Loose Ends

by Neal Bowers

A distraught Davis Banks arrives home for his mother’s funeral. Davis teaches poetry at a small college. He loves words — but not himself. His father had died some years before, and now Davis... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375504990
• ISBN13: 9780375504990
• Release Date: March 2001
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

A diabetic thriller

This is the first mystery I have read that featured diabetes so prominently. I didn't know much about the disease or its potentially debilitating effects until I read LOOSE ENDS. Davis Banks is an interesting creation and I guess I'd have to say this is a page-turner, because I kept turning 'em, and even took it with me to the loo, when I couldn't wait any longer. This novel has all the vital elements: sex (sorta), violence (mild), and drugs (well, insulin) - and I think there was even some rock an' roll in there - or was it country-western? I just finished reading two other books by Bowers: a volume of poems (Out of the South); a true-life mystery-thriller about plagiarism (Words for the Taking), of all things; and this book. And I would rank them in that order. His poems are superb. The plagiarism book is compellingly creepy. This book kept my attention, although the ending seemed just a little ... Well, inconclusive, I guess. Banks is, I would say, a good character in search of a slightly better story. Having said that, this is still a book worth reading. - Tim Bazzett, author of Pinhead: A Love Story

Unsettling...interesting characterization

Neal Bowers whom I vaguely remember as the "wonder boy" of creative writing in college has written a most interesting, edgy novel set in his hometown. The book, readable in a couple of sittings, plays with language and our imaginations with his eccentric "hero". Somewhat Irvingesque in character, Davis Banks is the protagonist we don't want to be but can't help but become involved with. His detective acquaintance keeps us grounded and rationally involved with the plot. We must remember the author is an English prof and poet - we only get enticed with the plot. Characterization is the aspect of the book which really keeps us reading.

A Story That Moves Fast and Makes You Think

Neal Bowers words pack a lot of power. They tell about few days in Davis Banks' life; a lot happens. You won't want to put the book down. But as you read it, and after you have read it, you realize that Bowers has told you something to think about. What is truth: the story you make up or the clues the detective searches out? How do you deal with your own death every day and keep living? Who were your parents, really? Davis Banks' adventures are an adventure for the reader too.

Anxiously readable

I breezed through this book in two evenings. Anyone interested in a quick, enjoyable read should pick it up. The characters probably aren't people that you know, but that makes it all the more worthwhile. Throughout the story, Bowers is able to instill a feeling of uneasiness or anxiousness in the reader that kept me flipping the pages to try and squash it.