[.ca] Black Water Transit (ISBN 0440237092)

What a thriller!:
Black Water Transit by Carsten Stroud is a taut, nail biting thriller that I could not put down! (Yes, I know that it's cliche, but in this case it's true!) I do not normally read crime fiction, and only chose this book when I ran out of other reading material... I did not realize what I was getting into! Stroud is very witty and has a narrative style unlike I've ever read. He writes in such a way that you understand exactly what words sound like coming from the characters' mouths, and he captures the essence of internal thought and turmoil like they were your own thoughts. The action of this book is very fast-paced, and he endears you to the characters very quickly. The plot is sinuous and keeps you guessing until the very end. This book has everything from romance to the Mob, from bad-guys who turn good to good-guys who turn bad, and revenge coming out the wazoo (technical term)! I recommend this book to anyone!!

Stylish, Gritty:
I loved Stroud's book and thought Black Water Transit was one of the most original plots that I have read in a long time. Jack Vermilion, the main character is successful businessman and the owner of Black Water Systems a shipping company. He enjoys the sucesses of his life except for his dissapointing son, Danny, a thief and drug addict. In federal prison, Danny calls and begs for help. In an effort to help his son, Jack turns informant on a client, Earl Pike, who wants to ship some guns to Mexico. When feds move in to yank the shipment, several agents are killed and of course Jack is blamed and not Pike. Pike, a former army colonel and sniper feels he has been betrayed by Jack and starts his own personal vendetta. The edgy writing of the story gives it the added substance that some writers lack. The characters were razor-sharp and very believable. This is the type of book that you won't want to put down until you are finished. Although, I initially had some problems with going back and forth in the chapters with the different story lines and characters, in the long run it was one hell of a read!...

Blazingly fast paced, muscular narrative:
Just a straight-ahead "guys book", with fast moving plot and guns aplenty. At times violent, at times funny, the book just keeps going. It was a fairly complicated plot, but told very clearly with short sections so it was easy to follow.

A nailbiter of a story:
You hear this a lot in book reviews, but this is a novel that you need to prepare to read in one sitting. The author ties together several subplots to weave a very taut, exciting story. There is plenty of action, good character development and a sense of intrigue that keeps you reading just to find out what happens next. This is one of the best police novels I have read in quite awhile. Although somewhat violent, it all feeds the plot line quite well without being gratuitous. I highly recommend this book.

A Must Read Mystery Thriller ...:
Black Water Transit by talented writer Carsten Stroud is a suspenseful thriller not to be missed-- A businessman is trying to fight his way out of a government frame up. This is one story that will not disappoint!