The first of three explosive pulp thrillers arriving back-to-back from cult crime fiction sensation and Marvel Comics scribe Duane Swierczynski...
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Nov 05, 2011
Lou
rated it: 
Beware! This story contains high octane charged sequence of events that grip you from the very offset and does not down let down in momentum. The story has a great plot and some good old hard boiled characters one that's plays out into a great thriller that would translate well from word to movie. Their is loads of tension and intrigue and the writer shows that he knows the ins and outs of this genre writing. I loved the gadget tools that the bad guys had in this story. The story unravels about
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Sep 22, 2011
Kemper
rated it: 
One reason I never bought into any of the conspiracy theories that swirl around celebrity deaths like Princess Di or Marilyn Monroe is that they always seem to be based on the notion that there are these shadowy figures that can orchestrate murder on demand and cover it up without leaving a trace. Hell, when Nixon wanted the Watergate black bagged, he had to use incompetent bastards like G. Gordon Liddy and a ragtag group of Cuban exiles, and he was president of the United States. If there re
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Aug 11, 2011
Gef
rated it:
Hollywood has its own mythology, or maybe it's just really good at revamping the mythologies of other places with a lot of glitz. In either case, Duane Swierczynski has concocted a novel, the first of a trilogy it turns out, that taps into the kind of conspiracy-laden thrill rides only Hollywood could call its own.
Take a washed-out Hollywood starlet, Lane Madden, and put her behind the wheel of a fast car in one of the richer sections of L.A., then have a crew of killers try to run her More...
Take a washed-out Hollywood starlet, Lane Madden, and put her behind the wheel of a fast car in one of the richer sections of L.A., then have a crew of killers try to run her More...
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Nov 03, 2011
Josh
rated it:
House Sitter with a difference Charlie Hardie thought he'd left the world of bloodshed and mayhem behind after leaving Philadelphia along with his former occupation as police consultant. What seems as another cushy detail sitting for an out of town Hollywood type quickly turns red with the encounter of movie starlet (albeit B-Movie starlet) Lane Madden imposing as a squatter and demanding he leaver her alone while being fixated on a collective 'them' trying to kill her. Soon enough, Hardie's got
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Aug 07, 2011
Laura
rated it:
This book was pretty sweet. I've been bored while reading lately (shocking, I know) and I would say it is impossible to be bored while reading this. I downgraded from 4 stars since I didn't like a few plot elements from the last third. I'll definitely be reading the next in the trilogy though.
Jan 05, 2012
Radcliff
rated it: 
I'm a huge Swierczy fan! It started with Severance Package, and then The Blonde, and finally The Wheelman. I realize I read his works in reverse. By far my two favorite are Severance Package and The Blonde. They are the novels by which i measure all his work against.
That said, I didn't feel that Fun and Games lived up to either one of those titles. This novel had his trademarks, thrills, action galore, violence, and perfectly placed crude humor. I love the way this guy writes. I think More...
That said, I didn't feel that Fun and Games lived up to either one of those titles. This novel had his trademarks, thrills, action galore, violence, and perfectly placed crude humor. I love the way this guy writes. I think More...
Nov 16, 2011
Danny
rated it:
Behind the Hollywood studio machine there's a darker, hidden version that controls the actors real lives as well as their on-screen ones. These are the Accident People. If they decide it's time for an actor to die from an overdose or drown on a movie set, then they make that happen--one way or another. When down-on-her-luck action star Lane Madden discovers a car trying to run her off a twisty canyon road, she knows that the Accident People are coming for her. But Madden is not a quitter. She'll
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Nov 05, 2011
Skott
rated it:
Most of Swiercynski's books don't fit well into established categories. The Wheelman seemed like a novel about a caper gone wrong, but its sequels The Blonde and Severance Package verge on science fiction with their shadowy underground organizations full of implausible tech, and felt weaker for doing so.
In Fun and Games, though, Swierczynski has created a modern world in which all of the crazy things he loves fit together into a disturbing, plausible present. The mysterious Accident P More...
In Fun and Games, though, Swierczynski has created a modern world in which all of the crazy things he loves fit together into a disturbing, plausible present. The mysterious Accident P More...
Aug 19, 2011
Deborah
rated it:
The Bookish Dame Reviews :
Talk about fun and games! Take a wild ride with Duane Swierczynski (czyn=sin). If he's driving you're being slammed left and right, high and low and you're scared to death. He writes like a heart attack on wheels, and you'll have to tear yourself away from his book before your ride is over.
