The Town

Sep 29, 2010 Kemper rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery, bad-guys-rule, thieves

I must have larceny in my heart because whenever I see an armored car, I always have that brief moment of idle thought where I wonder how much cash it’s carrying and if I could come up with a plan to rob one and get away with it. Apparently I should have been born in the Charlestown area of Boston because hijacking armored trucks used to be a major pastime of some it’s residents.

Set in the mid-’90s, Doug MacRay is a former hockey star who blew his chance at going pro and is now a recovering alco...more I must have larceny in my heart because whenever I see an armored car, I always have that brief moment of idle thought where I wonder how much cash it’s carrying and if I could come up with a plan to rob one and get away with it. Apparently I should have been born in the Charlestown area of Boston because hijacking armored trucks used to be a major pastime of some it’s residents.

Set in the mid-’90s, Doug MacRay is a former hockey star who blew his chance at going pro and is now a recovering alcoholic. He’s also the brains of a crew that has had a good run of looting banks and armored cars. Doug is smart enough to realize that between the gentrification of Charlestown and the new anti-theft technologies being introduced that the days of old school armed robbery are numbered.

Doug longs for something more than stealing and the Town lifestyle. However, his fellow thief Jem is determined to keep Doug around for good by getting him to start drinking with the boys again and pushing Doug to renew the relationship he used to have with Jem’s sister.

While robbing a bank, Doug’s crew ends up taking the manager, Claire, as a hostage. Doug becomes infatuated with Claire, and starts following her around after the robbery. He eventually manages to worm his way into her life. He knows it’s stupid, especially with eager FBI agent Frawley keeping tabs on her, but Doug has convinced himself that a life with Claire is the motivation he needs to finally get his act together and get out of Charlestown.

This novel functions on two levels. Part of it is a razor sharp heist story with Doug and his crew trying to outwit Frawley and the cops. The other part is a character study of a guy struggling to break the old ties that are holding him back but can never quite manage to shake himself free.

The backdrop is also interesting because Charlestown was once the home to various Irish mob connections and a hotbed of armed robbery, but now it's about to be changed forever by the coming of the yuppies. Setting it in the ‘90’s, when both the cops and the smarter robbers realize that new technology is about to change their game forever also gave the story the feeling of being the end of an era.

Great action, believable characters, solid writing and a rich setting made for one terrific crime novel.

*A Few Notes About the Movie Version*

Originally published as Prince of Thieves, this is the second crime novel adaptation that Ben Affleck has done as a screenwriter and director. While I didn’t like it quite as much as Gone, Baby, Gone, it’s still a very good flick with great performances.

Affleck has a knack for making the changes necessary to condense a novel into a film while keeping the tone and major themes intact. He also showed a surprising flair for big action sequences, including one of the more exciting chase scenes I’ve seen in recent memory. You won’t see a better movie with a van load of nuns toting automatic weapons.(less)

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Jun 23, 2012 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Crooks, thieves, heists, jobs, getaways, cuts, cops, drugs, temptations, and loves.

Chuck Hogan’s The Town has it all and more! A dark, suspenseful, action packed tale about friendship and loyalty in a world filled with crime, betrayal, and “if only” dreams.

So far this year, no audio book has been able to hold my attention until this story read by….wait for it…Mr. Donnie Wahlberg! The man has been in my life, heart, and ears for years, but this was just a brand new bag of love! It was kismet! Eff...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, sr, action, bum

I wasn't planning to read this book. I found it on sale at a bookstore so I bought it. I saw the movie and I thought it was good. At first, there were loads of things I wasn't yet familiar with (such as the details of bank robbery, armored trucks, hockey, Irish community etc.) It was predominantly a male thing. But as I kept on reading, I learned a lot about such things. The writer is so skilled and left no detail to chance and I was very fond of the protagonist; an antihero but the sort of man...more I wasn't planning to read this book. I found it on sale at a bookstore so I bought it. I saw the movie and I thought it was good. At first, there were loads of things I wasn't yet familiar with (such as the details of bank robbery, armored trucks, hockey, Irish community etc.) It was predominantly a male thing. But as I kept on reading, I learned a lot about such things. The writer is so skilled and left no detail to chance and I was very fond of the protagonist; an antihero but the sort of man who was internally beautiful & very interesting. An emotional and cautious guy with a tough shell.

