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The Good Bad Guys #2
Nowhere, NJ
Fourteen-year-old Matty Dunmore and his gang live in Nowhere, NJ, and their world of mobsters and crooked cops is about to be turned on its head. When Matty—a runner for the local Mob boss, Mr. Hill—is attacked and robbed during a delivery, he soon discovers the package he was carrying wasn’t the only one taken. The boys are told to keep watch for anything suspicious, but after the death of a higher up in the organization, their surveillance is discovered by one of the traitors. Now the friends must make a choice—tell Mr. Hill and risk the safety of their families, or keep quiet and live.
Flash forward to the present. Matthew Larson is now a legitimate businessman in Florida, but his past is about to catch up with him. No one—not even his wife and son—know the truth about who he was. The Matt Larson they know is a loving husband and father, not a ghost named Matty Dunmore with a secret so big it could get Matt and everyone he loves killed. Matty needs to stay buried in the past if Matt has any hope of surviving in the present.
When his former gang of friends, still tied to the Mob, discover he’s alive, Matt’s world comes crashing down around him. His son, Pete, is kidnapped by the new Mob boss in Nowhere—his former friend Lenny. Matt has no clue why Lenny would do this, but for some reason Lenny’s determined to make Matt pay. The stakes are high, life and death decisions are made at every turn, and the sins of Matt’s father threaten to doom him to a similar fate. Is there anyone left he can trust?
Flash forward to the present. Matthew Larson is now a legitimate businessman in Florida, but his past is about to catch up with him. No one—not even his wife and son—know the truth about who he was. The Matt Larson they know is a loving husband and father, not a ghost named Matty Dunmore with a secret so big it could get Matt and everyone he loves killed. Matty needs to stay buried in the past if Matt has any hope of surviving in the present.
When his former gang of friends, still tied to the Mob, discover he’s alive, Matt’s world comes crashing down around him. His son, Pete, is kidnapped by the new Mob boss in Nowhere—his former friend Lenny. Matt has no clue why Lenny would do this, but for some reason Lenny’s determined to make Matt pay. The stakes are high, life and death decisions are made at every turn, and the sins of Matt’s father threaten to doom him to a similar fate. Is there anyone left he can trust?
195 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 6, 2011
229 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 5, 2023
Nowhere, NJ by H.D. Smith
2nd book in The Good Bad Guys series.
NOT APPROPRIATE FOR YOUNG READERS. Mob action adventure, dual time line.
The past: Marty Dunmore is a runner for the local mob boss. When a package goes missing, Marty and his gang must decide between telling Mr Hill and putting their families at risk, or keeping quiet and live.
Present time: Matthew Larson is a legitimate business man and not even his wife and son know about his past working for the mob. Matt’s former gang discovers Matty is still alive, and his world comes to a crashing halt when his son is kidnapped.
Because the first book in the series is rated for middle-grade readers, I expected this book to be the same. It is not. Extreme and graphic violence via everyone from 14 year old Matty to current adults punching and kicking to unconsciousness.
This book came close to DNF for me as the descriptions were making me sick with the fist beatings. Thinking it would be for a young reader, I completed the book. I’m guessing most readers will not be as impacted as I was. I’ve read fantasy and even romance with lots of battles, fights, and war that didn’t make as much of an impression as this one. Maybe because a beating like that is more intimate.
The story is wrapped up appropriately for a “good” ending so I’ll just leave the warning again: Not appropriate for young readers.
2nd book in The Good Bad Guys series.
NOT APPROPRIATE FOR YOUNG READERS. Mob action adventure, dual time line.
The past: Marty Dunmore is a runner for the local mob boss. When a package goes missing, Marty and his gang must decide between telling Mr Hill and putting their families at risk, or keeping quiet and live.
Present time: Matthew Larson is a legitimate business man and not even his wife and son know about his past working for the mob. Matt’s former gang discovers Matty is still alive, and his world comes to a crashing halt when his son is kidnapped.
Because the first book in the series is rated for middle-grade readers, I expected this book to be the same. It is not. Extreme and graphic violence via everyone from 14 year old Matty to current adults punching and kicking to unconsciousness.
This book came close to DNF for me as the descriptions were making me sick with the fist beatings. Thinking it would be for a young reader, I completed the book. I’m guessing most readers will not be as impacted as I was. I’ve read fantasy and even romance with lots of battles, fights, and war that didn’t make as much of an impression as this one. Maybe because a beating like that is more intimate.
The story is wrapped up appropriately for a “good” ending so I’ll just leave the warning again: Not appropriate for young readers.
July 6, 2021
Books about the mob are always fascinating, but seeing parts of it from the perspective of a kid really put a new spin on this theme. The flashbacks to Matty's time as a kid working for the mob made it to where you had two stories going at one time, which was cool. There were a lot characters to keep track of because of all the jumping around though and that did start to confuse me a bit. Overall, I enjoyed the kids friendships the most and it was heartbreaking to think about all they experienced together growing up.
