Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... Blackbird, Farewell (2008)by Robert Greer
None Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Didn't finish. Didn't care. Got around 80 pages in and just couldn't go further. CJ Floyd, who I really liked in The Fourth Perspective, still hasn't appeared and I've read way too much about basketball. Reading other reviews, it appears that Floyd is a minor character in this one, which disappoints me. Sports mysteries aren't my favorite, but I'm fine if there's more mystery than sport - not this one. Might recommend it to someone who liked basketball, but my main reason for requesting it was to read more CJ Floyd. This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Great Book! This book was an excellent page turner. The character development was outstanding, and the story was a truly intriguing! Can't wait to read the other books in the series. I recommend this book.Blackbird, Farewell is the seventh and latest in the series of CJ Floyd novels. CJ is only a minor character in this story, however. Shandell “BlackBird” Bird is a talented basketball player who's recently been drafted into the NBA. When he is found murdered, his best friend Damion vows to track down his killer, even though it means digging deep into Shandell's private life. It is painful for Damion to discover that his best friend was not who he pretended to be. This book was an easy read that has the potential to be a movie. It has a bit of everything – action, suspense, violence, romance, and a screenplay-like epilogue. This is my first CJ Floyd novel, so I was at a disadvantage because I did not know the regular characters, but I was still able to follow the plot. Normally I prefer cozy mysteries, and this is not a cozy. There is some profanity and violence, and a sex scene which were a little graphic for my tastes, but it would be mild to most readers. I was easily able to skim over any parts that bothered me and continue with the plot. So this book would appeal to a wide audience. I would recommend this book to modern day mystery fans – and also basketball fans. Greer does a good job of portraying the dark side of professional sports while weaving his mystery. This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. "Blackbird Farewell" is part of a series of novels that involve a bounty hunter by the name of CJ Floyd. All of these novelstake place amidst the African-American community of Denver, Colorado. In this particular novel, CJ is absent for most of the novel as he is off on his honeymoon. The novel concerns a soon to be major league basketball player by the name of Shandell "Blackbird" Bird. Having received his first contract with an NBA team and a major sponsorship, Blackbird is set to live a very charmed life, having been raised by a single mother in dire poverty. Early on in the novel Blackbird is murdered while meeting with an investigative reporter. The rest of the novel concerns the actions of his best friend, also a star basketball player by the name of Damion Madrid who attempts to solve the mystery of who murdered his best friend. Damion grew up in the same environment as Blackbird but instead of pursuing a career as a professional basketball player he has decided to attend medical school in the coming month. There are numerous suspects as to who performed the murder in this book (and a third murder is added as the story unfolds).Most of the suspects are mob types with names that became so similar to me that I was confused as the reader to try and figure out who was who.Through the course of the story, there is the growing suspicion that Blackbird wasn't as virtuous a player as his family and fans thought he was. Much of the novel takes place where people discuss the possiblity of Blackbird 'fixing' his last games. For me there was far too much discussion of this arising. I also found the novel too long. To whom do I think this novel would appeal? It was interesting to read a mystery that had characters from the African-American community because this is something I haven't encountered before. Also if you are a sports fan, and more specifically a fan of professional and college basketball, this novel will probably have a great appeal. Overall I found the book to be too long. Perhaps a shorter visit with these characters would have made it a more enjoyable stay for me. There are as of the publication of this novel, six in the series. I don't plan to spend anymore time with this series as it had little appeal to me. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to Series
Shandell “Blackbird” Bird has everything going for him, or so he thinks. Recently selected number two overall in the NBA draft, the 6'8", 250-pound superstar has a gleaming new ride and a salary and athletic shoe contract that make him an instant millionaire. What he doesn’t have is the ability to bury secrets from his past. When Shandell is found shot to death at mid-court, his best friend and college teammate Damion Madrid sets out to find the killer. Damion is well meaning but naïve; luckily his godfather is gumshoe CJ Floyd. Floyd and his partner, Flora Jean Benson, are there to watch his back as Damion stumbles down a shadowy trail that leads to Shandell’s purported peddling of steroids and big-game point shaving. When he discovers a “Blackbird” he never knew and is able to put a face on Shandell’s killer, Damion finds himself in over his head. Will CJ be there in time to prevent his godson from joining Shandell? Featuring the vivid characters and streetwise dialogue that have made the CJ Floyd series a critical and commercial success, Blackbird, Farewell is a punch-packing whodunit that exposes the dark side of the pro-athlete good life. No library descriptions found. |
LibraryThing Early Reviewers AlumRobert Greer's book Blackbird, Farewell was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |
Blackbird’s Godfather, Denver based bail bondsman CJ Floyd, is in Hawaii on his honeymoon. To help out the investigation, he not only sends his former Marine intelligence operative partner to lend a hand, but also lends helpful guidance and suggestions over the phone. As Damion and an assortment of shady and sometimes dangerous acquaintances dig deeper into the murder, they begin to unravel a conspiracy of corruption and lies that extend farther beyond the basketball court than anyone had imagined.
Greer’s novel is a captivating, quick-paced mystery with personal conflict, local history, and underworld manipulations weaved throughout. While the story is worth reading, there are a few hurdles that keep it from being a completely smooth ride.
There are plenty of colorful and interesting characters populating the late Blackbird’s world, and this is always a plus for mystery novels. However, the drawback in this case is that they tend to overwhelm the reader by sheer number. Similar sounding names and overlapping character quirks and backgrounds can sometimes make it difficult to tell them apart, and only add to the confusion.
Another minor flaw with the narrative is the author’s unskillful way of explaining back story. Past events, character backgrounds, and expositional material are often thrust into descriptive passages and supposedly casual dialogue in big meaty fistfuls, making them tough to chew and hard to digest. Greer has a very complex and multi-layered story to tell, and there is so much needed background that he can sometimes seem desperate to unload it all.
These flaws, while unavoidable, are minor nonetheless, and are easily overlooked as Damion’s investigation draws you further into a world that neither he nor the reader ever though existed. This latest entry in the CJ Floyd series may not be the best, but it is far from the worst, and definitely worth a look. ( )