I didn’t hate this book but I didn’t like it either. I kept picking it up and putting it down but not really wanting to go back. But then convincing myself that I wasn’t giving it a fair shake and giving it another chance. In the end, it was both too fast and too slow somehow. The characters were a bit too all over the place, their motivations and actions to shallow and unpredictable. And interesting concept that could have been so much more gritty and raw and compelling.

“Ye gods!”

Okay, this book. I didn’t really know what to expect. Which is a good way to go into any new story. But early 60s, road novel, mob, etc... I was in. At first I wasn’t sure about the language- mostly the way Frank our anti-hero talks, but once I got into the rhythm of it I was hooked. I loved it. Add frank to my list of favorite characters.

The story was captivating, brutal, violent (think Scorsese or Coen Bros), but has a ton of heart - and does so without sacrificing any of its cool. It never felt cheesy, when it so easily could have.

Cool to discover this author lives in OKC and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for whatever he does next.

It's fun but the last 20% careens into a climax that didn't feel earned and conflicts that weren't more clearly established.

Solid crime thriller with a historical slant. Good read!

Lou Berney has a way with words, this stunning story was both mesmerizing and memorable. A story about second chances, heart crime thriller, part romance, set against the backdrop of 1960s America. The Kennedy assassination, civil rights, Vietnam, the time was as much a character as the characters were. Frank Guidry has it made snappy dresser smooth talker a lieutenant in the mob, one of Carlos Marcello‘s best men. Then things change after he has delivered a Cadillac Eldorado to Dallas days before the JFK assassination. Guidry knowing that he is now a disposable loose end those on the run. Charlotte is fed up! She’s tired of dealing with her drunk husband and a job that won’t take her seriously. So she packs up the car with her two daughters and heads to LA. When Frank and Charlotte’s paths cross they become friends and possibly even more. Meanwell Barone has been hired to hunt Frank down and eliminate him.

This book was so good, these characters so Multi dimensional. I was rooting for all of them even the mobster and the hitman, and I could not figure out how this could turn out well for everybody. The bond that forms between Frank and Charlotte was quite remarkable I was both hopeful and afraid for them. The overlying theme of the story really was second chances, but sometimes these characters second chances weren’t necessarily better then there previous situation. Out of the frying pan into the fire if you will. Beautifully told, captivating characters, compelling storyline, what more could you want?

This book in emojis:

Good book, but it didn't quite grab me the way I'd expected it to. The build-up felt a little tedious vs. thrilling.

I’ve been reading a lot of alternative historical fiction lately because being able to “hang” a story on historical events I know well and either change the known narrative or have the plot of the novel fit within the cracks of the mainstream history helps me get into the mindset of the book. So, when I saw an uncorrected proof of November Road for free with any purchase at my local bookstore, I took the opportunity to read it.

Combining two very different stories, like Devil in the White City, the readers got a little bit of cat and mouse/man on the run with Guidry and a “make your own road”/drama with Charlotte. The intertwined plots blended together well and persuaded the reader to be interested in the individual stories, as well as the combined one. I appreciated the ending because in it, Charlotte finally turned a major corner by not accepting to go overseas with Guidry. Instead, she made her decision based on what she felt like she needed to do for herself and for her daughters. She wanted them to be able to choose their own destinies instead of having those be chosen for them like she suspected they would have been in small town Oklahoma. The ending ended up being an empowering, uplifting one without being a happily ever after, which are the kinds of ends I prefer.

For me, a 4/5 means I really liked the book and I would recommend it to others but it isn’t one of my favorite books. This wasn’t a favorite (5/5) because some of the scenes felt contrived, like when Guidry kills the man who is watching him in Vegas. I like to see the characters I feel connected to win and I know, I’m reading a book about a guy running away because he knows too much about the JFK assassination, but it felt forced. I also thought the epilogue felt misplaced. It was funny and provided a good canvas to see how the girls from the novel remembered their mom, Charlotte, which we know from reading the rest of the story, was important to her. But for me, it quite didn’t land.

That was great. I feel like every page presented lots of different ways for the story to go, and I never knew in advance which one it would be, or whether it would be something else entirely. Very satisfying!