He assumes that a month at the Jersey shore will give him time to recover from his gunshot wounds, kick the OxyContin habit, and salvage his foundering marriage. Instead, within days of arriving at the beach, he stumbles into a bizarre suicide that is so suspicious it might actually be murder; foils a school shooting in a bumbling manner that inflames a simmering regional drug war; and gets entangled in a decades-old murder that strays into political intrigue and international counterespionage.
Author Rob Scott sustains Doyle's distinctive perspective and sarcastic wit, but about halfway through the book I began to feel there were a few too many criminal investigations entangled together, and a few too many red herrings. In the end, they converge in a series of rather improbable coincidences, some of which cross over into the supernatural. Fans of books that hybridize the police procedural with science fiction or fantasy might be fascinated by the ingenious way Scott wraps it all up, but if you have trouble suspending disbelief, you may be disappointed. The most endearing and entertaining feature of the book is Doyle himself, and I will continue to read the series because I so enjoy his acid wit and resolute refusal to lie to himself about what a jerk he can be.
Some of the secondary characters begin to assume greater importance in the book, especially Doyle's wife, Jenny, who emerges from the background as a smart, independent, and beautiful woman who is more than Doyle's equal and who has no intention of letting him off easy.
Sailor Doyle Series
Doyle continues to grow on me as we learn more about him through his interactions with Jenny and his children. I look forward to the next chapter in his story. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I loved this book because it was set amongst some of the great landmarks of my childhood.
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It had engaging, compelling characters, and a cool interesting protagonist. I felt the mystery surrounding Moses Stillman was nurtured along nicely. My only complaint is that I feel that if you are going to bill something as a ghost story, you better get to the ghosts pretty quickly, rather than drag them along dully as possible hallucinations until almost the end. One other minor complaint, as a Jersey gir I loved this book because it was set amongst some of the great landmarks of my childhood. One other minor complaint, as a Jersey girl, I felt the tenor of the Shore and the Jersey-ness of it were very well done, but the publisher should have gone the extra mile for the US market and Americanized the vocab, the British spellings and slang is distracting and takes you out of the story.
I will look forward to his next eagerly. Nov 11, Phillis rated it really liked it.
It is a good story and it did hold my interest, most of the time. It was just so dog-gone long. It just seemed to drag on and on. It wasn't one of those sit at the edge of the seat, don't want the book to end Then you add in a bit of supernatural and you're thinking Detective Doyle is losing his mind. He's got too many injuries for anyone to stand plus some drug withdrawal, and the DTs and he's off to the loony bin. It t It is a good story and it did hold my interest, most of the time. It turns out he's not so loony after all. I did like that the author wrote the book's setting in an area I know well.
Yes, he did take some poetic license with some of the settings, but that is a writers privilege. I don't mind it if its explained in the Author's Notes. Sep 02, Simon Gosden rated it really liked it. Oh dear lord this is fun. Sailor Doyle, an anti-hero in the Repairman Jack mode, has had a load of trouble. He's a recovering alcoholic who also has a keen drug problem, he's been shot and his wife may be leaving him.
They decide to chill out with their two kids on the New Jersey shore. But Sailor's plans come to nothing as tragedy strikes and he is faced with an impossible crime A crime story with a supernatural theme Mar 12, Harry Walton rated it did not like it. Too many far fetched and tenuous threads. Would have shoe horned the kitchen sink in if he could.
Summed up by the tortuous epilogue. Passages with the protagonist and his children worked best but can't redeem an overall mess. Jul 07, Ian J rated it liked it Shelves: Aug 26, Scary rated it did not like it Shelves: Harriet rated it really liked it May 22, Linda rated it really liked it Aug 25, Tracey Scovell rated it really liked it Sep 04, OpenLights rated it liked it Jun 30, Ellen rated it it was ok May 15, Amy Bassilakis rated it liked it Nov 28, Sara Everett rated it it was ok Feb 18, Leslie rated it liked it Mar 03, Erin rated it did not like it Dec 29, Ruth Jones rated it really liked it Oct 31, Ann Rutledge rated it liked it May 16, Wai-Fong rated it liked it Mar 06, Grainne Rhuad rated it did not like it Feb 01, Ivy rated it it was ok Dec 17, Jane Russo rated it liked it Apr 14, Alexandra-phillippa rated it it was ok Jan 14, Kylie rated it really liked it Nov 22, Shannon Sweetman rated it really liked it Oct 30, Marisa rated it it was amazing Dec 05, Teagan Kessler rated it it was amazing Mar 17, He has studied classical guitar, and completed a Masters degree in education.
Following a concert series in Brazil, he moved to Colorado to teach and to complete a doctorate in educational leadership and policy study. He lives in Virginia with his wife and two children. Would you like to tell us about a lower price? If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support? Ten weeks ago, Homicide Detective Sailor Doyle worked his first solo case, a gruesome double murder in a remote farmhouse in Virginia.
And things turned very nasty for him Now Sailor is recuperating with his family at a beach house in Belmar, on the New Jersey shore. He's struggling with prescription drug withdrawal while trying to build up his shattered shoulder and leg, and he's also trying to rebuild his shattered relationship with his wife. Jenny, while pleased he's alive, is less enamoured with the idea of reconciliation.
Seeking refuge in a century-old beachfront resort hotel, Sailor meets an elderly man, Mark "Moses" Stillman, a former minor league baseball player whose wife and daughter drowned in the ocean off Belmar years earlier. Sailor's having nightmares about his previous case, and when he starts seeing things again, he realises that once again he's being guided to the truth And it's not long before he finds himself investigating those deaths. Read more Read less.
Gollancz February 5, Language: Start reading Asbury Park on your Kindle in under a minute.
Asbury Park by Rob Scott
Don't have a Kindle? Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Showing of 7 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. It had many twists and turns with a thrilling conclusion. I hope he writes more books about Salior Doyle. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. I think this second book is so much better than the first, and I really liked the first.
The characterization of the main character was riveting and made me really cheer for his success at recovering from his past escapades and fixing his failed marriage. The multiple layers of conflict got a bit bogged down at times, but overall, I think this book was pretty awesome. I can't wait for the next one.
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Gotta love Rob Scott! A real character study and a real character.
Loving the descriptions of Asbury Park and the Jersey Shore, this murder mystery with a paranormal flare has it all. Move over James Patterson! Detective novels that feature amateur or armchair detectives often share a common problem--the only way for the author to get the protagonist involved in the murder investigation is to kill off someone they know, which over the course of a series can make for a morbid, unlucky, and rather depressed central character. I suppose the same is true when a police detective goes on vacation. Take him or her out of their everyday milieu, and you need to find some way to draw them into the action.
So it is for our hero or antihero , Sailor Doyle. He's been put on probation and short-term disability to recover from the wounds he sustained and the depravities he committed during his last homicide investigation. He assumes that a month at the Jersey shore will give him time to recover from his gunshot wounds, kick the OxyContin habit, and salvage his foundering marriage.
Asbury Park, by Rob Scott
Instead, within days of arriving at the beach, he stumbles into a bizarre suicide that is so suspicious it might actually be murder; foils a school shooting in a bumbling manner that inflames a simmering regional drug war; and gets entangled in a decades-old murder that strays into political intrigue and international counterespionage.
Author Rob Scott sustains Doyle's distinctive perspective and sarcastic wit, but about halfway through the book I began to feel there were a few too many criminal investigations entangled together, and a few too many red herrings. In the end, they converge in a series of rather improbable coincidences, some of which cross over into the supernatural.
- Asbury Park?
- Asbury Park.
- Former Brentsville Principal Discusses Newest Novel "Asbury Park" - BristowBeat : Bristow Beat.
- Asbury Park / Rob Scott - Details - Trove.
- The imitation of Christ (Illustrated).
Fans of books that hybridize the police procedural with science fiction or fantasy might be fascinated by the ingenious way Scott wraps it all up, but if you have trouble suspending disbelief, you may be disappointed. The most endearing and entertaining feature of the book is Doyle himself, and I will continue to read the series because I so enjoy his acid wit and resolute refusal to lie to himself about what a jerk he can be.
Some of the secondary characters in the series assume greater importance in this book, especially Doyle's wife, Jenny, who emerges from the background as a smart, independent, and beautiful woman who is more than Doyle's equal and who has no intention of letting him off easily. Doyle continues to grow on me as we learn more about him through his interactions with Jenny and his children. I look forward to the next chapter in his story. Couldn't love it more if I tried.