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3rd out of 30 books
—
42 voters
The Manhattan Hunt Club
by
John Saul
In Manhattan Hunt Club John Saul plumbs the depths of the Manhattan underground--the network of subway tunnels and secret caverns and chambers where the homeless denizens of the city have created their own society. It's a world Jeff Converse, a young college student convicted of a crime he didn't commit, never knew existed until he is plunged into it after an "accident" th...more
Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages
Published
March 28th 2006
by Ballantine Books
(first published July 31st 2001)
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In my opinion this in John Saul's masterpiece! I first got hooked on the horror of John Saul when I stumbled upon The Blackstone Chronicles, but have found some of Saul's novels disappointing (as word of advice: don't bother reading The Devil's Labyrinth published in 2007). Saul has a history of writing bad or simply off the wall endings to his stories. I loved The Manhattan Hunt Club - a story of homeless people living underground (literally) by accessing subway tunnels. Saul clearly put a lot...more
This was a book I might never have selected on my own but was happy to read as a kick off to our little women's book club. The subject matter was interesting and good fodder for a few moral debates. I liked John Saul's writing; the action was fast moving enough to be exciting, and the character development was all really well done. At least for me, I enjoyed it. LOL We had lots to discuss at book club, and it left me thinking of big citites in a very different way!
And I have to compliment his en...more
And I have to compliment his en...more
Not really liking this book. I think I've been spoiled lately by reading too much Bentley Little, but this book I'm just trying to "get through." I usually like John Saul, he's one of my favorites, but this book just has a hard time holding my interest. The book starts off with a man convicted of a crime he did not commit. His father and girlfriend do not believe he is guilty. He is charged anyway and is sentenced to 1 yr. in prison for assaulting a woman in the subway station who is now in a wh...more
This was an entertaining read. Although there were a few obvious plot points, there were also a few unexpected twists that kept it interesting. Overall, a suspenseful and gripping tale. I was particularly enthralled with the details revolving around the transient population and the subterranean citizens. Definately worth the reading time.
If this book had a sub-title it would be “vigilante on vigilante justice”.
When Jeff Converse stops to help a woman in the subway, she mistakes him for her attacker and he is convicted of rape and sentenced to time in prison. Without giving too much away, he finds himself in the tunnels under Manhattan being hunted by vigilantes who are unhappy with the current justice system.
While I found the story engaging, and was sufficiently creeped out the prospect of absolute darkness while rats scurry a...more
When Jeff Converse stops to help a woman in the subway, she mistakes him for her attacker and he is convicted of rape and sentenced to time in prison. Without giving too much away, he finds himself in the tunnels under Manhattan being hunted by vigilantes who are unhappy with the current justice system.
While I found the story engaging, and was sufficiently creeped out the prospect of absolute darkness while rats scurry a...more
Saul, yet again shows that he can produce a great page-turner. Though time restraints did not allow me to read this book in a timely manner, when the time was found, the pages went flying.
A game of cat and mouse is told through Jeff and what will be found halfway through the book, the Manhattan Hunt Club. The MHC is a group of political elites that use the sewers of Manhattan to dispose of unwanted homeless people and criminals. Jeff Converse gets caught up in this mess when he is falsely charge...more
A game of cat and mouse is told through Jeff and what will be found halfway through the book, the Manhattan Hunt Club. The MHC is a group of political elites that use the sewers of Manhattan to dispose of unwanted homeless people and criminals. Jeff Converse gets caught up in this mess when he is falsely charge...more
Falsely convicted of a brutal crime, college student Jeff Converse sees his future vanishing before his eyes. But someone has other plans for Jeff, in a place far deadlier than any penitentiary. Jeff finds himself beneath the teeming streets of Manhattan, in a hidden landscape of twisting tunnels and forgotten subterranian chambers. Here, an invisible population of the homeless, the desperate, and the mad has carved out its own shadow society. But they are not alone. For someone has made this fo...more
Frustratingly and tantalizingly slow at unfolding the secrets of this book. Fun since we were just in New York and riding the subways.
