Most helpful customer reviews
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Not Highsmith's best - but a good read, Jul 6 2001
It seemed that Highsmith was interested in exploring the psychology of the two main characters -- Theodore and Ramon -- and their unlikely relationship. To do so, Highsmith packaged a murder mystery around the two. As a result, something is lost both in the mystery and the exploration of the characters.The two men are vastly different. Teo is a wealthy German, reserved, cool, an artist. Ramon is a poor Mexican workingman, fiery, tempramental, a devout Catholic, a furniture mender. And they happened to share the same woman, who has been brutally murdered. Told from Teo's point of view, the bulk of the book grapples with Teo's suspicion of Ramon as the killer and his efforts to understand his friend's mental state, which is, at best, somewhat shaky. They travel through Mexico together, trying to chase down suspects of the crime. But ultimately the book fails to deliver. It never attains the level of tension that Highsmith usually brings to her books with austere prose and the exploration into the psychology of brutally flawed protagonists. But, still, it's better than 95% of the mysteries out there. It's not a great place to start with Highsmith, but it's a interesting if not enthralling ride on the Patricia-train...
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2.0 out of 5 stars
a weak effort by The Talented Ms. Highsmith, April 4 2001
Patricia ("The Talented Mr. Ripley") Highsmith has written many wonderful psychological thrillers. After having enjoyed many of these I had high expectations of 'A Game for the Living'. Sadly, I was disappointed.Unlike Highsmith's successful formula of writing tense thrillers about accused murders undergoing extreme apprehension about being caught, 'A Game for the Living' is a simple whodunnit-type murder mystery. It involves the murder of a "loose" young Mexican woman, and the friendship of her two lovers as they try to locate the killer. I found the story to be banal, with no suspense build up. It is hard to imagine this book was written by Highsmith. Bottom line: skip this book, buy one of Highsmith's (much) better works such as 'The Blunderer', 'Strangers on a Train', and 'This Sweet Sickness' (..to name a few).
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4.0 out of 5 stars
A sharp work of mystery, Dec 4 2000
I tend to go for the harder edge of mystery and noir (Andrew Vachss, Chester Himes, etc.), but whenever I can afford it, I buy a new Highsmith novel. Why? Because she creates believeable characters and absorbing settings, and her books are more than just the mystery that's a segment (sometimes, as in this case, a small one) of the plot. Unlike the chilling "Cry Of The Owl", this novel is more about Theodore and Ramon than it is about the murder that it opens with. This isn't a wild ride, edge-of-your-seat book. Instead it lures you in by making you care about the characters. Highsmith seems almost to forget about the murder, in fact, and explores these two men, and their relationship, at some depth. The mystery is paid attention to...but the novel ends on a note that implies maybe it isn't as neat as the characters think. If you're looking for an out-and-out mystery, or a suspense thriller, "The Cry Of The Owl", an equally good book, is probably more for you. But if you like psychodrama, definitely pick up "A Game For The Living."
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