Hell and Gone

Apr 02, 2013 Lou rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: august-read-list

Hell and Gone an apt title, Hell for a place comparable to hell, and Gone as in gone of the Grid a ghost vanished. Think in the lines of a rendition a removal of a subject/person and gone as-well as dead. There is a lot out there that we don’t know about, Ghost planes and Ghost prisons to name a few, locations unknown to but of few pen pushing top executives. Charlie Hardie the man who is the best at guarding Homes possessions and people now finds himself in the tightest jam to date prison guard...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Kemper rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, crime-mystery, thriller, vast-conspiracy

Duane Swierczynski has ideas so brilliant and brutal that one day the rest of us will have to tool up and kill him. - Warren Ellis

Swierczynski seems to be making the transition from cult favorite to getting more main stream attention, so Ellis will probably try to make good on this threat in the near future. Since I’m enjoying the hell out of his work, I am volunteering my services as a bodyguard. What I lack in training, experience and competence, I make up for in my utter willingness to pepper...more Duane Swierczynski has ideas so brilliant and brutal that one day the rest of us will have to tool up and kill him. - Warren Ellis

Swierczynski seems to be making the transition from cult favorite to getting more main stream attention, so Ellis will probably try to make good on this threat in the near future. Since I’m enjoying the hell out of his work, I am volunteering my services as a bodyguard. What I lack in training, experience and competence, I make up for in my utter willingness to pepper spray absolutely anyone (including small children and the elderly) who’d give Mr. Swierczynski any grief.

Hell and Gone is the second part of a trilogy. In the first book, Fun and Games, ex-cop Charlie Hardie is a house sitting drunk who has a very bad encounter with the Accident People. The AP’s are a branch of a Vast Conspiracy that does a variety of nefarious things, and their specialty is the elimination of high profile targets like politicians or celebrities via untraceable ‘accidents’. Charlie threw a monkey wrench into one of their operations in L.A. but didn’t manage to escape so he figured he’d be dead in about 12 seconds.

But instead of killing him, Charlie is given a weird job offer. The Vast Conspiracy decides to make him the warden of a secret prison instead. With no other options, Charlie plays along hoping to find a way to escape. Unfortunately, the prison is a decaying underground complex at an unknown location that would make a pretty good setting for a video game. The handful of inmates are extremely dangerous and require a Hannibal Lector level of security, and the guards are only slightly more trustworthy than the prisoners. And the special sauce on this shit sandwich is that if any one tries to get out through the original entrance, it’d trigger a ‘death mechanism’ that kills everyone in the prison.

Fun and Games was a fast-n-furious action novel with heaping helpings of ultra-violence and humor. Hell and Gone is less actiony and more of a mind fuck, but it’s still powered by it’s breakneck pace and the sheer awesome insanity of its plot. This is the literary equivalent of taping a bunch of bottle rockets together, lighting the fuses and then tossing them into the middle of your 4th of July barbecue. It’s chaos, but it’s entertaining as hell. And if Swierczynski did what I think he did at the end of this one, the final book is going to be even crazier.

Also, Swierczynski is one of the authors I got to meet at Bouchercon earlier this year, and he seemed like a very nice guy who patiently answered my questions about superheroes. I may even brave the latest DC continuity reboot and pick up his Birds of Prey comics which I’ve heard good things about.(less)

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May 21, 2013 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, pulp, read_2011

Bruised, beaten, and broken Charlie Hardie is a glutton for punishment - a human pin cushion of pain and violent provocation - a modern day Bruce Willis in Die Hard whose nine lives seem to regenerate much like a genie gifted him a curse by which the nightmare never ends and the line of pain inflicting suitors lengthens by the hour. In Swierczynski's follow-up to 'Fun and Games', part 2 of the Hardie saga introduces a whole new kind of hell in the form of a subterranean prison, home to dangerous...more

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May 05, 2013 james rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Just like the first book - hard to put down. Just like the first book - daring escapes made by ingenuity and clever thinking. Just like the first book - a couple escapes that just seemed too lucky, and a couple things that just didn't make sense (ie. after it's explained that one character knows nothing, the same character later gives Hardie key information.)

I liked the first book a little better - we really got to see in the eyes of various characters, as they all interpreted the same situation...more Just like the first book - hard to put down. Just like the first book - daring escapes made by ingenuity and clever thinking. Just like the first book - a couple escapes that just seemed too lucky, and a couple things that just didn't make sense (ie. after it's explained that one character knows nothing, the same character later gives Hardie key information.)

I liked the first book a little better - we really got to see in the eyes of various characters, as they all interpreted the same situation. Here we see in the eyes of various characters, but usually not regarding the same series of events.

