Chris KnopfRecensioni

Lively protagonist. The story moved along at a good clip. The main character is well drawn but with some blank spaces. I am tempted to blame it on the author's gender. I never realized before that the Hamptons was cheek by jowl with strip mall towns.

We meet Arthur who has a seemingly perfect life and then the next thing he knows he’s hiding from the bad guy that blew his world away by shooting Arthur and his wife. Arthur slowly recovers but revenge is always in the forefront in his mind. This is a new feeling and want for Arthur and he puts it to the bullet that was dug from his brain…new thought but not entirely unwelcome and so Arthur begins to use his computer skills and some new friends to set in action a plan that may just finish the job that the shooter started…but does it really matter? He knows that he’s “Dead Anyway”. I thoroughly enjoyed the intricacies of the plot. It was witty and cleverly done and kept me guessing throughout yet the resolution of the storyline was weirdly believable. Not a heavy mystery but it was fun watching Arthur work.

This guy has such an odd way of narrative. It's bare bones, just the facts ma'm. But you never have to wait long to get to the dead body. In this one, his boss and friend's head is found in his bed and his body in his storage area. And now the killer(s) are coming after him.

This was a ridiculously improbable plot that was really a very entertaining read. There are two more in the series and they are now in my to read list.

I tried hard. I listened to 3/4ths of it but honestly quit caring after the first quarter. I just kept hoping it would get better. The book was blah and the reader was not at all interesting.

This was a delightful find. I had never read any of Knopf's books. I loved this one and now I have a whole new author. A new and different kind of protagonist in a story artfully told. Can't wait to read more,

I don't know what to think. It says "thriller" on the jacket, but didn't exactly have the break-neck pace I usually associate with thrillers. It meandered quite a bit. All of the characters were quirky. The two the author expects you to root for live relatively happily ever after. I did like Jack's musings on what it was like to be in a coma and come out of it.

The Sam Acquillo mysteries, set on the darker shores of the Hamptons, are always a delight, and Deep Dive is an enjoyable addition to the collection. Sam’s rich friend is in trouble, and Sam is quick to reply to a call for help. But philanthropist Burton Lewis’s predicament leads to mysteries upon mysteries, with threats to those Sam holds dear (including the dog) and a side-trip to post-hurricane Puerto Rico, where thoroughly believable characters struggle to rebuild lives. Genuine generosity of rich and poor comes face to face with devious deception in this tale, and America’s luxuries take on a different hue. Mistakes on the path to giving and receiving help are hauntingly drawn. And their implications for resolving the mystery are pleasingly obscure.

Acquillo knows that the rich are different—he was one of them once. But he also knows the poor are important. Seeing through clearer eyes perhaps than most, he puts clues together even while acknowledging distractions, and finally, satisfyingly, finds that final key. His narration draws readers into his world and interests, and offers surprisingly lyrical descriptions, self-deprecating humor, great dialog, and enjoyable relationships, making for a captivating read.

Deep Dive is a novel of contrasts, inviting readers into the depths of co-existing realities, and perfectly balancing characters and opinions on the way. Like a dog that sometimes eats pate and enjoys it (as Sam’s wonderful Eddie might) the rich really are both different and the same, and opportunity rules. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Disclosure: I was given a preview copy and I offer my honest review

A not bad at all read. The plot is a corporate crime vs. good neighbor story, with a dash of mob-like intrigue thrown in for good measure, set in Southampton, it is a battle between along time cottage neighborhood and the forces of greed.

Dr. Waters (“You can call me Waters. Everyone else does”) is the obvious innocent suspect in Chris Knopf’s novel, You’re Dead. He’s not dead, but his boss very clearly is. And the evidence, such as it is, keeps mounting as if Waters had truly killed his friend.

Waters specializes in analyzing personalities, specifically the personalities of people his boss might employ. He’s good at his job. Maybe that’s because he’s good at analyzing himself—an autistic child, grown up to successful adult. He always knows what he’s doing and why. He’s always honest, even when he’s acting against the law. And his questions are always what you wish you’d thought to ask. But he still keeps secrets, and one deep secret will drive him to find out the truth of more than what happened to his boss.

You’re Dead is a novel of losses analyzed and resolved, and of gains put to good use. It’s a tale of honest police work limited by time and finance; of good people, kindness and crime; of clever analysis, and the innocence of a child’s drawing—“usually… the manifestation of helpless, uncontrollable love.” Ultimately it’s a novel of love—lost, found, betrayed, and hoped for… the well-analyzed love of a man whose real emotions are as foreign a land as the picture on the fridge. When the picture comes down at the end, the reader longs for more just as surely as the protagonist does.

