The Ghosts of Morning

Rating:
Summary: a wonderful read - fast-paced and moving
Review: "The Ghosts of Morning" is the second of the series by Richard Barre that I have read and I am totally hooked! As introduced in "The Innocents", Wil Hardesty is an interesting and complex character. In this new book he is struggling with his recent divorce and his lingering guilt over his lost son and his life. His struggle is very human and full of emotion. The action in "The Ghosts of Morning" is fast-paced and suspenseful.The mystery and the tension combined with great characters with full bodied histories makes the book fly by. As eager as I was to get to the end and resolve the mystery I was reluctant to let go of the story and Wil. I wanted to know what he was going the next day after the book ends. This book is terrific follow up to "The Innocents" but not as sad. It does evoke a retrospective feeling of the time we sent our young boys off to a horrible unknown called Vietnam. It is a reminder that we can never be so casual with a generation again. I can't wait till Wil's next adventure.

Rating:
Summary: I'm in Mourning
Review: After reading the reviews here on Amazon I decided to buy this book. It was extremely difficult to read the writing is blunt and has no flow to it whatsoever. The characters are shallow (although this is probably because of the writing style) and the language is bad making the characters seem unintelligent.

Rating:
Summary: GOOD CHARACTER---NOT SO GOOD BOOK!!!!!!
Review: I have read three books about Wil Hardesty. I really like the character. That is the only reason I gave it a three. Did not really like this book. Not as good as the others I have read. A lot of this was totally unbelieveable. Also, I do not like flashbacks but am sure a lot of people do. Wil is someone I can relate to. He is not superman, he does make mistakes, he does get hurt. There are really two things Hardesty is trying to find out. Is Denny Van Zant still alive and who killed Carmen Marquez. Are they tied together??? Trina Van Zant, name is different after three marriages, leds Wil a merry chase. It all does finally get drawn to a close but I have read better by Barre.

Rating:
Summary: An up 'til 2 a.m. book
Review: I stayed up to 3am reading this book. Book is well plotted and has good character development. A must read for lovers of good mystery. You will love it!!

Rating:
Summary: Fast And Furious
Review: I wouldn't compare Richard Barre to Ross Macdonald or for that matter Raymond Chandler. Macdonald's writing was more subdued and touching, Chandler more witty and crackling, while Barre's is more 'wham bam'..'lets go'.

The Ghosts Of Morning is like that, fast, and twisting, it reminded me of a good action flick. Around page seventy the story really kicks into gear. I didn't find the plot confusing, Barre held it together nicely, injecting little tidbits of information to keep the reader guessing.

The flashbacks scenes are written very well as our hero Will Hardesty, attempts to find some meaning from his past as well as how it connects to his future.

Hardesty is a part-time P.I. hired by his best friends mother to find her son, who everyone has presumed dead for years. Hardesty takes the job as a favor, not realising the depth of the secret's his former friends family has buried.

I agree with some of the other reviews that, some of the charecter's are sketcy and typical, BUT the story moves along so nicely that i just ignored these shortcomings.

A very nice read...enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Unrealistic characters, incomprehensible plot...
Review: Richard Barre is, quite simply, a splendid writer. His gift for plotting is way beyond average, and his creation of Wil Hardesty--aging surfer with an aching heart--is pure inspiration. Barre never takes his narrative in expected directions but allows the plot to twist in on itself in elaborate coils so that his stories are never predictable. Each of his books is a treasure in itself.

Rating:
Summary: a wonderful read - fast-paced and moving
Review: This is the best book I have read in a long time. The action is fast with twists and turns and surprises coming from every direction. Wil Hardesty is investigating a case close to his heart, the death of a friend. But is the friend really dead? I loved the characters and the mystery and highly recommend this book.