I had to change it to 3 stars because the more I think about it the more I am annoyed by the plot:

- How could Bobby know about the law firm? Why would anyone ever have told him of its existence?
- There were no dead bodies in the prison. From Bobby's POV, we learn that old prisoners were killed and new prisoners were brought in at some point. Even if that was imagined, in 20 years we can expect either dead bodies, or more than 7 prisoners (at least 2 of which were relatively new, Hardie and Eve.) Which means dead bodies must have been retrieved in some manner, which means there must have been some communication with the outside world.
- The weaponry used (especially the electric forks under the table) were relatively modern, definitely not from the 80s, which means new weapons must have been provided at some point.
- If there was contact with the outside world, then surely the law firm would have been notified within a week of Hardie's escape, yet he had plenty of time to stalk his prey without them ever knowing.
- The idea of the death mechanism was stupid - actually, what was stupid was that no character even doubted its existence. And moreover, Hardie knew the elevator didn't lead to anywhere: before he took the elevator down he determined that there were no other exits. And more stupidly, I'm quite certain more than one person could fit in that elevator.
- Hardie just should have killed Doyle. The news of Gedney's death would reach Abrams far before Hardie reached her, even if Hardie went straight to her location. Even a slow-thinker like Hardie should know that.
- Why didn't Eve go up with Hardie if she was just going to kill Bobby anyway? It made no sense for them to split up when they could clearly trust each other.(less)

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Oct 29, 2012 Adam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sigh. This book was no where near as good as its predecessor.

I mean, it takes some doing to be even less realistic than Fun and GamesFun and Games but here you have it.

In summary (some mild spoilers for Fun and Games): After royally pissing off The Accident People, Charlie Hardie is abducted and sent to a bizzaro kafka-esque prison. There he interacts with the various guards the prisoners and plots his escape.*

So, one of the things that made Fun and Games so engaging was the claustrophobia in...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Roy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I continue to love the ridiculous and over-the-top world of Duane Swierczynski. His books never fail to entertain. In Hell & Gone, Swierczynski (hereafter referred to as "Author") picks up the story where Fun & Games left off; ex-cop turned house-sitter, Hardie, has barely survived an encounter with the Accident People, and has been kidnapped by them for some dasterdly purpose. He runs into Agent Mann, who lets him know that he's an employee of the organization now, but conveniently "for...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Gloria Feit rated it 5 of 5 stars

As “Hell & Gone” opens, the reader is introduced to a young woman about to discover that against all reason her boyfriend, Bobby, an English lit major, has died while they were [apart] on Christmas break from college in Philadelphia, apparently in a charter plane crash while returning from a holiday service project, building new housing for the impoverished. I say “against all reason” because Bobby, who had never flown and had vowed never to do so, was unlikely to be building houses for the...more As “Hell & Gone” opens, the reader is introduced to a young woman about to discover that against all reason her boyfriend, Bobby, an English lit major, has died while they were [apart] on Christmas break from college in Philadelphia, apparently in a charter plane crash while returning from a holiday service project, building new housing for the impoverished. I say “against all reason” because Bobby, who had never flown and had vowed never to do so, was unlikely to be building houses for the poor: he was one of the poor.

The story picks up sixteen years later, at which point the reader – or at least this reader – can’t quite figure out what is going on. In what is billed as Book Two of the Hardie Trilogy, the author brings back Charlie Hardie, who comes into the story a few pages in and sixteen years after the events described in those preceding pages. Charlie, an ex-cop from Philadelphia, has spent the last two years babysitting the homes of the rich in LA. His present job has just ended disastrously, with a shoot-out of historic proportions and Charlie – who had been “nearly drowned, shot in his left arm, shot in the side of his head, and almost shot in the face at point-blank range” – thought by the police to be the killer. Before his injuries incapacitate him completely, he calls his friend Deacon (“Deke”) Clark, FBI superstar with whom he had worked in the past as part of the joint FBI-Philly PD task force, to ask for his help. But then the world as Charlie has known it changes completely.

Charlie finds himself in some kind of underground prison, where it seems that the inmates are running the asylum, and he is apparently beyond Deke’s (or anyone else’s) help. Unimaginable scenarios, involving the lives of their wives and children, are presented in the unlikely event that Charlie, and then Deke, fail to give the people responsible what they want. And all past history to the contrary, how can they possibly refuse? What follows is a truly frightening tale, not for the faint of heart but with just enough humor and irony to keep it from being truly dark, involving as it does professional assassins and a “world beneath the real world,” any other details of which would be the worst kind of spoiler. Suffice it to say that there are twists upon twists, and just when you think there are no more surprises left . . .

Highly recommended.
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Jan 05, 2012 Marissa Culp rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, thriller

First of all, this is not a stand-alone novel. You must read Fun and Games prior to reading Hell and Gone. Now, disclaimer claimed, YOU MUST READ FUN and GAMES!

