Apaches

Rating:
Summary: Sad & Laughable
Review: "Apaches" seemed like a fun basis for a novel, but the execution here just doesn't live up to the promise. Six supercops, all of whom have had to retire due to job-related injuries, form a secret crime-fighting unit in which they aim to take down a hyperbolically sinister (and beautiful!) drug lord (drug lady?)during the early days of the crack epidemic. No cliche is too obvious for Carcaterra as these psychically and physically-scarred cops come back to life now that they can do the thing they were born to do - bring down bad guys. It is hard to take a book like this seriously, and perhaps it would have worked if Carcaterra hadn't taken it seriously himself, but are we supposed to believe these two-dimensional cartoonish characters? And what about the villains, who murder babies to use their hollowed-out bodies as drug mules? Didn't anyone think that life-like dolls would probably be more convincing than actual dead babies?

I also found it troubling how Carcaterra needed to have token members of major police minority groups: an African-American, a Latino, and a woman. I'm all for inclusiveness, but here it felt so tokenish as to border on being offensive. Why only one of each minority? The answer, sadly, is that the reader would not have been able to keep two black or two Latino characters separate since, for Carcaterra, these people are no more than the sum of their ethnicity. I also found it fascinating that the only woman cop has the nickname "Mrs. Columbo," named after the character from the TV show. In other words, Carcaterra can only imagine a woman as a cop so long as she is emulating a man. Sad, narrow-minded stuff.

Rating:
Summary: Heartwrenching, but a great book.
Review: Boomer, Dead-Eye, Rev.Jim, Geronimo, Mrs.Columbo, Pins, all were cops, the best of the best. Until they were forced out before they were ready. Because of wounds they couldn't heal. When a young girl is kidnapped, her kidnapper makes a big mistake, he brings these cops back on the street. And when something even more sinister is uncovered, these cops know they have to fight back. But playing but their own rules.

Rating:
Summary: Deplorable Writing
Review: First, does the reader need to read narratives of each cop? Whether it's Boomer, Rev. Jim, Mrs. Columbo, or anybody else, the string of stories at the beginning detracts from the pacing of the main story -- the kidnapping and baby killing. While character info is important, massive amounts of it is unneeded. Whose story is Carcaterra telling? How these cops where kicked off the force? Or how these cops brought down a sinister baby killer?

In college level creative writing classes, teachers often assert that too much backstory is a BAD thing.

Second, the whole deal with killing babies is sensational and melodramatic. It stinks of an author's desperation to make his readers hate his villian, and as such, it makes the villian a very flat character. What are HER motivations?

This book is unentertaining pulp.

Rating:
Summary: Good Cops/Bad Cops
Review: i can't belive that their are people out there that do not like this book! it was great! a story about 5 former policemen back to kill evil! i mean common its a book you guys can't start analizing it. read it for fun... one of my favorite books with all the other Carcaterra books, like Sleppers, A safe Place and Gangsters... i am a true Carcaterra I PROMISE YOULL LIKE THE BOOK! just give it a chance

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: DON'T GET IN THE WAY OF THE "APACHES"
Review: My first introduction to this author was via his bestseller Sleepers which, I have been quoted as saying, was one of the best books I've ever read. While I had high expectations at the start of this book, I wasn't disappointed as many other reviewers seem to have been. I almost feel as if I have to justify my 5 star rating. I knew nothing was going to be as good as Sleepers, so I kept an open mind while reading. In my estimation, Carcaterra cannot disappoint me because his storytelling expertise is unparalleled. Since I am not reviewing this book based on the number of cliches nor am I expecting a great literary masterpiece, my enjoyment factor alone warrants the 5 stars given.

In the first part of the book, we are introduced to six characters, each of which was a great cop at one point in their lives. Unfortunately, things happen, cops get hurt and these six cops are forced to collect their pensions, lick their wounds and perform jobs that are less than enjoyable than their previous employment with the NYPD. While they are still physically alive, they feel dead inside. Each of them had an expertise and it is this expertise that will bring them together once again as a renegade crime stopping unit called Apaches. They are not sanctioned by the police department but still have enough connections to be able to call in the favors necessary to enable them to perform their mission.

They have some great nicknames as well -- Boomer, Dead-Eye, Pins, Geronimo, Reverend Jim and Mrs. Columbo. Carcaterra introduces you to each character individually and you feel an immediate connection. Since the premise of the book is about disabled cops, you read each chapter with trepidation knowing full well that doom is imminent just around the corner. As the Apaches, they get involved with trying to stop a drug trafficking ring led by a woman, named Lucia, out of her homebase in Arizona. Her tentacles stretch all the way across the country but then so do theirs. There's one other member in their group and he isn't a cop at all -- not by any stretch of the imagination. His name is Nunzio and he is the owner of an Italian restaurant where the Apaches meet. Lucia's connections can't compare to Nunzio's if you catch my drift.

While some of this book is definitely gruesome, the characters are so inspiring in not only trying to right a wrong but in the way they need their cop work to keep them alive. Unfortunately, throughout the entire book, you just know that they won't all come out alive and therein lies the dilemma -- who's going to die and who's going to live. Once again, Carcaterra has done it for me. I just love the way he tells a story. He makes me feel as if I know each character as a friend and I couldn't ask any more from an author.

Rating:
Summary: Renegade ex-cops take on drug queen
Review: The plot is simple and yet exciting. A gang--cadre--team--of six of NYPD's best cops, all disabled in the course of duty, come together with a restraunteur who has links to the mob in order to bring down the Queen Bee of all drug lords (ladies?).

Each of the six protagonists has a rich and detailed past, and we are introduced to them individually in depth before the main action begins. Then Boomer and Dead-Eye (yes, everybody has a nickname) take on a hopeless case and emerge, not only victorious, but feeling alive because they are COPS again. The rest of the group joins them, and Boomer outlines the plan. They will defeat the Empress of evil, a drug dealer so bad, her only good point is that she pays her gym bill on time.

From the moment our team forms, the plot moves lightening fast to its conclusion. The action is great, the detail is satisfying, the dialogue snappy. The characters have their own story, each credulous, each powerful.

Why only three stars? I had to keep flipping back to the beginning chapters to see which of the six former cops had which specialty. Who was the bomb specialist? Flip back and look. Who's the electronics expert? Flip. You get the picture. I loved them all individually, but I would have loved the novel more if only two or three of the characters had been detailed, and the rest just outlined for me.

Even so, the drama unfolds so swiftly, I still recommend this book to anyone who loves a dark, action-filled tale of good versus evil. Do your friends read romances? Okay, don't tell them what happens, they won't sleep at night. But get out the flashlight--you'll be up reading.

Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: This is a big disappointment coming from the author of Sleepers. The characters are too broadly drawn, and the situations are all too familiar, making it pale in comparison to Brian Garfield's Death Wish or Andrew Vachss' Burke novels.

Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: This is a big disappointment coming from the author of Sleepers. The characters are too broadly drawn, and the situations are all too familiar, making it pale in comparison to Brian Garfield's Death Wish or Andrew Vachss' Burke novels.

Rating:
Summary: RUN THE APACHES ARE COMING!
Review: This novel is a fun and great beach-reading experience. A band of renegade cops storms the cities cocaine badguys and shakes it all up! A fun and fast-paced read that could, and would, make a great hollywood movie.
If you like crime drama mixed with high octane action, heated up with crazy characters - this ones for you!