Ninth Square

Rating:
Summary: Fast paced, sexy, and fun!
Review: I picked this up because I'm such a fan of Bechard's first books, Second Greatest Story Ever Told. While nothing like that book, I still could not put this one down. A perfect airplane read, with short chapters that end with a line that MAKES you turn the page and keep reading! I read the first half on a flight to Chicago, then found myself sitting up in my hotel room until 4 AM finishing it. I want Detective Shute to rescue me!

Rating:
Summary: Not your run of the mill mystery novel ...
Review: I'm not generally a fan of detective stories, mysteries, or crime novels. Ninth Square is a fascinating read as it seems to break the boundaries of it's classified genre. Bechard's style is genuinely engaging and has a very natural feel, not at all forced. The prose reads like thoughts.
The bulk of the novel is written in the first person and makes you feel as if you are in the head of the main character, Detective William Shute, reliving the memories of the week-long series of events which make up the plot of the novel. The story is fast paced and engaging and Bechard doesn't solve the mystery (or allow the reader to solve it) until the end. It is absolutely packed with red herrings, believable red herrings, as any good mystery should be. Bechard has a real talent for writing likable characters, which, when coming from a misanthrope such as myself, is saying a lot. When I give it a second read - and you can be sure I will give it a second read, as with all of Bechard's tales, be they feature length films ("Psychos in Love"), experimental shorts ("The Pretty Girl"), or literature ("The Hazmat Diaries", "Ninth Square"), once is not enough - I look forward to seeing what I missed the first time around by not knowing the outcome. I hope that Bechard plans to bring Detective Shute back in future novels, but until he does, I highly recommend giving "Ninth Square" a good read.

Rating:
Summary: Not your run of the mill mystery novel ...
Review: I'm not generally a fan of detective stories, mysteries, or crime novels. Ninth Square is a fascinating read as it seems to break the boundaries of it's classified genre. Bechard's style is genuinely engaging and has a very natural feel, not at all forced. The prose reads like thoughts.
The bulk of the novel is written in the first person and makes you feel as if you are in the head of the main character, Detective William Shute, reliving the memories of the week-long series of events which make up the plot of the novel. The story is fast paced and engaging and Bechard doesn't solve the mystery (or allow the reader to solve it) until the end. It is absolutely packed with red herrings, believable red herrings, as any good mystery should be. Bechard has a real talent for writing likable characters, which, when coming from a misanthrope such as myself, is saying a lot. When I give it a second read - and you can be sure I will give it a second read, as with all of Bechard's tales, be they feature length films ("Psychos in Love"), experimental shorts ("The Pretty Girl"), or literature ("The Hazmat Diaries", "Ninth Square"), once is not enough - I look forward to seeing what I missed the first time around by not knowing the outcome. I hope that Bechard plans to bring Detective Shute back in future novels, but until he does, I highly recommend giving "Ninth Square" a good read.

Rating:
Summary: New Haven Local
Review: Ninth Square has some of the kinkiest scenes I've ever read in a mainstream thriller, as Det. Shute explores the underbelly of internet escorts and made-to-order porn. The chapter about the Green Acres theme song is a CLASSIC! (I was was laughing so loud, my roommate thought something was wrong.) Just a completely entertaining read, with wonderfully familiar locations (Who in Connecticut hasn't eaten New Haven pizza?), which poses the theory that we ALL have kinky little secrets (even those in the religious right whose kink is to stop people from enjoy themselves). Can't argue with the truth!

Rating:
Summary: The Hooker book
Review: Not really a book on how to be a hooker. Just the affectionate title for a great read, that starts with the murder of a sanctimonious religious hypocrite, and careens through the City of New Haven to an exciting conclusion. It's a grab-you-by-the-throat-and-refuse-to-let-go-until-you're-done type of crime novel. Oh, yes, and hookers play a big part in the plot.

Rating:
Summary: Seamy, seductive, suspenseful
Review: One of those books that you literally can't put down because the chapters are so short, you get suckered into reading just one more. Fast, VERY sexy, with great dialog, and it pokes fun at those who need it most (including Yale). Give this one a shot.

Rating:
Summary: Just a really good book.
Review: Someone in a coffee shop recommended NINTH SQUARE. I was going on vacation, so I gave it a shot. Read it on the beach in two days. The pacing is fast, the sarcasm borders on deadly at times. (This is not a book for extremely religious people.) And despite the subject matter (internet hookers), the women in the book are strong, intelligent and sexy. Completely entertaining. What more could I want from a thriller?