This is a story about a man named Doug, who used to be a hockey star in his community. His father was a bank robber too but now in jail and his mother was said to have left them when he was a kid. Doug also have spent time in jail and when he got out, he became a full time robber along with his three friends. He was also a recovering alcoholic and was determined to avoid alcohol and start a new life.

The story started with the four friends robbing a bank where he met the love of his life named Claire Keesey. She was a bank manager. She was exactly what Doug needed in his life; a good girl. Doug was a smart and cautious man. He would spend time researching and covering their tracks. In this job, he stalked Claire for a few weeks prior to the robbery. Then he fell in love with her. After the robbery, Claire was traumatized and Doug appeared to be the knight in shining armor when in fact he was the cause of it. There were lots of conflicts and anxieties that had to be dealt with including the detective working on the case who was also interested in Claire. This detective could not be taken lightly because he was a good one and stubborn as well. He was to the police what Doug was to robbery. The detective,whose aim was to solve the case and catch the criminals, seemed to be the villain instead and the robber was the hero.

Although the book was very good, I actually thought that Ben Affleck's decision to change the ending was better than it had been originally. I didn't particularly like that Claire seemed to have lost her trust and affection for Doug. Doug died bleeding in front of Claire and she seemed to have claimed her freedom at that very moment. Doug was foolish to give in to that one last job. Oh well, there are probably things that a man has to do and be a man. Doug was that lonely man you wish you had known and became friends with. He was surrounded by people who could not help him to change what he was and be what he wanted to be. He had that one last chance to start a new life, but ties with friends and brotherhood were hard to break. He had a chance to claim his own freedom but he gave in to the needs and demands of others. Such a lonely story. That's why I like Ben Affleck's movie because at the end, Doug became free and there was so much hope. There was so much future for him. (less)

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Oct 15, 2012 Charlynn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There is a disconnect with The Town’s setting. Taking place in Boston during 1996, the story isn’t quite historical fiction. Yet, at the same time, it can’t be considered contemporary anymore either. Because most readers have lived through and remember those not-so-long-ago days, it is challenging to view such a modern decade as historical. Meanwhile, the out-of-date technology and pop culture references are obvious and disruptive, meaning that The Town is almost caught in a state of genre limbo...more There is a disconnect with The Town’s setting. Taking place in Boston during 1996, the story isn’t quite historical fiction. Yet, at the same time, it can’t be considered contemporary anymore either. Because most readers have lived through and remember those not-so-long-ago days, it is challenging to view such a modern decade as historical. Meanwhile, the out-of-date technology and pop culture references are obvious and disruptive, meaning that The Town is almost caught in a state of genre limbo. However, with this said, Hogan’s novel is still riveting. Forget the time setting. Forget the genre. What makes for an exceptional book are interesting, layered characters and an engrossing plot, both of which The Town boasts.

Four Boston natives – sons of Charlestown, the famed Boston community deeply ensconced in criminal activity and the inspiration for the novel’s title – hold up a bank, just one job in a long line of successful heists. At first the group’s partnership seems impervious to outside influence or corruption, but the house of cards quickly starts to crumble when Doug – the mastermind behind the gang’s illegal enterprise – falls for the same bank manager he and his fellow thieves terrorized and held hostage during the holdup. Finally connecting with someone, Doug slips far, far, farther away from his friends and criminal lifestyle, realizing that he wants more, deserves more, can be more, and is more when he leaves his past and Charlestown – including his partners – behind. All of this is made even more complicated by the FBI closing in on Doug’s operation… and his victimized girlfriend. This – the book’s premise – is compelling, but that still doesn’t explain The Town’s true appeal; it doesn’t explain Doug.

