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Flat Spin (2012)

by David Freed(Favorite Author)

3.86 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1579622720 (ISBN13: 9781579622725)

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

The Permanent Press

review 1: nothing makes me happier than finding a new series. finding a new series w/a funny first person detective with a shadowy past? count me in!elements of jack reacher (hard core military, super efficient killing machine) combined with elements of fletch (comedic, casual and super irreverent) made for a light, fun read. with a couple of broken bones.recommend, and am 2.2 seconds away from purchasing the 2nd book in the series.
review 2: Review of “Flat Spin” By David FreedAfter you read this book, read the second in the series, "Fangs Out" David's writing has improved immensely.An advance reader copy of the book was sent to me in electronic form by the author for review. I found none of the formatting or typographical errors that typically plague such advance c... moreopies.The moral of this story is that one should not mess with friends of guys who used to do black ops.What happens to special agents after they “retire” from doing “black ops” for a living? Cordell Logan runs a flight school with marginal success. What happens when his ex-wife shows up in his dilapidated office and asks for help finding her husband’s killer? Is it further complicated by the fact that the recently departed is a former comrade in arms who stole her from him? Of course it does.This is a well structured, easy to read, classic detective story. I give it four and a half stars for the plot. I would have given it five if some of the plot developments had been a little less predictable.The protagonist’s character is extremely well thought out and expertly drawn. I wish more of the characters had as much depth. The ex-wife is well portrayed and exhibits a nice level of conflict. The ex-father in law is nicely drawn as well. Beyond these three characters, most of the rest are flat. With a plot that moves as quickly as this one does, some character development does get left behind. That is unfortunate. With the author’s keen sense of observation as demonstrated by his portrayal of his protagonist and the ex-wife, I feel he could have given the reader a deeper understanding of the secondary characters. Even so, I give the story five stars for the characters.Technical execution was flawless and therefore gets five stars. I do have one quibble. I like acknowledgments as much as the next person, but unlike most of my colleagues, I think they should go at the end of the work where the reader has a better understanding of what went into the creation of the book. IMHO, the book should start at the beginning of the story. Commentary can come later.The following passage is typical of the book’s pace and gives a nice example of the book’s overall “attitude” towards its characters and it subjects.Several of Echevarria’s neighbors told police they’d heard him yell, heard what sounded like firecrackers, and glimpsed the killer through their windows. They described him as five-foot-five and 180 pounds. Or five-foot-ten and 160 pounds. Or well over six feet, on the thin side, with a long loping stride—kind of like Gomer Pyle, who used to be on TV back when TV was worth watching. One witness said the shooter was a Latino in his late twenties. Another said he was Arabic in his thirties. Two witnesses said the killer was a Caucasian with a West Hollywood tan. Still others described him as “Jewish-looking” or “the Italian-type” or even Indian—the tomahawk-chop-Geronimo kind, not the kind that worship cows and wrap goddamn bed sheets around their heads. Whoever murdered Echevarria was swarthy and clean-shaven. The witnesses all agreed on that. They also agreed on the getaway car: nobody saw one.I did neglect one important facet of Mr. Freed’s writing. He is genuinely funny in places. It’s not the mean ugly kind of funny we see so often, but a lighthearted understanding of life’s absurdities. When you read this book make sure that you are in a place that when you laugh out loud no one will care.OBTW... for those of you who do not understand aircraft, the title is itself a joke After you have read the book, look up what happens to pilots who find themselves in a flat spin. It’s not pretty. less

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