Cover Image: Nobody Move

Nobody Move

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Member Reviews

When Eddie Vegas is sent to shake down a man who owes a lot of money to his employer, he makes a fatal error and ends up accidentally killing the guy. Since Eddie’s boss now holds him personally responsible for repaying the $50,000, he takes off. Now, not only is Eddie on the run from his former boss and partners in crime, but the man he killed had allies that are out for blood. His blood.

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I'm partial to crime novels and especially thrillers and I love a story where characters diverge and then intersect and, as a reader, I can glimpse these intersections coming but never know what's going to happen until it does.

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The aspect of a crime thriller is based on those that influenced it. The reflexivity especially of Tarantino's work has had an influence on many writers who finally after trying to find that right texture realize that this kind of pulp crime does have an archetype to it. "Nobody Move" [Philip Elliot/Into The Void/336pgs] works on the auspice that for every action, there is an equal reaction. While goals and fate play a part, the choices are part of the angle that keeps us going. The book strays a little too closely to the set up of "Pulp Fiction" since Floyd has the undeniable vernacular of Jules yet the Texan is distinctly influenced in certain ways to the Man With No Name in "No Country For Old Men." Los Angeles is a land of lost souls searching for meaning in a never-ending maze motivated by selfishness and greed. Once in a while, an inkling of morality peaks and either people can connect or have a dream of something better. The ideal is reflected in one of perspective. Eddie here is a man stuck in a rut of claustrophobic opportunity. An accidental lapse in judgement sets a series of events in motion that is very hard to recover from. While many of the story points are cliche at points, that is part of the narrative's intention because it is played for that sense of irony while reinforcing those archetypes. Certain characters like Sawyer tend to jump out as well as the Latino hitman. The race after a certain crime is committed along the ocean crescendoing into a sniper battle has the makings of its own bounty hunter base series. But in getting to the end of the plot with a certain "True Romance" dexterity, the author tends to forget how well developed the characters were on their way to being initially. There is supposed to be a love story at the book's core and, for a fleeting moment, it creates that texture because the audience knows more than one of the characters...and it is a game changer. Ultimately, "Nobody Move" never quite becomes its own thing because of the level of expectation and fandom it places on itself. Glimpses of textured brilliance are at play but are fleeting in the overall structure of the story which, while effective, is representative still of the status quo. B-

By Tim Wassberg

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Fast-paced twisty and fascinating read.

Nobody Move is very well done with well-crafted characters and as easy to follow storyline.

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This book suffers from too much Tarantino. There is a great crime story in here (a GREAT one) but it just got so tiresome with all the over-the-top Tarantino homages. I wish author Philip Elliott would have been confident enough to write in a style more his own. This comes off as an imitation that is too sincere to be parody and too derivative to be truly enjoyable.

If you really, really, reeeaaally love Tarantino-infused pop culture fiction then you have found your happy place with this book. If you expect a little bit more originality then you're mostly out of luck.

Lots of crude language, violence, homophobic and racial slurs. Most definitely not for the sensitive or easily offended reader.

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This was a totally action-packed thriller of a novel. At times I questioned Eddie's choices, but the story itself was a roller-coaster ride of fun. I'd definitely read more from the author.

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This was an action packed crime thriller that was hard to put down.
Many thanks to Into The Void and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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I don't know why this book took me so long to read but BOY was I missing out. This was the fast-paced, 'almost thought Tarantino wrote a novel" thriller I didn't know I needed. Set in LA, Eddie is sent to collect money from someone who owes his boss a lot of money, but when Eddie accidentally kills him.. Eddie becomes the one most wanted. If you're a fan of dark humor, this will make you cackle, but be sure to start it early in the afternoon or you're going to be up all night reading. I loved this book and I need to get my hands on a physical copy. I highly recommend Nobody Move!

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The book opens with three men going to an apartment for a collection. It should be simple. Turns out not to be that way when the man they were to collect the money from is killed and then Eddie Vegas has to kill a woman that was there also. Eddie is not a killer and does not know why he had his finger on the trigger, was just to scare the man into giving them the money. From there everything only gets worse from boys seeing them bury the bodies to Eddie meeting who he thinks is someone he could love until she finds out a horrible secret about him and the person she is looking for.
Every character becomes entwined with another one who shows up in town. The detective who is on the case is working on dealing with her son and being single with hopes that her ex will come around for help. She catches the case and is frustrated on the way it is going with no LEDs and one she gets one it seems to be a dead-end or sometimes just dead. You go through the story wondering how it is going to end and you are not disappointed. This book is a journey of good storytelling with excellent characters and a wonderful book all around. A very good read.

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A solid crime thriller. If you like <i>Pulp Fiction</i> type noir, then you will dig this. Elliott doesn't have the same ear for dialogue Tarantino does, but the book was entertaining all the same. This is one of those books where no one really wins. I am curious how this will continue into other <i>Angel City</i> novels as it wasn't clear where this could head in the future.

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Action filled and exciting.
It's a shame the author decided to put in so many derogatory thoughts.
All the hateful (women, LGBTQ & wildly racist) comments were really off-putting and completely unnecessary to the story.
This could have been really good had he decided to just leave all that crap out.
Thank you NetGalley and Into the Void for my DRC.