Hell and Gone is a fabulous follow-up to the previous novel. We find out more about Charlie’s past here – how he met his wife and the things that led up to his leaving – and even hear a little more about Nate, his deceased partner. FBI Agent Deke Clark is also back, unrelentingly trying to get a bead on Charlie’s location; and in the wors...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Mary Gramlich rated it 5 of 5 stars

HELL & GONE by Duane Swiercznski
Charlie Hardie Series, Book #2
10/11 - Little, Brown & Company - Paperback, 304 pages

Regardless of the situation, is there always a means of escape?

Charlie Hardie has just survived a near death experience that rivaled his days on the force. He is supposed to be doing a routine housesitting job but wound up taking a bullet and becoming an accused murderer. Now everyone thinks he is on the run not being held in some unknown, top security prison. Charlie disco...more HELL & GONE by Duane Swiercznski
Charlie Hardie Series, Book #2
10/11 - Little, Brown & Company - Paperback, 304 pages

Regardless of the situation, is there always a means of escape?

Charlie Hardie has just survived a near death experience that rivaled his days on the force. He is supposed to be doing a routine housesitting job but wound up taking a bullet and becoming an accused murderer. Now everyone thinks he is on the run not being held in some unknown, top security prison. Charlie discovers all too quickly that the truth is more horrific that any fiction when it comes to the world of those that make your problems go away.

Charlie doesn't know why exactly he is being held, but figures it has to be about what he stumbled upon that is coming back to haunt him. Charlie discovered an infamous secret organization that “cleans” up the mess of the rich and famous by making whatever disaster they have created go away with no one the wiser. Everyone in the prison is being manipulated by a voice without a face, which treat the guards and prisoners interchangeably making you wonder who really is a criminal.

Every guard has an objective, all the prisoners have a story, but the only plan Charlie has is escape. Whatever means he has to use to make that happen will be enacted upon to secure his freedom. He has connections on the outside that are hopefully looking for him but when you don’t know the day or time it is difficult to understand if too much time has passed for anyone to care anymore.

Duane Swierczynski has shown that he can take a story and keep running with it book after book. The difficulty is when your first book is phenomenal how do you top it, by writing a spectacular second book. The story picks up where the last book leaves off and continues the ride through the tunnel of confusion and deception with the reader holding on not knowing what is going to happen next. You don’t have to believe in a shadow world of manipulation, but after you read this book trust me, you will.
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Dec 10, 2011 Elizabeth Amber Love rated it 5 of 5 stars

It's not often that I can come across reading material that has me so enraptured I don't even want to get up to pee because I don't want to be away from it for that long. (You can blurb me on that.)

Yeah, that about sums up how I was through H&G. I read 100 pages the first sitting; 160 the second; and finished it off with some morning coffee.

I never got this way over the HARRY POTTER books nor anything else since... wait for it... oh yeah, Swierczy's first Charlie Hardie book FUN & GAMES...more It's not often that I can come across reading material that has me so enraptured I don't even want to get up to pee because I don't want to be away from it for that long. (You can blurb me on that.)

Yeah, that about sums up how I was through H&G. I read 100 pages the first sitting; 160 the second; and finished it off with some morning coffee.

I never got this way over the HARRY POTTER books nor anything else since... wait for it... oh yeah, Swierczy's first Charlie Hardie book FUN & GAMES.

Hardie is an amazing character. Ripped from the best of the most beloved action movies. He's our John McClean. Our Transporter. Our Frank Castle. I tried, I really did try, to picture someone other than Bruce Willis but nothing stuck. I tried thinking of Paul Blackthorne (too pretty). I tried Hugh Laurie (not a bad and surprising choice). But Bruce, he's my love and he stayed with me for 280+ pages yet again.

HELL takes a big turn down into darkness that F&G didn't reach. For a big chunk of the story, the actual HELL part, the only thing keeping this in the crime fiction section instead of horror was that the torture scenes (and there are plenty) yielded a lot of vomit, urine and saliva but not too much blood. If HOSTEL or SAW were, ya know.. fun.. you might get something like HELL AND GONE. I tweeted that Swierczy is a sick motherfucker and I meant it. He's so delightful, handsome and charming but he dreams up some sick shit and has a bank of people that help him publish it. Sick bastard.

The evolutionary advancement of Hardie in this second installment is that his pain felt more you believable than F&G. Sure it's hard to imagine technology this advanced being used but it does seem possible for a price, like a Bruce Wayne/Tony Stark kind of price. And that's kind of his point. The Industry/Accident People are bankrolled beyond anything a common person can imagine. But their weapons of choice used in HELL are things that law enforcement or security would in fact be able to have access to.

