Hard Freeze: A Joe Kurtz Novel (Joe Kurtz Thriller)

Rating:
Summary: Interesting...but please get the details right
Review: I enjoy Mr. Simmons' character. He is vaguely sympathetic and the plot seems to work out very cleverly, without resorting to the deuz ex machina. But...PLEASE get a technical consultant to get the guns and cars right. You can't "thumb back the hammer" on a "Glock 9", however dramatic it might seem.

Rating:
Summary: HardCore
Review: Joe Kurtz, the anti-anti-hero of Dan Simmons' latest crime novel, "Hard Freeze," is one tough ..... If you've read "Hard Case," Simmons' first foray into the hard-boiled world of crime drama, you know a little of what to expect from Kurtz and company this time out-but only a little, because Simmons has truly outdone himself with "Hard Freeze." If "Hard Case" was a cool little jazz combo swinging away for all it was worth, its sequel is a speaker-blowing blast of rock 'n' roll that's guaranteed to hit you where it counts. And hit you hard.

"Freeze" begins shortly after "Case" left off, with the ex-con, ex-P.I. Kurtz on the run from the Farinos, an upstate New York crime family eager to get him back behind bars-or better yet, in the ground. Kurtz must also face an adversary even more threatening than the family's cut-rate wise guys (who admittedly aren't all that wise): winter in Buffalo. It's one of the coldest in history, and even the most stoic Buffalonians are admitting it's a little cool out. If that's not enough, the city has also decided to condemn the abandoned porno shop Kurtz and his secretary have been using as a base of operations. So, when all of the elements conspire against him, what's an ex-con to do?

Kurtz keeps himself busy. While avoiding the Farinos and a pair of crooked cops on his tail, he soon becomes entangled in the dealings of a white-collar child molester/serial killer who might very well be hiding behind a prominent false identity. In the process of bringing the killer to justice, Kurtz must avoid being squashed like a bug between the greasy wheels of city politics and organized crime. He must also make sure not to loose his footing in a deadly dance of power he's fallen into with the shrewd, estranged daughter of the Farino family, the beautiful Angelina Farino Ferrara. Both Kurtz and Ferrara are out to use the other for their own purposes, while trying not to get used up themselves. It's all very romantic, in a cold-blooded sort of way.

Simmons has managed to create something intriguing and vastly entertaining in the character of Joe Kurtz. Kurtz is like a great white shark, long acclimated to the icy depths of his own solitary world: he's compelled to move forward in order to survive, and is ready to devour anything or anyone that obstructs his path. And yet, from page one, he's got the reader's sympathy. There's something about his amoral lack of guile that's kind of endearing.

With his second Kurtz novel, Simmons has honed his ability to write in the hard-boiled genre to a dog-bothering pitch. "Hard Freeze" is lean and mean, with nary an ounce of excess fat. Even if you're not a fan of the genre, you can't help but be carried along by the sheer force of Simmons' vigorous storytelling. He creates tension and suspense and moves his characters about with the able, foresighted dexterity of a grandmaster sitting down for a game of chess.

Simmons has deservedly won high accolades and praise for his writing in many styles and genres (horror, science fiction, historical fiction, travel narrative, and mainstream). Wherever his restless muse next leads him, Dan Simmons is sure to take with him an ever-growing legion of readers. The jacket copy of "Hard Freeze" promises another Joe Kurtz novel in the near future, and Simmons is reportedly also working on a massive new science fiction epic to rival his Hyperion novels. One of Simmons' own farcaster portals couldn't get me there fast enough.

Rating:
Summary: First rate thriller
Review: See storyline above.

Every time I see Dan Simmons name on a book, I'm going to read it. Joe Kurtz returns as the somewhat noirish hero. An ex-detective who has spent some 12 years in prison. The rapid pace of the story and the gripping narrative will keep you glued to the pages.
A serial killer heads up the bad guys. A killer who has slain more than twenty children in the name of religion. There are a wide assortment of characters that round out this very satisfying thriller, including subplots that involve crooked cops and the mafia. A sometimes graphic portrait of a protagonist that's not worried about the law.

Highly recommended.