotted masterpiece and makes it all look like entertaining, escapist fun.

Rating:
Summary: 3 1/2* Another Credibility Gap
Review: Robert Ferrigno just keeps getting better. Unfortunately, this means that while "Heartbreaker" is far better than his 1990 debut novel, it is far worse than 2001's �Flinch.� Ferrigno once again depicts the low-lifes of Orange County, California, and features the usual noirish cast: a protagonist with his own "moral code," a femme fatale, a rich stepmother, a spoiled �pretty boy� playboy, and a hired thug.

�Heartbreaker� is a more deeply layered story than previous efforts, and he cleverly melds two main subplots centered in drug-obsessed Florida and in glitzy/seamy Orange County. For the most part, the writing is brisk and humorous, and Ferrigno does breezy dialogue and tense situations very well. (There�s also the usual graphic violence that may turn some readers off.)

However, the story�s implausible twists and betrayals made this a disappointing read. Why would someone trying to �lay low� appear on a drug-dealing killer�s favorite TV show and taunt him, thus making it easy to track him? There�s an unappealing victim who is portrayed as an admirable person, and an appealing person who abruptly changes towards the very end of the story. While these catch you by surprise, they seem contrived, especially in the latter example. �Flinch� is a much better book, although populated with similar characters and action, you don�t feel so manipulated.

Rating:
Summary: Not Fooled Here
Review: Robert Ferrigno's latest novel "Heartbreaker" is a true test. After starting out so strong with the "The Horse Latitudes" and slowly getting worse with the awful "Dead Silent" it was time to see if Ferrigno could recover. I found that Ferrigno got half way there. He does go back to his earlier style of great dialogue and solid character development. However the last 40 pages of this novel are so poorly done that it undermines the first 230 pages.

"Heartbreaker" is the story of Val Duran. Who after working undercover fighting the Florida drug runners, moves to California to take up a new career. Val knows that sooner or later the Florida Drug dealers will come looking for him, so he keeps a low profile and hopes for the best. Then enters Kyle Abbott a good looking free spirit. Val falls for Kyle and ends up encountering Kyle's well too do family, which includes a plotting step brother Kilo. Kilo has been duped into killing for the family money, by another mystery women named Jackie. Val tries to sort out the details of who is ripping who off when the drug dealers show up tuning Val's life upside down.

The major problem is with predictability of the book. You could tell early on what was going to happen. Ferrigno cops out and write exactly what is suspected. This is unlike Ferrigno's other novels where he kept the reader guessing at every page. "Heartbreaker" ends like a bad "Murder She Wrote" television show and in end costs the novel general rating.

Rating:
Summary: great read
Review: This is my second Ferrigno book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The pace is fast with memorable characters. I like the way the action keeps moving. The style reminds me somewhat of Elmore Leonard or Ross Thomas. Mr. Ferrigno has a very barebones way of telling a story without introducing excess editorial that is superflous to the storyline. The ending was a surprise, totally unexpected.

Rating:
Summary: Top Notch
Review: Undercover agent Val Duran, unaffiliated with any particular law enforcement agency, watches his best friend murdered by a crime network he's worked hard to infiltrate. Convinced they'll soon find out he's who he is, Duran flees to Los Angeles in part to save his life but also to plot revenge for his friend's death. Along the way, he gets tangled up in a romance he knew better than to start, which in turn gets him in deeper trouble with his girlfriend's severly dysfunctional yet very wealthy family.

Eventually his relationship with the woman and his relationship with the crime ring come to a head to make a fantastic summer novel. Highly reccomended.

Rating:
Summary: A decent "B" movie...
Review: Val Duran, our hero, works on the set of several B action movies, not unlike the book itself. It would have (and often reads like) a solid screenplay. There is not a lot of depth to the characters and frankly it is hard to care about them. There are some interesting points to each of them, but they are not explored. The ending was a good solid suprise, but it does not rescue what is a really a fairly interesting story, but no more. There are some laughs... This book was not a waste, but there are so many better thrillers out there...