[.ca] Upright Man (ISBN 0515136387)

Violet and unfocused:
I was 20 pages from the end of the book and just couldn't bring myself to finish. I found myself picking up the book every day as if it was a homework assignment nd checking page numbers almost constantly. For a spooky read, check out Richard Laymon instead.

Story is all over the place...:
It's a good "diversion" for a quick read, but not nearly as good as The Straw Men. Definitely read this if you liked the first novel, but be warned that Michael Marshall is trying too hard to make a franchise out of The Straw Men. I can't really fault Michael Marshall for the effort to be like Nora Roberts or Jeffrey Deaver, but this novel just isn't very well coceived and lacks congruity. This novel really has two competing storylines that just don't work together (read it, see if you agree). Ward Hopkins is a compelling character. His rants and diatribes about society and the world alone are worth reading this book (I'd give his observations 4 out of 5 stars). Not a "page turner" like the first novel...

No "Straw Men", but still pretty good:
I stumbled upon The Straw Men completely by accident, and found it to be a creepy, gritty, genuinely pulse pounding suspense masterpiece. It single handedly rekindled my love of reading. So I eagerly picked up this sequel as soon as I became aware of its existence. Though not up to the lofty standards of the original, it is still very worthwhile. After a strong start it faltered a bit, then recovered -the seemingly random subplots are brought together well, with another intense, electrifying, feverishly page turning climax - which is where some otherwise good suspense novels fall short. If you liked the Straw Men read this - and read Smith's other novels as Michael Marshall Smith - especially the mindblowing "Only Forward".

Average story with promising premise:
I read a lot of fiction and I stumbled across The Straw Men last year. I loved it, the atmosphere was creepy and the story was tightly focused. I recommended it to all my friends who can read. When I saw the Upright Man in the store I had to have it. I read it quickly and ultimately must agree with other reviewers who found the Bigfoot story tangental and distracting. Michael Marshall is a talented writer ( he has written 3 scifi books under the name Michael Marshall Smith, "Spares", "One of Us",and "Only Forward" all very good)but this book seems like a filler novel to set up a series. The story was average and if you like the characters you will be fine but don't expect the creepy revelations that made The Straw Men so memorable. I have hope the next one will make reading this worthwhile.

A TERRIBLE Sequel:
The prequel, The Straw Men, was as Stephen King said: "A masterpiece". This one is boring, it has the cheesiest ending I've ever read, nothing is clarified at the end, and the reader is left feeling confused and irritated.