Likes:
* Some characters notice and acknowledge the "houseless"
* New York underground was disgustingly brought to life
* Heather McDaniel always believed in Jeff's innocence
* Jeff's father, Keith, is a great man of action
* Jeff's body in morgue was great twist
* Powerful 100 Club was a cool concept
Dislikes:
* Jeff's mother's claiming "It is God's will" was annoying -...more
Likes:
* Some characters notice and acknowledge the "houseless"
* New York underground was disgustingly brought to life
* Heather McDaniel always believed in Jeff's innocence
* Jeff's father, Keith, is a great man of action
* Jeff's body in morgue was great twist
* Powerful 100 Club was a cool concept
Dislikes:
* Jeff's mother's claiming "It is God's will" was annoying -...more
Jeff Converse, a young college student convicted of a crime he didn't commit, is plunged into a world he never knew existed after an "accident" that occurs while he is being transported to prison. He soon realizes that it's no accident, but the opening move in a deadly game being played by some of the city's most powerful men and women, a game in which he is the prey and they are the hunters. Jeff's only chance to make it to the surface and survive lies in allying himself with a homicidal maniac...more
I always enjoy John Saul books and have not read one in a while. I was impressed with this one because of how realistic it was. There were no mental illnesses or paranormal activities in this one, unlike his earlier novels and I loved reading about the underground geography of New York. I am familiar with the stations and the areas described (the above ground and "Level 1" parts) and enjoyed reading about the buildings there. I imagine that the diner that Jeff liked to frequent near his apartmen...more
i find that some suspense thrillers are NOT successful, commonly for the reason that they are too convoluted to be "follow-able." this one was not like that. it was easy to follow and succesfully suspenseful. the thing is, i couldn't recommend it to anyone because it turned out to have too much violence and obsenity to be acceptable. i even felt a little bad that i actually finished it as i began running into the violence and obsenities; they made me cringe. but i loathe not finishing a book and...more
"There Were People You Kept Waiting, and People You Didn't":
Class Hierarchies as Revealed Under Duress
in John Saul's The Manhattan Hunt Club
Christopher Snyder
April 5, 2013
Little Red Schoolhouse
(undergrad vers.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- 1 -
¶ Published the month before the attacks on the Twin Towers,
John Saul's The Manhattan Hunt Club (2001) uses the
potboiler structure to give the reader a guided tour of the
echelons of power — from top to bot...more
Class Hierarchies as Revealed Under Duress
in John Saul's The Manhattan Hunt Club
Christopher Snyder
April 5, 2013
Little Red Schoolhouse
(undergrad vers.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- 1 -
¶ Published the month before the attacks on the Twin Towers,
John Saul's The Manhattan Hunt Club (2001) uses the
potboiler structure to give the reader a guided tour of the
echelons of power — from top to bot...more
I really enjoyed this novel because it employs a lot of real-life examples (through fiction) of the extraordinary lives that the homeless actually lead. Contrary to popular belief, many people choose this type of lifestyle and it works for them.
Ordinarily, I would not be interested in such a topic but John Saul wrote his novel in such a phenomenal way that it kept my interest every step of the way and at every turn of the page.
Highly suggested to get a new view of what most of us are completely...more
Ordinarily, I would not be interested in such a topic but John Saul wrote his novel in such a phenomenal way that it kept my interest every step of the way and at every turn of the page.
Highly suggested to get a new view of what most of us are completely...more
The Manhattan Hunt Club was yet another unstoppable and incredible novel by John Saul. It reminded me a lot of novels like the Long Walk or In the Dark. I have always greatly enjoyed novels where the characters have to go through some kind of game that they are playing in order to win their lives. In this novel, Jeff, tone of the protagonists, is falsely accused of brutally raping a woman in New York. Later, as he is being transfered to another prison, the van he is in is attacked and he is take...more
The story line is just like a movie "Surviving The Game". I was very familiar with how the story would continue. One of my pet-peeves in reading is when the author keeps introducing so many different characters. By chapter 5 I was introduced to 9 different people and throughout the book I had to go back and remember who was who. Then out of nowhere, a new character was added for a brief moment and then not mentioned again for many chapters later. I wouldn't read this book again and not intereste...more
Nov 16, 2008
Anthony Fitzgerald
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
All my friends, especially those that live along the 1 train upper west side!!
Recommended to Anthony by:
A customer at Borders
First off, I have to disagree with this book being labeled as "horror". Psychological thriller yes. Horror no. Anyway apart from that it was an awesome read! It definitely makes me think twice about what lies beyond the safety of the subway station lights. The book has a nice fast pace, although my one critique on the speed would be that character development early on in the story was lacking. For example, I envisioned Eve Harris, one of the main characters, to be a late 20's/early 30's, attract...more
One of Saul's best books.
