Cocaine Alley

Rating:
Summary: The purpose of good fiction
Review: As a novelist, I believe the purpose of good fiction is to transport the reader to a place he or she has never been. It is the writer's responsibility to create a world in which the reader can become lost. In the case of "Cocaine Alley," Richard Jones has done much more than that. The book took me into a world I don't know, and it made me believe that this world is real. That's how good Jones is. Now, for all I know, there is nothing even remotely resembling the places and people about which he writes. But you couldn't prove it by me, because he writes with power and certainty and expertise. You cannot tell me that Jones didn't really live this life.

"Cocaine Alley" transported me. It was impossible to stop reading. Richard Jones is an inspiration and an immensely talented writer. I look forward to his next opus.

BUY THIS BOOK!

Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT READING MATERIAL
Review: I HAVE NEVER BEEN A FICTION READER, BUT MR. JONES HAS CHANGED MY MIND ON THIS BOOK...IT CAUGHT MY INTEREST RIGHT AWAY, AND COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN UNTIL I WAS FINISHED WITH IT,..AND A VERY HYPER PERSON AS MYSELF, THAT IS ANOTHER PLUS FOR THE BOOK..IT IS SHORT ENOUGH TO FINISH WITHOUT STAYING UP ALL NIGHT TO COMPLETE...I LOVED IT...

Rating:
Summary: A Film in the Making!
Review: I originally bought this book on the recommendation of a good friend of the author. Not knowing what to think the cover would hide I picked it up hesitantly and then hours, days later put it down with barely a break in between. The story flowed before me as if it were a screen play-- better than many Ive seen. I enjoyed every bit of this novel and found both truth and humor with the very (American) militaristic style of the main character. Not only did I enjoy this book, but having leant it to several International friends, African employees, VISO, CUSO and U.S. Peace Corp, they enjoyed it as well! This book would make an entertaining gift for many. Way to go Richard!

Rating:
Summary: A Film in the Making!
Review: I originally bought this book on the recommendation of a good friend of the author. Not knowing what to think the cover would hide I picked it up hesitantly and then hours, days later put it down with barely a break in between. The story flowed before me as if it were a screen play-- better than many Ive seen. I enjoyed every bit of this novel and found both truth and humor with the very (American) militaristic style of the main character. Not only did I enjoy this book, but having leant it to several International friends, African employees, VISO, CUSO and U.S. Peace Corp, they enjoyed it as well! This book would make an entertaining gift for many. Way to go Richard!

Rating:
Summary: The Tip of the Iceberg
Review: I paced myself, reading chapters a few at a time. I could have read it straight thru but the act of stopping every once and a while lead to exploration of the depth of this author's research. A great break from the common plots and storylines used so often by the greatest of writers. Richard I would enjoy very much a sequal. ENCORE!

Rating:
Summary: Cocaine Alley
Review: Last night I crawled into bed with Cocaine Alley. I wasn't able to turn off the lights until I finished the entire book. I live in the Arizona region the book tapes place and found myself creating vivid images of Sarge's Saloon, the ghost town Ruby (which I do know), and the tavern in Arivaca (that I have had a few beers at myself). Reading Richard Jone's novel brought life to those places. I felt as if I could have been sitting at Sarge's Saloon listening to jazz at this dark bar. This is a tighly-written, fast-paced, humorous novel that shows readers an insider's view of the drug smuggling world, and how vulnerable a bystander can be to these connections. This is Richard Jone's first book and I'm looking forward to reading his next books. He is a talented writer and is always both appreciative and aware of his readers. Cocaine Alley will prove to be an enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: Gritty, In-Your-Face style
Review: Mystery-thrillers are not usually my first choice when I browse for a new book, but Richard Jones has crafted a good one in Cocaine Alley. Jones has a flare for the gritty simile ("...my mouth tasted like the contents of Love Canal befor superfund...") and delivers his story in an in-your-face style. A well researched background, colored by details of Vietnam combat experience (which seemed to come from the writer's own life) and the inner workings of the DEA, give Cocaine Alley the depth and color that kept me turning pages. Cocaine Alley left me hoping Jones decides to write another one soon.

I applaud iUniverse, which is a comparatively new company, for getting books like this one into print. My only reservation about this publisher is that their production processes apparently do not presently include copy ediiting or proofreading. I hope as they grow as a company, they resolve this glitch to better showcase excellent stories like this one.

Rating:
Summary: Realism enhances fiction
Review: Richard Jones obviously knows his stuff. From the first page, you know you are being guided through the shadowy world of smugglers, dealers, addicts and their law enforcement enemies by someone who has been there and done that.

Jones is as credible a writer as has come along in a long time. Joseph Wambaugh knows the world of beat cops and detectives, but Jones adds to that knowledge an insider's perspective of the military and federal law law enforcement agencies.

Cocaine Alley is a well-crafted thriller that will leave you asking for more. It is a pleasure to add Richard Jones to a short list of realistic writers that includes James Lee Burke, Robert B. Parker and Andrew Vachss.

Rating:
Summary: Fine First Novel - recommended
Review: Somewhere in space-time, there is an intersecting plane, a place where the fiction writer meets along an infinite line of points with the characters and events s/he has created. That line blurs with Richard Jones's first novel, Cocaine Alley. He brings such realism to the story, in such a matter-of-fact, low-key, believable way, that the reader finds it hard to decide just how much of this detail, just how much of this 'fictional' situation, is indeed invented from whole cloth. Jones is masterful at presenting his main character, Sarge, as a man shaped by the military experience of his youth, but possessed of such quirks and insecurities as the fear of growing old alone. He has crafted this character with an even-handed sense of balance. With his moments of self-deprecating humor and guilt regarding his eating habits, Sarge becomes endearingly human. He also commands a high degree of respect for what he's seen and done in service of his country. Richard Jones brings the reader a well-crafted, noteworthy story, told plainly and strongly, without excessive wordiness. The brief character descriptions give just enough to go on. From there, Jones trusts the reader's ability to fill in the blanks with her/his own imagination. Memorable moments, such as the exchanges between Sarge and the leader of a local motorcycle gang, linger after the book is finished. The love story adds a touch of sweetness. As a child might say when presented with an enormously entertaining event, 'Do it again!'. I look forward to seeing more of Richard Jones' work in print.