A fascinating mystery, made more fascinating by its plotting and characters, You’re Dead is highly recommended.

Disclosure: I was given a preview edition and I offer my honest review.

Up to snuff edition of the Sam Acquillo series with the New York know it all universal perspective, the crazy and irresistible Jackie Swaitkowski, slobbering Eddie and almost a character itself, the sparkling, restless Little Peconic Bay. The brooding Sam follows a meandering path of clues against a backdrop of a world seemingly coming unhinged. Read this one or dig out the first installment and work your way through this consistently engaging series.

Not all illegal immigrants are created equal in Christ Knopf’s latest Sam Acquillo novel, Tango Down. But Sam knows the accused in the crime that starts this novel. He likes him. He knows he’s innocent. There again, not all innocence is created equal either.

Meanwhile, healthy lives and relationships fail to age equally, and author Chris Knopf cleverly combines two powerful storylines—one of a woman struggling silently for her health, and the other of an immigrant struggling for his freedom. Two futures are threatened, and an older, calmer, but still very active Sam Acquillo looks for order in increasing chaos.

Local anti-immigrant sentiment and personal tragedy are pitted against global evil in this tale, where Sam and defense attorney Jackie Swaitkowski follow a tangled web hiding secrets bigger than either of them have imagined. But tiny secrets might hold the greater threat.

Tango Down reads like a dance with the devil, even when the meaning of the phrase is made clear. The protagonist’s narration is natural and consistent. His balance between global and local fear is convincing—sometimes even heartbreaking. And the clever intersection of the storylines is hauntingly real. Sometimes to gain freedom, freedom truly must be sacrificed. But which sacrifice will Sam be called upon to make? And what freedom will he find?

Disclosure: I was given a preview edition by the publisher and I offer my honest review.

From Goodreads:
Imagine this: You have a nice life. You love your beautiful, successful wife. You're an easygoing guy working out of your comfortable Connecticut home. The world is an interesting, pleasant place.

Then in seconds it's all gone. You're still alive, but the world thinks you're dead. And now you have to decide. Make it official, or go after the evil that took it all away from you.

Arthur Cathcart, market researcher and occasional finder of missing persons, decides to live on a fight, by doing what he knows best - figuring things out, without revealing his status as a living breathing human being. Much easier said than done in a post- 9/11 world, where everything about yourself and all the tools you need to live a modern life are an open book. How do you become a different person, how do you finance an elaborate scheme without revealing yourself? How do you force a reckoning with the worst people on earth, as a dead man?

My Thoughts:
I liked this book quite well, it was quick to get rolling and dive into the action. I enjoyed the characters well enough, the ones you got to know anyway. I also like that you start to like people you probably shouldn't, that is always fun for me. I will probably continue with the series at some point, but don't feel the need to rush right in.

A great set of characters, dialogue that sings, a passionate sense of location. Knopf never fails to deliver.

In DEAD ANYWAY by Chris Knopf (©2012), Arthur has a great life, until he nearly loses it. Dragging himself back to the living, he sets out to find who is responsible. Although we know, generally, what he’s up to, it’s fascinating how he goes about trying to identify the culprits. I suppose if I’d stopped reading and thought about it, I might have deduced more of his plan; but I couldn’t stop reading. Arthur’s way of narrowing the probabilities to figure out what to do next is very engaging. He has a tidily precise mind, which is devious and obsessive. We zip through the details of his plan like we’re hanging on at the back of a speedboat.

And the sometimes-likeable supporting characters are icing on the cake.

Hope you enjoy DEAD ANYWAY as much as I did.

Fans of Chris Knopf’s Sam Acquillo mysteries will great this latest entry with delight. But strangers to the series will enjoy the novel just as well—a mystery set among fascinating and never confusing characters, with a wonderful sense of history, culture and place. Even with no knowledge of the Hamptons, a reader will soon greet this book’s locations and neighbors with happy familiarity. Narrator Sam Acquillo tells the tale, with spade’s-a-spade cynicism, strong loyalties, and dogged determination. Together with dog, friends, neighbors, and an estranged daughter who ends up much closer to her father than expected, Sam tackles the mysteries of a veteran’s death, police force rumors of corruption, and family tragedy, with equal aplomb. He seeks clues in city and country, interviews sources, and meanwhile balances his unique individuality with the companionship of an intriguing neighbor.

