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When You Run with Wolves
When Jack Trichaud left Montreal and a delusional father and younger brother behind, he thought he’d found happiness in a small Ohio town on the shores of Lake Erie: a decent job, a wife, a house. But it all comes crashing down when his cheating wife leaves him and the brother he hasn’t seen in years shows up at his doorstep. The meeting between long-lost siblings is hardly a warm family reunion because, along with his ex-con brother, comes Randall Calderone, a hulking, psychopathic Aryan Brotherhood member with vicious skills honed in the Mexican cartel drug trade. The two ex-cellmates have a “favor” to ask Jack: they want him to help them rob the local bank by kidnapping the bank manager and holding her family hostage. Before Jack knows what to do, he’s in possession of almost a million dollars in stolen cash with a relentless FBI Agent hounding him, his brother’s psycho partner threatening mayhem (and his brother’s life) unless he hands over the cash, and an attractive girl playing him for the small-town loser he seems to be. Can Jack tap into the skills learned in a bizarre upbringing save his and his brother’s life? The hours are ticking down on Jack as he walks a tightrope with everyone watching his every move; will he survive or will the forces of darkness and justice closing in fast take him down like a house of cards under strobe lighting?
- GenresCrime
198 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 13, 2015
34 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Robb T. White
17 books21 followersRobert White is a Midwest writer of genre fiction. White has published dozens of crime, mystery, and horror stories under the under the names Robert, Robb, or Robb T. White.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 11, 2019
This action-packed, sweat-soaked, robbery-gone-wrong makes for a damn fine white-knuckle ride. Author Robert White plunges you straight into the deep end, hip-high in blunt force trauma, kidney-pulverising punishment, and the kind of involuntary amputations that’d make Quentin Tarantino wince.
This is stylish writing, a cut above conventional pulp fiction. The story slices back and forth through its own timeline in a zigzag narrative of manic pandemonium. Jack, our protagonist, does his best to extricate himself and his long-lost brother from the clutches of a savvy FBI agent – while keeping the $1 million loot from a bank raid and evading the enraged pursuit of their homicidal previous partners who include an extremely fatal femme.
Escaping the law won’t be Jack’s major problem: staying alive looks like a tall order.
Far more than a straightforward robbery romp, Wolves is a cleverly constructed character piece. Secrets from Jack’s family history are sneakily revealed amid the anarchic violence, and that background gives this tale unusually robust foundations; look beyond the blood spatter and there is a moral core to the story. But there's nothing to slow the pounding pace of the deadly pursuit.
Some readers may struggle with the non-linear narrative – and even I wondered if any human could really survive the levels of punishment that Jack endured.
But some of the sequences are so convincingly constructed that they overcome such minor hesitations. There’s a brilliant scenario in which an unwilling Jack must drink himself insensible in a series of seedy bars, while being carnally tormented by his voluptuous adversary. You almost can smell the whisky sours and the scent of desperation. It’s edge-of-the-seat stuff indeed.
9/10
More about this book and other reviews of crime / thrillers over at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net
This is stylish writing, a cut above conventional pulp fiction. The story slices back and forth through its own timeline in a zigzag narrative of manic pandemonium. Jack, our protagonist, does his best to extricate himself and his long-lost brother from the clutches of a savvy FBI agent – while keeping the $1 million loot from a bank raid and evading the enraged pursuit of their homicidal previous partners who include an extremely fatal femme.
Escaping the law won’t be Jack’s major problem: staying alive looks like a tall order.
Far more than a straightforward robbery romp, Wolves is a cleverly constructed character piece. Secrets from Jack’s family history are sneakily revealed amid the anarchic violence, and that background gives this tale unusually robust foundations; look beyond the blood spatter and there is a moral core to the story. But there's nothing to slow the pounding pace of the deadly pursuit.
Some readers may struggle with the non-linear narrative – and even I wondered if any human could really survive the levels of punishment that Jack endured.
But some of the sequences are so convincingly constructed that they overcome such minor hesitations. There’s a brilliant scenario in which an unwilling Jack must drink himself insensible in a series of seedy bars, while being carnally tormented by his voluptuous adversary. You almost can smell the whisky sours and the scent of desperation. It’s edge-of-the-seat stuff indeed.
9/10
More about this book and other reviews of crime / thrillers over at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net
May 2, 2018
This action-packed, sweat-soaked, robbery-gone-wrong makes for a damn fine white-knuckle ride. Author Robert White plunges you straight into the deep end, hip-high in blunt force trauma, kidney-pulverising punishment, and the kind of involuntary amputations that’d make Quentin Tarantino wince.
This is stylish writing, a cut above conventional pulp fiction. The story slices back and forth through its own timeline in a zigzag narrative of manic pandemonium. Jack, our protagonist, does his best to extricate himself and his long-lost brother from the clutches of a savvy FBI agent – while keeping the $1 million loot from a bank raid and evading the enraged pursuit of their homicidal previous partners who include an extremely fatal femme.
