Review Summaries

• The novel is praised as dark, hard-edged crime fiction, with the collaborative tension and dual viewpoint as major strengths. Beneath the violence, it leaves a sense of lost friendship and grief.

Reviews

• Amazing Collaboration

  Both Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman are cult heroes in the world of crime and noir literature, and TOWER demonstrates why they are giants of the genre. TOWER is, as many of the reviewers point out, divided into two main parts, though the very last section is written in a different voice and is a perfect coda to the story. The novel is raw and gritty, yet also touched with moments of breathtaking grace. Highly recommended.

• Towering

  I confess to being a Ken Bruen fan having read everything I can get my hands on. Lately I have been reading the books he co-authors, such as this 'Tower' with Reed Farrel Coleman (Brookly Rabbi,poet and award winning crime writer). This is noir territory but with a modern feel, snappy dialogue and sharp action with a few twists. Nick and Todd are at the heart of the novel - we find out if a friendship can survive the test of divided loyalties through drugs, betrayal and murderous mayhem. Oddball characters, cops, snitches, wiseguys and girls, oddball situations. It's not so much the plot as the clever drawing to gether of events and characters, the style and the wit, not a word out of place. Easy and quick to read. Two masters of their trade at work. There is a different tone to the books Bruen writes with others and I haven't been disappointed yet. Bruen also led me to Jason Starr and Wayne Swiercynski among others. Highly recommended for the noir fan.

• A Different and Intriguing Book

  I've read most books by Reed Farrel Coleman and many by Ken Bruen but could not "connect" with how they would collaborate on one. I could guess which author wrote which sections of the book. In any event, it truly "played well". (I noticed one reviewer knew which section had been written by which author ... don't know where that was indicated ......?). Without ruining the story, per a short summary of a relatively short book, it covers a brief period in the early adult life of two guys raised in Brooklyn when they both were getting into some illegal activities. To even discuss the approach the authors took in writing the book could spoil some of the subtle twists in it. I've had difficulty getting into almost every book I've read written by Ken Bruen. This was no exception; however, as with the others, that changes quickly. Once I got into it, the story moved very quickly and I had difficulty putting it down. My reading enjoyment had one major exception which was the graphic detail about a murder (something I try to avoid in selecting novels). That was a very minor part of the book and it may well have added to the importance of the events that followed . My tendency also is to avoid prologues, but for some reason I read this one and it did add to the intrigue. If you enjoy books by either of these authors and/or if you enjoy "crime novels" in general, I'd recommend this one. I must conclude here by saying that every time I read a book by one of these two guys, I am left with the thought: " there are those with true talent; then, there's the rest of us"...

• Simply Terrific

  I have long been a huge fan of Bruen but Coleman was an unknown to me. No more. What a terrific read. Highly recommended.

• Lower your expectations

  It was an enjoyable read although, unlike Bruen's collaboration with Jason Starr, the final product did not exceed their individual contributions.

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