- Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
- Publisher: Leisure Books; First THUS edition
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0843946830
- ISBN-13: 978-0843946833
- Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 10.7 x 2.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 191 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
A ho-hum revenge thriller,
By The Reader Reviews (http://www.thereaderreviews.com) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Poker Club (Mass Market Paperback)
Ed Gorman is a fairly well-known author in the horror and crime fields but "The Poker Club" was my introduction to his writing. Depending on your slant you could call "The Poker Club" a crime novel or thriller (possibly even horror though there's nothing supernatural). Unfortunately I'm left calling it unfulfilling.The plot of "The Poker Club" (which is an expansion of an earlier novella) isn't breaking any new ground in the crime/thriller genre: a group of friends accidentally kill a burglar who breaks into the lead (Aaron's) home during a meeting of their poker club. The rest of the novel follows the friends as they deal with the vengeful partner of the dead burglar and the police investigation. This is, of course, intended to be thrilling and suspenseful but instead is only mildly interesting. Most of the "thrilling" events are rehashes of typical stalking/revenge tales, the characters are two-dimensional stereotypes, and the conclusion is a cop-out. Though I'll most likely give Gorman another shot based on his notoriety, I'd recommend "The Poker Club" to only the most desperate crime/thriller fan.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very cool expansion of a short story,
This review is from: The Poker Club (Mass Market Paperback)
It doesn't matter whether or not you've ever read the short story that formed the basis for this novel -- Ed Gorman's "Out There in the Darkness." No matter what, this novel is totally chilling. Is it horror or crime? Doesn't matter -- it's both. In fact, people who enjoyed Sam Raimi's flick "A Simple Plan" or the book it's based on will enjoy "The Poker Club." Put simply, it's a fast-moving disturbing tale that shows how easily supposedly every-day "normal" people can see their lives shredded by making a couple of bad judgments in a short timespan. Gorman's one of the finest writers out there, and "The Poker Club" proves it. By the way, the original short story is considerably different from the novel, so if you've read the story, pick up the novel as well.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Sterotype central.,
By
This review is from: The Poker Club (Mass Market Paperback)
To call "The Poker Club" a horror title is a grand misnomer. I totally agree with another reviewer that this really should have been listed as a crime title. To it's credit "The Poker Club" is a very fast and easy read. What a pity that there was no real payoff by the novel's conclusion. What suprised me most was Mr. Gorman's use of every ethnic and racial sterotype imaginable. Our hero, Aaron Tyler tells us himself through his clumsy first person narrative that he is the token WASP, Curtis is the token black, Neil is the token Jew and Bill is the token Catholic. Or that's what he'll have you believe that's what they call themselves to one another. Do you know of anyone who would actually talk like that? The sterotypes don't stop there. We read them when describing the residents of "rough" neighborhoods in Aaron's small Midwestern town and in describing the carnies working at the fair. If as much thought went into the plot as the racial profiling, there might have been a nub of a tale worth telling. Detective Patterson apparently knows what went down with the men, yet does no real police work to get them to talk. "When you're ready to tell the truth..." "Stop lying to me..." make up a major portion of her speaking lines. Any police officer out there reading this novel would be insulted by her poor procedural tactics. Aaron and his friends are supposed neighborhood saints turned sinners. There is nothing redeeming or memorable about any of these men. I half-expected these dreaded six words after the final sentence . . . "And we lived happily ever after." That's the sort of feel the novel has by the end. There are plenty of other good novels out there that will, no doubt, entertain you more. Leave this one on the shelf.
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