Oh, this is good writing...fast and furious, and peppered with reckless people who riddle the book throughout making you hold your breath while they find a More...
Talk about fun and games! Take a wild ride with Duane Swierczynski (czyn=sin). If he's driving you're being slammed left and right, high and low and you're scared to death. He writes like a heart attack on wheels, and you'll have to tear yourself away from his book before your ride is over.
Oh, this is good writing...fast and furious, and peppered with reckless people who riddle the book throughout making you hold your breath while they find a More...
Aug 06, 2011
Miles
rated it:
I must confess until Mulholland Books sent me an advanced copy of Duane Swierczynski’s Fun & Games a few weeks ago I‘d never heard of the author. No stranger to the US, Swierczynski has written several thrillers, written for Marvel Comics and has also collaborated with CSI creator Anthony E Zuiker – a great pedigree – but until now he hasn’t released anything in the UK.
On the strength of this, the first title in a Charlie Hardie trilogy - and second title to be published by Mulholland More...
On the strength of this, the first title in a Charlie Hardie trilogy - and second title to be published by Mulholland More...
Jun 01, 2011
Katherine
rated it:
Two people in search of redemption take on a group of killers whose murderous plots are simply “narratives” in their minds, bizarre movies made for a very select audience.
If you can get past the unlikely contrivances that set up this story at the beginning and then drive it through to its conclusion, this is a very entertaining story with characters that seem real—paging Lindsay Lohan for the role of Lane—and sympathetic. The mystery about what sent Charlie fleeing from Philadelphia i More...
If you can get past the unlikely contrivances that set up this story at the beginning and then drive it through to its conclusion, this is a very entertaining story with characters that seem real—paging Lindsay Lohan for the role of Lane—and sympathetic. The mystery about what sent Charlie fleeing from Philadelphia i More...
May 25, 2011
Mary
rated it:
FUN & GAMES written by Duane Swierczynski
Book #1 in the Charlie Hardie Trilogy
06/11 - Little, Brown & Company - Paperback, 304 pages
There is an end to every nightmare right?
Charlie Hardie has lived the hard life and was now drinking himself in oblivion one house sitting job at a time. He was a reliable source to stay put, water your plants, and make sure no one breaks into your house. Therefore, what a surprise for Charlie when he arrives at his latest job someone More...
Book #1 in the Charlie Hardie Trilogy
06/11 - Little, Brown & Company - Paperback, 304 pages
There is an end to every nightmare right?
Charlie Hardie has lived the hard life and was now drinking himself in oblivion one house sitting job at a time. He was a reliable source to stay put, water your plants, and make sure no one breaks into your house. Therefore, what a surprise for Charlie when he arrives at his latest job someone More...
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Feb 07, 2012
Monica
rated it:
Maybe 3.5 stars - it was just so darned much fun. Charlie Hardie is an ex-police consultant turned house sitter to the wealthy. He arrives at his latest assignment in Hollywood to discover a terrified woman hiding in the house. And she stabs him with a mike stand. For starters.
She's convinced that They are out to get her, and she's right. "They" are The Accident People, a small group of film industry folk whose job is to eliminate problems (and the people who cause them More...
She's convinced that They are out to get her, and she's right. "They" are The Accident People, a small group of film industry folk whose job is to eliminate problems (and the people who cause them More...
Nov 16, 2011
Kelly
rated it:
Charlie Hardie used to be a cop but after his partner was murdered (along with the partner's entire family), he's opted for a less dangerous line of work. Now he house-sits. He's pretty in demand, too, and travels all over the country to take care of people's houses. (No pets or plants, though. He has limits.) So anyway, he heads to this house in LA and it all falls apart. He finds this woman living in the house, a woman who should NOT be there. Then he realizes that it's a famous actress
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Apr 13, 2011
Jeff
rated it:
Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.
Duane Swierczynski is a name I’ve come across several times before. It’s a hard one to forget, even though I probably couldn’t spell it if my life depended on it. Amazon has been quite sure that I would enjoy his work, and has recommended him many times over. Swierczynski seems to write the kind of genre fiction I find myself enjoying lately, intense crime thrillers that occasionally edg More...
Duane Swierczynski is a name I’ve come across several times before. It’s a hard one to forget, even though I probably couldn’t spell it if my life depended on it. Amazon has been quite sure that I would enjoy his work, and has recommended him many times over. Swierczynski seems to write the kind of genre fiction I find myself enjoying lately, intense crime thrillers that occasionally edg More...
