Patsy Boatwright spends every Wednesday night the same way...curled up on the couch with a drink waiting for the winning Jackpot numbers. Even though week after week she is disappointed, she knows without a doubt that sooner or later, her numbers will win. And she was right, one night she falls on her knees screaming "Grace Of God, Grace Of God, Grace Of God" over and over. She had won three hundred and eighteen million dollars.

Romeo and Shaw are on their way from Ohio to Florida when they stop at a convenience store to check their tire pressure. One of them overhears a clerk on her cell phone talking about the store selling the state Jackpot winning ticket. Together they hold the Boatwrights hostage, telling them they'll murder some family members if they don't cooperate. This is another book that I feel must have a short review for fear of posting spoilers. The author has done a good job of letting us get to know these characters. They are all so different it kept me interested and entertained. George Dawes Green has added many facets to this book, and some were hilarious, the power Shaw has over everyone. I love this book because it's full of a different kind of suspense than most books. You're not trying to figure out who the bad guys are, you already know that. The suspense is waiting to see how it all ends. I hope to see more from this author. ( )

Mitch and Patsy Boatwright have won the lottery, making them overnight millionaires. They are a dysfunctional family living in rural Georgia. Patsy is an alcoholic and, prior to winning the big prize, was borderline abusive - especially on the nights of the lottery drawings. Tara, their oldest daughter, just wanted out. She did the best she could to avoid her mother on the night's they drew the lottery. Mitch owns a local office supply store and is as deeply religious as he is ineffectual. The glue that really holds the family together is Nell, Patsy's mother. Winning the lottery seems like it may be the answer to the family's prayers. They will no longer need monetarily and and there is hope, perhaps, that the disappearance of that stressor will change everything. Unfortunately, Shaw McBride and Romeo Zderko, two drifters from Ohio, overhear about the family's good fortune while stopping briefly at a gas station and hatch a plot of terror to steal half of the winnings from themselves.

This novel is full of interesting psychological insights. Patsy fairly easily falls under Shaw's spell and even when the lives of her husband, mother, or daughter are at risk, she's still dreaming of that Malibu mansion. Shaw uses that and her alcohol addiction to keep her in her place. Tara's situation is even more complex. She has an understanding of Stockholm Syndrome and she hates what Shaw is doing to her father, but even she feels a pull toward him, an attraction that she tries to deny. It was also interesting how Shaw began to buy his own press after people from all over the country flock to him, believing that his participation in buying the winning lottery ticket is the ultimate sign of God's redemption. Those scenes reminded me a great deal of Jodi Picoult's Keepig Faith. The best part of the novel for me, however, was the internal work that Romeo goes through as he continually drives around the town and contemplates having to kill innocent people for his best friend. He has to come to terms with being made the muscle in a plan he didn't originally want any part of all out of loyalty to his best friend.

I did not dislike Ravens. I thought there were some interesting, although not necessarily likable, characters and the end of the novel kept me reading. I cannot say that I liked this novel, though. The basic premise is quite promising. I'm sure that this would be the worst nightmare of anyone who plays the lottery with dreams of winning it all. This novel wasn't all it could have been for me because I could not suspend my disbelief enough to buy Shaw being able to take and hold the family captive as easily as he did. Shaw and Romeo might have had a sordid past, but they were not just looking for something illegal to do. They simply stopped at a gas station and overheard news of a local lottery winner. Within 24 hours, they were executing their hastily made plans. While I believe one could quite easily discover enough information about a family from a teenager's MySpace pages, I cannot believe that the lottery commission or local law enforcement as a whole wouldn't be slightest bit suspicious of Shaw's story.

Ravens was the first novel published by George Dawes Green in several years. I have not read any of his earlier work, but the hype certainly had me anticipating something more sinister and cohesive. Perhaps family's in crisis are easily targeted and picked off by violent con artists, but that just didn't work for me. Even so, I can't believe that two people not already looking to terrorize a family can stumble upon the perfect situation, decide upon a plan in less than 24 hours, make it work, and get away with it for as long as Shaw and Romeo did without making huge mistakes. Ravens never had an edge for me. It is interesting as a character or psychological study, but if you are looking for a psychological thriller, I would suggest reading The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris or just about anything by Steven King first. It isn't that Ravens is a horrible novel. It's not. It's just hard to be on the edge of your seat when you don't believe the bad guy could ever be successful. ( )

Shaw and Romeo were passing through town. They stopped at a truck stop to check their tires. Shaw overheard the clerk discussing the lottery. Seems a local had won the jackpot of over 300 million dollars. A plan began to form in his mind.