Yes, he’s a criminal and a recovering alcoholic. He steals from the rich to line his own coffers. He can be violent, he lies, and he threatens innocent people in order to manipulate and take advantage of them. But he wants to be better; he wants to love and be loved. There is this sense that, if someone could selflessly love Doug, he could be saved. It’s the ultimate fantasy, a fairytale but with sharp realities and ugliness to give The Town an emotional edge. Doug isn’t complicated, nor are his motivations difficult to understand or relate to. In fact, he’s a classic character, but, because of his situation, Hogan places him under extraordinary circumstances and pressures. This sets The Town apart from other crime novels, historical dramas, contemporary works, and any and everything else. Sometimes an author must break the rules to write a memorable book, and The Town is remarkably memorable.(less)

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Mar 09, 2012 Jane Stewart rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: relationshps-crime-suspense-tragedy

Engrossing. Engaging. Wonderful character development and dialogue. The ending is tragic/sad. I grieved and cried too much.

STORY BRIEF:
Doug’s mother left or disappeared when Doug was in first grade. After that his father went to jail. Doug has lived with the Coughlans ever since. Doug went to jail for a year or so for beating up someone. Now he is 32. He robs banks and armored trucks with his friends, Jem Coughlan, Gloansy, and Dez.

The book opens with a bank robbery. The guys are wearing masks....more Engrossing. Engaging. Wonderful character development and dialogue. The ending is tragic/sad. I grieved and cried too much.

STORY BRIEF:
Doug’s mother left or disappeared when Doug was in first grade. After that his father went to jail. Doug has lived with the Coughlans ever since. Doug went to jail for a year or so for beating up someone. Now he is 32. He robs banks and armored trucks with his friends, Jem Coughlan, Gloansy, and Dez.

The book opens with a bank robbery. The guys are wearing masks. As they leave Doug takes the bank manager Claire with them. About an hour later he lets her go. Doug can’t get Claire out of his mind. He follows her and watches her. Finally he takes a chance and talks to her. They go out together/date a few times. He wants to change his life and be with her.

Frawley is the local bank robbery coordinator for the FBI. He believes the four guys are guilty of multiple robberies, but so far he can’t prove anything. He and his guys follow them. He talks to Claire more than once. He too is having feelings for Claire, but they do not go out together.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
This is a tragedy. I cried a lot and hard afterwards. I don’t know if I can recommend it unless you’re up for that - grieving for someone who is good, who wants to do better, who is trying, but he doesn’t know how. I fault his parents. They didn’t give him love, support, and guidance. He made bad choices. He grieves for his mother. He grew up with no one loving him. The only time he felt peace, love, and acceptance was while on a job with his bank robber friends. This book reminds me a little of Romeo and Juliet, but modern, better, different. The lovers are from different worlds and can never be together. Even if Doug gave up his life of crime, there is a chance he would go to jail for past crimes. He can never tell Claire about his criminal activities, because she could be charged as an accomplice. He wants a life with Claire, someone good, not the types of people he grew up with and is surrounded by. I don’t want to mislead by overstating the Romeo and Juliet comparison. Only a small amount of time is spent showing Doug and Claire together. Most of the time the story is about Doug, his thoughts, actions, and feelings. In his mind Claire is the focal point for change. Most of the story is enjoyable and engaging, with anticipation. It’s the last half hour that is unsettling and becomes tragic. Doug believes the coming job will go bad, yet he continues with it. He makes choices which he knows will not be a happy ending.

This story had wonderful character development. Wonderful dialogue. I was engrossed in the characters and the lives they lived. I felt part of it. I enjoyed this all the way through until the end. Excellent plotting and events. This author is a good storyteller. I was rooting for Doug. I wanted to see him change his life. The day after reading this, I’m still crying. I don’t like books that make me grieve and cry, so I’m hoping I can get this out of my mind. I want to forget about it. It hurts.