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Nov 12, 2011
David
rated it:
I bought this in the Kindle edition during one of Amazon's $1.99 specials. The book was certainly worth that price. I doubt I'd want to pay full price though.
In the afterword Swierczynski mentions that his literary influences are Michael Connelly and George Pelecanos. I don't think Swierczynski quite measures up but his writing is quite approachable and the action is engaging. I found the plot a little hard to believe but it's the kind of book that tries to skirt right on the edge of b More...
In the afterword Swierczynski mentions that his literary influences are Michael Connelly and George Pelecanos. I don't think Swierczynski quite measures up but his writing is quite approachable and the action is engaging. I found the plot a little hard to believe but it's the kind of book that tries to skirt right on the edge of b More...
Jun 26, 2011
Joe
rated it:
I'm a huge fan of Duane Swierczynski and this book did not disappoint. I read it in two sitting (I had to eat). The book is fast paced and even though sometimes there will be unbelievable things, you still believe them. I'm a POV nerd, and Duane makes excellent use of 3rd person limited. What I find fascinating is that he switches between the characters, even in the same chapter. It's an interesting choice because he could, as a third person omniscient narrator, simply tell the story and giv
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Jul 29, 2011
Johnny
rated it:
Duane Swierczynski must be exhausted. I don't know how else you could write a story with the breakneck pace of FUN & GAMES without having to take a long nap afterward. It's that action-packed. But no nap for Duane, instead he wrote two more Charlie Hardie books set to come out over the next year.
FUN & GAMES hits the ground running and never lets up. And it's able to do it while maintaining at least some footing in reality. It's over-the-top to be sure, but the humanity that Swierczyn More...
FUN & GAMES hits the ground running and never lets up. And it's able to do it while maintaining at least some footing in reality. It's over-the-top to be sure, but the humanity that Swierczyn More...
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Jul 14, 2011
Paul
rated it:
If you’ve read a Duane Swierczynski book before, you know what you’re in for: tough-as-nails characters, sophisticated consortiums of evil with high-tech gadgetry, and a plot that is wall-to-wall action.
Fun and Games is no exception. However, there is a twist: this is the first book in a trilogy that will feature Charlie Hardie, the ex-police investigator turned house sitter for the rich and famous. So from the outset, you know this will be a bit different from other Swierczynski bo More...
Fun and Games is no exception. However, there is a twist: this is the first book in a trilogy that will feature Charlie Hardie, the ex-police investigator turned house sitter for the rich and famous. So from the outset, you know this will be a bit different from other Swierczynski bo More...
Jul 13, 2011
Joe
rated it:
Fun and Games by Duane Swierczynski
An exciting, action packed story of a large "Hero" type guy who was drinking his way through survivors guilt after not dying when his best friend and family was killed. Charlie Hardy had been isolating himself as a "House Sitter" on both coasts for almost three years. Once he determined his new residence was secure, he would spend his time with Whiskey and old rental movies. It wasn't a particularly rewarding life but, he didn't have to More...
An exciting, action packed story of a large "Hero" type guy who was drinking his way through survivors guilt after not dying when his best friend and family was killed. Charlie Hardy had been isolating himself as a "House Sitter" on both coasts for almost three years. Once he determined his new residence was secure, he would spend his time with Whiskey and old rental movies. It wasn't a particularly rewarding life but, he didn't have to More...
Jun 21, 2011
Elizabeth A.
rated it:
Once a special consultant to the Philadelphia Police Department entrusted with critical, off the radar jobs, Charlie Hardie’s life went off the rails when a job went spectacularly wrong resulting in several deaths. Now Charlie spends his time moving from one house-sitting job to another. His clients are wealthy people with cushy houses in desirable locations, the latest of which belongs to a movie composer who lives in the Hollywood Hills.
He gets more than expected this time out, how More...
He gets more than expected this time out, how More...
Jul 06, 2011
Stephen
rated it:
Move over The Blonde. I might just have a new favorite Duane Swierczynski novel.
Charlie Hardie is an ex-police consultant turned house sitter. Still reeling with guilt from a tragedy three years ago, Hardie has given up his family and any semblance of a normal life to become a nomad; moving from rich person's house to rich person's house. Content to punch the clock by drinking beers and watching old movies (sounds good to me), Hardie wants to escape his old life rather than trying More...