Author Chris Knopf brings readers up to speed on his characters with spare and natural details from the past. Wonderful dialog brings everyone to life, filling the page with good humor, bad grace, and everything in between. And powerfully evocative descriptions will leave readers eager to leave the city, desperate for a chance to watch the waves, and eager to sail on the bay. Meanwhile there’s a mystery or two to be solved, and Sam’s retreat from emotions into analysis is wholly convincing, even as the adrenalin rush of danger draws too close.

Red herrings, well caught clues, a touch of local politics, rich fund-raisers and small-town diners, they’re all here, in a character driven mystery with deep emotional roots, a wise sense of the recent past, genuine social concern, and a plot that rushes, twists and turns like a boat driven by the tide. Cop Job is a great read, whether or not you’ve followed the series, and it’s a wholly satisfying addition to the annals of Sam Acquillo.

Disclosure: I was given a free preview edition by the publisher and I offer my honest review.

If you’ve read the earlier two Arthur Cathcart novels by Chris Knopf, you’re bound to want to read this one. But if you haven’t, anyplace is a good place to start this trilogy. The stories stand alone; each with its own twisted plot, great high-tech sleuthing, and a man with a billion histories and faces to ground them in mystery and suspense.

Arthur Cathcart is supposed to be dead. Since the bullet, he’s put his brain-damaged skills to good use, learning why he was almost killed, and sending his pursuers behind bars. On the way he’s made some interesting friends and enemies, and learned that the heart might matter more than law. Meanwhile his own heart is given to Natsumi. And a dog. And a dream of living the good life far from home.

When dream turns to nightmare, another escape from death sends Cathcart and Natsumi fleeing toward danger. Changing identities, hacking computers, hiding out in plain sight or far from sight; helped by bad guys, good guys, and unresolved in-betweens; and wending their way through technology and weaponry with equal aplomb, they try to find out not just who they can trust, but whether they can truly trust themselves.
There are a billion ways to die in this game, but Cathcart’s looking for a way, not just to live, but to live well. The past is gone and it’s time to close the door so rudely re-opened. But will friend or foe turn them in?

The technology’s super-cool. The violence is fierce but well-muted. The dialog’s savvy and the plot is multiply twisted, filled with surprises, and enormously satisfying. If this really is the last Cathcart novel (but please, I’d love more), it’s a triumphant conclusion that has me wanting to start from the beginning again (but please, I’d love more time).

Disclosure: I was given a free preview copy by the publisher and I offer my honest review.

Excellent reader, superb story, although one key bit of motivation was missing & this leaves a cliff hanger. Why did Florencia steal from her own company? This does give the author room to expand to another book, but this was originally written in 2005 & he has written other books & at least one series since then, so I guess this is a dead end. I'm tempted to take away a star for that. Oh well, it wasn't that bad & expanded a major player, even if she did die early on. She'd been a bit of a caricature until this revelation. This rounded her out well.

I liked the hero a lot. As a heroic figure, Arthur truly is although he's no he-man. His atypical body type & physical issues really make the suspense & trials pop. He's exactly the sort of man that would be a force to reckon with today. He's an obsessive computer geek with a wide range of knowledge & interests. His job as a market researcher was unexpected & a perfect fit.

Even better, most of the computer stuff was very well done. There were a few things I didn't care for, but I doubt most would notice them. This is what I do for a living, though. I have to say he did far better than most & some could have been done simply because it would fit the average reader's knowledge better or saved him from getting into a confusing mess. At least he kept his logic consistent, even if a few basic things were wrong.

I loved the way all the characters were drawn. Quite an interesting assortment with a mystery & thrilling search. Well worth reading.

Cries of the Lost by Chris Knopf this is the second book of a series and while you can enjoy this novel without reading the first, which I did, you will get the feeling that you are missing something in this story. The author does give you information about the the first book so you can follow the storyline without just guessing, I still feel like I should of read the first book before this one. Arthur Cathcart and Natsumi Fitzgerald make a great team and I enjoyed the descriptions of the locations they were traveling. The story keeps you thinking about what will happen next which will make this a great read for this summer.

