Enjoyable romp featuring the trials and tribulations of a rookie horse thief.. Doubt if it will change your life, but well-assembled..

Unfortunately I didn't get on with this book at all. I found it difficult to engage with. That said, this is more of a personal preference as it is far from my usual genre so would be unfair to give a low rating.

As the title suggests, this tale is about a brother who has had his share of troubles. We learn that he’s been ‘inside’ and that as a result of some protection received during his time served he now owes a debt of gratitude to a local gang of hoodlums. And this is where the good brother comes in. Jake (the bad one) seeks out Tim as he returns from a commercial fishing trip. We soon learn two things:

1) The brothers still mourn the death of their sister who was killed, some years ago, in a car crash
2) completion of the deed to repay the debt will require Tim’s assistance

The act they are called upon to execute involves the kidnapping of a racehorse and its transfer across the border from Canada to America. It quickly becomes clear that this is a fools errand (the text constantly emphasises that things will not end well) and the exercise quickly turns into a mad caper, bordering on slapstick at times. On a more serious note, the relationship between the brothers is explored in depth and with constant references back to their late sister we gradually learn more about the nature of her death.

It’s really all a bit of nonsense but the story is pretty well told and the brothers are an engaging pair. It is hard, though, to take the action seriously and the introduction of a nine-year-old-girl who talks and acts like a mature adult was a step too far for me. Overall I'd say it's a fun romp and for the most part I did enjoy my time with this book. In fact, if you fancy an easy read featuring a couple if likeable guys and a racehorse this might just be the book for you.

No Good Brother gets off to a leisurely start as we see the boat Tim crews on winding down after the herring season. You get a real sense of how important this boat is to the family business which operates it and how the crew works together like a family, whether they're related by blood or not. Tim's made himself invaluable as a crew member and is being coaxed into becoming a more permanent part of the actual family at the heart of it.

Which is when his younger brother, Jake, turns up and things take a detour out to sea and across the border... It's easy to see Jake as the No Good Brother of the title but once Tim has (admittedly reluctantly) agreed to help his brother and they get underway, he often seems the more incorrigible of the two and the one that's driving the action forward, making it harder to turn back and attempt any form of reparation or escape the almost certain punishment or worse that awaits them. They are despite their differences, both as bad as each other which is perhaps what's meant by No Good Brother. 

Even without knowing about their past shared sorrow, I think I would have championed this pair of scoundrels though. I couldn't help but warm to them: I laughed at each madcap episode, while also willing them to get away with it. Especially when they come up against more sinister forces in the book. This is no doubt helped by spending time with them as well as what they find once they cross the border, and how they react to it. And a hat tip here to Tyler Keevil's fresh take on the rescuer on a white horse trope.

If you enjoyed Patrick deWitt's The Sisters Brothers, I think you'll like No Good Brother. It feels like a good buddy road trip movie in book form except they're brothers, most of the time they're at sea in a boat and, even when they are on land, their transport is more off-road than on.

No Good Brother is a wonderful, wild ride of a read: packed full of emotion and brotherly love, moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity alongside those of real danger. Loved it.

When Tim’s ex-con brother, Jake, turns up asking for his help, he knows it’s not going to be entirely legal. What he’s not expecting is to be roped into stealing a racehorse and smuggling it across the border from Canada to America. What follows is an unpredictable, unforgettable journey, with a shocking discovering awaiting them at the end.

I love Tyler Keevil’s writing. His stories are whacky and crazy, but completely believable at the same time. No Good Brother is written from Tim’s perspective, looking back on events. The pre-emptive elements are really effective because they hint at what is going to happen without giving anything away. I really liked it.

The story did feel a little bit long. There were multiple points where I thought it was heading towards an ending, when something else happened to renew the plot. In a way, this was good because it was exciting and kept me on my toes. But on the other hand, I wouldn’t have minded if the book was a bit shorter.

The relationship between the brothers is wonderful. They have very little in common and don’t actually seem to get along that well, but they’re family and, after the tragic loss of their sister, that matters to them above all else. They will sacrifice anything for each other and that makes their relationship really special. It’s also entirely understandable.