The men held the Boatwrights hostage. If they did not cooperate they would murder their relatives.

My summary is short because I do not want to spoil this book for other readers. Green successfully combines humor and suspense to create an unforgettable thriller. The characters come to life on the pages of this book. I was amazed as Shaw became almost a folk hero among not only the people of the town but his captives. He was obviously a sociopath yet he convinced people he was their savior. Each character had a distinct voice. I found myself rooting for the sheriff. I wanted him to be successful in capturing the villains and with Miss Nell. Miss Nell was a delightful character. She was feisty and interesting. Tara was the most intelligent one in her family. The Boatwrights were a stereo type peek into the life of a southern lower class down on their luck family. They were an exaggeration of a way of life. Patsy was a heavy drink lottery playing wife/mother. Mitch was a husband/father; he seemed to lack confidence in himself. Romeo was the villain with redeeming qualities.

The ending of this book was surprising. I wanted more. I wanted to know what happened to the family.

Raven is well done. My husband and I listened to this book while on vacation. More than once we sat in the car a bit longer than necessary so hear what would happen next. Raven not only held our attention, it captures listeners. The readers are excellent. Do not miss this audio book! ( )

This one was a page turner. I was so hooked right from the word go with this one.

The story was narrated by a few different characters. It jumped back and forth, but it didn't seem choppy. The story just goes on, but from a different perspective. It wasn't like it would switch to a new character and rehash what the last character just told us.

The writing was good. There was only one thing that bothered me, when a character is talking the author would use Said Shaw instead of Shaw Said. But that was really the only thing I didn't like.

I liked the beginning, it gave us enough info about the characters to pull me into the story, without giving so much detail that it became mundane. It follows the Boatwright family and then friends Shaw and Romeo. The Boatwrights win the lottery and that's when Shaw and Romeo really enter the picture.

The suspense in this novel doesn't come from not knowing what's going on. Quite the opposite, we know what's going on right from the word go. The suspense comes from hoping that someone will slip and everyone else will know what is going on. I would say it's more psychological that physical suspense.

The ending threw me for a loop. And while the last passage confused me a little it still was a great ending.

Overall good writing and a great story. ( )

Romeo was driving down from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the baffling twilight, going too fast, when a raccoon or possum ran in front of the car. The impact was disturbingly gentle. No thud -- just a soft unzipping, beneath the chassis.

So opens Ravens, the premise of which I knew going in: Romeo and Shaw, on a drive to Florida from their tech-support jobs in Ohio, decide to stop en route and co-opt half of a huge lottery prize from the winners. But what surprised me was that the opening paragraph concludes by painting the villains likeable (Still, it tore at Romeo’s heart. He braked and pulled over.) and, further down the page, playful. And what hooked me were the next few pages, where I developed an intriguing dislike for the good guys -- the lottery-winning Boatwright family.

The novel’s strength is its ability to hold me in that incongruence. It also held me in a state of suspended disbelief -- after all, who would believe that the winners of $318 million would acquiesce when a couple strangers announce they’re taking half? Yet every time I wondered about the believability of characters’ actions, George Dawes Green showed me their motivations and brought me back in. It’s a fun, comic novel (not all of it dark comedy), populated by an entertaining ensemble of small-town-Georgia characters; subplots and twists that are well earned; and suspense that is more compelling (inquisitive; page-turning) than scary. Recommended! ( )

A compulsive read that engages a reader with a twisting plot and compelling, fully developed characters. Ravens is a story that I had to read to the finish line. Mr. Green, please write another novel within a decade. ( )

Ravens are thought to be scavengers but really they are intelligent creatures who can get animals to do the hard work for them. Such is the case with the raven characters in George Dawes Green's book by the same name.

Shaw McBride and Romeo Zderko are traveling to Florida for a vacation from their tech support jobs in Piqua, Ohio. While stopped in Georgia, Shaw overhears the convenience store clerk talk about the identity of the unannounced winner of the 318 million dollar jackpot.

Shaw gets the idea to hold the Boatwright family hostage in exchange for half of the prize money. He uses Romeo as a threat to keep them under his control. Romeo is armed with a map showing the addresses of their friends and relatives. As the person in Shaw's life who has always stood by him, Romeo goes along with the role he's been assigned in this tale. Romeo and Shaw may be friends but they are made of different stuff. Romeo has compassion. Shaw is interested only in what will get him ahead. The reader can see the differences between them from their actions.

