Title: For Nothing Author: Nicholas Denmon Genre: Fiction, Mafia Crime Thriller Format: E-book, Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1463567835
Alex Vaughn is a work-a-holic. He dedicates every hour of his day to bringing down the baddies, locking them up and tossing away the key. When his best friend Jack comes to him for help with a big secret meeting Alex agrees to help.
But sometimes even the best of plans get derailed.
Unfortunately, this time someone ended up dead. When Alex looked down at his friend lying on the cold, hard pavement dead there was only one thing on his mind: Vengeance. And Alex knew just how to get it.
He decides to bring back his alter ego, a slick talking gangster, to go deep undercover and flush out his best friend’s killer. Little does he know that he is searching for one of the last old school professional killers to walk the streets. A man who has honed his craft into a finely tuned skill. The stakes are high and the time is limited. Alex has to take out this guy before his cover is blown and he’s taken down. Little does he know that the mess he will be stepping into will be the biggest of his career.
This book was a departure from the paranormal/fantasy I usually read. That’s right, folks, no werewolves in this one. But you know? That’s okay. Why? Because this book didn’t need any werewolves or supernatural elements to make it good. And it is good. It has a whole bunch of other elements that make it good. What are these elements? Read on:
1. The writing. Clearly Nicholas Denmon knows how to write a sentence (which is good because there are a lot of sentences in this novel). His writing style is clear and concise. His use of detail and imagery was not gratuitous but leaves the reader with a clear and vivid picture of the characters surroundings as well as everything that was happening in the story.
2. The plot. This was a very well developed plot. It had to be in order for the story to be a success. The cast of characters was pretty big, considering the mafia and gangs in this book. There were sides to keep straight and alliances to remember. In order for the reader to know precisely who was with whom a very accurate account of what was happening was essential. It was done well. The lines were clearly drawn into the sand and the reader always knew which side they were standing on.
3. The characters. Ahh, my favorite part of the book. I enjoyed all of these characters. Even the shoot ‘em up, cut off your finger, stalk you while you sleep characters. In fact, they were my favorites. Hey, even gangsta’s need love too. Each character had a place in the story and his/her involvement was always evident.
The two main characters of the story was the thing that kept me reading. I loved the dynamic between Alex and Rafael. True, the characters never really had any interaction, but the dynamic was still there. How thin the line between the law and the streets really is. If you never realized that before, you do now. The parallel between an undercover cop and an assassin in this book really struck me. They were just two guys trying to make it through the day in a dirty world. Sure, the assassin had his reasons for the life that he lived. So did the cop. But really, sometimes I wondered what made the cops any different than the people they were trying to bring down. The cops had to do things that made them just as dirty as the gangsters. So does that mean they get off free because the reasons they were doing them were in the name of the law?
That brings me to another thought. (As you can see this book really got me thinking…and now you all have to listen to me babble) The cops in this book (not all of them) turned dirty. Does that mean that the influence of unlawful behavior is addicting? Does that mean that the lure of an easy score (of cash) is too much temptation? Or maybe it means that the loyalty amongst thieves might be greater than that amongst the law upholders. It’s an interesting thought.
Anyway, back to Rafael and Alex. The book alternated between the two men. We see what Alex’s day was like and then see what the same day was like for Rafael. How closely these men’s days resembled each other. And how much their paths crossed without even recognizing the other. Frankly, the next book will be great because now they are aware of each other…now all bets are off. The ending of this book made me smile…it will probably make you smile too. If it doesn’t then that might mean that I will someday end up on the wrong side of the law…but don’t worry, if I do, you’ll likely never know. I learned a few things from old Rafael…in fact, I suddenly have an intense need to go out and buy a fedora and perch it on my head…
I saw one just the other day at Target in a lovely shade of blue.
Go out and buy this book, people. Read it. Think it. Even if this is a departure for you from your regular reads (like it was for me) you may find yourself enjoying it. There is a reason that For Nothing was nominated for Breakout Novel of 2011 by Good Reads, it deserves the nomination and any time that you have to read it.