If you’re looking for top quality story-telling, this is the book for you.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Your brother walks up to you and says “I’m in a terrible spot with some really bad people. Will you help me?” You say “Is this illegal?” and your brother says “Yes, but if we don’t do it, they’ll kill me.” What do you do? Life is about choices and the consequences of what we do or do not do. Are loyalty and brotherhood more important than lawfulness? I suppose it also depends on what the request is! And who’s asking?

In this book, Jake walks up to Tim and says “I’m in a terrible spot with some really bad people, will you help me?” Tim has a future with his current job (the first one in such as long long time), he’s seen as part of the family business and he’s looking at a relationship with the daughter. Of course, he has no real choice, it’s his No Good Brother. They talk, laugh and fight, and it is very clear that their underlying relationship is very strong, especially as past family incidents bolster their closeness, such as the loss of their sister, Sandy, and their Mum has suffered a stroke and requires constant care.

Jake has spent time in jail, and while incarcerated received favours from the Delaney Brother’s gang. Now comes the payback, and he must steal a racehorse in Canada and deliver it to the Delaney ranch in the United States. As if that’s not enough they are stealing the horse from the Triads. Tyler Keevil has written a really skilful book that weaves suspense, sharp dialogues and some very hilarious situations into this novel. The situation where Tim and Jake, although totally inexperienced and unknowledgeable of horses, first encounter the racehorse Shenzao, is extremely funny. To crown it all off, it’s caught on CCTV and goes viral. “Neither of us could quite believe that we’d done it. We’d made assess of ourselves and we’d made a lot of noise, but we had the horse in the van.” What starts the journey as a pristine prima donna horse ends a bedraggled mare.

It is really captivating following the brothers through their journey and across an international border. Shenzao hasn’t finished upsetting their plans as it is unbelievably difficult to keep a horse quiet and obedient while stuck inside a van or boat. It’s also not without its murder and violence, so don’t think of this as a cosy read.

A wonderful read that I’d happily recommend to those that love a crime thriller mixed with humour and the importance of love and loyalty.

Many thanks to HarperCollins UK Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC version of the book in return for an honest review.

The last Tyler Keevil novel I read was his phantasmagorical road trip The Drive, which I hugely enjoyed. This is a different beast, one much more grounded in reality, but it's just as good a read. Our narrator is a fisherman, working a difficult but above board life until his brother, out of jail and involved with some gangsters, shows up needing his help....that's all the plot description you're going to get, because the twists, turns and reveals of the novel are half the fun. Basically, if you like Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska album, you're going to love this. It captures that same sense of hardscrabble lives, of trying to live the best you can under impossible circumstances. One of the epigraphs at the beginning is from the song Highway Patrolman, and it's perfect for this tale of brotherly loyalty trumping the sensible and safe, frankly better, alternatives. Sometimes it's sad, sometimes it's (darkly) funny, sometimes it's unbearably tense, but it's always very very readable.

A grim book at times, set around Vancouver and which is no advert for a holiday there. Good brother versus bad brother, with a scheme to buy and sell a horse. The 'good' brother, Tim, should definitely have stayed on the boats. Still not sure if the book was supposed to be light hearted as there were some well described comical bits. Despite the book being well written overall, it left me slightly cold.

I was both attracted and intrigued by this book’s description on NetGalley (my thanks to the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review). It says, "The Coen Brothers meets Patrick deWitt". I am a fan of both The Coen Brothers’ movies and Patrick deWitt’s novels, so that’s two names that will pull me in. But the intrigue comes from the fact that, for me, there isn’t really any difference between the two apart from one being films and the other being books. It’s like saying "water meets ice": when the two come together, you don’t get anything different, just more of the same! I was intrigued to see if I could spot what what was Coen Brothers and what was deWitt (spoiler alert: I couldn’t, really).

No Good Brother tells the story of brothers Tim and Jake Harding. Jake has been in prison and owes a favour to some people he met there. It turns out the favour involves stealing a horse and taking it on a bizarre journey. I am guessing that the deWitt reference comes from The Sisters Brothers which is also about two brothers on a journey. And the bizarre journey has a hint of movies like Fargo or O, Brother Where Art Thou. So, perhaps the comparison makes some kind of sense. The trouble is, from my perspective, it sets the bar very high and the book did not live up to it.