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Fast paced and, at times, very funny, this noirish take on the underbelly of L.A. will appeal to many.
Slick dialogue and constant action make for a good read and the characters are well drawn., a real page turner.

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Nice feel good book. It flowed very well. was easy to read. Nice characters. Good storyline. What’s not to love.

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Nobody Move (Angel City) by Phillip Elliott is a diamond. A precious gemstone in a genre all too frequently bereft of terrific writing. Nobody Move (Angel City) is an absorbing, addicting, and picturesque novel that depicts people, crime, and life as they are.
Not to say that there is not violence and grotesquery. Read along and see what it is like to kill a young girl caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, find out how it feels to kill someone with a knife instead of a merely prosaic handgun. But here is the beauty. We do find out how it feels to do all of this and more.
Nobody Move (Angel City) has a gravitas that sparkles. A seriousness that lingers on each page that disturbs and invigorates the characters and the reader of this wonderful book. Let’s hope that Mr. Elliott has a long and brilliant career.

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As a fan of the cult classic Pulp Fiction, I thought this book was pure genius. I was disappointed when it came to its conclusion. Surprisingly enough, it was written with the right amount of action, murder, suspense and drug dealing to make me feel content to be along for the ride.

To provide a brief synopsis that I took from Amazon: Eddie Vegas made a terrible mistake. Now he has to pay the price. After a botched debt collection turned double murder, Eddie splits, desperate to avoid his employer, notorious L.A. crime boss Saul Benedict, and his men (and Eddie's ex-partners), Floyd and Sawyer, as well as the police. Soon he becomes entangled with the clever and beautiful Dakota, a Native American woman fresh in the City of Angels to find her missing friend--someone Eddie might know something about. Meanwhile in Texas, ex-assassin Rufus, seeking vengeance for his murdered brother, takes up his beloved daggers one final time and begins the long drive to L.A. When the bodies begin to mount, Detective Alison Lockley's hunt for the killers becomes increasingly urgent. As paths cross, confusion ensues, and no one's entirely sure who's after who. But one thing is clear: They're not all getting out of this alive.

This story was so action packed I felt like I was watching a movie. The only piece that gave me pause was the use of the n.word. Now granted, I get that this was a Quintin Tarantino type of plot, but I cringed every time I heard it. I gave it 4 ⭐️ stars because of that alone.

There were so many murders throughout the book that I had to take a mental note of them all. It got a little confusing especially since everyone were participating in some type of murder. From Rufus to Eddie. ALSO, *mini spoiler* - I could have sworn the guy Rufus killed with the “long blonde hair” was Larry and NOT Sawyer. I felt like the author did not do Sawyer justice. He could have come out as the victor in this whole thing, in my opinion!

To conlude, this was a nice read. In stores now
Thanks @netgalley and In the Void for providing this digital ARC.

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I was unable to complete this book because I am not a fan of casual swearing. I can ignore it and move on if they are few and far between, but there was more than my quota in this story. It might have been a good book, but not my cup of tea. I did not know of that possibility when I requested the book. I will not be able to review these on social sites since I did not finish it.

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Great debut for fans of fast-paced crime novels.. It's definitely headed in a different direction than most in this genre... I will definitely check out the author's next book. !

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One of my favourite reads of 2019 so far. The synopsis just sucked me in and from reading the very first paragraph I knew my choice to delve into this novel was a good one. Time just flew by and I lost track of my life as I read this exceptional novel. I could never forget this book. It kept me up all night long turning the pages. This one got me on so many levels.

This one gets 5 stars from me and goes straight to my Top Reads of 2019 and will be a hot contender.
I can't recommend this one enough.
Go grab it readers!

I'd like to thank to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

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4.5 This is a sardonic black comedy filled with outrageous characters and snappy, quick dialogue. There’s shootings, car chases, even a bank heist! The Tarantino influence is clear, right down to the epigraph. I also enjoyed musical references peppered in throughout. While I’m aware that Eddie and many of the characters are criminals, I couldn’t help but root for them. Which is messed up!

What I like about the book is that it‘s not afraid to take a moral stand and combat stereotypes by bringing up race, homosexuality and the mistreatment of Native Americans. The ending is perfect and though this book is marked as the first in a series I can’t imagine where it’ll go next. Bonus material - the author made a soundtrack playlist on Spotify which gives you an idea of what the book is like. Very cool!

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This "L.A. Crime" novel sort of turns the expectations of Los Angeles Noir on their heads, with a Feckless Hero who is actually too good at heart to save himself from a misguided life. Eddie Vegas reminds me of Hollywood's "heart of gold" "ladies of the night" of 1930's and 1940's films. So too does his "love interest," Dakota, a Native American searching for her long-lost sibling. A different Eddie would be more cunning, more fortunate, or a better decision maker; but he wouldn't be Eddie.


Prepare for harsh language, gratuitous violence, some nasty villains, some skewed but hilarious "bad guys," and one very determined and very clever female police detective.


NOBODY MOVE is a debut novel and a promising takeoff.

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