Cries of the Lost
By Chris Knopf
The Permanent Press
Reviewed by Karl Wolff

When you marry someone, it is assumed that you know this person and know their past. That isn't always the case. Cries of the Lost by Chris Knopf follows the misadventures of former market researcher Arthur Cathcart and his sidekick Natsumi Fitzgerald. The sequel to Dead Anyway, Arthur has to answer a new question. Instead of "Who killed his wife Florencia?", the new question is, "Who was Florencia?" (It should be noted that reading the first novel in the series is not necessary to enjoying Cries of the Lost. Knopf fills in enough information from the previous novel to keep the reader up to speed.)

The previous novel left Arthur wounded and in a coma. This time he is back using his skills as a market researcher to find out the true story behind his wife's murder. She was from Chile, good with numbers, and ran an insurance agency. Without giving spoilers, Cries of the Lost reads like a madcap mashup of Elmore Leonard, Roberto Bolano, and the confidence schemes from Ocean's Eleven. Arthur and Natsumi track down the true identity of his late wife using disguises, clandestine surveillance tech, and globetrotting to exotic locales in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. Like a well made cocktail, Cries of the Lost succeeds with its perfect proportional admixture of elements. Witty dialogue, exciting car chases, and digging into the anguished histories of Spain and South America combine to create a rollicking entertainment.

During my random dips into the Permanent Press catalog, I have read two previous novels from Chris Knopf. This is his second series he's done with the Permanent Press, the first being the Sam Acquillo Hamptons Mysteries. (I read and reviewed Black Swan, the fifth book in the series on my own blog, The Driftless Area Review.) I have also read his standalone novel, Elysiana. Knopf's professional background includes time spent working in PR and as an advertising copywriter. This shows in his authoritative command of Arthur as the market researcher. Despite the exotic locales and action scenes, Arthur seems believable as a human being. Creative writing teachers say, "Write what you know." Aspiring writers know, "Write what you know and then turn it up to eleven." Not many people want to read about the mundane daily life of a market researcher. I'm sure more people want to read about a wounded former market researcher, just out of a coma, getting chased by former goons from Franco's dictatorship, at the same time evading getting caught by US law enforcement.

Chris Knopf gets accolades for consistent, reliable writing. Usually not the terms one uses in book reviews, especially for a book with literary chops. But if you pick up a book by Chris Knopf, more often than not, it will be well written, entertaining, and probably funny as hell. Cries of the Lost is that odd beast: the literary beach novel.

Out of 10/8.5

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Having already read Dead Anyway, I was excited to find that Arthur Cathcart and Natsumi Fitzgerald may be around as a series. Much like the original, I found this book to be highly entertaining. In addition to the title characters, there are a host of supporting characters from the first book that continue to help our hero. Looking forward to the next installment.

As with many of the other reviewers, I was unaware that this was a continuation of a previous novel. I don't think it's absolutely necessary to read the prior story, but it would probably help. I wasn't quite sure of the characters' actions or motivations - which can sometimes be a good thing, save when references are made which the reader should understand.

All in all, this was a fun, grand adventure of a book. I will definitely read the first in what perhaps might turn into a series.

A fun and wild romp around the globe with unlimited funds, unlimited disguises and unlimited cloak and dagger threats, what's not to like? I enjoyed this book very much. Arthur Carthcart and his girlfriend Natsumi Fitzgerald race around the world trying to break codded messages, hacking bad guys computers and generally trying to stay alive by escaping time and again in last minute ditches. Lots of dry humor thrown in for extra fun. Highly recommended.

I wish I had read the first Cathcart book (Dead Anyway) before reading this one. I found myself wondering why the two main characters were running all over the globe trying to stay one step ahead of some unknown shadowy figures. After reading the first book the second becomes more believable (to some degree). To me the best part of the book were the main characters Arthur and Natsumi. The story seems a little disjointed without the backstory knowledge obtained from "Dead Anyway". It is somewhat hard to write a good review having read the books out of order. I would not hesitate to try anything else written by Mr Knopf.½

Cries of the Lost by Chris Knopf is the follow up book to Dead Anyway, a book I did not read, however I quickly picked up on the storyline. The book begins with Arthur emerging from a coma and determined to discover who killed his wife, Florencia. With a cloak and dagger atmosphere, Arthur and Natsumi travel the globe in search of answers. Cries of the Lost has it all, conspiracy, terrorism, mystery, intrigue, and betrayal. I truly enjoyed Cries of the lost and plan to read Dead Anyway and be on the look out for further books by Chris Knopf.