It is an established literary technique to give away the ending at the start of the book and then work towards it with the reader knowing what is going to happen. Recently, I read Lullaby which does exactly that. It is a technique that needs to be used carefully, though, because, obviously, it removes one source of tension from the narrative right from the beginning. This book is careful to keep reminding us that it is heading towards a violent ending and it repeatedly warns us that things are going to go wrong along the way. It doesn’t tell us what those things are, but it rapidly becomes clear what kind of book it is, so it becomes relatively simple to guess what is likely to happen. For example, by the time the pair get onto a boat, I found it impossible to think other than that they were going to get caught in a storm and have a near miss with another boat. Both of which they did. It’s that kind of book. When you know what is coming, you need something else to engage you and I didn't find that here because I didn't really get to know the main characters and there wasn't any other source of narrative tension.

It wasn’t a bad book, but I did not feel it lived up to the comparison with two of my favourite film makers and an author whose books I really enjoy. I liked Sam, though.

Tim Harding has spent the fishing season in Canada working as deckhand, making an honest living. His hot headed younger brother tracks him down at the shipyard in Vancouver. Tim senses trouble. Jake is a drifter, a dreamer, an ex-con, and now he needs help in repaying a debt to the notorious Delaney gang.

We learn the brothers have lost their sister, Sandy, to a drunk driver. The consequences of her death casts a shadow on her brothers lives. Jake owes a debt to the Delaney brothers and persuades Tim to help him. Here the adventure begins as they travel across land and sea. This is a gripping, funny and at times a heartbreaking read. A tale of family loyalty and love.

NO GOOD BROTHER

BY

TYLER KEEVIL

In Canada two brothers are still mourning the death of their talented elder sister who died in an accident. Their reaction to her death has affected their behaviour differently. Jake lives life on the wild side and has already served time in prison while Poncho quietly works away on a fishing boat where he has become a trusted part of the owner and his family.
When Jake is determined to commit one last final scam, a final fling that will wipe the slate clean he appeals for his brother’s help. Poncho is reluctant but brotherly bonds are strong and against his better judgement he agrees to help.
Simple, steal a potentially valuable race horse from the stables where Jake is employed, transport it over the border from Canada to America to the ranch of the Delaney brothers, a group resembling the Mafia. Simple! What can possible go wrong?
Everything! The horse is a conspicuous bright white from nose to tail, until the ensuing misadventures sorted that out. Neither brother knows anything about equine care, even Jake, who merely cleaned the stables. From the very start things go awry but Jake insists on continuing and they continue from one catastrophe to another.
This is a great story full of humour especially at the ridiculous events that throw the whole escapade into jeopardy. Lively and gripping the book flows along with speed and for some reason reminds me of old wild western movies.
The characters are endearing, varied and well drawn. With a deft touch the events swing betweens tragedy and comedy that stops short of farce. Regardless of the lawlessness of the two brothers the reader cannot help feeling sympathetic towards them hoping their daft exploits will win through.
An enjoyable and heart warming read of family loyalty. Is it an adventure, a comedy or a crime thriller? All of these, a skilfully woven tale from a writer with the gift of producing a superb page turner.

Well that was quite a journey. Younger brother Jake has a plan to repay a debt and against his first instinct Tim agrees to help him. What follows is part laugh out loud comedy and part tragedy and the many revisions to their plan made ‘on the hoof’ make for a journey full of adventure. Essentially it’s an examination of the relationship between the brothers and how it holds up under pressure and anyone with siblings will be able to relate.

I wasn’t taken with the writing style at all. It read like a Michael Bay movie with shallow characterisation, weak dialogue, and an unimpressive story. No good!

Tim Harding is a deckhand working out of Canada - it's the end of the fishing season and he's looking forward to some downtime - that is until his brother Jake turns up. Jake insists that Tim meets him that very night, and tells him that it has to be tonight or not at all. Jake's a hothead, an ex-con, who drifts from one disaster to another, and the death of their sister Sandra some years ago has also coloured the way he looks at life, and dictates his behaviour to a great extent. Sandra was killed by a drunk driver, and neither Jake nor Tim have really come to terms with it.

When Tim meets Jake that night, he discovers that Jake has got himself involved with some gangsters known as the Delaney brothers, and he 'owes' them! To repay his debt he's agreed to steal a racehorse from a rival set of gangsters, the problem being, he needs Tim's help to have any chance of succeeding.

What follows is a journey by land and sea, that is both farcical, humorous, and yes, even moving at times. With customs officials in pursuit, and horrendous weather at sea to overcome, it's a roller coaster of a ride to deliver this beautiful animal to the Delaney's ranch in the US.

