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Identity Crisis Trilogy #1
They Call Me...Montey Greene
"Very enjoyable crime caper crossing Italy and France and ending back in the US. Great central character and plenty of twists and turns." —thebookbag.co.uk
A.R. “Ab Wins” Yoba’s debut novel, They Call Me...Montey Greene, centers around a man raised in a notorious Brooklyn public housing project who inadvertently thwarts the kidnapping of a reputed drug kingpin’s daughter while vacationing in Milan, Italy, thereby throwing a monkey wrench in the plans of a clandestine agency that has been secretly recruiting him. This is the first book in A.R. Yoba’s Montey Greene suspense thriller book series and falls under the “Identity Crisis Trilogy”. The second and third books are Get...Montey Greene and Farewell...Montey Greene.
All he wanted was to buy a pair of shoes when he walked into that high end women’s boutique on Via Della Spiga and met the beautiful Colombian woman named Alejandra Lasprilla. She knew just the right pair she said. Maybe they would help patch things up between him and his soon to be ex-wife Patricia back home in the States. Maybe he could see his two kids again on a regular. Then those three thugs walked in. Locked the door. Mistook Montey Greene for just a tourist. A mark. Bad mistake.
A.R. “Ab Wins” Yoba’s debut novel, They Call Me...Montey Greene, centers around a man raised in a notorious Brooklyn public housing project who inadvertently thwarts the kidnapping of a reputed drug kingpin’s daughter while vacationing in Milan, Italy, thereby throwing a monkey wrench in the plans of a clandestine agency that has been secretly recruiting him. This is the first book in A.R. Yoba’s Montey Greene suspense thriller book series and falls under the “Identity Crisis Trilogy”. The second and third books are Get...Montey Greene and Farewell...Montey Greene.
All he wanted was to buy a pair of shoes when he walked into that high end women’s boutique on Via Della Spiga and met the beautiful Colombian woman named Alejandra Lasprilla. She knew just the right pair she said. Maybe they would help patch things up between him and his soon to be ex-wife Patricia back home in the States. Maybe he could see his two kids again on a regular. Then those three thugs walked in. Locked the door. Mistook Montey Greene for just a tourist. A mark. Bad mistake.
327 pages, Paperback
First published July 3, 2012
1 person is currently reading
842 people want to read
About the author
A.R. Yoba
7 books24 followersA.R. Yoba has an extensive resume in the arts as a screenwriter, playwright, author, music producer, hip-hop artist, actor, literary manager and accomplished martial artist. He splits time between New York and Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 30, 2012
I liked the story line of this book, European adventures, shoot outs, attempted kidnappings, blackmail, the twists and turns, the hypnosis of Montey Greene, Annette and Daniel really being FBI agents. Its all a good story.
But I would have rated this book much higher IF IT HAD BEEN DECENTLY EDITED!
This book seems to have been self edited, or not edited at all, which just doesn't work!.
It is FULL of misspelt words, the wrong words (about instead of above), double spaces, sentences that don't make sense, or are hugely long and need a few commas, quotation marks in the wrong spots. You name it, any sort of spelling, grammar or punctuation error that this is occurred in this book, and I don't just mean the odd one, I mean pervasive errors, on every other page.
So, although the story was good, I seriously considered putting this book down and forgetting about it, I was that annoyed by all the errors. That or I wanted to sit there with a red pen and correct all the errors!
IF you can't handle the errors, don't bother reading!
But I would have rated this book much higher IF IT HAD BEEN DECENTLY EDITED!
This book seems to have been self edited, or not edited at all, which just doesn't work!.
It is FULL of misspelt words, the wrong words (about instead of above), double spaces, sentences that don't make sense, or are hugely long and need a few commas, quotation marks in the wrong spots. You name it, any sort of spelling, grammar or punctuation error that this is occurred in this book, and I don't just mean the odd one, I mean pervasive errors, on every other page.
So, although the story was good, I seriously considered putting this book down and forgetting about it, I was that annoyed by all the errors. That or I wanted to sit there with a red pen and correct all the errors!
IF you can't handle the errors, don't bother reading!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2012
Blurb:Every legend has a beginning. In the case of unemployed security systems analyst Montey Greene it was Europe. A pair of shoes. A beautiful Colombian woman. Pink pills. A false passport. Four bullets in the back.
