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Misadventure
Jack Hopkins, an ill-fated real-estate agent with an unhappy past, doesn’t like what he does for a living. Luckily, though, he has two new job offers: Darlene Hunt wants to pay him ten million dollars to kill her husband, and her husband wants to hire him to kill Darlene Hunt. Before he can figure out who to work for, though, or how a private island off the coast of Mexico...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
March 30th 2010
by McSweeney's
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kaufman's backstory is interesting enough (first published in his 90s, co-creator of mr. magoo, oscar-nominated screenwriter), and 'misadventure' (his last novel) was even moreso. picked this up off blind recommendation and was very impressed. at times this reminded me of denis johnson's 'nobody move,' maybe just because it's the last neo-noir-ish thing i've read. this is better than johnson's book -- the plot is more alive and breathes with characters that are comic and believable without comin...more
From the Oscar-nominated screenplay writer of "Take The High Road!" and "Bad Day at Black Rock," Misadventure by Millard Kaufman, his final novel, weaves the noir tale of an LA real-estate agent who finds himself mixed up in dead bodies, private islands, and sex. Forced to navigate Chandler-esque twists and turns, the protagonist quickly finds himself in over his head. Overall, I found the story from the nonagenarian author to be entertaining enough, a good addition to the noir oeuvre. Truth be...more
Solid Noir from Millard Kaufman. I didn't really have any knowledge of him prior to this novel and I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. The plot was well thought out and the web of characters are is weaved in a manner that sheds light on the peculiar nature of each person.
Kaufman is a damn wordy writer. I meant this in good way. His choice of syntax is elegant but often had me reaching for a dictionary. He reminds me of Chabon in some ways.
I liked this book a good bit. The ending was...more
Kaufman is a damn wordy writer. I meant this in good way. His choice of syntax is elegant but often had me reaching for a dictionary. He reminds me of Chabon in some ways.
I liked this book a good bit. The ending was...more
Misadventure is a book full of extremely unlikable characters. It's a murder mystery set in Hollywood.
Basically a real estate agent starts having sex with a client who turns out to be the wife of a rival real estate agent. She wants her husband murdered, and our hero decides to do it. But wait! He has a big deal possibly with the man to be murdered, who is also up to shady dealings in Mexico, and he wants his wife killed - which our hero also decides to say yes to.
He has a girlfriend and they ar...more
Basically a real estate agent starts having sex with a client who turns out to be the wife of a rival real estate agent. She wants her husband murdered, and our hero decides to do it. But wait! He has a big deal possibly with the man to be murdered, who is also up to shady dealings in Mexico, and he wants his wife killed - which our hero also decides to say yes to.
He has a girlfriend and they ar...more
I realize that this shouldn't affect my reading of the book itself, but here's my main complaint: the cover of the book should be used to introduce some aspect of the book either directly or through an interesting image as metaphor. At no point, should the cover knowingly decieve; however, for this book, the cover is factually inaccurate and detracts from the experience of the book.
The characters and plot itself are enjoyable and entertaining, but ultimately this isn't a book that is going to st...more
The characters and plot itself are enjoyable and entertaining, but ultimately this isn't a book that is going to st...more
McSweeney's sent this to me. It is touted as being one part "Chinatown," one part Coen Brothers film.
...having finished now, I can say that that was pretty accurate:). I wasn't a big fan of the protagonist (less so as the story went on...), but I very much like how the book is written, and I found the story pretty captivating. Read it in just a few days. Time well-spent, despite the man at the center of it:). (Sorry, dude. Please don't hit me.)
...having finished now, I can say that that was pretty accurate:). I wasn't a big fan of the protagonist (less so as the story went on...), but I very much like how the book is written, and I found the story pretty captivating. Read it in just a few days. Time well-spent, despite the man at the center of it:). (Sorry, dude. Please don't hit me.)
Good solid noir. Sort of odd in that it was set in the present day and was written by a 90+ year old guy. So there was some linguistic anachronisms and such. But that was part of its charm, I guess.
"Misadventure" was very much a story in which every character is unlikeable. I found it difficult to find sympathy for any of the characters, which went well with the open-ended sense of foreboding for their lives after the misadventure. As for a mystery or crime novel, I wouldn't say the plot line was too suspenseful, but the writing style was compelling.
Decent noir set in modern day LA. Can't say that it was anything super special. I thought the denouement was a little underwhelming, but generally a fun little potboiler.
Fast-paced and improbable like a commercial Hollywood movie. Lightly entertaining without being engaging, this book doesn’t excite any enthusiasm or stir emotions. Just a temporary pastime you grow tired of as you are getting to the last page.
A fun book to read about a series of love triangles and murders that take place in Southern CA - the characters are somewhat silly, as is the plot, but Kaufman is a clever master of metaphor, humoring the reader all the way to the end. An interesting take on the noir genre.
A P.I. is not the lead in this noir, a real estate agent is, which still makes sense in the structure of a noir. To review fully is to reveal, so I'm mum, other than to say it works well and keeps the reader on their toes. Kaufman uses the language of a noir but keeps it set in modern day, which adds a fun twist to the feeling of prose.
A 3.5 for sure. Fun and fast in a John Brandon-meets-Gonzo way, but it can be a little predictable.
Kaufman had a wondeful way with words, but it's hard to totally sign off on a book whose protagonist/narrator is an amoral, despicable asshole.
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Kaufman, as in Bowl of Cherries, is hilarious. This noir is entertaining enough and, considering the man was on his deathbed as this went through the editing stages, is pretty good however it does not live up to the promise of Bowl of Cherries. The characters are appropriately outrageous and the protagonist manages to garner some sympathy from the reader but at the end all I could think was "that's it?" which, in my experience, isn't always the best reaction to a novel. Then again, noir was neve...more
Good fun. Good SoCal noir.
Augh. I am really not sure what to write. I could not put it down. Yet the whole time I wanted the main character to die. Not my kind of story, but it was really well written. As for me I wanted to punch the character in the face then he showed his better self. Then, of course he became an arse hole again.
Murder for hire, cheating spouses, cyanide poisoning and goat farms - this book has everything a slick pulp fiction noir novel should have. Very reminiscent of James M. Cain, I highly recommend it.
This was a good story by an author who is an American Hero and BTW invented Mr. Magoo. A very "male" type of tale but good nonetheless. Picked it up because of McSweeney's book club.
Highly underrated. Very enjoyable. Loved it.
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Millard Kaufman was an American Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and novelist.
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