Now that I'm done with it I can finally go pee.(less)

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Nov 18, 2011 Kelly Hager rated it 5 of 5 stars

After the events of Fun & Games, Charlie Hardie has disappeared. The country thinks he murdered Lane Madden and is on the run, but really, he's been taken by the Accident People. In this book, he learns that he's the new warden of a prison they run. Since he's in charge, he can technically try and escape but it's pretty much impossible. And if he does find a way, a "death mechanism" will be tripped and everyone will die---prisoners, guards, everyone. There's also the fact that if he gets awa...more After the events of Fun & Games, Charlie Hardie has disappeared. The country thinks he murdered Lane Madden and is on the run, but really, he's been taken by the Accident People. In this book, he learns that he's the new warden of a prison they run. Since he's in charge, he can technically try and escape but it's pretty much impossible. And if he does find a way, a "death mechanism" will be tripped and everyone will die---prisoners, guards, everyone. There's also the fact that if he gets away, his wife and son will be killed, probably brutally.

Reading this series (and this book in particular), it's amazing to think about just how far this conspiracy (for lack of a better word) goes. It's very Rosemary's Baby, in terms of there being literally no one that you can trust. Chances are good that whomever you'd talk to wouldn't be part of the conspiracy, but there's no way to know that for sure until it's too late. And, of course, even if they weren't part of the Accident People, they'd believe you were crazy. Because you know what happens if you start ranting about fake accidents and a shadowy cabal who kill people but make it look innocent? You get put away.

And there's also the final wrinkle: if you trust someone and they (a) are not part of the conspiracy and (b) actually believe you, you've just pretty much signed their death warrant. So there's that, too.

The idea of having to fight this immense group (so immense that probably we've only seen maybe a tenth of what they can do) with no help whatsoever? Very scary. So it's good that Charlie Hardie is the one fighting them, because this guy is seriously indestructible. Just in book one, he survived poison and being shot several times (one of which was in the head!) to say nothing of the threats he managed to avoid! And he doesn't get an easier time of it in this book, either. He puts James Bond to shame. (Hell, he puts the Terminator---the model of your choosing, too---to shame.)

Fortunately for me, the second book doesn't end in a cliffhanger. I desperately want to read the third book (Point & Shoot, out in March) but at least this time, Duane Swierczynski was kind enough to not make the wait too unbearable.

Definitely read this series. It's amazing and so, so fun. Highly recommended.

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Nov 01, 2011 Andre rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hell and Gone is the second installment of Duane Swierczynski’s Charlie Hardie trilogy. The first book of the series, Fun and Games was fairly entertaining, but nothing special. It was filled with plenty of action, but some of it was too over the top, too outlandish for me to buy. This trilogy’s supposed to be fiction, not science-fiction. Then, a couple of weeks after reading it, I realized who Charlie Hardie really is, and it dramatically improved what I thought of Fun and Games. If you see Ch...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Steve rated it 3 of 5 stars

Set right after the events of Fun & Games, this one fines Charlie Hardie imprisoned in some impossible-to-escape-from prison. It's a brutal place, but as we saw in the last book, Hardie can take punishments that would kill most everyone else. SInce there's a third book coming, it seems likely that Hardie will survive this.

These books really pull you through the, they're very fast paced and very readable. You certainly get caught up in the, and they are really engaging to read. But at the sam...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Jonathan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mystery, thriller

Hell & Gone by Duane Swierczynski - this is book 2 of the Charlie Hardie trilogy. In book 1, Fun and Games, he stumbled across The Accident People, who specialize in "accidents" happening to folks that powerful people want to get rid of. He tried to protect a B level actress, but failed in the end. The ending of that book was a bloodbath, as Charlie thwarted another killing attempt, only to take a shot to the head.

Book 2 opens with Charlie getting carted away and then kidnapped by the very p...more Hell & Gone by Duane Swierczynski - this is book 2 of the Charlie Hardie trilogy. In book 1, Fun and Games, he stumbled across The Accident People, who specialize in "accidents" happening to folks that powerful people want to get rid of. He tried to protect a B level actress, but failed in the end. The ending of that book was a bloodbath, as Charlie thwarted another killing attempt, only to take a shot to the head.

Book 2 opens with Charlie getting carted away and then kidnapped by the very people he has been trying to destroy. And who have been trying to kill him. He is taken to some kind of prison facility and there must learn a whole new set of rules, as both guard and prisoner. He vows to escape and make The Industry pay.

This was a very strange book, especially after the relatively straight forward thriller that was Fun & Games. Charlie spends the first third of the book in a nearly comatose state, getting carted around, beat up, shot up, electrocuted, drugged, and other bodily calamities. It is actually pretty painful to read, both with what is being done to him and what he is forced to witness being done to others. He uncovers some remarkable allies in this underground hellhole but ends up making a deal with the devil. Again.

