Dirty White Boys: A Novel

wasn't sure if I was going to like this book when I found out that some people in our group were choosing not to read it because of some profanity. Boy am I glad I decided to go with it! This was an exciting story about the escape from prison of three men, the girl they met up with later and the man determined to bring them down. It was full of tension and excitement. Lamar is a very intelligent criminal who brings along on his escape his cousin, who is brawny, strong but has problems speaking which in turn reflects his lower IQ but he is loyal to his cousin Lamar. Richard doesn't even belong with these guys. He has three months left in his sentence and expects to be moved to a minimum security prison soon. Lamar is fascinated with Richard's drawing of a lion and is determined to have Richard design a tattoo for him, so Richard comes along on the escape. Bud Pewtie is the officer who finds himself after the "boys".The action moves quickly and is suspenseful. The major characters are well developed, the plot an exciting ride. Yes, there is some foul language but it's very descriptive of what these men would be like. No escaped convict is going to say "gee whiz" when something goes wrong.All in all it was a great read.

This is a shameless prurient page-turner. But it's also, despite my sometimes too-highbrow resistance, a strongly written novel with very solid character development.I loved the action sequences that, although impossible in the real world, caused me to gawk at Hunter's ability to engage the reader.I loved the descriptions of firearms that, although overindulged, were specifically sustaining. The reader knows exactly what is fired, and what damage it will do to its target.However the characters of the novel are its strength, and its weakness. Most are extremely well developed, even down to Pewtie's brainy son Russ, who barely speaks. But the character of O'Dell, who I tried to love, falls flat.This is apparent almost humorously when Hunter dives into the mind of the idiot to give the reader a line-by-line account of O'Dell's thought processes. Not only does this not work; it seems lifted from the oafish character in Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men:" especially when Hunter's O'Dell is holding a dead cat in the prison yard.Another criticism is the early dialogue. In addition to O'Dell's baby talk, I refuse to believe a hardened farmer who just fought off the advances of evil criminals would utter the term "wee-wee" while facing almost certain death.Other than those nit-picks, however, this book is a joy.

Three escaped convicts bust out of a prison in Oaklahoma, and know these three are not the reason God Made Oaklahoma. One is smart and saditious, one is his cousin and mentally retarded, the last is a sniveling worm, looking for someone to protect him. Enter your not so great Highway Patrol man, who although he's not such a great husband or father is one hell of a patrolman. He takes an active role in hunting these three down on their murderous trip through the heartland of America. Lots of action, plenty of guns, and sinful behavior, it is a Hunter book after all.I've got to tell you that eventhough Hunter's books are thrillers, or action adventure or whatever they is a bit of underlying social themes to his novels. And that is the theme of men being men, or attempting to be men, and failing miserably, or just a minor trip up. Now for the most part when I say being men I mean, being good men in the family sense of the word. One other I've noticed is father figures the abundance of them in fact, whether they're good or bad. Just start reading them with this in mind or go back and think on some, you'll see.

I was incarcerated for a time. (In Oklahoma) This was the most popular book in the prison. You had to get on a list to read this book. The first chapter will shock you, but if you make it through the first chapter, you won't be able to put the book down. I knew many guys that read this book cover to cover in 1-2 days. I did.The sequel to this book is Black Light.

This is a rocketship out of the gate that never loses velocity for almost 400 pages. This pot-boiler is a great entry point to SH. Because SH is a warhorse and has cranked out so many pulps not all are great. However, this shoot-em-up is a pulp homage to IN COLD BLOOD. You can leave your artsy fartsy literary pretensions at a tea party hosted by Dick Cavett and attended by Truman Capote. This is Old Testament good and evil. The Pye boys are pure malevolance incarnate as only the devil could spawn. After a brutal prison break they wreak havoc accross Oklahoma and Texas. Their escapades leave a trail of blood. There is no Robin Hood or Bonnie and Clyde charity here--" abandon hope all ye who enter here." Bud Pewtie is the barrel -chested good guy state trooper who rises from a hail of bullets like Lazarus from the dead to play violent cat and mouse with the Pye gang for the whole book. For good measure SH "borrows" images from cinema e.g. Robert Mitchum/ Robert De Niro THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER as SH graphically and chillingly captures the relentless malevolence of the criminal sociopath who excels at inflicting mayhem and violence. This is a good one. A must read. Bring it on the plane, bring it to the beach-- give it to your best buddy. Worth it. A pulp masterpiece.

A sturdy, hard boiled thriller with some interesting characters and plot lines that pulled me through the 400 odd pages to the entertaining end. It wasn't quite up there with some of my own personal favourite crime writers, such as Elmore Leonard and James Lee Burke, but it was close. It was the first novel I've read by this author and I've already bought another for future reference on the strength of this one.

This is a great book - two formidable foes, one a cop the other a villain and his gang of twisted side kicks. Almost like 'Heat' - the action sequences were fantastic and very well written. Entertaining, fast paced and gripping throughout. Believable and exciting - thrilling and as such, easy to read as you just have to know what happens next. A superb book and a great intro into the books of Stephen Hunter. Deserves the high ratings.

Horrible characters, A simple but gripping story full of violence and misery. Very glad I stumbled across this. If you like this try Anthony Neil's Billy Lafitte series beginning with Yellow Medicine.

Fast pace, well written, believeable characters, good plot but the characters central to the plot were repugnant. so although the book is written by a talented author - it just wasn't my cup of tea!

Best read in a long time. Excellent author