November 23, 2021
A mob story from the perspective of children born into it with the knowledge that death is the only way out. Much of the story takes place in the past so the story swings back and forth between when Matty and his friends were children and the nowadays when Marty’s past threatens the life he has created as Matthew Larson. I enjoyed the story but was very relieved when things were wrapped up neatly!
July 9, 2015
I received a free copy of this book through the GoodReads First Reads giveaways.
Nowhere, NJ by H.D. Smith was a fun read. I enjoy books about the mob and being a fan of the Sopranos, I felt this book was right up my alley. I was not disappointed. I liked how the author took the reader on a journey through the childhood of Matty, now known as Matthew and how Matthew's childhood made him the man (rather than the made man) he is today. This was a great read for the beach as you could definitely read it in one sitting. The story kept my interest and I had a hard time putting it down. I don't want to give anything away, but I was pleasantly surprised with the ending. I would definitely read more from the good bad guys series.
Nowhere, NJ by H.D. Smith was a fun read. I enjoy books about the mob and being a fan of the Sopranos, I felt this book was right up my alley. I was not disappointed. I liked how the author took the reader on a journey through the childhood of Matty, now known as Matthew and how Matthew's childhood made him the man (rather than the made man) he is today. This was a great read for the beach as you could definitely read it in one sitting. The story kept my interest and I had a hard time putting it down. I don't want to give anything away, but I was pleasantly surprised with the ending. I would definitely read more from the good bad guys series.
April 29, 2015
Nowhere, N J
HD Smith
A very well done read. The flashbacks were smooth and defined the life of a young teen. Matty's involvement with the lower levels of the mob, his friends and his mother is informative. A realistic look into the life of kids in a small town and a dead end situation.
I found the whole story line very interesting. It is a short read and one evaening was all it took to finish. If I say anymore about Matty, the boy, and Matthew, the man, it will spoil the whole book.
This is my first HD Smith read but not the last.
Thank you Goodreads and HD Smith for the free book
HD Smith
A very well done read. The flashbacks were smooth and defined the life of a young teen. Matty's involvement with the lower levels of the mob, his friends and his mother is informative. A realistic look into the life of kids in a small town and a dead end situation.
I found the whole story line very interesting. It is a short read and one evaening was all it took to finish. If I say anymore about Matty, the boy, and Matthew, the man, it will spoil the whole book.
This is my first HD Smith read but not the last.
Thank you Goodreads and HD Smith for the free book
May 5, 2015
Nowhere NJ is the second in this series but it is quite removed from the first book Keegan’s point which might prove a bit confusing for some readers. The books are actually joined by a common theme as opposed to the continuation of the characters. This one is definitely aimed at an older audience than the first but HD Smith brings her particular style to the fore to deliver and enjoyable and upbeat story of secrets and twists as the past returns to haunt the main protagonist. I would recommend any of these books.
April 29, 2015
A super read for people who like crime and in particular 'Mafia' style stories. I thought the narrative was accessible and the dialogue especially read well to capture the different nuances of the characters. The plot is quite straightforward though it spans past and present and there just the right amount of detail so the pace doesn't suffer. I think most readers would enjoy it, I know I did.
August 23, 2015
You can't t run from our past
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love mafia books but this one had a different perspective. I liked he way it was written at two points of the gang's lives, as young men then as they grew up. I was wondering until the end at what the outcome would be and I wasn't disappointed. I highly recommend this book
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love mafia books but this one had a different perspective. I liked he way it was written at two points of the gang's lives, as young men then as they grew up. I was wondering until the end at what the outcome would be and I wasn't disappointed. I highly recommend this book
April 24, 2015
I like anything with Mafia overtures and Nowhere NJ had just the right feel to it. I liked the plot, the characters and style of writing. It isn't too heavy in terms of content but strikes the right balance between levity and suspense. In short, it hit the mark!
April 29, 2015
I thought Nowhere NJ had a good sense of time and place. I liked how the story arced over two time frames so you could see the protagonist changing and really get inside his head. It was well paced and the plot came together to deliver a good ending.
September 1, 2015
First and foremost I really liked the book. I love how H.D. Smith went back and forth between Matty as a kid and Matt as an adult. The way that H.D reviled what was happening a little at a time was great. There were a few points that were a little predictable but they didn't distract from the book.
March 21, 2015
A good read with parallel past/present stories feeding off each other. Mobsters, backstabbing, and assassins... What more could you want?
January 6, 2024
Audiobook Review:
Overall – 5
Performance – 5
Story – 5
Even better than the first book!
Wow, I thought the first book in this loosely connected duo was really great but Nowhere, NJ really blew me away. Adam Verner did another fine job performing this story. I really didn't expect a YA book to get all of my emotions involved as much as this one did.