I am not sure just how much I liked this one. Like I said, for at least the first third, not really much happened. Hardie is constantly dragged around, and while there is a little story going on outside of his trials and tribulations, even that doesn't have much going on. The middle third, where he discovers what he is up against, is really bizarre, a sort of Skinner Box experiment gone crazy, much like the infamous experiment in the 60s where people were told to turn up the juice on a subject, no matter how much they screamed, just to see how far they would go. And it was truly creepy how far most people would go when told to do it by an authority figure.

But even the ending, which, of course, explodes in a paroxysm of violence, is strangely unsatisfying. I'm not sure if it is because it is the middle book of a trilogy, but it just seemed to be a way through the story and not a story in and of itself. I'm hoping for better in the finale, Point and Shoot, which they excerpt a little of the beginning. That's due out this month.(less)

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Aug 15, 2012 Harry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective-mystery

Duane Swierczynski's debut into a three part series detective thriller comes across like a fine cabernet (and I went into it with only one bottle left). What happens is you savor the taste. In this case, I read Fun and Games and the second installment Hell and Gone in the Charlie Hardy mystery series knowing I'd have to wait until 2013 for the third installment.

For fans of Donovan Creed (by John Locke) you'll likely enjoy Swierczynski's Charlie Hardy series, whose books by the way are better tha...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Brandon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Brandon by: Kemper

Shelves: fiction, 2012

Picking up directly after the events of Fun and Games, we find Charlie Hardie in the clutches of The Industry or The Accident People or Secret America, or whatever you want to call them. While Hardie's former colleague is on the lookout for him, finding him proves difficult. "They" don't screw around when they have a task to accomplish and burying the whereabouts of Hardie is their number one objective.

Upon awakening, Hardie finds himself deep underground in a prison somewhere on Earth. I know t...more

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Dec 02, 2011 Dave rated it 5 of 5 stars

I try to avoid any types of spoilers when I do a book review, but sometimes that’s just not possible. Like when you’re reviewing the second book in a three part trilogy and the action picks up right where the first one left off. That’s the case with writer Duane Swierczynski’s latest crime novel, “Hell & Gone” and I’m about to review that book. So consider this a spoiler warning. In fact, if you haven’t read “Fun & Games,” the first book in Swierczynski’s Charlie Hardie trilogy, stop wha...more I try to avoid any types of spoilers when I do a book review, but sometimes that’s just not possible. Like when you’re reviewing the second book in a three part trilogy and the action picks up right where the first one left off. That’s the case with writer Duane Swierczynski’s latest crime novel, “Hell & Gone” and I’m about to review that book. So consider this a spoiler warning. In fact, if you haven’t read “Fun & Games,” the first book in Swierczynski’s Charlie Hardie trilogy, stop what you’re doing and go read it right now. You won’t regret it. Don’t worry we’ll wait . . .

Ok, everybody ready? Just in case one last big SPOILER WARNING!!!!!!

All right then, away we go! When we last left ex-Philadelphia Police consultant and tough guy extraordinaire Charlie Hardie he had saved the host of an “America’s Most Wanted” style program from a group of incredibly stealthy assassins dubbed the “Accident People” for their knack for making their crimes looks like accidents. As it turns out though the “Accident People” are just foot soldiers for a large and very powerful organization, an organization that’s not very happy with Charlie Hardie.

“Fun & Games” ends with Hardie falling into this organization’s custody and in “Hell & Gone” they enact their vengeance upon Hardie by sending him to a strange, underground, ultra secure prison. Complicating things even further is the fact that upon his arrival at the prison Hardie discovers that he’s the facility’s new warden and if anybody escapes from the prison on his watch everyone inside will die.

So there’s a lot of stuff going on in “Hell & Gone” and all of it is pretty awesome. One of the most interesting things is the very nature of the prison itself is a mystery. Its true nature is revealed near the end of the novel and the revelation is a fun mix of science fiction, classic prison movie elements, conspiracy stories, and academia.

Another great thing is that Swierczynski uses the set up of the prison to reveal even more about his protagonist. We got to know and root for Charlie in “Fun & Games” and in “Hell & Gone” we get to know even more about his past and what makes him tick. We get to see how he holds up under a great amount of physical and mental oppression and best of all we get to see him fight back. That’s because Swierczynski know all the best prison stories involve jail breaks.

You also get to learn a lot more about another character who only played a minor role in “Fun & Games,” Hardie’s FBI contact Special Agent Deke Clark. Clark spends much of “Hell & Gone” searching for Hardie and dealing with the enigmatic and powerful forces behind his disappearance. Clark’s reactions are believable and he’s a very likeable character that you enjoy spending time with.

