A Dangerous Man

by Charlie Huston

Book Overview

"Huston writes dialogue so combustible it could fuel a bus and characters crazy enough to take it on the road."--The New York Times Book Review

Reluctant hitman Henry Thompson has fallen on hard times. His grip on life is disintegrating, his pistol hand shaking, his body pinned to his living room couch by painkillers-and his boss, Russian mobster David Dolokhov, isn't happy about any of it. So Henry is surprised when...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 034548133X
• ISBN13: 9780345481337
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Talk about an anti-hero!

Henry Thompson was a really nice guy. The operative word is 'was' because what he has descended to over the course of 'Caught Stealing', 'Six Bad Things', and 'A Dangerous Man' is anything but the life he thought he was going to have. He has a new face, an addiction to several new drugs, and a wide array of people who want to kill him, slowly. Oh yes, and there is the matter of the missing $4,000,000. Not a good life. But what a great end to a tremendous series. Huston is a master of non-linear plot lines, crackling dialogue, and constant surprises. The return to New York is welcome, as it was always his best locale. The subplot with the baseball player gives Huston a chance to share his love of the game and the young men who play for our enjoyment. Although the ending was not what I expected, upon reflection I don't see how he could have ended the series any other way and maintained plausibility. It's a fitting end that ties up virtually every plot line opened up in all three books. If you're new to Huston, please follow the advice of all the reviewers and read the books in the order they were written. Taking them out of order will really spoil the earlier books for you. And like a couple of the other reviewers, I also recommend strongly the Joe Pitt books. 'Almost Dead' is a tour de force. You'll never think about vampires the same way again.

A fantabulous ending to the Hank Thompson trilogy

Huston has brought Hank Thompson back and he's bad as ever. You must read the first two books (Caught Stealing and Six Bad Things)which details the decline of Hank Thompson. Hank is assigned as a bodyguard for a baseball player. The story happens in Vegas and Jersey (Coney Island area). Along the way, more bad things happen to Hank and people Hank happens to hang around. Huston's one liners adds humor and lightness to some gruesome scenes. Poor Hank, he didn't mean to end up being part of Russian killing mob. Yet, here is where life has taken him. You'll feel sorry for Hank and wish the heck that he'd do something right for once and get himself out of this situation. That is the art of Hustons writing, to make the reader like and even care for such horrible persons like Hank has become. Yet you won't hate him, just wish for him to get well and get the heck out of Dodge! Hustons writing pace seemed a little slower in this final book than the other previous ones, but that was okay too, because you knew this was the last book to feature Hank. Huston does a great job of keeping you guessing and never suspecting the ending that comes. I won't give away the ending, but let's just say it was not what I expected. These books are fast paced, drama, and humourous. Order your copy of A Dangerous Man and live vicarously through Hank for an evening or two, and enjoy the roller coaster ride that Huston takes you on as you read one of the greatest books from a really HOT author.

Great end to the Henry Thompson saga

Wow! A perfect end to the story of one-time baseball prodigy Henry Thompson, who seems to have one bad thing after another happen to him. Through crappy luck his life unravels and he's forced to travel to places in his soul that go against his moral compass. Through all the horrible things that happen (and there are a lot!) he still manages to do some good, all for the love of his friends and parents. His descent into hell is memorable, believable and makes for fantastic reading. I also love the baseball theme that runs throughout the series. My only complaint about this book is Mr. Huston's tendency to write clipped sentences. It. Was. It was just. Sometimes. Sometimes irritating. Just. Just a minor complaint. Otherwise, highly recommended!

"Everyone Who's Helped You is Dead, Yo!"

I'm a huge Charlie Huston fan, and anxiously awaited this finale to the Henry Thompson trilogy. And I wasn't disappointed: Huston is back in all his quirky quotation mark-free dialogue and non-linear storyline glory. A lot has happened to Henry since "Six Bad Things" - and not much of it good. To keep his parents alive, he's been impressed into service by Russian mobster "David" as a hit man, running under the tutelage of Branko, the stone cold killing pro who is both Henry's mentor and watchdog. In order to protect his identity, Henry's been given some amateur cosmetic surgery, the butchery to his face leaving him in constant pain and effectively addicted to painkillers. Moving from one Las Vegas dive to the next, from one contract kill to another. Until David assigns him to keep a watchful eye over Miguel "Mike" Arenas, number one pick in the Major League baseball draft. See, young Mike is also a gambling addict, and has turned over most of his multi-million dollar signing bonus to the bookie David runs. If "Caught Stealing" and "Six Bad Things" were dark, "A Dangerous Man" is downright stygian. If you remember Nicholas Cage in "Leaving Las Vegas", this makes that morose drama seem uplifting - a virtual "Rocky" by comparison. Henry, the flawed but mostly lovable victim of mistaken identity in the first two outings, is less likable this time around. Drugged out, depressed, overweight, and scared, he stumbles through the pages with little energy and less hope. But that is the power of Huston's writing - bleak, gritty, and ultimately as addicting as Henry's Xanax and Dexedrine cocktails. Dark, yeah, but poignant and unsettling - a fitting and unforgettable close to a blockbuster trilogy from today's most talented new author of noir.

Completely engrossing!

This is the 3rd, and unfortunately final, chapter in the triology. I got my husband to run out and buy it the Tuesday it was released and finished it within 2 (very late) nights of reading. If you have read the 1st two books you will not be disappointed with this one. If anything, it is the best in the series with 2 really likeable characters - Yo! And if you haven't read "Caught Stealing" and "Six Bad Things", head to Borders now so you can read them before "A Dangerous Man". Plan on not doing anything else for awhile because these books are just too intense to put down. Pulp noir at its' finest!