Escaping the law won’t be Jack’s major problem: staying alive looks like a tall order.
Far more than a straightforward robbery romp, Wolves is a cleverly constructed character piece. Secrets from Jack’s family history are sneakily revealed amid the anarchic violence, and that background gives this tale unusually robust foundations; look beyond the blood spatter and there is a moral core to the story. But there's nothing to slow the pounding pace of the deadly pursuit.
Some readers may struggle with the non-linear narrative – and even I wondered if any human could really survive the levels of punishment that Jack endured.
But some of the sequences are so convincingly constructed that they overcome such minor hesitations. There’s a brilliant scenario in which an unwilling Jack must drink himself insensible in a series of seedy bars, while being carnally tormented by his voluptuous adversary. You almost can smell the whisky sours and the scent of desperation.
It’s edge-of-the-seat stuff indeed.
9/10
There are more reviews of crime / thrillers over at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net
This is stylish writing, a cut above conventional pulp fiction. The story slices back and forth through its own timeline in a zigzag narrative of manic pandemonium. Jack, our protagonist, does his best to extricate himself and his long-lost brother from the clutches of a savvy FBI agent – while keeping the $1 million loot from a bank raid and evading the enraged pursuit of their homicidal previous partners who include an extremely fatal femme.
Escaping the law won’t be Jack’s major problem: staying alive looks like a tall order.
Far more than a straightforward robbery romp, Wolves is a cleverly constructed character piece. Secrets from Jack’s family history are sneakily revealed amid the anarchic violence, and that background gives this tale unusually robust foundations; look beyond the blood spatter and there is a moral core to the story. But there's nothing to slow the pounding pace of the deadly pursuit.
Some readers may struggle with the non-linear narrative – and even I wondered if any human could really survive the levels of punishment that Jack endured.
But some of the sequences are so convincingly constructed that they overcome such minor hesitations. There’s a brilliant scenario in which an unwilling Jack must drink himself insensible in a series of seedy bars, while being carnally tormented by his voluptuous adversary. You almost can smell the whisky sours and the scent of desperation.
It’s edge-of-the-seat stuff indeed.
9/10
There are more reviews of crime / thrillers over at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net
April 7, 2015
I was lucky enough to stumble on White's awesome crime fiction a few years ago and have yet to be let down. He's too rare a writer these days, a gem in a sea of cookie-cutter authors who merely try to emulate what's popular. White is a writer who knows great prose and makes every sentence count. As such, his books are fast-paced and dense with nuance. Every book is rich in allusion and allegory and chock full of violence, sex, mystery, twists and dark storytelling. Most importantly, his characters are well developed complex designs. When you Run With Wolves might, in fact, be my favorite book by White so far. After reading his Haftmann series, which centers on a private investigator, this book instead focuses on a pair of bank robbing brothers, Jack and Carlos, who find themselves in a jam after pulling a job that goes sour. Sour because they included a third person, Randal, in their scheme who decided to elevate the robbing to attempted murder. Jack can't have this, so he decides to take the money for himself until all hostages in harms way are set free. But Randal wants his share, and so he comes at Jack with a vengeance and bloodshed. All the while a pesky FBI agent and Randal's psychotic girlfriend are on his tail as well. It all leads to some majors twists you won't see coming and a violent satisfying ending done like only White can do it. I loved this book, and if you like crime fiction, this needs to be on your list. You won't be disappointed.
February 18, 2015
"There's nothing really safe in the world. Evil stops here and there for a while, but it's always on the move and able to come to you wherever you are. It's when you stand still too long that you make the best target."
Trust is an abstract concept in crime, one that is paramount to proceedings in WHEN YOU RUN WITH WOLVES by Robert White.
A heist gone wrong and moment's clouded judgement leads to murder. For Jack Trichaud in possession of nearly a million dollars and having fallen for a seductively sinister femme fatale of sorts, Marija his life is one enveloped in a constant state of danger; raw bloody wounds that never have time to heal.
The allure of cash brings with it cruelty from those who want it, and pain to those who have it. Adding to the drama is a unique family element that ties Jack to the murderous group by virtue of his brothers' involvement in the heist and subsequent bloodletting that follows. Make no mistake, this is a violent read that fully warrants such brutality.
There is also a little hint of Richard Starks' Parker by way of Andrew Vachss that makes WHEN YOU RUN WITH WOLVES all that much more enjoyable to fans of those respective authors.
I loved everything about this book - the more I read the better it was.
Review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
Trust is an abstract concept in crime, one that is paramount to proceedings in WHEN YOU RUN WITH WOLVES by Robert White.
