The Shotgun Rule

Charlie Huston writes everyday chaos likes it's happening right in front of him and he's reporting what he's seeing. Authentic dialog, humor, complex characters are all part of his slim, violent volumes. With The Shotgun Rule he doesn't disappoint. Four teenage boys teetering between delinquency and a life of hard crime bite off more than they can chew when they discover a meth lab run by three Hispanic brothers who have accepted their roles on the hard side. When the boys steal a bag of the meth, they set off a series of events that rekindle feelings buried decades ago and change their lives forever.

Charlie Huston writes everyday chaos likes it's happening right in front of him and he's reporting what he's seeing. Authentic dialog, humor, complex characters are all part of his slim, violent volumes. With The Shotgun Rule he doesn't disappoint. Four teenage boys teetering between delinquency and a life of hard crime bite off more than they can chew when they discover a meth lab run by three Hispanic brothers who have accepted their roles on the hard side. When the boys steal a bag of the meth, they set off a series of events that rekindle feelings buried decades ago and change their lives forever.

It's the early 80's in the sun-blasted wastelands of working class California, and group of teenagers are desperate for anything to do to make the make the summer pass by. Blasting punk rock and heavy metal, they ride their neighborhood looking for trouble. Boy, do they ever find it. When one of their bikes is stolen by some neighborhood criminals, they break into the house looking to recover it, only to stumble into an illegal drug lab. This sets of an unstoppable series of events resulting in crime, violence and retribution. Charlie Huston has elevated pulp fiction to a fine art in his previous novels, and in this narrative he does so again. His young characters are so believable, that the remind me of people I knew growing up. His show more profanity laced rapid fire dialogue is reminiscent of playwright David Mamet, and his use of dark humor is bitter and scalding. This is one of the finest coming of age stories I have read. It dark night of the soul is not for the faint of heart, but the story is unforgettable and cries out to be read. show less

I found The Shotgun Rule to be an amazing read. Huston takes a plot that could be written on one page and expands it into a pleasurable novel by going into many characters' backgrounds and motivations. His characters feel "real" to me, like I grew up with them. He captured the typical male adolescent combination of fading innocence, thoughtless cruelty, and angry restlessness perfectly.

At the same time he inserts us into multiple dysfunctional families without leaving a ripple. He evokes just enough sympathy to pull a few heart strings but manages to also make me feel ambivalent about... just about everyone.

I usually find Huston's sense of violence to be realistic but it felt over-the-top here, like it couldn't or wouldn't happen that show more way. His ethnic stereotypes, thinking of the three brothers, may work but feel a touch strained... ese. Those may be all that holds me back from a full 5 star rating for this tour de force, a cliche that works for this book.

Oh, and don't mess with Bob Whelan! lol show less

This was a fine thriller. Couple things bothered me. First, it used the annoying option where it starts with an event that happens at one point in time, and then goes back in time to tell the story. This book sprinkled that approach through out. All it did was confuse me at the start, and then annoyed me when I figured out what was going on. I do not like "spoilers." The author did a fine job of not having spoilers, but other books/television shows are not so kind. I guess I made the book guilty through association. The second thing that bothered me is also my fault: I am judgmental about drug users. The main characters were frequent drug users, and that made it hard for me to root for the guys, and not just roll my eyes in snotty show more superiority. That doesn't make me feel good. Even with those two fairly major (for me) complaints, this is an exciting/page turning read; one I will give four stars. Charlie Huston may make it into my favorite author list. show less

Better than I expected. Stand by Me meets No Country for Old Men. Really good.

The story is a bit jumbled, almost quit halfway through. It all ties together ok in the end, though.