I suppose it makes one appreciate their own life more, not having problems from a criminal life.

This was made into a movie called The Town with Ben Affleck which I did not see. I hear the movie had a happier ending, a different ending.

NARRATOR:
The narrator Richard Ferrone was excellent. At times he had a touch of Christian Slater to his voice.

DATA:
Unabridged audiobook reading time: 16 hrs and 9 mins. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: none. Sex scenes: one scene was referred to, no details shown. Setting: 1996 mostly Boston area, Massachusetts. Book copyright: 2004. Genre: relationships, crime, suspense, tragedy. Ending: Grief and sadness.(less)

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Sep 16, 2011 Blood Rose Books rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Chuck Hogan brings us the story of a bank robber, who has known nothing else in his life but is wanting to change for a woman.

They are wearing mask, carrying guns and are lying in wait for the bank managers to get to work. Doug MacRay is Boston based career thief, who along with his buddies have become well known Bank Robbers. But this robbery is different for Doug, the prep-work was different he found himself asking more and more questions about Claire Keesey, the banks manager, questions that...more Chuck Hogan brings us the story of a bank robber, who has known nothing else in his life but is wanting to change for a woman.

They are wearing mask, carrying guns and are lying in wait for the bank managers to get to work. Doug MacRay is Boston based career thief, who along with his buddies have become well known Bank Robbers. But this robbery is different for Doug, the prep-work was different he found himself asking more and more questions about Claire Keesey, the banks manager, questions that have nothing to do with robbing the bank but more personal questions. After the bank robbery Claire has been badly traumatized and it is the perfect entry for Doug into her life, while she is vulnerable and scared. But is Doug ready to leave his current life, he is surrounded by friends who look up to him and rely on him, but the allure of a better life with Claire is ever present. Doug may never reach this better life, there is always the next job to plan, and the FBI are getting closer that it becomes a cat and mouse game. However, in the world of Charlestown one is never sure whose the Mouse and whose the Cat.

Prince of Thieves, is the book that inspired the movie The Town, which is the reason I picked this book to read. I really wanted to read the book before I saw the movie, which I think most book lovers like to do. I have yet to watch the movie, as I just finished this book the other day, but I hope to watch it soon.

The first part of this book is fairly slow, other than the robbery at the very beginning. The book begins to lag after this bank robbery as Hogan begins to show who Doug MacRay is; his life, situation and his want/need to escape it. I did find myself not very interested in this book at the beginning as it was slow and times I would just put the book down and not read it for a bit (as you can tell by the length of time that it was as my currently reading book). However, this lag is extremely important in setting up the rest of the storyline and the choices/decisions made by Doug. Once this period is over, (about a 100 pages in) the book becomes more fast paced and was able to draw me in and had me wondering what is going to happen next and what decisions Doug, his Crew, Agent Frawley and Claire would all make.

Doug is a pretty depressing character, his life is in a downward spiral, but he to want to change; Change his life, the people around him and possibly get out of Charlestown forever. But wanting it and doing it is easier said than done. He has a lot of history with Charlestowns and the people here, although he believes that she (Claire) can help save him and get him out of Charlsetown to a new life, he is still left questioning everything. Doug, I found, was a mixture of a hero and an anti hero. You want him to change and succeed in what he does, but at the same time his inability to walk away from bank robberies and his friends (who are slowly bringing him farther and farther down) makes you want him to get caught just so he is forced to make changes as you can see him as a better man (or who he could be if he maybe had a different up bringing).

Hogan does a great job of showing how one background can shape a life, but he also shows that one decision can change a life forever as well and that these decisions can also affect all the people around us in either a positive or negative way. Our choices shape who we are and the life we live.