At the news conference to announce the lottery winners, Shaw announces he's going to give away all of the money. Lured by his image and his story, people come from miles around to be near Shaw. They want to meet the man who turned his life around and pledged to do good for others. Except for the convenience store clerk, no one has a clue that Shaw didn't spend any money towards the winning lottery ticket.

The Boatwright family (Mitch - father; Patsy - mother; Tara - teenage daughter; and Jase - pre-teen son) deal with the situation in varying ways and go through a gamut of emotions. Tara is Shaw's way into family and tries to keep the others level. Ravens hooks the reader and refuses to let go until the unexpected ending. It's true to all of the characters and was satisfying on many levels. ( )

My Thoughts:

Only after reading George Dawes Green's bold new novel, can one appreciate the sly cleverness of the title. Take a close look at this definition of "raven" from Dictionary.com:

ra⋅ven 1 /ˈ'reɪvən/ [rey-vuhn]

noun
1. any of several large, corvine birds having lustrous, black plumage and a loud, harsh call, esp. Corvus corax, of the New and Old Worlds.
2. the divine culture hero and trickster of the North Pacific Coast Indians.
3. (initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Corvus.

adjective
4. lustrous black: raven locks of hair.

verb (used without object)
1. to seek plunder or prey.
2. to eat or feed voraciously or greedily: to raven like an animal.
3. to have a ravenous appetite.

verb (used with object)
4. to seize as spoil or prey.
5. to devour voraciously.

noun
6. rapine; robbery.
7. plunder or prey.
------------------------------------------------------
Origin: bef. 900; ME; OE hr?fn; c. G Rabe, ON hrafn

rav·en 2 (rāav'ən)
v.
rav·ened, rav·en·ing, rav·ens

v. tr.
To consume greedily; devour.
To seek or seize as prey or plunder.

v. intr.
To seek or seize prey or plunder.
To eat ravenously.

n. Variant of ravin.
[From Middle English ravin, raven, rapine, plunder, prey; see ravin.]

rav'en·er n.

rav·in also rav·en (rāav'ən)

n.
Voracity; rapaciousness.
Something taken as prey.
The act or practice of preying.

[Middle English ravin, raven, from Old French ravine, rapine, from Latin rapīina, from rapere, to seize; see rep- in Indo-European roots.]

Now add this further elucidation of "rapaciousness": subsisting by the capture of living prey; predacious

There's certainly plenty of rapaciousness in RAVENS. It's also got greed, plunder and prey aplenty! George Dawes Green has created one lusciously multi-layered, edge-of-your-seat thriller. I'm trying to resist saying that I devoured this book. I will tell you that once my review copy arrived, I spent several days trying to keep myself away from it; other titles held priority, but they couldn't capture my attention away from the simple white book with the actualizing title. Finally, I yielded, seized the book, and consumed it greedily.

While tension and suspense are constant throughout RAVENS, it was the quirky yet ordinary characters populating the novel that I found so compelling. There's Tara Boatwright, the 21-year-old who is trying to bridge not only adolescence and adulthood but the gulf between her Christian devotee father, Mitch, and her alcohol and gambling addicted mother, Patsy. From her annoying little brother, Jase, to her tattooed best friend, Clio, to her feisty, card-playing grandmother, Nell, all the way to the disrespected old cop, Burris (who harbors some secrets of his own), the residents of the small Georgia town of Brunswick seem like people you could meet anywhere. Green, however, gets inside their heads and shows us, if not exactly what makes them tick, then how they tick. I found the inner workings of the "good guys" in this psychological suspense to be quite disturbing. So how am I to describe the complexities and contradictions of the two guys wearing the black hats?

Shaw McBride, the so-called brains of the operation, is one of the most despicable and unsympathetic villains I have ever encountered in a work of fiction. Romeo Zderko is one of the most pathetic and misguided. Just because the characters are all compelling, it doesn't mean that they're at all appealing. Yet beginning with the opening scene's unfortunate roadkill to the explosive denouement, I could not look away.
And lest you still believe that RAVENS is no better than your everyday, run-of-the-mill thriller, go back up to the definition section and consider this entry:

noun

2. the divine culture hero and trickster of the North Pacific Coast Indians.

Review also published on my blog at http://aseaofbooks.blogspot.com/ ( )

Ravens
Author: George Dawes Green
ISBN: 978-0-446-53896-1 Pages: 336, $24.99, Publication Date: July 15, 2009, Hardcover, Novel, Published by Grand Central Publishing

The odds of winning a lottery prize in excess of one million dollars are astronomical, but to have won 318 million is beyond belief. Ravens, written by George Dawes Green is the winning ticket along with a whole passel of fear. Widely acclaimed author of The Juror and The Caveman’s Valentine Green brings forth his newest offering after a 14 year hiatus.