Title: For Nothing
Author: Nicholas Denmon
Genre: Fiction, Mafia Crime Thriller
Format: E-book, Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1463567835
Alex Vaughn is a work-a-holic. He dedicates every hour of his day to bringing down the baddies, locking them up and tossing away the key. When his best friend Jack comes to him for help with a big secret meeting Alex agrees to help.
But sometimes even the best of plans get derailed.
Unfortunately, this time someone ended up dead. When Alex looked down at his friend lying on the cold, hard pavement dead there was only one thing on his mind: Vengeance. And Alex knew just how to get it.
He decides to bring back his alter ego, a slick talking gangster, to go deep undercover and flush out his best friend’s killer. Little does he know that he is searching for one of the last old school professional killers to walk the streets. A man who has honed his craft into a finely tuned skill.
The stakes are high and the time is limited. Alex has to take out this guy before his cover is blown and he’s taken down. Little does he know that the mess he will be stepping into will be the biggest of his career.
This book was a departure from the paranormal/fantasy I usually read. That’s right, folks, no werewolves in this one. But you know? That’s okay. Why? Because this book didn’t need any werewolves or supernatural elements to make it good. And it is good. It has a whole bunch of other elements that make it good. What are these elements? Read on:
1. The writing. Clearly Nicholas Denmon knows how to write a sentence (which is good because there are a lot of sentences in this novel). His writing style is clear and concise. His use of detail and imagery was not gratuitous but leaves the reader with a clear and vivid picture of the characters surroundings as well as everything that was happening in the story.
2. The plot. This was a very well developed plot. It had to be in order for the story to be a success. The cast of characters was pretty big, considering the mafia and gangs in this book. There were sides to keep straight and alliances to remember. In order for the reader to know precisely who was with whom a very accurate account of what was happening was essential. It was done well. The lines were clearly drawn into the sand and the reader always knew which side they were standing on.
3. The characters. Ahh, my favorite part of the book. I enjoyed all of these characters. Even the shoot ‘em up, cut off your finger, stalk you while you sleep characters. In fact, they were my favorites. Hey, even gangsta’s need love too. Each character had a place in the story and his/her involvement was always evident.
The two main characters of the story was the thing that kept me reading. I loved the dynamic between Alex and Rafael. True, the characters never really had any interaction, but the dynamic was still there. How thin the line between the law and the streets really is. If you never realized that before, you do now. The parallel between an undercover cop and an assassin in this book really struck me. They were just two guys trying to make it through the day in a dirty world. Sure, the assassin had his reasons for the life that he lived. So did the cop. But really, sometimes I wondered what made the cops any different than the people they were trying to bring down. The cops had to do things that made them just as dirty as the gangsters. So does that mean they get off free because the reasons they were doing them were in the name of the law?
That brings me to another thought. (As you can see this book really got me thinking…and now you all have to listen to me babble) The cops in this book (not all of them) turned dirty. Does that mean that the influence of unlawful behavior is addicting? Does that mean that the lure of an easy score (of cash) is too much temptation? Or maybe it means that the loyalty amongst thieves might be greater than that amongst the law upholders. It’s an interesting thought.
Anyway, back to Rafael and Alex. The book alternated between the two men. We see what Alex’s day was like and then see what the same day was like for Rafael. How closely these men’s days resembled each other. And how much their paths crossed without even recognizing the other. Frankly, the next book will be great because now they are aware of each other…now all bets are off. The ending of this book made me smile…it will probably make you smile too. If it doesn’t then that might mean that I will someday end up on the wrong side of the law…but don’t worry, if I do, you’ll likely never know. I learned a few things from old Rafael…in fact, I suddenly have an intense need to go out and buy a fedora and perch it on my head…
I saw one just the other day at Target in a lovely shade of blue.
Go out and buy this book, people. Read it. Think it. Even if this is a departure for you from your regular reads (like it was for me) you may find yourself enjoying it. There is a reason that For Nothing was nominated for Breakout Novel of 2011 by Good Reads, it deserves the nomination and any time that you have to read it.
So there you have it. My opinion.