I liked this book as Hogan has proved to me that he is okay with taking chance with his characters and no one is safe. This book is definitely more than just bank robbery book, it is about how your life and friends can shape a person and the choices In a book like this it would seem counter or unrealistic if everything turned out okay, I applaud Hogan for not taking the easy way out. I would recommend this book to people who are thinking of watching the movie The Town, and for those who are looking for a different psychological thriller, with a little less thriller and a little more psychological.

Enjoy!!!(less)

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Jan 18, 2011 June Ahern rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Borrowed from my host, I began this book on a long weekend, hoping I would finish it. I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN! The story is so compelling and each character, especially the main ones: Doug, Jem, Clair and even Frawly, the FBI agent, were believable to their roles. Growing up with a "hood" with "hoods" I got right into the scene and Hogan does justice to his characters and setting. As a reader (the viewer) I was there in every movement and thought. Of course from early on in the story as Doug, a l...more

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Jan 09, 2011 Patricia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010

I prefer to read the book and then watch the movie, but sometimes when watching a movie my favorite title credit will flash onto the screen: based on a the book ABC by 123. "There's a book?" I always silently exclaim. If I like the movie--and sometimes if I don't like the movie--I'll seek out the book.

I expected to like the movie the Town in a "wow, this is a really bad movie but I like it" sort of way. However, it turned out to be quite gripping and I really did like it. The book turned out to...more

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Oct 02, 2010 CC rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yeah, I liked this. The writing was spry for the most part, a gold nugget of a phrase every other page or so made me smile throughout. Charlestown's hard, blue-collar roots are undergoing a gentrification and to his own surprise, so is bank robber Doug MacRay. Newly sober and newly burdened by a heavy conscience, he sees what his hard life of crime and dead-ends has done to him, and wants to change.

Change comes in the form of bank manager/hostage, Claire. Pursuing her offers him new hope: she's...more

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Nov 12, 2011 Jana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thank Ben Affleck's movie 'The Town' for two things: Ray Lamontagne and his beautiful song 'Jolene' which became one of my dearest. And although I’ve never been Bob Dylan’s lyrical sadness type of listener, this is perfect. It makes the same goose skin effect like when I listen to Tracy Chapman's 'Fast car' and Springsteen’s 'River' (although Joshua Kadison's 'Jessie' as well fits into this storytelling category). Second reason why I thank Ben Affleck is his idea to adapt this book into a movi...more

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Aug 28, 2010 four_eyes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I feel like whatever I say of this book will never come close to describing the greatness that it is. Chuck Hogan wrote a page-turning, suspenseful thriller paired with emotionally distraught characters that furthers the story on a level that engages readers with the characters' struggles and inner demons.

The story wasn't just about robberies and scoring big. What made The Prince of Thieves so utterly remarkable was the day to day struggles in surviving and coming to the realization that to hav...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Got this book since the film "The Town" is based on it----which I finally saw this weekend. First of all, based on my reading of the book--the film's casting was perfect.
This book is both a police and a perp procedural But it has much more---actual character development and flawed central characters whose struggles to change are believable.
I really needed a quick read that was interesting, but not a waste of time (after slogging though Little Dorrit and before beginning The Queen Mother, nearl...more

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Apr 16, 2011 Judy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Movie "The Town" was based on this book, different endings.
Childhood frieneds rob banks and armour cars for a living. When robbing a bank they beat up and employee after the silent alarm is sound. Another employee, Claire, is taken with the robbers and left near a beach. Doug, one of the robbers, befriends Claire and they strike up a dating friendship. Claire doesn't know that Doug is one of the bank robbers, also she is being semi-dated with the FBI agent on the case.
The FBI agent follows Doug...more

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Feb 25, 2011 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, borrowed, crime, current-fiction, suspence

I was never interested in this story due to the trailer for the movie. However, one of my co-workers was reading this story and I started to look into the story. It sounded interesting and shortly after, she let me borrow the book.

