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Product Description
Review
...a subtle blend of hardboiled style and noir sensibility in a satisfying who-done-it. Author Strange skillfully tangles webs of failure and deceit behind the sunny superficiality of familiar Canadian character types, giving them credible personalities. I'm planning a trip to my favourite bookseller for a copy of Sucker Punch, first of the Joe Grundy series.
(Murder Out There )Strange tells the story in a clear, energetic style with astute timing for action, reflection and heart. Body Blows is a knockout.
(Hamilton Spectator, The )This is the second novel by Strange featuring ex-boxer Joe Grundy and his boss, Leo Alexander. The first one was a fine debut, nominated for an Arthur Ellis Award. This one is even better, with a great Vancouver setting and a really solid story that takes us back into Leo's personal life...Strange, an actor as well as a television writer, knows how to keep the dialogue moving, and while his characters are light, they're not slight. The action keeps moving and Vancouver is the perfect backdrop. Body Blows is a great light novel for a weekend away.
(Globe & Mail, The )The plot of Body Blows zips along as smoothly and cleverly as Marc Strange's first Joe Grundy novel, Sucker Punch...but the real charm of what's turning into a series is Joe Grundy himself, a quasi-tough guy who's smart, loyal, shrewd but easy-going, and blessedly witty-a pleasure to hang out with for a few hours inside a book.
(London Free Press, The )"This tough, non-nonsense novel has a lot going for it. Marc Strange...has produced an excellent plot, terrific characters and steely dialogue. They all meld nicely."
(Record, The )""This is a catchy story with a great setting."
(National Post, The )"Fast-paced and hard-hitting, Body Blows is classic hard-boiled, with colourful characters, snappy dialogue and a cynical point of view. If you like Hemingway, you’ll like Marc Strange."
(Sherbrooke Record )Product Description
Ex-boxer Joe Grundy is embroiled in the intrigues of his own boss, millionaire Leo Alexander, the owner of Vancouver's Lord Douglas Hotel. Somebody has murdered Leo's live-in servant and not-so-secret lover, and Grundy has to get to the bottom of the incident in order to clear the man he's forged a bond with since first coming to work for him as security for the hotel. But Leo's past serves up more surprises than Grundy bargained for
It seems Leo has had a life full of death, jilted mistresses, spurned spouses, sharp business deals, and explosive relationships with estranged children. Another corpse pops up, Leo is arrested and jailed, and Grundy takes more hits to his body and psyche than perhaps even he can handle.
Thoughts of real and imagined death are stalking the corridors of the Lord Douglas, and Joe Grundy has to keep swinging to stay alive and remain sane.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
First rate writing and great characters,
By
This review is from: Body Blows: A Joe Grundy Mystery (Paperback)
I read a reference to Marc Strange's Joe Grundy series in the Globe and Mail and ordered this book from Amazon on a whim. I am so glad I did. Tight,elegant writing and strong characters. Good story. The fact the story is set in Vancouver makes it that much more fun because the locations are so familiar to me and work so well with the plot itself but it could easily be set in Toronto, Chicago or Florida and the book would read as well.
There is not an extraneous word and yet there is no claustrophic sense of forced "tough" writing. The main character, ex prize fighter Joe Grundy, is a man's man.Joe Grundy is essentially a decent man, loyal, intelligent and confident in himself, in his friends and in the woman he loves (a TV reporter who wants to cover the war in Afghanistan.) Joe isn't as flashy as Travis McGee but anyone who enjoys the Travis McGee novels will enjoy these books. Strange is a first rate writer and I hope American readers are lucky enough to discover him.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fun mystery,
By
This review is from: Body Blows: A Joe Grundy Mystery (Paperback)
Body Blows is a wonderful follow-up to Marc Strange's Sucker Punch.
Fans of Robert B. Parker will instantly enjoy this book. The writing is crisp, well paced and will give you many smirks along the way. I am looking forward to the next instalment.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great to know you don't have to choose between quality and genre,
By David B. Schlosser "dbschlosser" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Body Blows: A Joe Grundy Mystery (Paperback)
I chose this book after it won an 2010 Edgar award from Mystery Writers of America for Best Paperback Original. I was not disappointed - this book is a great read. The characterization is a delight to unravel along with the solution to the mystery, which is deftly plotted. I was particularly impressed with the dialogue, which is snappy and evocative without being too clever by half or sounding wedged into a scene simply to achieve a one-liner. Marc Strange deserves great credit for respecting his readers enough to treat them to style that matches the substance of his story.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
familiar feel,
By John Bowes - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Body Blows: A Joe Grundy Mystery (Paperback)
If you appreciate the old masters, Chandler, Hammett, et al, you will be comfortable here. A modern Vancouver setting with a good solid hero doing good work. This makes me look for more by this author.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I Love A Good Boxer,
By madscientist_13 "B. Thomas" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Body Blows: A Joe Grundy Mystery (Paperback)
Mysterious deaths, lots of money and a dysfunctional family-what more could you ask for?
I have to say that I enjoyed this novel, mostly because of the characters. I thought that Joe Grundy was an expertly crafted character and the way that he was interwoven into the fabric of narrative made that story so readable that I was hooked from the word go. I love a good case of family dysfunction too, but then again, who doesn't? On the down side, I found that as the story progressed towards the end it became a little predictable and I am always a little annoyed when I can figure out who done it before the big reveal, but that wasn't really that big of an issue with this book. It didn't take away from the enjoyment at all because it wasn't even the conclusion of the story, which I liked even more. I have to say I recommend this book, it makes for a surprisingly good, and fast, read. |
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