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Suitcase City

by Sterling Watson

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
4514567,839 (3.8)1
Fiction. Literature. Mystery. Thriller. HTML:

"The telling is masterful...Sit back and enjoy Watson's latest. It's better than bourbon on the rocks."
â??Kirkus Reviews, Starred review
"Hypnotically beautiful novel...Paranoia has been defined as 'seeing too much pattern.' Author Watson can make us sweaty victims of that madness, partaking of it, suffering from it, and loving every minute."
â??Booklist, Starred review
"Watson's magic is in pacing and taut prose...Suitcase City is an absorbing thriller, a vivid adventure in a bright, humid, perilous underworld...[A] tense, bloody thriller with a strong sense of place and a soft heart."
â??Shelf Awareness, Starred review
"[A] noir gem...a deeply contemplative and darkly poetic prose style complements the well-crafted plot."
â??Publishers Weekly
"A solid revenge tale...There is plenty of action to be had in this suspense tale, but it is the examination of the characters' motivations that really makes it shine. For fans of Lee Child and Nicci French."
â??Library Journal
"Watson weaves...questions about race into a plot that takes one bloody turn after another, a crescendo of violence that ends with a day at sea that might be the most chilling of all."
â??Tampa Bay Times
"[An] irresistible earworm of a novel...With its airtight atmosphere of impending, life-sinking doom, and taut language evoking palpable Gulf Coast Florida seediness, Suitcase City duly takes its place alongside the best works of former Floridian Pete Dexter, and the brilliant Tampa novels of Dennis Lehane."
â??Paste Magazine
"Suitcase City [is] such a damn great book, a too-rare (and sometimes nearly too real) depiction of the wildly different worlds that exist side by side in the city by the bay....Events uncoil with an unflashy confidence and understated poetry, drawing in diverse characters whose deep inner lives give the wire-tight plot a thumping, nervous heart."
â??Creative Loafing Tampa
"Suitcase City is a beautifully crafted labyrinth of plot and subplot."
â??Florida Book Review
"The novels of Sterling Watson are to be treasured and passed on to the next generation."
â??Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River
"Sterling Watson is an American treasure. If this taut literary crime novel doesn't center him on the map, we should change maps."
â??Tom Franklin, author of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
"I am a huge fan of Sterling Watson's writing, and take it from me: Suitcase City is arguably his best novel to date. I began reading and did not look up again until the very last page, so taken was I by its twists and turns, its explorations of race and honor and the love a father has for his daughter. Turn off your phone, lock your door, and dive into Suitcase City."
â??Ann Hood, author of The Obituary Writer
"As Watson reminds us, corruption and cruelty survive through their uncanny ability to take on new shapes."
â??Laura Lippman, author of I'd Know You Anywhere
A man gets himself into a little bit of trouble, then a little bit more, then a lot. And then his whole world becomes a nightmare. How does he get himself out of this mess of his own creation? The answer involves the end of an extramarital affair, reconciliation with a daughter he has neglected, and a deadly encounter with a man who comes out of the past bearing bad news and the keys to a new life.
Set in Tampa, Florida, in the late 1980s, Suitcase City captur
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Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)
This crime novel is fast paced, and a little violent. It has a nice revenge plot hidden in it, you just have to get past the first 1/3 of the novel before things even out, and send you on a nice ride. At about the 1/3 mark (just prior to the section 1 end), I said to myself that I really wasn't enjoying the book much and was uncomfortable with where it seemed to be heading. However, I pushed on, and with the resolution of the first crisis, I was more comfortable.
The storylines in the plot are nicely interwoven. the use of different viewpoints was quite useful, and not at all confusing to me. While gruesome, the death details are well presented.
This novel by Sterling Watson is a good and easy beach read. Not complicated, or too gritty. But while entertaining, it may not be a book I'd return to.
3 stars ( )
  stephanie_M | Apr 30, 2020 |
I had never heard of this author before it appeared as a recommendation on Amazon. Solid story, a few too many convenient conclusions and happenings but overall a good story, although after the first 20 pages it slows down for the next 30 or so pages and you may wonder where is this book going? Don't worry it all ties in together at the end. ( )
  zmagic69 | Oct 22, 2015 |
Excellent written story. Kept my attention. ( )
  RolandB | Jun 19, 2015 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
What a great book!