The book opens up with a robbery but it just didn't grab me and the beginning of the book is key to the story. It took a while for me to get into the story, and the only part that really kept me interested was the relationship between Claire and Doug. I really wanted t...more I was never interested in this story due to the trailer for the movie. However, one of my co-workers was reading this story and I started to look into the story. It sounded interesting and shortly after, she let me borrow the book.

The book opens up with a robbery but it just didn't grab me and the beginning of the book is key to the story. It took a while for me to get into the story, and the only part that really kept me interested was the relationship between Claire and Doug. I really wanted to know where Chuck Hogan was going to take it because Doug had held Claire as a hostage in the beginning and she was so scarred from the encounter. Of course, he 'accidentally' bumps into her after the robbery (she has no idea who he is) and they begin to date. Doug was such a likable character and he was a good 'bad' guy that it seemed only natural that she fall for him, but I still can't see what he saw in her. She was a bit flat in character.

The book ends with their climactic heist, and I won't spoil any of the ending for anyone. There is a sweet moment in the end that made my heart do a little flip but it was mostly just a the normal ending for a bank robbery book- Hogan ended the book appropriately. He did add one more chapter at the end that I loved. After the story ended, he took us back to the beginning of the story (to the first robbery in the book) and showed us the relationships between the guys before the robbery took place. So much in that first robbery changed the dynamics of their relationships, that it was a good reminder to see them at their prime. They were relaxed and joking with each other, while waiting for the bank to open. In addition to this, Doug had been trailing Claire for weeks because she was the bank manager and he had begun to fall for her. At this point, he was anticipating seeing her up close and I liked reading this at the end because it was almost like Doug had a fresh start to do things differently.

This book surprised me in the aspect of making Doug such a likable character, and you did root for him and Claire. I don't see myself craving this story again and I'm still not sure if I really recommend it to people- if you want a story that has a lot of action, this is a story that you might be intersted in. If you are looking for a story that has depth, this is not the book for you. Three stars for the relationship between Doug and Claire, two stars for the rest of the book.(less)

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Feb 14, 2011 Lydia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For the first time ever, I think I liked the movie better than the book. This is the book the movie, "The Town" with Ben Affleck is based on. The movie is fairly faithful to the book, except I noticed that Ben Affleck gave himself 2 sex scenes that are not in the book, and were not necessary.

The book is a fairly bleak story of guys growing up in a neighborhood that puts a stranglehold on ever getting out. Wanting to change or do something different is seen as disloyalty. Disloyalty can make you...more

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Mar 02, 2011 Mark R. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read Chuck Hogan's novel "The Standoff" in high school, loved it, and then for no reason at all, never read another of his books, until seeing the movie "The Town" and realizing the author of "The Standoff" also wrote "Prince Of Thieves," on which "The Town" was based.

Hogan has a great ear for dialogue and perfectly nails (I'm assuming, since I've never lived there) the way people talk in Charlestown, MA, aka "The Town."

The story is about a group of close friends who rob banks, armored vehicl...more

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Nov 01, 2010 Eli Dawson added it · review of another edition

“The country is becoming so homogeneous… But Boston is a place that you go to, and it’s really specific. And specificity makes for good storytelling. It roots you in a sense of place.” – Ben Affleck (Director/Star of The Town)

Despite the success of both the Chuck Hogan’s Prince of Thieves and its film version, The Town, I have to say that both left me a little cold. While I did not actively dislike either of them, they did lead me to think about other work within the genre, so… here’s a little b...more “The country is becoming so homogeneous… But Boston is a place that you go to, and it’s really specific. And specificity makes for good storytelling. It roots you in a sense of place.” – Ben Affleck (Director/Star of The Town)

Despite the success of both the Chuck Hogan’s Prince of Thieves and its film version, The Town, I have to say that both left me a little cold. While I did not actively dislike either of them, they did lead me to think about other work within the genre, so… here’s a little background for those who are plan to maybe see the film or pick-up the book…

While Toronto serves as Anytown, USA for Hollywood, there have been a bevy of films set in and centered on the historic streets of Boston, Mass (and, more specifically, Boston’s working class, Irish-American neighborhoods). The Town pairs up a novel set in Charlestown and a director who grew up across the bridge in Cambridge.