Jeff Converse is falsley convicted of attempted murder. While being transferred to prison, the van is involved in an accident. He is declared dead but in reality he has been led into the underground tunnels beneath Manhattan. And he is being hunted by the elite members of the Manhattan Hunt Club.
There is quite a lot of set up in the book but hang around for the last ten chapters. Good stuff.
Jeff Converse is falsley convicted of attempted murder. While being transferred to prison, the van is involved in an accident. He is declared dead but in reality he has been led into the underground tunnels beneath Manhattan. And he is being hunted by the elite members of the Manhattan Hunt Club.
There is quite a lot of set up in the book but hang around for the last ten chapters. Good stuff.
This is a really thrilling read. A young man is convicted of a crime he didnt commit and on his way to jail he`s abducted and placed into the underground tunnel system of New York City. This is when he realizes he is being hunted for fun. The main character keeps you interested, there is great description of the underground that almost makes you feel claustrophobic as you read it.
Not bad, not great. It was easily predictable from early on and would probably translate well as a mediocre Hollywood movie. I never really got the impression that the main characters were in real jeopardy. With the ordeal they go through, they come out of it all with barely a scratch, so there's no real suspense.
This was my first John Saul book..... I will not be looking for more.
This was my first John Saul book..... I will not be looking for more.
I actively dislike this book. Fortunately it was borrowed, so I didn't buy it. I did finish listening, although at a little over halfway through I almost deleted it from my iPod.
The premise is ridiculous, the assumption of evil among those in power stretches even the most paranoid of imaginations, and it's graphically gruesome.
The setting alone for this book is enough to rate 5 stars. All those underground levels under New York create quite a terrifying setting. The story is just icing on the cake. And of course John Saul's excellent writing skills make it an easy fast read. You won't be able to put it down. One of my favorite books of all time by any author.
Jun 10, 2010
Allovit
added it
As John Saul said in the end...the book was intended to be fiction and he hopes it is. The book brought me to wonder if there are people really living under the subways...and if there are people in authority who decide to take the administration of justice into their own hands....really, really twisted!
Though I haven't read many books by Saul recently, he has been one of my favorite authors. I read this long ago and it is one of the few I remember, not because the others weren't really great books, they absolutely were, but this one stands out in my memory as being exceptional.
This is one of my favorite reads from Saul. He takes the horror of the real (ie other people) and turns it into the almost absolute dark. I cringed most of the way through and while the ending is a little on the "happy" side- I can forgive that for the ride it provided.
At first I didn't know what the hell was going on with this story, Its so unlike anything I had ever read, But a few pages in and you are hooked on the characters and how its all going to play out. I loved it, couldn't put it down and could read it 100 times more.
John Saul surprised me with this story.When I read his books I'm always waiting forthe boogy man to jump out at me but this one was more like a crime mystery instead of a horror thriller. I still enjoyed the story very much. It was about a guy that is wrongly accused of a crime. He is found guilty but his father and girlfriend know that he is innocent. He is being taken to a different prison when there is supposedly a tragic accident. He is forced down into the tunnels to try to survive. Then he...more
Awesome read! My fiance doesn't read much outside of Dragon Lance. He picked up this book and read it about 6 years ago and still talks about it to this day. Thanks John Saul for finally giving him something else to read and for us to talk about!
A decent enough suspense novel. There was a nice twist about 3/4 of the way through the book that I wasn't expecting. But that twist wasn't enough to make up for an ending that came off as contrived and rushed. And the second twist near the end wasn't needed. Leave the morality lessons to other books.
A little grisly at first, but then develops into a captivating tale of survival:) I had my suspicions about one of the characters, and thankfully I was proven right. But one took me totally by surprise.
Very interesting to read about the underground in NY. Not sure how much is true, but it remains interesting. Good action thriller - try to figure out what will happen next.
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John Saul was born in Pasadena, California on February 25, 1942, and grew up in Whittier where he graduated from Whittier High School in 1959. He attended several colleges—Antioch, in Ohio, Cerritos, in Norwalk, California, Montana State University and San Francisco State College, variously majoring in anthropology, liberal arts, and theater, but never obtaining a degree.
After leaving college, he...more
More about John Saul...
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Jan 24, 2011 12:15pm
Jan 26, 2011 03:50pm