Something told him not to go, but he hopped on that plane anyway. All expenses paid they said. First class all the way on an open-ended ticket. Up until the point he walked into that high end women's boutique on Via Della Spiga he was just a regular guy from Brooklyn. Now he found himself locked in the cross-hairs of some unknown government agency's most wanted list questioning his name. Somebody wanted him dead. But they would soon find Montey Greene to be a hard man to kill.
This book was received for free through the Goodreads First Reads program.
Unfortunately, I could not finish this novel as it is awkwardly written. I have never encountered a novel before that is so badly in need of editing.
For example:
- the author needs to learn to "show" not "tell". The constant "telling" is found in the use of words such as '-ly adverbs', 'as', 'when', 'realized', ... the list goes on.
- there are numerous examples of bad punctuation, and missing punctuation.
- spelling errors are rampant.
- the novel contains long sentences that don't parse properly.
- wrong words are used to portray a thought.
- and many other problems.
The characters and plot appear to be decent, but the errors overwhelm them.
Keep writing, but please have your novels deeply edited.
Something told him not to go, but he hopped on that plane anyway. All expenses paid they said. First class all the way on an open-ended ticket. Up until the point he walked into that high end women's boutique on Via Della Spiga he was just a regular guy from Brooklyn. Now he found himself locked in the cross-hairs of some unknown government agency's most wanted list questioning his name. Somebody wanted him dead. But they would soon find Montey Greene to be a hard man to kill.
This book was received for free through the Goodreads First Reads program.
Unfortunately, I could not finish this novel as it is awkwardly written. I have never encountered a novel before that is so badly in need of editing.
For example:
- the author needs to learn to "show" not "tell". The constant "telling" is found in the use of words such as '-ly adverbs', 'as', 'when', 'realized', ... the list goes on.
- there are numerous examples of bad punctuation, and missing punctuation.
- spelling errors are rampant.
- the novel contains long sentences that don't parse properly.
- wrong words are used to portray a thought.
- and many other problems.
The characters and plot appear to be decent, but the errors overwhelm them.
Keep writing, but please have your novels deeply edited.
November 16, 2012
Montey Greene is an uncomplicated man.
His tastes are simple, from fashion to women to music. He's not a particularly good person, nor is he a complete jerk - like most people, he's a bit of both. He's riding the rail of a failing marriage, but not sure if he's ready to give it up yet. When he takes a trip to Milan, he's not looking for adventure - he's looking for a place to unwind and find himself again. And perhaps a nice pair of shoes for his wife to mend some fences.
Which is where is gets a little complicated.
What starts out as a simple vacation suddenly involves a Colombian beauty, an attempted robbery, four bullets in Montey's back, ties to organized crime, a trip to Paris, a fashion show, kidnapping...the list goes on.
They Call Me...Montey Greene reads like a straightforward thriller written for the everyday man. At first blush, despite being a retired security analyst, Montey Greene is no James Bond. He's a regular guy caught up in some fairly serious business, and mostly he reacts as you'd expect him to. As a story, it works, and even wraps up with a well-crafted surprise finish - always a treat.
Where the book doesn't work as well is the pacing and the editing. The action set pieces read quickly and fairly naturally, the descriptions of place less so, sometimes getting mired in repetitive details. Montey's mantra - "I don't believe in coincidence, but I do believe in conspiracy." - was repeated a few too many times to matter much anymore. And for a reader like me, the many typos, missing punctuation marks, and misspellings knocked me out of the story every few pages.
There's a good story here. Despite some clumsy writing, it's a fun story - not overly complex but but enough to chew on. Even something as straightforward as a name, like Montey Greene for example, might have a story of its own.
His tastes are simple, from fashion to women to music. He's not a particularly good person, nor is he a complete jerk - like most people, he's a bit of both. He's riding the rail of a failing marriage, but not sure if he's ready to give it up yet. When he takes a trip to Milan, he's not looking for adventure - he's looking for a place to unwind and find himself again. And perhaps a nice pair of shoes for his wife to mend some fences.
Which is where is gets a little complicated.
What starts out as a simple vacation suddenly involves a Colombian beauty, an attempted robbery, four bullets in Montey's back, ties to organized crime, a trip to Paris, a fashion show, kidnapping...the list goes on.
They Call Me...Montey Greene reads like a straightforward thriller written for the everyday man. At first blush, despite being a retired security analyst, Montey Greene is no James Bond. He's a regular guy caught up in some fairly serious business, and mostly he reacts as you'd expect him to. As a story, it works, and even wraps up with a well-crafted surprise finish - always a treat.