Boston has the back drop in all the feature films Ben Affleck has written and/or directed. The film he co-wrote and co-starred in with Matt Damon, Good Will Hunting, was set in Boston, although it was filmed mostly in Toronto. Affleck’s first movie-directing gig, Gone Baby Gone (which he co-wrote with another childhood friend, Aaron Stockard), was based on a novel by Dennis Lehane, who sets most of his books in the Boston area (for example – Mystic River and Shutter Island - both of which were set and subsequently filmed in the Boston area).

“All I ever wanted to do was tell stories and have people like them.” – Chuck Hogan, author of Prince of Thieves

Hogan is Massachusetts born and raised. And he went to Boston College. After school he lived at home, wrote, and worked at a Boston videostore. It was while working there that his first novel was sold and the fairytale began. Prince of Thieves (his third novel) was published in 2004. His publishers called and told him that Donnie Wahlberg (a Dorchester, Mass native) really liked the book. Wahlberg ended up recording the audiobook. The book received the 2004 Hammett Prize given by the International Association of Crime Writers. Several of his other novels are currently in development to be feature films and he is also in the process of co-authoring a trilogy of vampire novels with Guillermo de Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth).

The book & film both cover familiar terrain. A robber with a heart of gold, the “just one more job and then I can leave this life behind” subplot, a love triangle, a buddy film where your friends are your family, blah, blah, yawn. What interested me in the book–the class warfare (lots of talk about gentrification – the Yuppies who are pricing them out of their neighborhoods)–was not really touched on in the film at all. The class struggles in the book (a scene were Doug’s father talks about buying back their home and Doug telling him that they could never afford it anymore) evoked a real sense of loss. The closest the film ever came to eliciting the same response was during the bar scene between Krista and an FBI agent (played by Mad Men’s Jon Hamm). The scene is harsh. We see the agent’s classist feelings towards the men he is pursuing.
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Dec 03, 2012 Lennie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the book that dove me into the literature world. Chuck Hogan's best asset as a writer is his depth and detail into each character as if you know each person in the novel personally. An aspect of writing that is difficult to obtain, but Hogan is one of the best. The story is thrilling, sincere, and will leave you satisfied at the end. Hogan also has a way of shyly putting in short, significant lessons that make you even more root for the main character, Doug. I have read the rest of Chuc...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Kevin Wilson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3.5 out of 5. Really liked the movie (The Town - Ben Affleck), so I thought I'd check the book it was based on out. The book has the same characters, great sense of place (Charlestown Boston) and the overall spirit of the movie, but it's darker and a lot of important details are changed. I was interested in the characters, and the whole action of the heists, but at just over 600 pages, I though it could have trimmed and still had the same punch. I'd definitely recommend it for someone looking fo...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Mysterious Ed rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime

Brings Boston to life in prose evocative of George V. Higgins in The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1972).

Thriller - Claire Keesey, the branch manager for a Boston bank, is taken hostage during a robbery. She is released, but Doug MacRay, the brains behind the tough, tight-knit crew of thieves, can't get her out of his mind. Tracking her down without his mask and gun, Doug introduces himself, and as soon as he and Claire meet, their mutual attraction is undeniable -- as are the risks of a relationship....more