The supporting cast of “Hell & Gone” is also populated by several interesting new characters especially the inmates and guards of the prison Hardie is trapped in. All of them have intricate and interesting back stories that are revealed as the novel unfolds. I can’t confirm this but based on the character’s names and some of their stories it feels like Swierczynski includes some fun homages and Easter eggs to his fellow crime writers and some of their characters.

So reading “Hell & Gone” was a lot of fun. The only thing that seemed out of place was an opening scene that didn’t look it had any relevance to the larger plot, but towards the end of the novel Swierczynski comes back to it and weaves that scene into his larger story in a very compelling way.

In Summary “Hell & Gone” is the best kind of sequel, one that’s even better than the first chapter in the story. It’s pacing, action, and characters were all great. As a long time fan of Swierczynski’s work I think it’s his best novel to date.

So the bar is set pretty high for the third chapter in the Charlie Hardie trilogy, “Point and Shoot,” which arrives in March. Swierczynski gives the novel a hell of a set up with the final pages of “Hell & Gone” and even if it’s only half as good the previous novel’s it’s bound to be a lot of fun.
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Nov 27, 2011 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm waffling between 3 and 4 stars on this one. In reviewing this I've realized I haven't yet rated "Fun and Games", which I enjoyed a bit more, so it'll get the 4. I think it's the pacing that bothered me - the relentless beats in "Fun" made sense given the storyline; this time it feels like he's skimming ahead to get to the next action scene, when we should be getting a sense of time passing.
(On a side note, don't publishers employ proofreaders anymore? )
As for the story, as Charlie Hardie's t...more

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Oct 31, 2011 iubookgirl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

In Hell & Gone, Charlie Hardie is still in the clutches of the Accident People. After who know how long, Charlie finds himself face to face with Mann and presented with a no-win situation -- work for the Accident People in a secret underground prison or die. He decides to live and enters a bizarre world unsure who he can trust. Can Charlie somehow escape an inescapable prison? Can he keep his wife and son safe from the Accident People?

Hell & Gone drags the reader along the roller coaster...more

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Oct 28, 2011 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-mystery, read-in-2011

The second book in Swierczynski's Charlie Hardie trilogy finds our hero captured by "The Accident People" and thrown in a secret underground prison, but as the warden! Swierczynski retains the hard-boiled style and wise-cracks of the first novel, but amps down the action just a tad in favor of more characterization and interior monologue. This is not a bad thing, because it's makes the book just different enough from its predecessor to seem fresh and new. There aren't as many pop-culture referen...more

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Oct 06, 2011 W.D. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, thriller, mystery, librarything-early-reviews

I have a good reason not to start in the middle of book series. Most of them today have books that aren't able to stand alone and be a part of a larger series. Hell and Gone was a pleasant exception to that rule.

We start the story, with an event in he past. When I first read it I wasn't sure how it was going to fit since there was no relation to the main character, Charlie Hardie. To be honest, I almost forgot about it until it was finally tied into the plot later in the book. From there, we go...more I have a good reason not to start in the middle of book series. Most of them today have books that aren't able to stand alone and be a part of a larger series. Hell and Gone was a pleasant exception to that rule.

We start the story, with an event in he past. When I first read it I wasn't sure how it was going to fit since there was no relation to the main character, Charlie Hardie. To be honest, I almost forgot about it until it was finally tied into the plot later in the book. From there, we go right into the main story and we learn about Charlie Hardie and idea of went on in the first book. What a lot of books do wrong is that the have long recaps of event in the series. Swierczynski gets it right with a number of tactics. First, he sets the start of the main story very close to the end of the last book. That gives any recaps the ability to seem natural. Also, he intersperses them through out the story, giving them the feel of natural thought process of the character and not just a pause for the reader. Or, he the events were recounted in discussions and actions. So we are seeing the effect of the causes in the first story.

But the way the story is written is only a part of what makes this a successful book. It is also a fun read and a page turner. Charlie Hardie, a.k.a. Unkillable Chuck, is now having to deal with the consequences of his actions. Instead of being killed, he his nursed back to health only to be the warden of a secret prison. But even the moment he gets there, he knows there is a game being played and he doesn't know the rules.

It is an intriguing story of psychology, good intentions, secret organizations, and the horrors that can be birthed when those things are combined. All the characters play their parts well. Charlie Hardie is a great character. A refreshing change when everyone is trying to have anti-heroes, he is a hero who just doesn't win the way he wants to. Which is almost a little more realistic.

Definitely worth picking up, especially before the last book comes out.(less)

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Sep 08, 2011 Shelley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

If you're looking for an effed up book, Duane Swierczynski is your man. Hell and Gone is packed with twisted characters who turn on each other like that. Even though this is book two in the series, you can still easily pick up the storyline. The book keep you guessing which characters are good guys and which are the psychos. Quite possibly my favorite part of the story was the mind checkers games the prisoners and guards had to play.