Where the book doesn't work as well is the pacing and the editing. The action set pieces read quickly and fairly naturally, the descriptions of place less so, sometimes getting mired in repetitive details. Montey's mantra - "I don't believe in coincidence, but I do believe in conspiracy." - was repeated a few too many times to matter much anymore. And for a reader like me, the many typos, missing punctuation marks, and misspellings knocked me out of the story every few pages.
There's a good story here. Despite some clumsy writing, it's a fun story - not overly complex but but enough to chew on. Even something as straightforward as a name, like Montey Greene for example, might have a story of its own.
August 22, 2013
I received a copy of this book as part of the Goodreads Giveaway contest.
What a story. Form Milan to Paris to Miami to New York. Never a dull momment. There is violence in the story. The story is very well paced. There are a few jumps in the timeline, but the author will tell the backstory so you are not lost. Very few scenes where there is not much action. The end of the book did have a twist I was not expecting. The main villian of the story was hidden til the very end. From the clues in the book, I was not surprised to find out who it was. The other twist had clues, but I did not pick up on them
I found the plot to be driven more by action than by character. Once you get to the end, you will see why character develpment was almost irrelevant. A lot of the paragraph start with Montey did this or He did that.
I did find a few grammar errors. I thought the editor would know the difference between to and too. I felt that the author was struggling to either tell the story in third person or first person. Every scene in the book involves the title character.
This was fun to read. I am looking for wrd to the next book in the series.
What a story. Form Milan to Paris to Miami to New York. Never a dull momment. There is violence in the story. The story is very well paced. There are a few jumps in the timeline, but the author will tell the backstory so you are not lost. Very few scenes where there is not much action. The end of the book did have a twist I was not expecting. The main villian of the story was hidden til the very end. From the clues in the book, I was not surprised to find out who it was. The other twist had clues, but I did not pick up on them
I found the plot to be driven more by action than by character. Once you get to the end, you will see why character develpment was almost irrelevant. A lot of the paragraph start with Montey did this or He did that.
I did find a few grammar errors. I thought the editor would know the difference between to and too. I felt that the author was struggling to either tell the story in third person or first person. Every scene in the book involves the title character.
This was fun to read. I am looking for wrd to the next book in the series.
April 1, 2013
An intriguing read. The story was captivating.. The plot was surrounded with the air of mystery as the reader was given only the information needed at the time, nothing more so we can't easily speculate on what happens next.The ending was most surprising and put the whole book into perspective. I was intrigued enough to want to read the next book. The pace of the novel was a bit too slow for me at the beginning but it picked up and it was ok, as the book advanced. The characters were likable, although Alejandra's character could have had more depth. The thing that bugged me the most were the mistakes which found its way into the text, for example spelling mistakes which changed the meaning of the phrase so it had no sense or the wrong past forms. However, I ca overlook that since the book was an entertaining read that kept me hooked.
April 7, 2013
Won this book from A.R.Yoba! Yes, my only Christmas present, I wish it come to my doorstep earlier. I can't wait to read it.
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I had received this book on 5th of March after a few months I won the book. hehe... It's came with a pen with the book cover printed on it. The first thing when I saw the book and said is "it's hard cover!Ooops my face!"
Montey Greene had met with a sexy lady,Alejandra and he had made himself into trouble. Once you read it, you'll be wondering why he keep meet and rescued the same lady. Why he believed in someone who had just meet?
Why he was given credit card by his friends? Why he had accepted the offer of become bodyguard of Alejandra? All these doubt will lead you to what happened next in the book. Wish to read the other books of this series.
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I had received this book on 5th of March after a few months I won the book. hehe... It's came with a pen with the book cover printed on it. The first thing when I saw the book and said is "it's hard cover!Ooops my face!"
Montey Greene had met with a sexy lady,Alejandra and he had made himself into trouble. Once you read it, you'll be wondering why he keep meet and rescued the same lady. Why he believed in someone who had just meet?
Why he was given credit card by his friends? Why he had accepted the offer of become bodyguard of Alejandra? All these doubt will lead you to what happened next in the book. Wish to read the other books of this series.
June 19, 2013
I've recently developed a love of thrillers and detective books enjoying James Patterson, Sophie Hannah and Nelson DeMille. I enjoyed Yoba's slightly different take on the hero, a flawed but likeable gritty black man from Brooklyn, New York.
