Rating: 
Summary: an unusual hero
Review: The "Caveman" of the title is Romulus Ledbetter, once a gifted black piano prodigy at Julliard, then a struggling musician, husband and father, now a paranoid derelict, living in a cave in New York City's Inwood Park. The "valentine" is the corpse of a young gay homeless man, with a heart tattoo, that's left near his cave. When the dead man's lover comes to Romulus with a story about a famous artist who used the victim as a model in his work, but then tortured and probably killed him, the Caveman decides to investigate, despite objections from his police officer daughter. Romulus is motivated at least in part by his own belief that the murder may be the work of his arch nemesis, Cornelius Gould Stuyvesant, the evil criminal genius who lurks in the Chrysler Building, beaming his Y Rays throughout the unsuspecting city.In spite of, or oftentimes because of, his delusional fantasies, Romulus is an engaging hero. His homeless status makes him the ultimate outsider, and his frequent inability to separate reality from insanity and his warped certainty that everything is part of a huge conspiracy directed by Stuyvesant lend the story a tense nightmarish quality. Though the book is overlong by at least fifty pages and telegraphs its punches a tad too much, the Caveman is a sufficiently unusual and interesting character to make it worthwhile. GRADE : B
Rating:
Summary: an unusual hero
Review: The "Caveman" of the title is Romulus Ledbetter, once a gifted black piano prodigy at Julliard, then a struggling musician, husband and father, now a paranoid derelict, living in a cave in New York City's Inwood Park. The "valentine" is the corpse of a young gay homeless man, with a heart tattoo, that's left near his cave. When the dead man's lover comes to Romulus with a story about a famous artist who used the victim as a model in his work, but then tortured and probably killed him, the Caveman decides to investigate, despite objections from his police officer daughter. Romulus is motivated at least in part by his own belief that the murder may be the work of his arch nemesis, Cornelius Gould Stuyvesant, the evil criminal genius who lurks in the Chrysler Building, beaming his Y Rays throughout the unsuspecting city. In spite of, or oftentimes because of, his delusional fantasies, Romulus is an engaging hero. His homeless status makes him the ultimate outsider, and his frequent inability to separate reality from insanity and his warped certainty that everything is part of a huge conspiracy directed by Stuyvesant lend the story a tense nightmarish quality. Though the book is overlong by at least fifty pages and telegraphs its punches a tad too much, the Caveman is a sufficiently unusual and interesting character to make it worthwhile. GRADE : B
Rating: 
Summary: I think about this book a lot
Review: The unique viewpoint is what makes theis book so amazing. In addition to a having a first rate murder mystery, you get to see the plot and characters through the eyes and mind of a paranoid schizophrenic who must struggle to suppress the voices in his head and the conspiracies all around him. This book has influenced forever the way I see "crazy" people. My wife and I still talk about this book years after we've read it.
Rating: 
Summary: grossly misleading
Review: this book grossly misleads the public on the plight of the homeless mentally ill. it makes it seem as if it is a lifestyle choice or a matter of freedom. the illness, paranoid schizophrenia, is a deadly one that leads to self-neglect, injury and very often, death. i know from bitter experience, as i took a homeless mentally ill man into my home five months ago. people with paranoid schizophrenia do not grow pumpkins, give hugs, have friends or solve murders. they struggle to do the most basic of daily activities we take for granted. my friend has endangered his own life many times, and because of the neglect and lack of treatment, has deteriorated so badly over the years that he is now unable to care for himself. the depiction of this hero is incredibly irresponsible, and will encourage people to neglect and ignore the problems of the homeless mentally ill. this can only lead to more pointless tragedy, loss of life and suffering of the homeless mentally ill.
