195. Title & Author: Dead I Well May Be by Adrian McKinty (367 pages) Genre: Fiction—Crime Thriller
Completed: 1 September 2011
Summary & Review:
With no future in Ireland, 19 year-old Michael Forsythe illegally immigrates to New York City and takes up employment with Irish gangster, Darkey White. Michael easily begins to move up in the crew with his sharp mind and steely nerves, until he has an affair with Darkey’s girl. Michael and three others of his crew are sent to Mexico and double-crossed. After suffering unbearable hell in a Mexican prison and watching his three friends brutally murdered while incarcerated, Forsythe escapes and begins exacting his remorseless revenge on all those who betrayed him.
This was a pretty brutal book. Once Forsythe started exacting his revenge, it was relentless and unflinchingly violent. The character of Michael Forsythe is a flawed, turbulent, and grim human being, yet he still has enough humanity within for the reader to be able to relate to him rather than simply being terrified of him. McKinty’s prose was quick, almost choppy. But, being an Irishman himself, he was able to effectively illustrate the intricacies of Irish culture and crime to the reader through authentic dialogue and vernacular. In my opinion, the plot timing was a little inconsistent, however. The pace began with a quick step, but slowed dramatically during the middle portion of the novel with an extended incarceration scene where Forsythe reflects on his past and present. But, as soon as Forsythe escapes from prison, the story picks up and doesn’t stop.
Rating: 7.5
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