Mr. Watson has created a compelling crime novel and woven in such authentic local flavor that it reminds me of being back in Tampa. His style is accessible without being dumbed down and the pacing of the novel makes it difficult to put down. I enjoyed the razor-thin timing and the uncanny coincidences - they made the story suspenseful and fun.

Overall, I enthusiastically recommend this book to the Florida local, out-of-town visitor and crime-novel aficionados - Suitcase City will satisfy them all. ( )
  DuffDaddy | Jun 1, 2015 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters (while not ALL likeable) were real and the storyline rang true. I would definitely read other books by Sterling Watson. ( )
  KimD66 | Apr 22, 2015 |
Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)
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Fiction. Literature. Mystery. Thriller. HTML:

"The telling is masterful...Sit back and enjoy Watson's latest. It's better than bourbon on the rocks."
â??Kirkus Reviews, Starred review
"Hypnotically beautiful novel...Paranoia has been defined as 'seeing too much pattern.' Author Watson can make us sweaty victims of that madness, partaking of it, suffering from it, and loving every minute."
â??Booklist, Starred review
"Watson's magic is in pacing and taut prose...Suitcase City is an absorbing thriller, a vivid adventure in a bright, humid, perilous underworld...[A] tense, bloody thriller with a strong sense of place and a soft heart."
â??Shelf Awareness, Starred review
"[A] noir gem...a deeply contemplative and darkly poetic prose style complements the well-crafted plot."
â??Publishers Weekly
"A solid revenge tale...There is plenty of action to be had in this suspense tale, but it is the examination of the characters' motivations that really makes it shine. For fans of Lee Child and Nicci French."
â??Library Journal
"Watson weaves...questions about race into a plot that takes one bloody turn after another, a crescendo of violence that ends with a day at sea that might be the most chilling of all."
â??Tampa Bay Times
"[An] irresistible earworm of a novel...With its airtight atmosphere of impending, life-sinking doom, and taut language evoking palpable Gulf Coast Florida seediness, Suitcase City duly takes its place alongside the best works of former Floridian Pete Dexter, and the brilliant Tampa novels of Dennis Lehane."
â??Paste Magazine
"Suitcase City [is] such a damn great book, a too-rare (and sometimes nearly too real) depiction of the wildly different worlds that exist side by side in the city by the bay....Events uncoil with an unflashy confidence and understated poetry, drawing in diverse characters whose deep inner lives give the wire-tight plot a thumping, nervous heart."
â??Creative Loafing Tampa
"Suitcase City is a beautifully crafted labyrinth of plot and subplot."
â??Florida Book Review
"The novels of Sterling Watson are to be treasured and passed on to the next generation."
â??Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River
"Sterling Watson is an American treasure. If this taut literary crime novel doesn't center him on the map, we should change maps."
â??Tom Franklin, author of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
"I am a huge fan of Sterling Watson's writing, and take it from me: Suitcase City is arguably his best novel to date. I began reading and did not look up again until the very last page, so taken was I by its twists and turns, its explorations of race and honor and the love a father has for his daughter. Turn off your phone, lock your door, and dive into Suitcase City."
â??Ann Hood, author of The Obituary Writer
"As Watson reminds us, corruption and cruelty survive through their uncanny ability to take on new shapes."
â??Laura Lippman, author of I'd Know You Anywhere
A man gets himself into a little bit of trouble, then a little bit more, then a lot. And then his whole world becomes a nightmare. How does he get himself out of this mess of his own creation? The answer involves the end of an extramarital affair, reconciliation with a daughter he has neglected, and a deadly encounter with a man who comes out of the past bearing bad news and the keys to a new life.
Set in Tampa, Florida, in the late 1980s, Suitcase City captur

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