On paper I'm not the target audience for these types of books....more

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May 10, 2012 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-completed, owned

Duane Swierczynski books are my literary meth. Once it crack one of his books open, I speed through it, recklessly. I tear apart the chapters like so many clocks and then put them back together in my head...well, stretched that metaphor far enough. They're damn near impossible to stop reading and they read so quickly! Anyway, second Charlie Hardee book, not quite as good as the first. It's missing the gung-ho, bullets and broads aspect of Fun & Games and trades most of that for a nasty, broo...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Gef rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, e-books, thriller

I read the first book in the Charlie Hardie trilogy, Fun and Games, back in the spring and it wound up becoming my favorite book of the year so far. While I've been fortunate to read a lot of great books this year, Fun and Games easily remains in my top three and I wouldn't be surprised to see it stay there. But what about its sequel, Hell and Gone? After a powder keg of a debut, I had to wonder just how in the hell Hell and Gone would be able to make par, let alone surpass, the first book. Now,...more I read the first book in the Charlie Hardie trilogy, Fun and Games, back in the spring and it wound up becoming my favorite book of the year so far. While I've been fortunate to read a lot of great books this year, Fun and Games easily remains in my top three and I wouldn't be surprised to see it stay there. But what about its sequel, Hell and Gone? After a powder keg of a debut, I had to wonder just how in the hell Hell and Gone would be able to make par, let alone surpass, the first book. Now, if you haven't read Fun and Games yet, stop reading this right now and go find a copy, because I'm about to spoil the ending of the first book.

Hell and Gone picks up almost immediately after the crazy shootout at the end of Fun and Games. Charlie Hardie is beat up, broken down, shot, and handcuffed to the gorgeous woman who tried really hard to have him killed. Law enforcement and paramedics arrive, separate the two, and whisk Charlie off in an ambulance. But before he knows what's happening, he's drugged and whisked off to a secret location, only to get drugged again and taken to an even more secret location. Eventually he's awakened and finds himself in a room with Mann, the woman who tried to kill him, the woman working for a secret organization of assassins called "The Accident People" (if you've listened to the diatribes Randy Quaid has spewed for the last year or two about celebrity killers, in his efforts to evade U.S. authorities, then you know the type I'm referring to).

So, Charlie wakes up with no idea how long he's been unconscious, or why he's even still alive. Mann confronts him and tells him he's been conscripted, in a sense, to work for the same organization she works for. Turns out he's sent way underground to a super-secret security facility known as Site 7734. Seem like a peculiar name for an underground prison? Well, punch those numbers into a calculator and turn the calculator upside-down. Do you get the significance now? Yeah, not exactly idyllic conditions.

It's at this point where the story really goes down the rabbit hole--literally if you think about it. Where Fun and Games was a high-octane shoot-'em-up through the Hollywood Hills, Hell and Gone felt closer to a psychological thriller akin to The Prisoner. The only thing missing was a giant amorphous bubble chasing Charlie down when he tried to escape. There's an intriguing, albeit convoluted, subplot involving one of his fellow inmates, but the main focus of this book had Charlie trying to figure out where he was and how to get out in order to exact his revenge and save his family. But at every turn a monkey wrench is thrown into the gears of his surroundings and it becomes a game of simple survival.

The action and suspense is as palpable and hot-to-the-touch as I expected, but it was the setting and focus of the story that really threw me. I will heartily give Duane Swierczynski all the credit in the word for using rocket fuel where other authors might use gasoline to propel his books forward, but the Kafka-ish underground prison was about the last place on Earth I expected Charlie Hardie to wind up. And what's even crazier is where Charlie winds up at the end of the book. I can't even wrap my head around that plot twist.

In one sense I was disappointed with Hell and Gone because it didn't go where I expected it to go after Fun and Games. Conventional thinking on my part, I suppose. So in another sense, I have to tip my hat to Swierczynski for taking a Gatling gun to my preconceived notions. At this point, I have no idea what to expect when the third book comes out in 2012. I just know that I am on board Charlie Hardie's insane bandwagon and can't wait to read Point and Shoot.(less)

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Nov 15, 2011 Alecia rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a non-stop, imaginative action thriller. It stars the estimable Charlie Hardie, and the last book in this trilogy is due to come out soon. This is an equivalent to a very good action movie, where the pace doesn't let up for a minute. I think it would be helpful to read the previous book, Fun and Games, to get a background for Charlie's character. The reader will also understand a little better how he ended up captive in a secret prison that houses the most dangerous criminals on earth. T...more

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May 28, 2012 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime

Charlie “"Unkillable Chuck" Hardie is back, after barely surviving the epic shootout with the devious Accident People in Fun & Games. If you thought that was a sinister rollercoaster ride, just tighten your grip on the crash-bar, because you are about to take a wicked plunge, tumbling along with Charlie down the rabbit hole.
I’m not sure anyone is writing crime novels, with such crazed and inventive audacity, as
Swiercynski. These books are smart, funny and mind-blowing. I can’t wait to see wh...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Jaron rated it 4 of 5 stars

If Fun and Games hadn't been a part of a trilogy, it probably would have been the last Duane Swierczynski book that I would have ever read. Which would have been a shame.