Charlie Hardie is an ex-police consultant turned house sitter. Still reeling with guilt from a tragedy three years ago, Hardie has given up his family and any semblance of a normal life to become a nomad; moving from rich person's house to rich person's house. Content to punch the clock by drinking beers and watching old movies (sounds good to me), Hardie wants to escape his old life rather than trying More...
Jun 27, 2011
Josh
rated it:
This a wild high speed action novel that will leave you gasping for air. Reading I was reminded of seeing Die Hard the first time in a theater. Not in plot or setting sense, no more that gleeful gut feeling that was seeing a fresh new wild take on the action movie. FUN & GAMES grabbed my from word one, and never let go. I'm dyslexic, I read slow, I lost several nights of sleep to this amazing book. If you are fan of good action movies, you will love this book. It ready like the best John W
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Oct 22, 2011
Dave
rated it:
In 2006 I was lucky enough to discover a cool little crime novel called “The Wheelman” by a writer I had never heard of before, Duane Swierczynski. A couple years later Duane picked up a second writing gig. He was now writing both crime novels and comic books and thanks to my job as a staff writer for Comic Book Resources I was lucky enough to talk with him on a semi regular basis. From talking with Duane and reading his work it’s become incredibly clear that the guy knows how to tell a hell of
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Jul 19, 2011
Robert
rated it:
More a thriller on speed than a noir tale. Breathless action that jumps off the page like the scenes left on the cutting room floor after “Sin City” was edited. The premise stretches belief, the dialog is disjointed and at times forced and over the top, the plot slow to develop and the character development happens over the course of the novel if at all. But the pace, ahh, the pace. It never lets up as we jump from one scene to another like flash backs after a bad drunk. The pace and the nonsto
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Mar 14, 2011
Ron
rated it:
Reading Swierczynski is like a shot of epinephrine straight into the bloodstream. He creates claustrophobic situations where violence is inevitable. FUN AND GAMES is his best book since SEVERANCE PACKAGE. "Unkillable" Charlie Hardie is a man with a violent past who thinks that he has seen it all, although in this novel, the first of a proposed trilogy, fate throws a few new punches his way. Hired to house-sit (a preferred way to escape daily realities), Charlie is drawn into a batt
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Jul 11, 2011
Buck
rated it:
Five pages into Fun and Games, the novel put its foot on my throat and would not let up. I had to remind myself that this is Swierczynski: the killer writer that brought us The Wheelman and Severance Package (among many notable others). He is known, loved, and feared for non-stop action.
I devoured the rest of the book as if my life depended on it and I loved every second.
Hardie is an great protagonist, one of those noir tough guys that is smarter than he thinks he is. He More...
I devoured the rest of the book as if my life depended on it and I loved every second.
Hardie is an great protagonist, one of those noir tough guys that is smarter than he thinks he is. He More...
Jun 27, 2011
judy
rated it:
Started out really,really well. Loved the concept. Probably in the last quarter of the book, it fell off the cliff for me. Had no desire to keep reading but forced myself. I was seriously annoyed that certain characters kept deciding God was busy making them atone or continuously pulling the murderous strings. Excuse me, the publisher is Mulholland/Hachette, not Zondervan or Tyndale House. The raves on the trade cover would make you think this was an explosive cult thriller. I don't think s
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Sep 11, 2011
Jaron
rated it:
Fun & Games is a modern version of an old-fashioned pulp fiction story. It was fast paced with plenty of action but it wasn't quite the same quality as a Don Winslow or Lee Child book. Some of the plot twists were distractingly improbable and I was frustrated by some of the vague descriptions, especially in the action sequences. The result was a story that felt a little bit tossed off, or maybe a bit rushed. I did enjoy the somewhat random quotes that were used at the beginning of each chapter (
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Jan 16, 2012
Jonathan
rated it:
This book was clearly written by a movie buff for movie buffs, the kind of people who know who Bob Culp is, who have seen their fair share of 80s action flicks and who want nothing more than to kick back, switch off and immerse themselves in unlikely scenarios involving bad guys named after famous film directors.
So, it was written for me, basically.
Charlie Hardie, Swierczynski's hero, is a kind of John McLane with even less hero credentials, though his backstory is nicely han More...
So, it was written for me, basically.
Charlie Hardie, Swierczynski's hero, is a kind of John McLane with even less hero credentials, though his backstory is nicely han More...
