The Crime Writer

Jennifer Wardrip - Personal Read

What a great read!

Although it took me a few chapters to get into the story (it's told in alternating real-time and past-tense chapters), this was one thriller that grabs on and never lets go.

I've read other Gregg Hurwitz titles, but THE CRIME WRITER is the first one that had me reading late into the night just to see what happened next. This is one read that definitely keeps you on your toes, and questions everything you think you know about what has happened or what's going to happen.

Definitely recommended -- this one's a winner!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

In Los Angeles crime writer Andrew ¿Drew¿ Danner wakes up in the hospital with no knowledge of how he was found holding a knife and blood is all over him that is not his while his former fiancée Genevieve Bertrand lies dead nearby. Having recently undergone surgery to remove a brain tumor, his short term memory is off. Thus he cannot remember how he came to the crime scene let alone killing Genevieve, but refuses to believe he would murder her as he feels that goes against his natural instincts. --- Drew is found not guilty due to temporary insanity. However, he obsesses with knowing the truth as to whether he committed the homicide as everyone else assumes he did. He makes himself the amateur sleuth in a detective story and begins his investigation. When a second murder similar to the Bertrand homicide occurs, Drew looks guilty, but this time he knows he did not murder anyone. Someone is out to get him by using seemingly innocent people that Drew knows to point the police at him. --- The first part of this exciting thriller may be the best opening ploy in the mystery genre this year. Once the court case is finished, the story line remains strong as readers will want to know whether Drew is capable of killing especially an innocent, but loses some of the momentum as the police become culpable with mistakes in their inquiry. Still Gregg Hurwitz provides an exhilarating tale starring a fascinating beleaguered protagonist who along with the audience wonders if H. Rap Brown¿s famous saying 'violence is American as cherry pie' is true? --- Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

different

slow story hook.

Caution

Absolutely horrible completely off the wall and totally unbelieveable

You will either love it or hate it

The begining of this book is disjointed and often confusing until several
pages into the story you realized that the main character is just as confused and disjointed. If you can make it through the first couple of
chapters, you will find that the plot is well thought out and the book entertaining. The ending
is somewhat of a surprise and makes the book well worth the read.

Enjoyable!

This is my first book from this author but will be looking for more. I didn't get really into right away, though once into it, I was hooked. Some very unexpected (at least to me) twists and turns. Enjoyable...

A reviewer

Imagine waking up in a hospital with no memory and you¿re the lead suspect in a murder investigation of your ex-fiancée. That¿s exactly how ¿The Crime Writer¿ by Gregg Hurwitz begins. When Andrew Drew Danner, a crime novelist, is tried for the murder of his ex-fiancée, Genevieve Bertrand, beside whose body he was found holding a bloody knife, he pleads not guilty. He has no memory of how he got to the crime scene because of a breakdown caused by a recently removed brain tumor. Once he's found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity, Danner sets out to find the real killer¿or discover some very nasty things about himself. Someone's also trying to frame him for a second murder that appears to be similar to that of Bertrand. Luckily, Danner gets help from old friend Chic, an ex-professional baseball player, and Lloyd Wagoner, a troubled police criminalist. I am glad I didn¿t read the negative reviews prior to getting the book. This might have dampened my spirits. True, the book has a melancholy narrative but please, Drew is being charged for murder. He¿s not sure if he did it, plus a piece of his brain is floating in a jar. I think the book was set up perfectly.

21st Century Noir

The Crime Writer finds Hurwitz exploring a new, more noir-influenced direction in his always impeccably crafted crime stories. His previous work exemplified high-octane action scenes, stunning attention to detail, and fast paced thrills. In the Crime Writer, Hurwitz lets the story breath while soaking in the atmosphere of LA, with some hilarious and insightful depictions in the tradition of Raymond Chandler. The story is a kind of post-modern take on noir and how crime, pop culture, and Los Angeles have been doing their dance since the city's inception. As a crime writer, the novel's protagonist, Drew Danner, finds himself in the middle of a plot straight out of one of his own pot- boilers. As he begins his investigation into clearing his own name, he finds that much of what he thought to be true isn't. He decides the only way to discover the truth is to write his own story, but he finds that he may be in over his head in the real world. The Crime Writer features one of the best hooks in recent memory. The characters, humor, and unfolding mystery make it impossible to put down. Readers looking for an original take on the classic LA noir tradition will love the Crime Writer.

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