I think two things happened for me with this book simultaneously: Swierczynski hit his stride as a modern pulp fiction style writer, and, after reading an overrated literary novel for more than a month, I was more than ready for a totally improbable popcorn action-movie style book that didn't take itself too seriously.

Example:...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Elizabeth A. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ever heard the expression “Out of the frying pan, into the fire”? Yeah, that pretty much sums up Charlie Hardie’s life.

When we last saw Charlie at the end of Fun & Games he was in bad shape, having just been through two hellacious days culminating in a shootout of epic proportions which left him battered, bleeding and on the brink of death.

Picking up right where Fun & Games left off, Hell & Gone opens with Charlie in the back of an ambulance being whisked off for life saving treatmen...more Ever heard the expression “Out of the frying pan, into the fire”? Yeah, that pretty much sums up Charlie Hardie’s life.

When we last saw Charlie at the end of Fun & Games he was in bad shape, having just been through two hellacious days culminating in a shootout of epic proportions which left him battered, bleeding and on the brink of death.

Picking up right where Fun & Games left off, Hell & Gone opens with Charlie in the back of an ambulance being whisked off for life saving treatment. Unfortunately for Charlie his destination isn’t a legitimate hospital, but a facility where the “Accident People” – the shadow organization Charlie ran afoul of in Fun & Games – nurse Charlie back to health in order for him to serve their agenda.

Waking after an indeterminate amount of time, Charlie finds himself in a concrete bunker faced with an ultimatum: try to leave and die, or get in the elevator and ride it down to… well, Charlie’s not exactly sure where. Not wanting to die, obviously, he takes the elevator ride and ends up in a highly secrete, ultra secure prison facility far underground which he is informed holds the most dangerous prisoners in the world. Much to his amazement Charlie has not been sent there to join their ranks, but to become the facility’s warden.

Knowing he must escape from the inescapable facility in order to protect his family from the Accident People, Charlie begins feeling out not only the guards but the prisoners as well. During that process he begins to question whether it’s really the prisoners or the guards that pose the real threat, as no one is who they initially appear to be on the surface. What unfolds from that setup is a high octane, mind-bending adventure that only author Duane Swierczynski could have penned.

As he did in Fun & Games, Swierczynski shows himself once again to be a master of pacing, though here he downshifts gears somewhat to tremendous effect. If Fun & Games played out like a series of never-ending, rapid-fire machine gun attacks, Hell & Gone is the equivalent of a few very strategically placed bunker busters. Where Fun & Games unfolded at a breakneck pace that left both Charlie and the reader gasping for breath, Hell & Gone uses Charlie’s creeping sense of frustration and confusion to slowly build to an almost unbearable level of tension.

You’ll find yourself as off-guard as Charlie when Swierczynski rolls out twist after twist, and his depiction of the isolation of the cramped and oppressive subterranean facility is so realistic you’ll get claustrophobia just reading about it. Of course there being a third book in the series and the main character being nicknamed “Unkillable Chuck” it’s not exactly a spoiler to say that Charlie manages to find a way out of the facility. But just how he does it – and where he ends up – you’ll have to read for yourself to find out. Just remember that expression, “Out of the frying pan, into the fire.”

It takes a truly talented author to make going to hell sound like fun, but Swierczynski is unquestionably a silver-penned devil. Trust me on this, you definitely want to get yourself Hell & Gone.(less)

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Dec 09, 2012 Gabrielle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, 2012

I won this as a goodreads giveaway. This book was a pleasant surprise once I got closer to the end. Unfortunately, it took so long for me to get into the premise of the story because nothing was really happening. I wanted so badly to give this a higher scoring because the ending was pretty great that I couldn't manage to put it down. Of course, because of how slow it was at the beginning I had to give it a lower rating. The story follows unkillable Charlie Hardie, who is a very like able guy, an...more

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Jan 29, 2012 Adam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Just amazing! The Empire Strikes Back of Swierczynski's Hardie Trilogy is flat out awesome. Where I enjoyed part 1 (Fun and Games), and I recommend you read that one first, the second novel goes in a totally different direction that had me excited and anxious at the same time. And the ending is great pulp cliffhanger material worthy of the WTF you will undoubtably utter. I can't wait for March 2012 to pick up part 3 (Point and Shoot) to see where this is all headed.

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Hell and Gone (Charlie Hardie #2)

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