Grand Central Publishing only printed 45,000 1st edition copies because they wondered if the public would have forgotten this masterful writer. Fear not, oh great publisher, this book hits it right on the head with a suspenseful tale woven in the true fabric of mystery.

Shaw McBride and Romeo Zderko are two heinous characters who hatch a scheme to fleece the Boatwright family of half of their anticipated fortune. Shaw devises a map which is to be followed by Romeo as he patrols the streets in the community and at a given cell-phone-notice, he is to stop at the next house on the map and murder Boatwright’s loved ones. Equipped with an antique sword and a 22 caliber pistol, Romeo begins his rounds after he had been introduced as the mad henchman to the Boatwrights held hostage by Shaw.

The lottery officials and media do not suspect anything is amiss while the family awaits the final certification which will deliver the money to them. So ingenious is the plot contrived by McBride that he is named as an equal recipient of the $318,000,000.

A local constable is bumbling along as complications arise in the relationship between Shaw and the Boatwrights. He suspects something is wrong, but he cannot prove a thing. In fact, he is ordered to step out of the picture by his superiors. Several times he stumbles upon Romeo and has this nagging feeling things are not as they seem.

Shaw announces to the community that he is going to give his share of the money to help the needy; everyone embraces him as a wonderful person. He inveigles himself into the family activities and even goes seining (fishing with a seine net) with them. All the while reminding the family that Romeo will commit mayhem.

A well-constructed storyline which will keep you reading right to the end. This book keeps you in suspense and is highly recommended. George Dawes Green is indeed back on top of his game! ( )

Living in Iowa has been an education in the lottery. The lottery is a big deal in our state, and each day I drive by a sign that shows the current jackpot. Personally, I have no interest in purchasing my own lottery tickets, but sometimes just for fun, my husband and I fantasize what we would do with the money. At the very least, it is certain that our lives would change.

Ravens is the story of the Boatwright family, residents of a small Georgia town, who have been teetering on the brink of financial disaster. Then one Wednesday night, as Patsy Boatwright engages in her weekly ritual of fortifying herself with alcohol while she watches the lottery results on tv, the Boatwright's ship comes in. The Boatwright family are the sole winners of a $318 million jackpot. Meanwhile, Shaw McBride and Romeo Zderko, two young men looking for an easy escape from their dead end jobs, are passing through town. Fate intervenes, and Shaw overhears about the Boatwright's amazing good fortune and he decides that he wants a piece of it for himself; half to be exact. Shaw, with the assistance of his doggedly loyal companion Romeo, embarks on a plan to force the Boatwright's to share their winnings. What follows is a story full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Ravens is an exciting read from beginning to end, but it is much more of a psychological thriller than a blood and guts page turner. The book features some great characters, most of whom are nicely developed. I especially found the characters of Shaw and Romeo to be very interesting. Shaw, who is a master of manipulation more than anything else, even seems to believe his own lies after a while, and he craves not only the cooperation, but the devotion of his intended victims. In contrast, Romeo is a villain who I almost found myself feeling sorry for as sometimes he seemed almost a victim himself. I also have to mention Tara Boatwright, who initially I was sure was going to be just another token female victim, but developed into so much more through the course of the book.

This is a great read, with interesting characters, and a pretty original premise. This is definitely a book that will keep your interest, as well as make you think. ( )

This book was an unexpected pleasure. After reading the blurb, I thought this would be a suspense filled thriller, likely to end in a bloody mess at the end like so many thriller/horror movies. I started reading with some trepidation, but was immediately sucked into the story. Well, maybe not into the story because there really isn't a lot of plot or story here, but into the work itself.

This book is a wonderful character study loosely tied to the whole kidnapping/terror plot. There are jewels here, tightly written snippets of conversation and memory that reveal volumes about the personalities involved in just a few well-chosen words. Romeo especially offers a wealth of pain, confusion, and love wrapped up in the personal of a tough guy who is much more a lost boy. I definitely preferred Romeo to Shaw as a character, and found his to be a more believable back story and personality.

