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ff_mm_bookrecs2011-01-05 12:49 pm
devilc) wrote in ff_mm_bookrecs2011-01-05 12:49 pm
Review: Blind Fall by Christopher Rice
Book: Blind Fall (Amazon)(There is a Kindle Version)
Author: Christopher Rice
Official Synopsis: John Houck became a Marine to become a hero. But his life changed when he failed to notice an explosive device that ended up maiming the captain of his Force Recon Company, a respected Marine who nearly sacrificed himself to save John's life.
Home from Iraq, John pays a visit to his former captain, only to discover the captain has been gruesomely murdered. John pursues a strange man he sees running from the scene, but he discovers that Alex Martin is not the murderer. Alex is, in fact, the former captain's secret male lover and the killer's intended next victim.
When it becomes clear that local law enforcement has direct connections to the murder itself, John realizes that to repay his debt of honor, he must teach Alex Martin how to protect himself, even if that means teaching Alex to kill. In the process, John confronts the painful truth about the younger brother he was unable to protect and the older sister he always felt he failed.
My Arrogant Opinion Review: If you've read any of Christopher Rice's other books, you're well aware of the fact that he always writes a mystery-crime of some sort into them, but Blind Fall is a departure for Rice in the sense that it really is a foray into the land of the fast paced, slam-bang, kick-splode action thriller. It's a much more plot driven book than A Density of Souls or The Snow Garden.
And, while I respect the hell out of Rice for pushing himself as a writer, and doing his homework in terms of crime, forensics, and Recon Marines (it's very clear Rice has read Generation Kill) Blind Fall is rough around the edges -- it feels forced in several places -- and I think that it's because this style of writing doesn't come naturally to Rice.
What does make Blind Fall an enjoyable read despite its flaws is the fact that there's some really excellent character development and growth (the things Rice does really well) in here.
John Houck is forced to confront the fact that the Captain Mike Bowers he idolized had this whole other hidden life, a whole other hidden identity. And as he wrestles with the idea that one can be both a BAMF Marine and a Gay Man, and as he's saving the life of Alex Martin (Bowers' lover) as a last act of loyalty and service to his Captain, John is forced to confront his own fears, his own homophobia, and the ways in which he has let himself and the people he most loves down.
Alex Martin not only has to deal with the brutal murder of his lover, the people out to get him, and the very rough-around-the-edges John Houck, but he must also confront his own preconceived notions about John Houck and the fact that though he loved Mike Bowers, their relationship was troubled. (PTSD, catastrophic injuries, and the strain of the DADT closet will do that.) He also learns how to stand up for himself and be his own man in ways that nothing in his previous experience has prepared him for.
In addition to several scenes where Alex talks to John about his relationship with Mike -- scenes which run the gamut from heartbreaking, shattering, and darkly funny -- there are flashbacks that show what Alex and Mike had together, and though the book pretty much kicks off with Mike Bowers' murder, by the end of the story we know enough about him and what he was like (and he was by no means a perfect person) that we understand why he inspired such love and dedication in John and Alex. In exploring his professional life as a Marine and his love life with Alex, a complete picture of Mike Bowers emerges, and to know him in only one of those contexts (as Alex, John, and the reader discover) is only to know half the man.
What I think I liked the most about Blind Fall (in addition to the way it explored loving someone vs. being in love with some one) is that it doesn't end with a romance between John and Alex. (The tension between them is never UST -- and that's not an easy thing to pull off. John's homophobia is not rooted in repressed sexuality.) John and Alex are now friends, bound to each other through their love for Mike, their senses of right and duty, and the fact that they have lived through a harrowing series of events.
Though it is dealing with a kitchen sink's worth of issues (PTSD, DADT, Ideas of Self-Identity, homophobia in all its degrees, the whole murder-conspiracy plot, etc) the characterization of John and Alex and the exploration of the depths of their (different) loves for the same man make Blind Fall a flawed, but still very worthwhile read.
Author: Christopher Rice
Official Synopsis: John Houck became a Marine to become a hero. But his life changed when he failed to notice an explosive device that ended up maiming the captain of his Force Recon Company, a respected Marine who nearly sacrificed himself to save John's life.
Home from Iraq, John pays a visit to his former captain, only to discover the captain has been gruesomely murdered. John pursues a strange man he sees running from the scene, but he discovers that Alex Martin is not the murderer. Alex is, in fact, the former captain's secret male lover and the killer's intended next victim.
When it becomes clear that local law enforcement has direct connections to the murder itself, John realizes that to repay his debt of honor, he must teach Alex Martin how to protect himself, even if that means teaching Alex to kill. In the process, John confronts the painful truth about the younger brother he was unable to protect and the older sister he always felt he failed.
And, while I respect the hell out of Rice for pushing himself as a writer, and doing his homework in terms of crime, forensics, and Recon Marines (it's very clear Rice has read Generation Kill) Blind Fall is rough around the edges -- it feels forced in several places -- and I think that it's because this style of writing doesn't come naturally to Rice.
What does make Blind Fall an enjoyable read despite its flaws is the fact that there's some really excellent character development and growth (the things Rice does really well) in here.
John Houck is forced to confront the fact that the Captain Mike Bowers he idolized had this whole other hidden life, a whole other hidden identity. And as he wrestles with the idea that one can be both a BAMF Marine and a Gay Man, and as he's saving the life of Alex Martin (Bowers' lover) as a last act of loyalty and service to his Captain, John is forced to confront his own fears, his own homophobia, and the ways in which he has let himself and the people he most loves down.
Alex Martin not only has to deal with the brutal murder of his lover, the people out to get him, and the very rough-around-the-edges John Houck, but he must also confront his own preconceived notions about John Houck and the fact that though he loved Mike Bowers, their relationship was troubled. (PTSD, catastrophic injuries, and the strain of the DADT closet will do that.) He also learns how to stand up for himself and be his own man in ways that nothing in his previous experience has prepared him for.
In addition to several scenes where Alex talks to John about his relationship with Mike -- scenes which run the gamut from heartbreaking, shattering, and darkly funny -- there are flashbacks that show what Alex and Mike had together, and though the book pretty much kicks off with Mike Bowers' murder, by the end of the story we know enough about him and what he was like (and he was by no means a perfect person) that we understand why he inspired such love and dedication in John and Alex. In exploring his professional life as a Marine and his love life with Alex, a complete picture of Mike Bowers emerges, and to know him in only one of those contexts (as Alex, John, and the reader discover) is only to know half the man.
What I think I liked the most about Blind Fall (in addition to the way it explored loving someone vs. being in love with some one) is that it doesn't end with a romance between John and Alex. (The tension between them is never UST -- and that's not an easy thing to pull off. John's homophobia is not rooted in repressed sexuality.) John and Alex are now friends, bound to each other through their love for Mike, their senses of right and duty, and the fact that they have lived through a harrowing series of events.
Though it is dealing with a kitchen sink's worth of issues (PTSD, DADT, Ideas of Self-Identity, homophobia in all its degrees, the whole murder-conspiracy plot, etc) the characterization of John and Alex and the exploration of the depths of their (different) loves for the same man make Blind Fall a flawed, but still very worthwhile read.
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Thanks for a detailed and intriguing book review! Turns out my library has it. I love public libraries :,)