Rating: 
Summary: well written
Review: I liked the book by the time it was over, but I struggled for a while throughout the middle. I would recommend that any interested parties read this before MOUTH TO MOUTH, because I believe the author's skill with pacing and plot did improve by his third novel. And that is a good sign.
Rating:
Summary: well written
Review: I liked the book by the time it was over, but I struggled for a while throughout the middle. I would recommend that any interested parties read this before MOUTH TO MOUTH, because I believe the author's skill with pacing and plot did improve by his third novel. And that is a good sign.
Rating: 
Summary: UNDONE WELL DONE
Review: Imagine a combination of "The Premature Burial," "Double Indemnity," "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and "Body Heat"..that's what you get in this incredibly good thriller. Michael Kimball weaves a complex plot of betrayal, seduction, incest, murder and blackmail, and does so with such finesse one can hardly believe what they're reading.
Bobby Swift and his deliciously gorgeous wife, Noel, have a perfect plan: fake his death, bury him, dig him up and off they go to the Cayman Islands to spend the two million dollars he extorted from one of his associates. Add a wizened and weasly mortician named Wicker and you have a seemingly perfect plan. Enter Sal Erickson, Bobby's best friend, who becomes embroiled in the plot in the most despicable of ways. He's an alcoholic, who has tried to reform, but alas, can't stay away from the bottle. Sal is so bad that on many occasions, he has gotten so drunk that he can't remember what he did...hint, hint. Add his wife's sex-crazed brother, Jerry Royal; a couple of cops and detectives; Sal's wife who harbors a dark secret; and all hell breaks loose. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, Kimball adds another twist that keeps you guessing.
A tense, compelling and quite enjoyable thriller.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: UNDONE WELL DONE
Review: Imagine a combination of "The Premature Burial," "Double Indemnity," "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and "Body Heat"..that's what you get in this incredibly good thriller. Michael Kimball weaves a complex plot of betrayal, seduction, incest, murder and blackmail, and does so with such finesse one can hardly believe what they're reading.
Bobby Swift and his deliciously gorgeous wife, Noel, have a perfect plan: fake his death, bury him, dig him up and off they go to the Cayman Islands to spend the two million dollars he extorted from one of his associates. Add a wizened and weasly mortician named Wicker and you have a seemingly perfect plan. Enter Sal Erickson, Bobby's best friend, who becomes embroiled in the plot in the most despicable of ways. He's an alcoholic, who has tried to reform, but alas, can't stay away from the bottle. Sal is so bad that on many occasions, he has gotten so drunk that he can't remember what he did...hint, hint. Add his wife's sex-crazed brother, Jerry Royal; a couple of cops and detectives; Sal's wife who harbors a dark secret; and all hell breaks loose. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, Kimball adds another twist that keeps you guessing.
A tense, compelling and quite enjoyable thriller.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: Tense, atmospheric noir
Review: Maine writer Kimball's dark and riveting second novel is pure noir.
Bobby Swift has come up with the perfect plan to get his hands on the millions he's scammed from the government. He'll fake his death, his wife will dig him up, and off they'll go to the Cayman's.
But Noel Swift has a different plan. Hers doesn't involve Bobby.
Enter Sal Erickson, Bobby's best friend, and an earnest family man with a demon - alcohol. Sal thinks he's beaten it, but Bobby's sudden death has unnerved him. With a little nudge from Noel he takes a plunge that costs him his job and his marriage - and gains him Noel.
But strange things are happening in this small Maine town. The undertaker who schemed with Bobby is found dead in the grave and Bobby's coffin is empty.
Did Bobby escape? Is he watching Noel and Sal, biding his time for revenge?
Kimball ratchets up the psychological tension with terse byplay between the characters, all nurturing their own agendas, except for the hapless Sal and the canny town constable whose contributions are dismissed by the Staties.
And when the tension threatens to flag, Kimball pours on the action, raising the stakes with the knowledge that some people will go to any lengths, no matter how horrific, to get what they want.
Kimball's writing is charged with atmosphere and tension and his pacing is electric, right up the to explosive ending. A winner.
Rating:
Summary: A solid pageturner, keeps you guessing
Review: Michael Kimball's Undone is a classic pageturner. Part whodunit, part noirish thriller and part thriller, this well-written novel has a cast of great charcters mixed up in murder, lust and money in a small MAine town. If you're looking for a book you won't put down, this is it. An entertaining read, and the best book of its type I've read in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: the ultimate page turner
Review: This guy must walk Stephen King's pets, or clean his chimneys, or drive him to the airport or something to have gotten such a good jacket blurb from him. Cardboard characters, silly plot, too many gimmicks, cliche cariacature characters. Omit.
Rating:
Summary: mind blowing
Review: This is a type of book you can't put down. The way the author decribes the persons in the book, you feel you are a part of the story. You feel like you know them. I would go through the day thinking about Ellen.
Rating:
Summary: Undone definitely fun
Review: This was a mystery page turner par excellence! Lots of interesting characters all bouncing off each other, and some really spooky--and totally plausible--plot twists make this book a great read.The story setup is well done enough, you'll get the shivers and then end up turning the pages all night long waiting to find out what happens. I sure did. I'd recommend this one, it was a whole lot of fun.
Rating:
Summary: A Blistering, Seductive Read
Review: Undone is a naughty little novel drenched with wicked characters doing equally wicked deeds. This story is dark and mesmerizing at the same time. You can't help but feel for Sal. He's a devoted family man who becomes an unwilling participant in his best friend's "death scheme". As the story progresses we are witnesses to a small town drama filled with murder, betrayal and seduction. A classic "in the wrong place at the wrong time" type of story that will keep you guessing until the very end. Read this on a day when you have lots of uninterrupted time. Four stars for the unrelenting pace and unforgettable characters. Cris
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