Given that I sat down meaning to read just a few pages and ended up pushing through to the end, this book obviously succeeds in engaging the reader. I would have given it five stars if I had been able to better understand the power that Shaw seemed to exert over people. The whole cult that sprang up around Shaw was a little too unrealistic for my taste, but otherwise I was quite impressed by the character sketches delivered in Ravens. Highly recommended 4.5 stars. ( )

The Boatwright's are struggling and mom's lottery habit isn't helping with tight funds. That is, until mommy wins $318 million dollars! All of a sudden the whole family is dreaming about how all of this money is going to change their lives. No more worrying about how to pay this bill and still have enough to pay this other bill. The whole family is ecstatic and cannot believe how blessed they are.

The next day their life has changed from a dream to a nightmare. Shaw has decided that he deserves half of this money and he isn't afraid to kill to get his hands on all of that cash. Who will be left standing and cash in on the jackpot?

George is going on my list of authors that I need every book they've written. My advice? Pick up this book and make sure you have a few hours because you are not going to want to put it down. If I had to rate this book on a scale of 1 to 5, it would be a 10. I'll be impatiently waiting for a new George Dawes Green book.

Thank you to Miriam at Hachette for sending me this book to review & including me in the Blog Tour. ( )

The Boatwright family live in tiny Brunswick, Georgia. Mom Patsy, has a ritual on Wednesday nights - get soused and pray that her lottery tickets are winners. Against all odds, this time they are. The Boatwright family - father Mitch - a devout elder at the Faith Renewal Church, daughter Tara - who wants something more than life in Brunswick and little brother Jase - his mother's favourite. Tara is her grandmother Nell's favourite. Brunswick is struggling financially and so are the Boatwrights. But they won't be now - they've won $318 million dollars. They're trying to keep the win under wraps.

But you know how small towns are. When two low level grifters - Shaw and Romeo stop in to the local convenience store on their way through to Florida, they get wind of the win and who the lucky family is. Shaw decides that their ship has come in and that they will share the Boatwright's good fortune.

"Could he really do this? He had to He had to live He couldn't not-live any longer. He knew that if there were any resistance, it would have to be crushed mercilessly. If they challenged him, he'd have to kill their loved ones while they watched. An how would he withstand their looks of horror By tapping into a vein of steadfastness and wisdom. By knowing what he needed. What he needed was beauty. A life of pure beauty , nothing less. He'd pay any price for it.

Shaw visits the Boatwright family and promises that his friend Romeo will kill their family and friends if they don't go along with his plan. He only wants half of their good fortune.

When the money is received and Shaw promises publicly to give it all away, the public inexplicably falls in love with him, almost hypnotized. He begins to refer to the public as his flock. The entire situation becomes surreal. And still Romeo is out there, circling the town. As Shaw says " Always the light is guarded by darkness."

Ravens went in a completely different direction than I had first though it would. Initially I thought it would be tension filled hostage situation with the family plotting to escape etc. Instead, it's more relationship and character driven. Shaw's glib and golden tongue produces amazing, seemingly reasonable explanations for everything. He is revelling in his new found status. Romeo on the other hand is such a tragic figure. He is alone, 'on patrol' the entire time Shaw is posturing. Romeo has good in him and isn't really cut out for this caper. He craves human contact and ends up with odd relationships with the denizens of the town.

I was so sucked into this story - I kept turning page after page. Would the family rebel, would Shaw get away with it, what would Romeo do, out there in the dark.

Green has created an unexpected, engrossing tale that I thoroughly enjoyed. ( )

While on their way from Ohio to Florida, Shaw McBride and Romeo Zderko stop at a gas station in Brunswick, Georgia. Shaw overhears a clerk telling someone that a local family has purchased the winning lottery ticket for the $318 million dollar jackpot at that store. Shaw cooks up a scheme to extort half of the money from the Boatwright family. He holds the family hostage while Romeo prowls around ready to murder their family and friends at a moment’s notice.

The Boatwrights resist at first, but eventually go along with Shaw’s plan out of fear for their loved ones. At the press conference, Shaw announces that he will be giving all of his half of the money away to charity. All of a sudden, he has a huge legion of followers who think he can perform miracles. It seems like Shaw and the Boatwrights are getting along well but there are things brewing under the surface.

George Dawes Green does a masterful job of building and maintaining suspense in Ravens. This is a fast-paced page turner, that I couldn’t put down. The character development is good, even though this is a plot driven book. I had an intense dislike for Shaw and sympathy for Romeo. There are lots of twists and turns, so the ending was totally unexpected for me, but I think it worked very well. There’s even a little dark humor in this one. The setting – a small, dead-end town in the deep South – almost became another character for me because I know exactly what those kinds of towns are like. ( )

Reviewed for Mystery Scene.