- Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Forge books; 1 edition (Sep 17 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0765344173
- ISBN-13: 978-0765344175
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,294,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
If this first mystery from fantasy author Rosenberg (Not Exactly the Three Musketeers) were a movie, it might be titled "The Boyz in the 'Hood Take a Day Trip to Lake Woebegone." Ernest "Sparky" Hemingway, a 50-ish copyeditor living in Hardwoods, N.Dak., gets a call from the teenage daughter of his Vietnam buddy George "Prez" Washington (an officer with a strange sense of humor put them both in the same tank crew, along with a guy called Doc Holliday). Seems that Prez, a Minneapolis pharmacist, has been killed by some of that city's burgeoning crew of gangbangers and left instructions that Hemingway and/or Holliday (now practicing medicine in Indianapolis) were to be called to look after daughter Tenisha in the event of his death. After both Sparky and Doc rush to Minneapolis and anger a large number of gangstas and local cops, Sparky takes the scared, shy, sullen Tenisha home to Hardwoods, where the locals are astonished to find an urban black teenager in their midst. An FBI agent with a Vietnamese face and a Norwegian last name shows up, making mysterious noises about Prez and his daughter; then four young black males are found dead in a car not far from Hardwoods. Rosenberg's plotting has some intriguing twists, and his portrait of Sparky as a man smarter and tougher than he looks is interesting, but the disparate elements never quite gel into an exciting or entertaining whole.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
This is the first mystery from accomplished fantasy novelist Rosenberg. Ernest "Sparky" Hemingway is a copy editor, growing older and wearier by the day. When the daughter of old Vietnam buddy George Washington asks him to help her out of a tricky situation, he decides, somewhat unenthusiastically, to give it a shot. Teaming up with his ol' pal Doc Holliday, Sparky sets off from his comfy North Dakota home to the big, bad city of Minneapolis on his reluctant rescue mission. This is the first in a projected series of Sparky Hemingway novels, and if the series is to flourish, the author needs to make a few changes. The people-with-famous-names gimmick is tiresome; the first-person narration (by Hemingway) is wearisome; and one of the story's central plot points--the color of Tenishia Washington's skin--is handled in a manner that some readers might find distasteful. Still, Rosenberg has a sound premise (the aging-copy-editor-turned-sleuth), and readers looking for something offbeat may enjoy the story. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
Thirty years later, the phone rang. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Thirty years later, the phone rang. Read the first page
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Where have all the good writers gone?,
By "ratthing" (Madison, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Home Front (Hardcover)
It seems the majority of my favourite authors are just cranking out books per contract lately, and this one is unfortunately no different. Like Joe Haldeman and Stephen King, it seems Joel Rosenberg has been getting by on reputation in his past several books. I loved Rosenberg's early work, and was hoping some of the old Joel would shine through in this break from the Guardians series. This non-"skiffy / fantasy" novel doesn't break the trend for Rosenberg.As a Midwestie I found the "East Dakota" bits compelling enough, and I was actually quite interested in those parts of the book. Other than that the character development and main plot (particularly the ending) were embarrassingly contrived. The book reads like a movie written, directed and *narrated* by Stephen Segal. It seems this book is going to be the first in a series -- I'll probably buy the subsequent novels out of a sense of duty, but I don't expect to enjoy them unless Rosenberg stops mailing in his work. And please, Joel, for the love of God, put the Guardians series to rest.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Credible fun,
By Mike Rogers (Manhattan) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Home Front (Hardcover)
As a recovering Midwesterner, I was fascinated by the depth and accuracy with which Rosenberg shows small-town life on the plains. And then there's the characters. Small towns are filled with characters, and Ernest "Sparky" Hemingway is as fun a curmudgeon as you'll ever find. My only criticism of this book is that the sequel isn't out yet. There will be a sequel, I hope? Many of them, if Rosenberg can maintain this level of quality.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Enjoyable Read,
By
This review is from: Home Front (Hardcover)
I was a little hesitant purchasing this title. I've enjoyed the author's fantasy novels and Home Front is a departure from that genre. I was pleased to find that I fell right into this story and never looked back.Not only does it have a great opening line that hooks the reader immediately, the protagonist is highly likable (in a crotchety kind of way). Those familiar with Mr. Rosenberg's "Keepers of the Hidden Ways" series will recognize many of the colorful residents of Hardwood, ND. I enjoyed seeing Doc Sherve and Jeff Bjerke again. One of the things I enjoyed most was the dichotomy between the ways of Hardwood and the attitudes of Minneapolis. The story ended a little abruptly, for my taste, but left me wanting to hear more about this great cast of characters.
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