Rating:
Summary: grossly misleading
Review: this book grossly misleads the public on the plight of the homeless mentally ill. it makes it seem as if it is a lifestyle choice or a matter of freedom. the illness, paranoid schizophrenia, is a deadly one that leads to self-neglect, injury and very often, death. i know from bitter experience, as i took a homeless mentally ill man into my home five months ago. people with paranoid schizophrenia do not grow pumpkins, give hugs, have friends or solve murders. they struggle to do the most basic of daily activities we take for granted. my friend has endangered his own life many times, and because of the neglect and lack of treatment, has deteriorated so badly over the years that he is now unable to care for himself. the depiction of this hero is incredibly irresponsible, and will encourage people to neglect and ignore the problems of the homeless mentally ill. this can only lead to more pointless tragedy, loss of life and suffering of the homeless mentally ill.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but also very, very misleading
Review: This book is entertaining as it involves solving a murder. However, it is extremely irresponsible and misleading on the subject of the homeless mentally ill. These people experience a very high mortality rate in the streets and homeless shelter environment. They do not grow pumpkins, give hugs, borrow suits, or solve murders. Theirs is a life of physical injury and illness, misery, neglect and terror. Without medication, schizophrenia, especially the paranoid type that the book's hero suffers from, is a devastating, horrible disease. Rarely is homelessness an issue of freedom and independence for the mentally ill. It is an issue of being terrified of people - of bathrooms, or light bulbs, or having a bag of sacred newspaper clippings put in a locker, or having people deny you are the second Christ...and an impaired person may die from his poor judgement and self-neglect and delusions. I speak from bitter experience. I brought a homeless mentally ill man into my home five months ago. I can tell everyone for a fact, he was very eager to have food and shelter - being on the street had NOTHING to do with independence, freedom or autonomy. His paranoia makes it impossible for him to think rationally, to have friends, or to be safe. Frostbite, gangrene, amputations, and constant terror are his companions. The book encourages people to stand by while the homeless mentally ill suffer, in the mistaken belief that there is something good or ennobling about such a life. Such attitudes lead to more death and suffering.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but also very, very misleading
Review: This book is entertaining as it involves solving a murder. However, it is extremely irresponsible and misleading on the subject of the homeless mentally ill. These people experience a very high mortality rate in the streets and homeless shelter environment. They do not grow pumpkins, give hugs, borrow suits, or solve murders. Theirs is a life of physical injury and illness, misery, neglect and terror. Without medication, schizophrenia, especially the paranoid type that the book's hero suffers from, is a devastating, horrible disease. Rarely is homelessness an issue of freedom and independence for the mentally ill. It is an issue of being terrified of people - of bathrooms, or light bulbs, or having a bag of sacred newspaper clippings put in a locker, or having people deny you are the second Christ...and an impaired person may die from his poor judgement and self-neglect and delusions. I speak from bitter experience. I brought a homeless mentally ill man into my home five months ago. I can tell everyone for a fact, he was very eager to have food and shelter - being on the street had NOTHING to do with independence, freedom or autonomy. His paranoia makes it impossible for him to think rationally, to have friends, or to be safe. Frostbite, gangrene, amputations, and constant terror are his companions. The book encourages people to stand by while the homeless mentally ill suffer, in the mistaken belief that there is something good or ennobling about such a life. Such attitudes lead to more death and suffering.
Rating:
Summary: A Powerful thriller with a sense of humor!
Review: This book is the most original Masterpiece of a Mystery thatI have ever read. And it is very funny also.Both his books are a wonderful formula of everything a Mystery/Thriller should be.I wish That I could write like that! Mr. Green please keep them comming as I know many cant wait for your next one.
Rating:
Summary: What a deeply wonderful book!
Review: This book is what good novel writhing is all about. Interesting in-depth characters, a great plot, discussing issues that are important to everyone's life-relationships, illness, poverty, love, lust and yes, murder. It's a murder mystery but totally not of the formulaic mode. I just plain, flat out loved it, and give it to friends to spread the enjoyment around
Rating:
Summary: A Unique Mystery with a Hero like no Other
Review: This debut novel, set in modern day New York City, is a very unique mystery with a protagonist, Romulus Ledbetter, who is unique to say the least. Romulus is a classically trained musician who lives in a cave in New York's Central Park, perennially in fear of the control beams emanating from the Chrysler Building by his arch-nemesis "Stuyvesant". Having alienated himself from his family, Romulus feels safe and secure in his cave, watching imaginary monday night football games from a hollowed out television with no picture tube, until a corpse is dumped near his cave and Rom goes to work trying to investigate (both to clear his name and due to some sense of obgligation to the deceased). Ledbetter gets around pretty well for a homeless man, and the story takes him from luxury apartments to an estate in the Hudson River Valley, where he encounters a world of artistic and sexual depravity. The novel portrays paranoid schizophrenia with compassion and a little poignant humor, and almost despite yourself you are drawn into the plot. There are of course considerable discrepancies between the facts as they exist, and those occuring in Ledbetter's vivid imagination. However Green pulls off the dichotomy with skill, so that we can make sense of the novel's action while still understanding its hero, his fears and motivations. There are a few leaps of logic in the plot, including some action upstate that doesn't seem to fit, but overall I thought this book was a very enjoyable ride.
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