The pace of the book varies, which meant there were times I had to read just one more chapter, but thankfully times I felt able to put the book down for a bit (something I struggle with sometimes!). Yoba especially captured the atmosphere of Milan well, although less so with Paris.
I found the plot at times a little disjointed, and was frustrated by some of Montey Greene's musings which raised valuable questions which he then decided to dismiss for various reasons. However, the final chapter of the book left it in an excellent place for a follow on, and I look forward to reading the next episode in the Montey Greene trilogy.
The pace of the book varies, which meant there were times I had to read just one more chapter, but thankfully times I felt able to put the book down for a bit (something I struggle with sometimes!). Yoba especially captured the atmosphere of Milan well, although less so with Paris.
I found the plot at times a little disjointed, and was frustrated by some of Montey Greene's musings which raised valuable questions which he then decided to dismiss for various reasons. However, the final chapter of the book left it in an excellent place for a follow on, and I look forward to reading the next episode in the Montey Greene trilogy.
March 30, 2013
it kept me entertained all throughout . i liked it , and i really loved the Brooklyn slang . it's refreshing to see a african-american man from Brooklyn as the lead , and as a matter of fact i can't think of another such book .
it was nicely paced , great action scenes , fun dialogue .
my only remark is that i would have wanted a bit more depth in Alejandra's character cos i couldn't really get in her head and empathize with her.
don't know if any of you did, but whenever i read Monty's lines , Will Smith's face came popping up in my mind.
it was nicely paced , great action scenes , fun dialogue .
my only remark is that i would have wanted a bit more depth in Alejandra's character cos i couldn't really get in her head and empathize with her.
don't know if any of you did, but whenever i read Monty's lines , Will Smith's face came popping up in my mind.
October 26, 2012
"They Call Me...Montey Greene" starts with a cool man falling for a sexy woman, and you can just feel the trouble and intrigue building from there. Montey is a great leading character. You admire his smarts, forgive his sins and pray for his survival. The author, A.R. Yoba, spins a clever, exciting narrative. The pace keeps you hooked, and the twists keep you guessing. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
April 30, 2013
A very interesting and well written book.
I really enjoyed reading it.
I really enjoyed reading it.
Read
August 11, 2012good book
May 29, 2022
I received this book as a first-reads giveaway.
This book was enjoyable, but that's about it. There were a lot of things that I didn't like about it.
First of all, there were a lot of spelling mistakes and printing errors, this is something that I really hate and I find it really disturbing (even though I'm not a native English-speaker).
Secondly I have to say I didn't like when Montey was talking "gangsta". Personally I have never met anyone from Brooklyn. But it didn't feel really natural for someone as him who has spent a lot of his time (like several years) travelling the world, to still use the slang of his childhood when meeting new people that he must realize (since he isn't stupid) can't understand what he's trying to say.
My third objection is the ending. It felt a bit unrealistic, and now I'm talking about the . It felt like an unnecessary complicated end, but I suppose it's to build up for the next book.
This book was enjoyable, but that's about it. There were a lot of things that I didn't like about it.
First of all, there were a lot of spelling mistakes and printing errors, this is something that I really hate and I find it really disturbing (even though I'm not a native English-speaker).
Secondly I have to say I didn't like when Montey was talking "gangsta". Personally I have never met anyone from Brooklyn. But it didn't feel really natural for someone as him who has spent a lot of his time (like several years) travelling the world, to still use the slang of his childhood when meeting new people that he must realize (since he isn't stupid) can't understand what he's trying to say.
My third objection is the ending. It felt a bit unrealistic, and now I'm talking about the . It felt like an unnecessary complicated end, but I suppose it's to build up for the next book.
October 8, 2013
I have to say, there were times were I had to force myself to read.
Montey Greene. Well, he started as a fun and relaxing guy, with a different background and culture, which I enjoyed very much, but as he found himself in the middle of all of that, I started to get frustrated with him. He didn’t question anything, he didn’t investigate, and he just waited for something to happen! He was so passive. He wasn’t even sure if Juan Carlos had his family. Why not ask of some sort of proof that they were ok? I mean… the action scenes, the shootings and the kidnap attempts, they were engaging and he was a real hero when he was with the adrenaline all over his body, but when he wasn’t, he just wanted to run and go home. The last chapter may have given some answers about that, but it was frustrating reading through all of that.
