Warren Ellis is not for the faint of heart. To say this was one of the more interesting and unusual serial killer novels would be a complete understatement. A police procedural at its core the book is a shotgun blast through the bizarre underbelly of Manhatten. ( )

There were so many things to like about this book: the writing style, the pacing, the dark humor, the fascinating amount of gun detail. I could go on and on. But unfortunately, about half-way through, I started to see less of those things and focus more on the stuff that started out as a minor irritation and blew up into an insurmountable problem. Namely: all the coincidence and the massive amount of contrivance. Because, oh, boy, was this story contrived. Everything about the way the plot came together was based on coincidence, luck, or a hunch that the main character had no business having. Sure, the hunches were correct, but they had been planted there by the author. As those instances became more frequent and the WTF moments more apparent, I started to care less and less. And by the end of it, I was glad to be done - not because I was delighted with how the book ended, but because I was more than ready to move on to something else. ( )

Perhaps a little more conventional than I expected it to be but still a thrilling, imaginative and well written cop tale. ( )

Law and Order & CSI as seen through the lens of mad, bad, bastards. Gun machine was a bit of Fell brought to NYC where it had filthy sex with Police Procedural and Conspiracy Theory and utterly utterly compelling. ( )

I'll read damn near anything Ellis writes. So I was quite eager to read this. Not quite as out there as Crooked Little Vein, but with the same amazing voice, Gun Machine is a great, and a very fun read. I don't think Ellis is capable of creating a dull character and that's what fascinates me. His plots, while always containing some magic, are mostly pedestrian. But the characters that he runs through them? Absolutely fascinating.

Good job, Mr. Ellis. ( )