This was an unusual storyline, with some gritty down to earth characters. Tim and Jake both have their faults, and at times their frustration and anger means things get physical, and it results in them coming to blows, but the message at the end of it all is that family is everything, that allowances can be made because when it comes right down to it, love trumps everything.

* Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for my ARC in exchange for an honest review *

No Good Brother is a wonderful read. Tim is a deckhand on a fishing boat in Canada, just as the season ends his brother Jake turns up at the dock wanting Tim's help with a job, Jake is a drifter and has served a jail sentence, full of ideas that never pan out and now in debt to the notorious and vicious Delaney brothers, and economical with the truth when persuading Tim to help him.
So starts an epic journey across land and sea with almost unbelievable moments of danger, slapstick comedy and pathos, these two endure no end of problems all of their own making plus a shed load of bad luck.
This is a brilliantly executed story so well written, some real laugh out load moments and a few heartbreaking ones. As the story unfolds we learn of their tragic past and how it has shaped their life. But above all we learn a lesson of loyalty and family love.
Whilst reading I could see it unfolding on a cinema screen in the style of the Cohen brothers films.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for opportunity to review this book honestly.

Two Brothers Storm the Great Lakes in style - a gripping read:
The fourth novel by award winning author, Tyler Keevil, introduces us to the hapless Harding Brothers: Jake and Timothy (or Lefty and Poncho, to use their nicknames). The Hardings lost their sister, Sandy, to a Drunk Driver just as her Dancing career was taking off. The consequences of her death still casts a dark shadow on the lives of her surviving siblings and is the spark for a madcap agreement by Jake to steal a prize racehorse and smuggle it across the border from Canada to the USA. But nothing ever goes according to plan for the brothers as they struggle to honour a contract with a crime family, the Delaneys, who looked after Jake's back inside.
The Brothers' ridiculous plans (well mainly Jake's) rapidly unravel and thereafter their antics are both farcical and humorous in this marvellous story as the brothers seek to overcome all odds (the weather and the legal authorities being but two) to deliver the goods. But the gangsters (the Delaneys) are none too happy about the publicity both Jake and Tim manage to attain along the way and thus when they meet up in America sparks are set to fly. And in amongst all this chaos is a failed romance which Jake hopes to rekindle.
The title "No Good Brother" is an excellent description of the relationship between the two brothers: as no matter the emphasis, it fits Jake and Tim. Their loyalty to one another is incredible no matter what stupid thing the other has done. Their motto is "Family is Everything" and it provides the novel with its delightfully poignant ending.
Including unexpected twists, turns, action and gaffes galore this is a highly readable novel by a very talented author.

This book rolls along but has a dip in the middle when they are on the boat. The start and finish are good. The thread of brotherly love is well maintained and described. Otherwise the story is all a bit over the top.

This is the story of Tim (AKA Poncho) and Jake (AKA Lefty) his "no good brother". Tim has spent the season on a fishing boat in Canada. Jake, ex con, turns up at the shipyard in Vancouver to see his big brother. He doesn't really need help from Tim for anything dishonest honest... The story follows their activities and looks back at their family life.

I found this easy reading which made this very easy to get into. The characters had a rich feel almost immediately. The relationship/dialogue between the two brothers - Tim and Jake - felt right. They chat, they laugh, they reminisce and they fight. Their individual stories also bring in their mother and their sister.

I grew to like Tim quickly - his brother, though likeable in some ways is another matter! The humour when it comes can actually feel quite awkward because Tim, partly through his own fault, goes through some difficulties without giving anything away. The boys don't do much wrong but sometimes things just don't work out. I was often irresistibly reminded of the phrase "what could possibly go wrong". We all know the answer to that one!

For me this was well written - I quickly found myself completely engaged with the brothers' stories as well as those of the rest of their family, their mother and their sister. There is humour here - dark at times - couple with a lightness of touch to the writing. It is one of those simple stories well told. While I never wanted to stop reading I guess it felt a little long though for the life of me I've no idea what I would leave out. A solid 4 star read to me and I've certainly read something else by this author.

An interesting precise. Humour, with, sadness and bravery all combine to make a fairly good read when two brother decide to steal a race horse. Naturally, nothing goes to plan. Kind of sad and funny.