A heist gone wrong and moment's clouded judgement leads to murder. For Jack Trichaud in possession of nearly a million dollars and having fallen for a seductively sinister femme fatale of sorts, Marija his life is one enveloped in a constant state of danger; raw bloody wounds that never have time to heal.
The allure of cash brings with it cruelty from those who want it, and pain to those who have it. Adding to the drama is a unique family element that ties Jack to the murderous group by virtue of his brothers' involvement in the heist and subsequent bloodletting that follows. Make no mistake, this is a violent read that fully warrants such brutality.
There is also a little hint of Richard Starks' Parker by way of Andrew Vachss that makes WHEN YOU RUN WITH WOLVES all that much more enjoyable to fans of those respective authors.
I loved everything about this book - the more I read the better it was.
Review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
September 11, 2019
Every so often, I find myself sinking into a book and wondering two rare things: how come I've not read this author before? and how can I make the time to just read and read until it ends? Better yet, until I reach the end and discover that there's a sequel? When You Run With Wolves is that rare event. And it is a truly outstanding read.
The plot's covered in the synopsis, but is only a tiny part of the story. The true immersion comes when the reader slowly, scarily understands more of what's going on. That in itself isn't entirely unusual, what is unusual is my need to know How? and Why? and Where will it drag me next?
This is a dark book. very dark indeed in places. Self-preservation turns, slowly and inevitably, into self destruction -- you'll find yourself endless asking How will this guy get out of this? Because that's how it works, right?
Wrong. The end is as dark as your imagination can stand.
Great book. Entirely recommended. More please!
The plot's covered in the synopsis, but is only a tiny part of the story. The true immersion comes when the reader slowly, scarily understands more of what's going on. That in itself isn't entirely unusual, what is unusual is my need to know How? and Why? and Where will it drag me next?
This is a dark book. very dark indeed in places. Self-preservation turns, slowly and inevitably, into self destruction -- you'll find yourself endless asking How will this guy get out of this? Because that's how it works, right?
Wrong. The end is as dark as your imagination can stand.
Great book. Entirely recommended. More please!
September 14, 2020
Robert White (or Robb T. White ???) is another author whose novels are published by the brilliant Fahrenheit Press but I've never got round to reading any of his novels till now.
Jack Trichaud is a landscaper with a dubious past but he gets suckered into a bank heist that goes wrong, the full details of which are never fully revealed, with his brother, his latest squeeze East European femme fatale, Marija and white supremacist, cartel enforcer and all round psychopath, Randall Calderone. Jack alone knows where the $900k is stashed but his partners are desperate for their share and will stop at nothing to get it back and Jack also has Federal Agent Pippin on his tail, who wants Jack's help to bring them all down.
This is a real trashy, pulpy noir with loads of violence, sex, blood, gore, more violence and sharp one liners. The plot is maybe not the tightest and the characters are not the smartest but the story zips along and barely takes a breath between scenes. This all leads to the inevitable showdown between Jack and Calderone, where Jack has an unlikely ally in his desperate fight against the tetesterone fuelled bully. I thought there was a few things about the plot that didn't quite ring true but I was willing to suspend belief and found they were quickly forgotten. There wasn't enough to put me off White's writing and plenty to encourage me to dive deeper into his world, where he has quite a few novels to his name, and so I've got a bit of work ahead of me to get through them all.
Jack Trichaud is a landscaper with a dubious past but he gets suckered into a bank heist that goes wrong, the full details of which are never fully revealed, with his brother, his latest squeeze East European femme fatale, Marija and white supremacist, cartel enforcer and all round psychopath, Randall Calderone. Jack alone knows where the $900k is stashed but his partners are desperate for their share and will stop at nothing to get it back and Jack also has Federal Agent Pippin on his tail, who wants Jack's help to bring them all down.
This is a real trashy, pulpy noir with loads of violence, sex, blood, gore, more violence and sharp one liners. The plot is maybe not the tightest and the characters are not the smartest but the story zips along and barely takes a breath between scenes. This all leads to the inevitable showdown between Jack and Calderone, where Jack has an unlikely ally in his desperate fight against the tetesterone fuelled bully. I thought there was a few things about the plot that didn't quite ring true but I was willing to suspend belief and found they were quickly forgotten. There wasn't enough to put me off White's writing and plenty to encourage me to dive deeper into his world, where he has quite a few novels to his name, and so I've got a bit of work ahead of me to get through them all.
September 9, 2018
White writes dark
Another great read, dark and thrilling story with real characters.could not put this book down, a real page turner,brilliant and consuming reading
Another great read, dark and thrilling story with real characters.could not put this book down, a real page turner,brilliant and consuming reading
April 13, 2017
Our protagonist Jack Trichaud has not lived a happy life. He finds himself caught up in a nasty web of deceit and treachery. This is not a happy book, but I enjoyed the savagery. A good crime novel
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews