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83rd out of 115 books
—
68 voters
The Cold Spot
by
Tom Piccirilli (Goodreads Author)
Chase was raised as a getaway driver by his grandfather, Jonah, a con man feared by even the hardened career criminals who make up his crew. But when Jonah crosses the line and murders one of his own, Chase goes solo, stealing cars and pulling scores across the country….And then he meets Lila, a strong-willed deputy sheriff with a beguiling smile who shows him what love ca...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
April 29th 2008
by Bantam
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Reading The Cold Spot, I felt like being drawn in a film noir, where we follow bad boy Chase, who was trained by his grandfather from a very (very) young age to be a career criminal but mostly to be a getaway driver during his grandfather and his crew’s heists. But there’s so much more to this story, because Chase is not as hard and emotionless as his grandfather and when he meets Lila, a young deputy sheriff in a small town in Mississippi, his life changes a rather natural course; their relatio...more
3 likes · like · see review
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To give you some idea of the pedigree Piccirilli aspires to with this, one of his first crime novels he thanks Duane Swierczynski, Ray Banks, Jason Starr, Megan Abbott, Peter Abrahams, Ed Gorman, F. Paul Wilson, David Morrell and Chuck Palahniuk before quoting Ken Bruen at the start of the book. Man has some serious friends and he didn't disgrace himself in the slightest.
This is a modern noir; dark, depressing, with good characters, psychological insight and a fast paced style. Chase is a getawa...more
This is a modern noir; dark, depressing, with good characters, psychological insight and a fast paced style. Chase is a getawa...more
11 likes · like · see review
This is not a typical crime novel, which isn't all that surprising considering the source. I've read a couple of Tom Piccirilli's earlier horror novels, and noticed the surreal, almost psychedelic narrative style he typically used. It made a lot of sense in the context of horror--sort of like a novel version of Argento's giallo horror movies. I wasn't sure how it'd translate to crime fiction, but I figured it'd be worth checking out. Turns out, it works really well. Actually, Piccirilli tones do...more
This is not a typical Noir crime book, its smart,the narrative takes time to build characters,emotional,dark story,very good settings,atmosphere. He did also a great job getting you to see inside the head of Chase.
Its has also quality action,twists,awesome criminal noir feel to it. Feels very much like a Richard Stark book. Chase and his kind felt like Pros doing their jobs in unromantic way.
I enjoy heist crime books specially the ones about Getaway drivers,this one was very well written for a...more
Its has also quality action,twists,awesome criminal noir feel to it. Feels very much like a Richard Stark book. Chase and his kind felt like Pros doing their jobs in unromantic way.
I enjoy heist crime books specially the ones about Getaway drivers,this one was very well written for a...more
3 likes · like · see review
After his mother is murdered and his father takes his own life, Chase is raised by his grandfather, a cold and calculating master criminal, and he is introduced to a life of crime. After Chase's grandfather murders a member of their gang in cold blood, Chase makes a break for it, eventually going straight and marrying a cop. When his wife is killed responding to a robbery, Chase vows revenge and contacts the only man who can help him, his estranged grandfather. This was a well done and for the m...more
[7/10]
The book starts with a BANG!, literally, and remains in the fast lane for the rest of the journey. Chase is 15 in the opening scene, not your typical teenager. Instead of going to school and worrying about girfriends and grades, he has "fallen off the map" after losing both parents and taken to a life of crime under the tutelage of his grandfather Jonah. He's speciality is driving getaway cars, but he picked up other uselful skills along the way, like lockpicking, bare knuckle boxing, fine...more
The book starts with a BANG!, literally, and remains in the fast lane for the rest of the journey. Chase is 15 in the opening scene, not your typical teenager. Instead of going to school and worrying about girfriends and grades, he has "fallen off the map" after losing both parents and taken to a life of crime under the tutelage of his grandfather Jonah. He's speciality is driving getaway cars, but he picked up other uselful skills along the way, like lockpicking, bare knuckle boxing, fine...more
I love crime novels. There's just something about them that speaks to me, and for some reason I seem to really enjoy reading them in the winter. Maybe the dark, bleak weather makes a dark, bleak story even more fascinating. When it came time to choose my latest winter crime novel I chose a book with a fitting title, Tom Piccirilli's “The Cold Spot”
It's my understanding that Piccirilli is mainly a horror writer and that “The Cold Spot” was one of his first major attempts at a straight up crime no...more
It's my understanding that Piccirilli is mainly a horror writer and that “The Cold Spot” was one of his first major attempts at a straight up crime no...more
Jul 25, 2011
Larry Hoffer
added it
This book was freakin' amazing! Honestly, if real life and work didn't get in the way, I would have read the book from cover to cover and not put it down until I was done. This story had some terrific action, great characters and a really interesting story. And even though I had a feeling about some of the things that were going to happen, it didn't matter, because it didn't take away from the story at all. I'm definitely looking forward to his next book and I'm going to go back read some of his...more
Having read everything Tom Piccirilli has ever done, I'm simply blown away how he continues to improve with each book. While I prefer his work in the horror genre, I've still kept up with his crime thrillers and think this is his very best. I couldn't put this book down, blazing through it in a couple of days. Chock full of original characters with unique histories in a tangled web of danger, deceit, and destiny. The action and twists are remarkable and Piccirilli's economy of words, dialogue, a...more
From Genrebusters.com:
The Premise
Chase is a young man who lost his parents as a boy and was brought into a life of crime by his grandfather Jonah. Still in his teens, he decides to go straight and build a life as a law-abiding citizen. But this is a crime story, and a shady past is never far behind.