The story goes back and forth between two time periods separated by 30 years. It starts when Matt is a young boy and switches to 30 years later when his life brings him back to Nowhere. The blurb really tells you what you need to know; I just want to say how very much I enjoyed listening to it. The ending was so good and it brought tears to my eyes which I totally didn't expect. The story does contain a few dark scenes – the mob is involved which is disclosed in the blurb – and people die but they are not overly graphic and nothing that teens haven't seen on TV. The bad guys get what was coming to them.
This is exactly the type of story I would have loved to read when I was a kid (before I became a huge fan of romance 😊) and I highly recommend this story to adults and kids of an appropriate age.
Overall – 5
Performance – 5
Story – 5
Even better than the first book!
Wow, I thought the first book in this loosely connected duo was really great but Nowhere, NJ really blew me away. Adam Verner did another fine job performing this story. I really didn't expect a YA book to get all of my emotions involved as much as this one did.
The story goes back and forth between two time periods separated by 30 years. It starts when Matt is a young boy and switches to 30 years later when his life brings him back to Nowhere. The blurb really tells you what you need to know; I just want to say how very much I enjoyed listening to it. The ending was so good and it brought tears to my eyes which I totally didn't expect. The story does contain a few dark scenes – the mob is involved which is disclosed in the blurb – and people die but they are not overly graphic and nothing that teens haven't seen on TV. The bad guys get what was coming to them.
This is exactly the type of story I would have loved to read when I was a kid (before I became a huge fan of romance 😊) and I highly recommend this story to adults and kids of an appropriate age.
March 29, 2018
•audiobook•
The second book in the series was a notch above with unwitnessed deaths and a kidnapping. Not quite as innocent at Keegan’s Point but still with a YA atmosphere.
The story bounces from events in 1985 and 2015. It leads the listener to draw conclusions the protagonist is oblivious to, until the conclusion. A myriad of characters are introduced and with the variations of their names vs childhood nicknames, it may take the listener a tad longer to catch on to the parallel.
At the end, I felt the offscreen deaths did not justify the means and would have preferred a better justice, as I had expected from the first book. For lack if creativity to neatly wrap up the loose ends, four stars.
I liked this narrator for this series and will seek other works from him.
The second book in the series was a notch above with unwitnessed deaths and a kidnapping. Not quite as innocent at Keegan’s Point but still with a YA atmosphere.
The story bounces from events in 1985 and 2015. It leads the listener to draw conclusions the protagonist is oblivious to, until the conclusion. A myriad of characters are introduced and with the variations of their names vs childhood nicknames, it may take the listener a tad longer to catch on to the parallel.
At the end, I felt the offscreen deaths did not justify the means and would have preferred a better justice, as I had expected from the first book. For lack if creativity to neatly wrap up the loose ends, four stars.
I liked this narrator for this series and will seek other works from him.
June 22, 2024
Matty Dunmore grew up in a world of mobsters and crooked cops. Matty and his friends work for the mob as runners and life is good until Matty is robbed of his delivery – along with several other of the runners. They are tasked with keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Matty is a very inquisitive kid and can quickly put two and two together and this gets him in trouble. Matty and his mom bolt. Years later Matty’s past and current life collide. I liked who the story bounced back and forth between the past and current times. A good read!
February 1, 2018
I read this as an option for a grade 7 book group for struggling/reluctant students. Because of the large amount of violent, gratuitous scenes, language (a lot of swears at the end) and murders that were never delved into from a human perspective - I do not recommend. I also think students would be confused by the large number of characters at the beginning - very little character development. No literary terms. Mostly dialogue.
October 13, 2024
I had picked this book up to donate to a local book center but decided to read it first. I was blown away by the tension and action. It would seem Matt is just an ordinary business man. But there is so much more to him. I love the back and forth from the then and now. It has a wonderful ending. #CMCon25
August 9, 2015
In their early teens, Matty and his friends were runners for the mob in New Jersey. Matty managed to escape the life, but thirty years later events conspire to bring him back to town and an encounter with an old friend who still holds a grudge.
The story is skillfully constructed, with alternate chapters revealing the events of Matt's teenage years and his current dangerous dilemma.
An unusual, compelling crime story. H.D. Smith is a born storyteller.
The story is skillfully constructed, with alternate chapters revealing the events of Matt's teenage years and his current dangerous dilemma.
An unusual, compelling crime story. H.D. Smith is a born storyteller.
March 17, 2024
I listened on audio and it was a struggle to finish. I really enjoyed book 1 and I thought it would be similar, but it wasn't. It was darker, more intense with physical violence to 14yo Matty and Friends as well as adults. The past and present time period was confusing as well. I would not say this was for YA readers and would not recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews