Cover Image: Killing Dylan

Killing Dylan

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I generally don’t have a problem with unlikeable characters but I could not get on board with Freddie in this. Not for me.

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Humor and a mystery - what a great combination.

Killing Dylan is about author Dylan St James. Someone wants him dead and when he turns to his friend Freddie Winters for help things don't go as planned.

It was a fun read and really enjoyed the flow of the story.

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I was a big fan of Alastair Puddick's first novel, The Unexpected Vacation of George Thring. It had good, unique characters and a very clever and quirky story. Because I enjoyed it so much, my expectations for this one, Killing Dylan, were pretty high.

While there are certainly a lot of parts of it that I enjoyed, it was a bit of a disappointment for me. The plot was fine enough and it had some very clever and amusing moments, but I struggled with the main character, Freddie.

I've seen some other reviewers say that they hated Freddie. I didn't quite hate him, but I often found it a struggle to like him. I know that readers are not always going to like every character, but when the character is the one telling the story, it does help to have them be likeable since you're spending so much time with them. If I don't like a character, then it's hard for me to care about them or the story. Like I said earlier, the story itself was very good in parts. I just wish I'd cared more about it as I read it.

Having said all of that, I still think Alastair Puddick is a very talented writer and I'm looking forward to reading more by him. He tells good, quirky stories that are very unique. I may not have connected well with the main character in this one, but this is just one book. I already have Puddick's next novel, 46% Better Than Dave, on my To Be Read list and I'll be reading it very soon.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for a fair review.

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Killing Dylan is a quirky, comedic crime book in the tradition of Donald E. Westlake (God Save The Mark, Somebody Owes Me Money). Great fun!

Freddie Winters is a grumpy crime novelist with a general disdain for the human race. Among the things he finds particularly annoying are pushy Starbucks baristas, charity groups, militant book store employees, his own fans (all four of them)... And don't even get him started on that no talent hack James bloody Patterson!

Freddie has had limited success with his writing career. By his own admission his publisher is more akin to Harpo Marx than Harper Collins, his book agent is on the verge of dropping him, and his landlord is threatening to evict him. The first draft of his new book was due several weeks ago and Freddie has yet to write a single word of it. Things are not going well.

Then one day best selling author Dylan St. James enters his life. Or... Erm... that is to say Dylan re-enters his life.

Back in the old days Freddie and Dylan were best friends, both young aspiring writers out to conquer the literary world. The trouble began when Dylan's career shot off like a rocket and Freddie's just sort of fizzled and sputtered. As a result they haven't spoken in over a decade. But all is (mostly) forgiven because Dylan believes someone is trying to kill him and he needs Freddie's help to find out who... Plus he's willing to pay. Actual money. A lot of it. To Freddie.

We all know that one person who is a bit acerbic but at the same time says the kind of things the rest of us are thinking - that's Freddie.

Dylan is a writer of the Nicholas Sparks variety. He's highly successful, a great human being, and an annoying reminder to the rest of us that we'll probably never be that successful.

I enjoyed Killing Dylan a great deal. It's the type of thing where you have to be willing to ignore the enormous plot holes, put your skepticism aside, and just enjoy the fun of following along on a silly adventure with a fellow whose life is a dreadful mess and yet hilariously funny. Well, honestly, more very amusing with an occasional hilarious flourish.

I think fans of Donald E. Westlake's more humorous novels will find this book very appealing.

This is the second novel written by author Alistair Puddick. I've read and enjoyed both of them though I thought the first one - The Unexpected Vacation of George Thring - had a tendency to drag on a bit from time to time. In Killing Dylan the author does a much better job of keeping things moving while still keeping his unique style. I've already got his third book queued up on my reading list.

My recommendation is to download the free sample. The overall tone of the book is pretty consistent so you should know fairly quickly if this is one for you.

This is grown up stuff. Strong language, some sexual situations, and a bit of violence (not particularly graphic but, honestly, "who the hell shoots someone with a harpoon, anyway?" )

***Thanks to NetGalley, Raven Crest Books, and author Alistair Puddick for providing me with a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

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It was a good book. It isn't my typical genre but i liked it. I've recommended it to a couple of people. I would read more by the author.

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I started this with hope for an entertaining read. A second rate crime writer is approached by his best friend (who he had lost contact with) to try and find out who is aiming to kill the latter. It is a fast read and has some moments in it , however it is very predictable. I one who was responsible for the planning if not the perpetration almost from the outset. I didn't hat it but it isn't great either.

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I found the main character very difficult to like and his self absorption made it hard to read on. The premise of the book is sound but wasn't for me.

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I don't even know where to begin! This book is so chock full of one-liners, hilarious situations, wicked twists and realistically daft amateur sleuths and criminals. It had me grinning throughout. Freddie is the epitome of who we wish we could unabashedly be when we're sick of dealing with the rest of the world, he is so incredibly unapologetic it's almost painful to see but he does keep you on the edge of your seat which is a great quality in a main character.

The slight twists and turns at the end had me laughing out loud at my work desk, especially a particular mishap, which you could probably guess at if/when you read the book for yourself.

Puddick perfectly avoided the cliche of the villainous monologue by revealing motives through conversation and action rather than an evil character stroking their cat, pacing back and forth, while they drone on about how their unusual childhood led them to this point in their life.

It's not often I've experienced reading a funny crime novel, and I really enjoyed this one.

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What do you do if you are a selfish, cowardly, second-rate author of detective stories, while your friend from uni is a nice, mega-successful, rich babe magnet? You seethe, you scoff. But what if that friend comes to you for help because he thinks someone is out to kill him? Still you scoff, until....you sense he’s actually right. At this point (and due to a pressing pecuniary emergency), Freddie Winters takes on the job of finding out who is after Dylan St. John.
The list of suspects he draws up contains several ex-wives, rival authors, a literary agent with murky connections and a shady disgraced TV doctor. Will Freddie be able to make sense of the clues or is he already caught up in a very dangerous web of deadly hide-and-seek? Strap yourself in for an edge-of-seat ending!
I don’t normally like “blokey” writing, but there’s something in Alastair Puddick’s stories (loved the Unexpected Vacation, too) that is very endearing and makes you root for the characters whatever foibles and flaws they might have.

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I really enjoyed this book. The main character was written in a way that even though he may not be a great individual, he was still very likeable and I cared about what happened to him. I feel the story itself was pretty predictable but the writing itself made it very engaging and I kept wanting to read more to find out what was going to happen. The humor was very well-done and I found myself laughing aloud at the dialogue and situations happening quite often. Overall I would recommend this book to all my friends.

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At first I thought Freddie was an absolute armpit with no redeeming attributes at all and that became one reason I did enjoy the story. A real life character for a change warts and all stumbling around trying to exist day to day who finally has to hopefully do the decent thing. Great plot even though I think most readers will have a clue about the villain in the piece only Alastair has us on a merry chase for its not all it seems with this clever story. Thanks to NetGalley and Raven Crest books

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Aside from the author’s amusing (to an immature mind anyway) name, the main draw here was the premise and the cover, both quirky and attention attracting. And indeed, the book lived up to its cover premise. Certainly not a sure thing these days, but there it is. This was a genuinely fun story. Someone is in fact actively trying to kill Dylan. And Dylan is the nicest guy, too. His career as an author is a wild success, ladies like him, all his ex wives seems to agree. And yet…it’s just too dangerous to be Dylan. So much so that he has to resort to hiring his former friend Freddie Winters to find out what’s going on. Freddie’s pretty much Dylan’s opposite, failed author, crap with the opposite sex, not anyone’s idea of a nice guy. His sole qualifications for the job seems to be his career writing crime thrillers. Plus he’s desperate enough for the money to do whatever it takes. And so Freddie, limited skills or not, sets off to find out who’s trying to off his imminently likeable once upon a time bestie. Which takes him through a gamut of friends, lovers and associates, all invariably entertainingly odd. And there you have it, a crime novel set in a literary world. Charming and humorous despite having a thoroughly sh*te, morally reprehensible sort of protagonist and being completely (mile away) predictable as to who the would be killer is. Seriously, those two factors would usually be huge detractors for me, often unsurmountable, but somehow this book managed to get right past that on pure charm and jocular flippancy. Yeah, the plot is wildly far fetched and yeah, it would have been nice for the plot twists to be more thoroughly obscured and more challenging to puzzle out, but Freddie, you actually get used to Freddie, unapologetic scoundrel that he is, he even has something of a redeeming moment there. Overall, it was just a really fun read and a quick one too. Your mind may not be blown, your socks may stay on, but you will be entertained. Thanks Netgalley.

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This book started off really well, then it lost me a little until it picked up the pace and I found my stride. A funny book with a mystery woven into it. It's a book you either like or hate, I liked it.

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