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Oct 17, 2010 Sallie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked this up because it's been re-released under the title "The Town", the name of the new
Movie directed by Ben Affleck. The cast is superb, but I wanted to read the book before the movie - and I was not disappointed. Chuck Hogan writes the most tortured - yet understandable - bank robber you'll ever meet. And it doesn't stop there - the entire crew is nuanced and grabby - you don't want to get invested in them, but you do. Overall, I loved the story - the only complaint was that because of...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Catherine Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book in preparation for the movie version that is coming out in September -- "The Town." I'm now even more excited for the film; though the book is quite predictable, I think that Ben Affleck will be able to translate the story to film with more suspense. I think all the casting is done perfectly, and it will be extremely fun to watch. The book is worth reading on its own as a crime caper novel, especially for anyone interested in Boston, as Hogan details many sections of the city. B...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Gwendolyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Chuck Hogan writes with an easy edge, a tone that is easy to place coming out of the mouths of his characters while painting exact pictures. Doug and Frawley are good narrators to follow through most of the story, though Hogan occasionally chooses to take a step to the side and show the perspective of one of the many side characters that he paints in vividly in the background. Jem and Krista's chapters are especially rich in description.

I picked up the book after watching the film adaptation "Th...more

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Jan 30, 2011 Andy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The main reason I picked this book up was because I read the Del Toro/Hogan collaboration The Strain, but then I saw the movie The Town and thoughts it was the cat's pajamas. The movie was so interesting and enjoyable that I had to read the book. This book did not disappoint in any way, shape, or form. I do not want to give too much away, but if you've seen the film, you're in for a treat, because even thought the film takes form from the book, the book is it's own entity. The characters are mor...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Shandy Kurth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

WEW! That was an emotional roller coaster!
I've been the movie the town and didn't know that it was based off of a book so when i came across this one at my local used book store in audio i was like HECK YES!
It didn't disapoint! Great look at street life and the mechanics of robbary but also the characters involved, the main character Doug, you just wanted to shake him and wake him up! And tell him to go with his gut and that it was going to be okay if he would just do what he knew was right!! Lo...more

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Oct 03, 2010 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

So I kind of picked up this book after seeing the trailer for the movie.
I'm a huge fan of Dennis Lehane and I have devoured almost all of his books. So it did help that the book is set in Boston and it kind of has the same feel as Lehane's books.
What I liked about this book was the struggle the main character Doug has to go through, chosing between his old life and a new life. You feel for him and his willingness to make amends for the things he has done.
His relationship with Claire never fel...more

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Sep 11, 2009 Jake rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A pretty good yarn in the tradition of Dennis Lehane's lighter Boston caper stories. A couple pretty interesting characters, some useful tips for robbing armored cars...the only thing that bugged me was the romantic 'relationship' that causes the main character to have his moments of doubt. If you're gonna base the main conflict between your two lead protagonists around attraction to a girl, shouldn't that girl NOT be the most boring character in the story? Boo hoo, my bank got robbed. I'm SO to...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Bobbie Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've never rooted for the bad guy before, but in this book I did. Doug was the mastermind of this group of 4 thieves. He set up robberies where no one was hurt and no clues were left.
Something went wrong at the bank robbery and the group took the female manager hostage. They let her go unharmed, but very psycologically damaged. Enter Frawley, an FBI agent determined to catch the gang he also finds himself falling for Clair, the bank manager. Doug also finds himself falling for her. She begins t...more

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Jan 08, 2011 Leasalois rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a great action/suspense novel about armed robberies. The movie "The Town" is based off this book & one of the few times I have seen the movie before reading the book, but I still really enjoyed the book. There are a few major differences between the two, so I actually liked seeing the movie first because I think I would have been disappointed had I done it the other way around. I could really see Ben Affleck in the character as I read the book. There is a lot of foul language, but i...more

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Dec 22, 2011 Ethan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was drawn to this novel when I read all of the great reviews for the film that it inspired. I'm the kind of person who likes to read the book before the movie. I was struck by the grit that Hogan portrays when describing this section of Boston. While comparisons can be made to Dennis Lehane, I think Hogan brings a unique view to this story. On the surface, it appears to be a run of the mill action/heist story, but at its core, this novel is a riveting tale of forbidden love and the struggle to...more

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title link	preview: The Town: A Novel
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