And what a chapter, that last one! It was unpredictable, yes, but what a big conspiracy… I don’t even know what to think of that.
I also have to talk about the mistakes, because they were too many. Other reviews also mention it and they are right. When they are as many as this, it gets hard to keep reading.
Overall it was ok, with ups and downs throughout the book, but the story has potential to get better.
Montey Greene. Well, he started as a fun and relaxing guy, with a different background and culture, which I enjoyed very much, but as he found himself in the middle of all of that, I started to get frustrated with him. He didn’t question anything, he didn’t investigate, and he just waited for something to happen! He was so passive. He wasn’t even sure if Juan Carlos had his family. Why not ask of some sort of proof that they were ok? I mean… the action scenes, the shootings and the kidnap attempts, they were engaging and he was a real hero when he was with the adrenaline all over his body, but when he wasn’t, he just wanted to run and go home. The last chapter may have given some answers about that, but it was frustrating reading through all of that.
And what a chapter, that last one! It was unpredictable, yes, but what a big conspiracy… I don’t even know what to think of that.
I also have to talk about the mistakes, because they were too many. Other reviews also mention it and they are right. When they are as many as this, it gets hard to keep reading.
Overall it was ok, with ups and downs throughout the book, but the story has potential to get better.
September 30, 2014
First of all I want to thank the author and Goodreads for giving me the chance to win a free copy of the book through Goodreads First Reads. The first chapters of the novel were really pleasant to read with the beautiful and sensual Alejandra Lasprilla, while the rest of the book is more focused on shootings, kidnapping attempts, homicides and drug dealing. The strong points of the novel are the original choice of an African-American main character and the exotic setting of Milan for the first part of the story. On the other hand what happens in Paris is really boring until the night of the fashion show. Every author should remember that it's better a short but entertaining book than a long one, if it's not so enjoyable. The weakest point of the book is the misuse of punctuation and of foreign languages like Spanish, French and Italian. The book is still readable, but there are too many typos, so the author should read it again and fix them or hire somebody to do the editing for him. And to conclude the review, the final is disappointing, since the reader finds out that Montey Greene was only a puppet in what looks like an international conspiracy at a government level.
November 25, 2012
Great book. Yoba deftly spins an intricate tale of intrigue and suspense blending real life current events and settings within a fictional story that will leave you second guessing yourself at the end. Evenly paced with a nice balance of action and back story Montey Greene is a refreshing character for the suspense thriller genre. He's got more swag then most of these run-of-the-mill action characters combined, but then again this is not a run-of-the-mill suspense thriller either. If ever there was a time when you wanted to root for the common man Montey Greene is it. Can't wait for the next installment.
October 26, 2013
I received this book from Goodreads.
What a great book. Plots and sub-plots that keep you reading right to the very last page... when you want to start the next book! Mystery and suspense with common language from believable characters kept me wanting more.
A book I am recommending to friends, a book I rate 5 out of 5 stars.
What a great book. Plots and sub-plots that keep you reading right to the very last page... when you want to start the next book! Mystery and suspense with common language from believable characters kept me wanting more.
A book I am recommending to friends, a book I rate 5 out of 5 stars.
July 6, 2013
I won this book though a goodreads giveaway and I really enjoyed reading this book I thought it was a very good read and it was also a very fast-paced read to and I thought montey is a great character and I thought the story had loads of twists and turns and I really thought it was a good read :)
May 21, 2013
*I won a free copy from Goodreads' First Reads.
An interesting thriller. Kind of reminded me of an ALex Cross novel, but it wasn't as fastly paced.
An interesting thriller. Kind of reminded me of an ALex Cross novel, but it wasn't as fastly paced.
July 24, 2013
I quite enjoyed this book,lots of twists and turns .
don't want to give anything away
If you like espionage you will enjoy
They Call Me Montey Greene.
don't want to give anything away
If you like espionage you will enjoy
They Call Me Montey Greene.
Want to read
December 20, 2013I am very disappointed that I never received this book. :-(
August 18, 2013
I got this book through the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
I liked it, it was an ok book. It entertained me, I liked the story and the pacing. 3 stars.
I liked it, it was an ok book. It entertained me, I liked the story and the pacing. 3 stars.
September 18, 2014
Mystery, Suspense, Captivating, Intriguing! I Couldn't Put It Down! Love It!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews