The Anderson Tapes

Rating:
Summary: Supposedly groundbreaking at the time ; run-of-the-mill now.
Review: I found this book in a second-hand shop and, having seen the Sean Connery film, thought it would be worth a read. The plot itself is relatively simple (a bunch of mafia-funded crooks heist a well-to-do apartment building), but the main raison d'etre is that all the plot and dialogue is relayed via a series of witness statements or wiretaps. Whilst it is very unlikely that all the wiretaps detailed in the book would all have been put in place by different federal units, it is even more unlikely that all the key events in the build up to the heist would have been held in the prescence of these wire taps. Still, as a dramatic device, the novelty value of this approach makes the book interesting. However, by writing the book in this relatively fragmented fashion, the pace of the book does lag in the buildup to the heist; also, I found it hard to get into the minds of any of the characters as most of the plot concerns what people say or do rather than what they think. This approach was supposedly groundbreaking at the time the book was written (late 60's), but the book is pretty run-of-the-mill now.

Rating:
Summary: A very different book, very entertaining
Review: I read this book a few days ago and it is very interesting. It was a completly new style at the time it was written, and continues to be outstanding. The whole story is conveyed through tapes, so recorder knowingly while others from bugs and survailence devices. I would recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting approach
Review: I recently finished reading, "The Anderson Tapes", A book I purchased from Amazon.com. This was Lawrence Sanders first book. I found the unique method he used in writing the book - chapters done in report style - entertaining. The book had a good blend of characteriaztion, suspense and dialogue. What I liked the most about the book was, even though most of the chapters were done in a report format, the characters came to life on the page. A tribute to Mr. Sanders ability as a writer. For thoses Lawrence Sanders fans, I recommend you give it a read.