Blood Acre

by Peter Landesman

Book Overview

Nathan Stein--once an attractive, cultured lawyer--has slipped into the dark world of his powerful father's corrupt practice. After one too many shady deals, he finds himself alone, sick in body and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670882070
• ISBN13: 9780670882076
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Another opinion from New York City

Blood Acre combines all the plot momentum of a thriller with the gorgeous prose of a literary masterpiece. I'm not sure how the writer manages to leave me with sympathy for Nathan, his corrupt and doomed narrator, but I remain sympathetic, longing for Nathan's redemption even as I am appalled by his descent. I wonder if the reader from New York City who calls this "bad writing" has had much experience with books that go beyond cheap, boilerplate thrills. Blood Acre isn't for the faint of heart. It isn't something you read in an hour and then forget. It is a book that will haunt you for a long time after you've read it, and the language, the density, the descriptive darkness of the telling is what makes it so memorable.

Excellent legal Noir with great characterization

The evidence overwhelming points towards sleazy attorney Nathan Stein as the killer of his sometimes lover Isabel Santos. The only thing keeping the police from arresting Nathan is the high level connections of the prime suspect's father. A disillusioned Nathan continues to go about his shady deals as if nothing occurred. Ignoring the seemingly non-stop beeping of his beeper, Nathan wearily journeys to Coney Island. However, his mind cannot help wondering what happened to the idealist who cherished music and once even loved. Instead, he is the junior partner in his father's firm as lawyers to the highest echelon of New York City's drug trafficking crowd. Nathan has done a lot of nasty things in his life, but is he a murderer? BLOOD ACRE is a poignant urban Noir tale that vividly catches a protagonist in mental freefall with no safety net. The story line is brilliant as readers glimpse at the judicial system from a different perspective and morality. The characters add much depth but this novel is obviously a one-man show. Peter Landesman has landed with a tragic Noir that fans of dark mysteries will devour while seeking more works from the author (see THE RAVEN).Harriet Klausner