Six Bad Things

This is the sequel to Caught Stealing, and the second in what's said in the next book to be a trilogy. I'm not sure what it says about me that I love Hank Thompson, the protagonist of these books. Hank has done bad things. Many of them involving ending people's lives. In the first book, he ended up in deep trouble after helping a casual friend, not knowing the guy had ripped off mobsters to the tune of millions. In this book, Hank has been living in Mexico, trying to maintain a low profile given his notoriety in the US. But of course, in this noir realm, things don't work out and Hank is forced to return to the States to protect his parents.

More people die, some by Hank's hand. Some deserve death, others don't, and given how dark Hank show more has become and his weaknesses (addictions), I shouldn't like him, but I do. His narration is as sprightly as it was in the first book, he's surrounded by another fun and funky cast of characters, and his situation is as dire as the first. In order to survive in a violent world, Hank has to be as violent or more so.

Huston has a strong grasp of character and develops Hank without a false note as the reader watches Hank gradually change into something he doesn't like while remaining sympathetic. After all, given his situation, with people trying to kill him from every direction, who could blame him for being a survivor willing to do whatever it takes, to stay alive and keep his parents safe. show less

It was fast-paced, unpredictable, and violent, just like the first book, but Six Bad Things was much more depressing, actually making me tear up at several points. It's interesting to watch Hank's character changing (in a good ways and bad) with each person he kills or gets killed, and I found the motivations behind his actions becoming less and less clear. Despite its hopeless tone, it's definitely worth reading if you liked Caught Stealing. Not to mention both of these books have amazing dialogue.

Huston continues to impress me with how well he writes gritty thrillers. His stories just suck you in and spit you out. He has a terse and fast-paced writing style that works very well for this kind of novel, particularly with is fragmentary dialog.

While the writing was as good as in the first book in the Hank Thompson trilogy, I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did Caught Stealing. It wasn't Middle Book Syndrome so much as that the tone of this book is filled with hopelessness. Hank's life continues to fall apart with everything he cares about being threatened or destroyed. As a reader, you can only watch helplessly as he surrenders piece after piece of himself, turning into something that you don't particularly like, even while show more feeling sympathy for him because you know how he got there. show less

This book is nearly non-stop, with nuanced and realistic action, and a main character that perfectly walks that line between hero and anti-hero. The main character, Hank Thompson, is also nuanced and realistic, conflicted. There are cracks in his life and character as a result of his choices. It’s also unexpectedly funny.

Full review here:
https://benjaminlclark.com/2016/08/16/book-review-six-bad-things-by/

If any book can be described as “high octane”, this one can. This is the continuing story of Henry Thompson, who proves the old adage that no good deed goes unpunished. Huston’s writing has been described as compassionate noir. He’s the only writer I know who can write a scene that is both horrifyingly violent and funny as heck at the same time.

Book 2 in the Hank Thompson trilogy finds our anti-hero down in Mexico kicking back on the beach until bad things start to happen and the body count starts to rise as he returns to the US. Fans of Charlie Huston will appreciate but newcomers may need to beware. Personally I probably liked it slightly more than the debut in the series as the narrative was probably slightly more linear and some of the other characters definitely added to the piece.

Another excellent book by Charlie Huston. This one took me a little longer to read, not because it was a bad book, just that I forgot I was reading it. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I like how Charlie Huston draws the reader into the story and does not let the go. I am very excited to see where Hank ends up in the next one, so I think I will be reading it very soon. A solid recommendation, for anyone who is into noir style books.