In Review
Many of the elements that Piccirilli writes into Cold Spot will be familiar to anyone who has read crime fiction or watched crime cinema. What distinguishes this book is Piccirilli's ability...more
The Premise
Chase is a young man who lost his parents as a boy and was brought into a life of crime by his grandfather Jonah. Still in his teens, he decides to go straight and build a life as a law-abiding citizen. But this is a crime story, and a shady past is never far behind.
In Review
Many of the elements that Piccirilli writes into Cold Spot will be familiar to anyone who has read crime fiction or watched crime cinema. What distinguishes this book is Piccirilli's ability...more
A nice, lean and nasty thriller. The main character, Chase, is a getaway driver who has been raised by a professional criminal, so he has distinctive way of looking at the world and of living his life. Author Tom Piccirilli write original scenes without any literary fat, so the story covers a lot of ground. It takes some dramatic and unexpected twists and turns; and Piccirilli isn't afraid to show the dark side of his protagonist or to put him through the ringer.
The Cold Spot worked great for me. I enjoyed meeting the protagonist's uber-dysfunctional family. The action scenes kept me flipping the pages at breakneck speed. The only place where this one lagged for me was in the middle section, which without spoiling anything, shied briefly away from the cold streets of the big city. It just wasn't quite as evocative as the the other two-thirds of the book. But that's a minor quibble, as this kept me reading right to the end.
This kind of murder/suspense story is lean, spare, and fast as a greyhound. The pace is incredible, the dialogue is taut and the characters are well drawn. I loved Chase, and I immediately saw Mitch Pileggi as Jonah. loved cold spot, now I need to find
. and every piece Tom Piccirilli has ever written
. and every piece Tom Piccirilli has ever written
This book gets off to a slow start, but it picks up speed. It’s nothing too original, but the plot is interesting enough to pass a rainy day without complaints. I love Piccirilli’s horror novels, and I really don’t care for stories about criminals, but I enjoyed this one none-the-less.
Yeah.
Do not read this book unless you've had a physical.
It punches you in the heart.
More than once.
Just remember, it's a Man's World
But it don't mean nothing without a woman or a girl
And
Even then...
Keep a gun handy.
Do not read this book unless you've had a physical.
It punches you in the heart.
More than once.
Just remember, it's a Man's World
But it don't mean nothing without a woman or a girl
And
Even then...
Keep a gun handy.
Audiobook......A mediocre story of love and revenge. Interesting dynamics between the protagonist and his grandfather kept me engaged.
Highly enjoyable. Everything Piccirilli writes is phenomenal. Five Stars.
Reading about people this awful shouldn't be so much fun.
Piccirilli is one of my new favorite authors.
One of the better crime novels I've read in the past few years. Unbelievable pace and wonderfully drawn characters make this a must read. Talent to become one of the all time greats.
Pretty satisfying neo-noir.
What if a sociopathic career criminal had to raise a 10 year old child ... what would the kid turn out like?
This is the story of the kid - Chase.
What a twisty, page turning, story it is too - the only minor problem I have with it is that some of the changes in Chase's life are so abrupt and total that I could have used a little bit more narrative "selling" on them.
Oh and there is a huge plot thread left dangling for the sequel (which I’m definitely going to get).
This is the story of the kid - Chase.
What a twisty, page turning, story it is too - the only minor problem I have with it is that some of the changes in Chase's life are so abrupt and total that I could have used a little bit more narrative "selling" on them.
Oh and there is a huge plot thread left dangling for the sequel (which I’m definitely going to get).
A rough, hard-hitting crime drama from Piccirilli about love, family and revenge that takes no prisoners in its brutal look at one man's attempt to escape the bent world with the woman he loves. For what it lacks in originality and depth it makes up in storytelling, writing, action and brutality. Never boring or lacking in pace and the characters are interesting enough to keep you in the story until the violent ending. Short and to the point. Highly recommended.
Good story plot but did not like the "stereotypical" southern characters....just some "good ole boys"......
At this point, I would read a Chinese takeout menu if it was written by Tom Piccirilli.
"[Tom Piccirilli's] prose has the visceral punch of the best pulp writers of the past century�The Cold Spot is both funny and ferocious." � San Francisco Chronicle
Listen to The Cold Spot on your iPhone, desktop, or smartphone.
Listen to The Cold Spot on your iPhone, desktop, or smartphone.
Disappointing sub-Stark crime novel. Piccirilli continues his shift from horror to crime and thrillers. The novel does have a nice kinky fight scene between the hero driver and a bank robber but that's just about the only thing that distinguishes this book.
An amazing noir tale from Tom Piccirilli. At the same time, this was a superb meditation on family, specifically the father/son relationship. An amazing book, highly recommended.
Good setup and really strong characters.
Picirilli keeps growing as a noir/mystery writer, getting better with every title.
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