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4.0 

Fun and Games

By Duane Swierczynski
Fun and Games by Duane Swierczynski digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

The first of three explosive pulp thrillers arriving back-to-back from cult crime fiction sensation and Marvel Comics scribe Duane Swierczynski.

Charlie Hardie, an ex-cop still reeling from the revenge killing of his former partner's entire family, fears one thing above all else: that he'll suffer the same fate.

Languishing in self-imposed exile, Hardie has become a glorified house sitter. His latest gig comes replete with an illegally squatting B-movie actress who rants about hit men who specialize in making deaths look like accidents. Unfortunately, it's the real deal. Hardie finds himself squared off against a small army of the most lethal men in the world: The Accident People.

It's nothing personal-the girl just happens to be the next name on their list. For Hardie, though, it's intensely personal. He's not about to let more innocent people die. Not on his watch.

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19 Reviews

4.0
“Found this book looking for books like John Wick, the movie series. Didn't disappoint. A very fun book, easy to run, interesting cast of characters. It's the first of three in the series, plan on reading all of them.”
“This book has a very noirish kind of storytelling that I enjoyed. But it also has a narrative that is much like a screenplay in my thinking. It was highly visual for me, as I pictured it as a movie playing on a big screen. The characters read like sketches. It's not that they aren't well-developed, but they are presented in the moment, and their past is an enigma until it's relevant to the story. Conspiracy theorists will have fun with this book as it delves into the concept of a group that orchestrates killings at the behest of the powers that be in the entertainment industry. It does kind of make you think about the tragic ends of many Hollywood stars and how easily it could be to speculate that some of those ends were devised. I liked that the mastermind is not the typical badguy. It was refreshing to see the bad guy is a highly intelligent and not stereotyped figure. I would say that the villains do seem less fleshed out, but that is the case across the board. Charlie is a mysterious figure and you don't really know all that much about him initially. But as the story progresses, you get a better idea of who he is and what drives him. I've heard him compared to Jack Reacher, and I can see that, but he has some distinctions that feel authentic to the character. While Jack kind of dropped out of the society system for the most part, with no particular emotional motivations behind it, Charlie has a very specific reason why he has left his past behind. There is a type of pathos inherent to his situation. The action is well described, but very tersely written. It gives the story a very in the moment kind of feel that works for the story. For lack of a better comparison, it sort of reminded me of 24 the tv show episodes. The ending sets you up to need to read the next book if you want to see what happens to Charlie next. Not quite a cliffhanger, but if you don't keep reading, you'll be left hanging and want to know more about Charlie and where his character arc goes. Lane's story made me feel really sad. I wish things were different for her. That's all I can say about that. I'd recommend this book if you want a quick, actiony read with a noirish kind of feel. The audiobook is well done, the narrator having quite a feel for how to bring this story to light. It was clear that he was very engaged with the narrative, and that made me engaged as well. I'd give this kind of a 3.75ish rating, but I'll round it up to 4 stars.”

About Duane Swierczynski

Duane Swierczynski is the Edgar-nominated author of nine novels including Canary, Severance Package, and the Shamus Award-winning Charlie Hardie series (Fun and Games, Hell and Gone, Point and Shoot). He's written over 250 comics for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Valiant and IDW, including The Black Hood, the first comic for Archie's Dark Circle imprint. Swierczynski has also collaborated with CSI creator Anthony E. Zuiker on the bestselling Level 26 series. He lives in Burbank with his wife and children.

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