A four-star review of J. R. Locke’s DOWN & OUT in MANHATTAN

J.R. Locke’s gripping novel, DOWN & OUT in MANHATTAN could have been a five-star novel. I give it four stars because it is gripping; I found it hard to stop reading at bedtime. Jack Cole, the protagonist, is fully-formed and sympathetic despite his believable personality flaws. Det. Sgt. Nat Turner is admirable and the police procedural parts of the book are fairly well done. There are some glaring faults in the details of the story, but it was so much a page turner that I was willing to overlook them. I was 80 percent of the way through the book when I told one of my sons, DOWN & OUT in MANHATTAN is a must read. The book slowed a bit after that. The ending lost it a star, because it was a Hollywood cop out. I am sure many readers will love the finale and wouldn’t be aware of how good this book could have been.

A suggestion: My novel, THE PENCIL ARTIST is available as an e-book on Smashwords, Kindle, and Barnes and Noble; as a paperback on Amazon.