Road to Paradise

This series is just a whole lotta diminishing returns. Now we're catching up with a middle-aged Michael O'Sullivan Jr, deep into an unremarkable period of his life.

And, shockingly, the story turns to revenge.

What continues to bother me is Collins' penchant for tell tell tell. I think he's so used to working with artists that show that he's either lost--or never really had--the ability to show. I don't know, I haven't read anything else he's written and, after this second of two prose novels in the series, I won't be.

What specifically bothered me about this one is that Collins seemed to completely forget the character of Pat (is that Michael's wife's name? She left so little an impression, less than 24 hours after reading it, I can't show more remember). In the previous novel, she was a vivacious, headstrong, and tough character. Here, she's a pill-popping desperate housewife that garners no sympathy whatsoever. And, because Collins even had Michael briefly considering an extra-marital affair, I kinda didn't care what happened to either of them.

Collins lost the plot here.

One more book to go. show less

If you love The Godfather movies and have watched them dozens of times, you'll love this book. It is as good as it gets when it comes to a mobster- oriented story. I have not read the first two books in this series, but just a few pages into this, I downloaded both. Collins is one of my favorite crime writers, but he really outdid himself this time. Taking place in 1973, this novel has Michael O' Sullivan ensconced at the Lake Tahoe resort casino the mob controls. He's a Medal of Honor recipient and the calm business face of the casino business, busy raising a family, a son serving in Vietnam, a daughter getting ready for senior prom. Then, the wheels come off and Michael's past returns and he has to do battle with the mob's deadliest show more monsters in a war that takes no prisoners. Expertly crafted with a plot that just builds and builds, it's everything you could want from a crime fiction novel and more. Many thanks to Brash Books for providing a copy for review. show less

Most times we say that the book was better than the movie, but every once in a while the movie is better than the book. "Jaws" sticks in my mind in this regard; the book is nothing compared to the movie. Although only the first of the Perdition Series has been filmed so far, I can assure you that the films will be better.

"Road to Perdition", the first in the series, began as a graphic novel which was made into a movie and a full-length novel, so perhaps we can consider the novel to be tie in, and those are usually pretty poor. Really, though, I think the problem is that the creative requirements for a graphic novel are different from those needed for a text novel and creating in one medium does not automatically qualify you for the show more other.

The Perdition Series is what I have referred to in other reviews as a "story boarded" novel, just as a graphic novel is storyboarded. First comes this frame, then the next and then the next till you get to the end of the story. Mr. Collins is used to doing this for his graphic work and really, this kind of writing is easy to do. Writing an emotionally charged, empathetic, character-driven novel is something else entirely.

Mr. Collins' stories flow along and really, if you like this kind of writing you will enjoy the series. I, though, want something more than a graphic novel presented in words.

I received a review copy of "Road to Paradise: The Perdition Series 3" by Max Allan Collins (Brash) directly from the publisher. show less

I hadn't read the first book Road to Perdition, or seen the movie. I did however enjoy this novel that follows Michael O'Sullivan Jr. as an adult years after the events of his childhood. It was an excellent blend of history and fiction. I would recommend it highly!

I received this from Brash Books in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. What an excellent ending to the O'Sullivan/Satariano saga, started in [b:Road to Perdition: The New, Expanded Novel|32927862|Road to Perdition The New, Expanded Novel|Max Allan Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1478795704s/32927862.jpg|52386760], and continued in [b:Road to Purgatory|33134788|Road to Purgatory (The Perdition Saga Book 2)|Max Allan Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480226901s/33134788.jpg|53812824].

The writing is simply outstanding, and Mr. Collins captures the human emotion in all its facets over the course of this book. The ending was a surprise, too, and it left me in awe at its "perfect-ness".

You may already be familiar with show more the 2001 Tom Hanks and Jude Law movie, Road to Perdition, which was based on the graphic novel of the same name by Max Allan Collins. The first book itself was based on the graphic novel and movie, instead of the other way around, surprisingly. Max Allan Collins stated that this was a story that needed enhancing, hence the three-book series. I'm eminently glad he continued with these characters.

If you haven't read this series, do yourself a favor and pick it up. It's not often an entire series is able to live up to the standard set in the first volume, but this one definitely exceeds the mark. show less

This book is the conclusion to the Road to Perdition series, which started as a graphic novel that was then made in to a movie starring Tom Hanks. I have to admit: this is not my usual genre, and I don’t go out of my way to watch mob movies or TV series either. However, I try to keep an open mind about fiction, the blurb for Early Reviewers was intriguing, and I did read The Godfather decades ago, so I thought: why not?

This book was a slow start (as another reviewer mentioned) but really grew on me as I kept reading. The author obviously knows his main character Michael deeply. Descriptions about the various fashions and geographical details fell flat as I 1) did not grow up in that era 2) am not a fan of mob movies 3) have never been show more to anywhere the book is set. Despite that, characters are detailed and well-rounded, the action flows along very smoothly and I particularly enjoyed Michael’s internal dialogue and his deepening relationship with his daughter Anna.

I didn’t feel that I suffered unduly starting this late in the series, but if you’re spoiler sensitive then you might want to start with book 1.

Conclusion? An utterly enjoyable palate cleanser for someone who doesn’t read crime fiction. Will I read some more? Maybe, but I won’t go out of my way for it. show less

Probably not best to start with #4 in this series because, at least for me, character introduction was overwhelming and I had to force myself to keep reading as I got this free for my review. Glad I did. Once past that, the story was captivating. Having lived at North Lake Tahoe, the Cal-Neva history was particularly interesting. If you are interested in mafia, I recommend you start with #1 in the series. Author writes well, makes characters come alive.