Bust (Max and Angela) Mass Market Paperback – March 29, 2011

BUST is the first volume in a tetralogy (BUST, SLIDE, THE MAX, PIMP). It concerns the doings of two characters, Max Fisher and Angela Petrakos (and a number of others). BUST is the narrative of the ur-plot which will become part of the subject of PIMP, where a writer will attempt to tell the BUST story (which has already, here, been told). In other words, the first novel tells the backstory which will be presented as 'reality' later, when a person tries to turn it into art. Bottom line: this story is more a linear narrative; by the time we get to PIMP we are in a tangled, comic literary world as well as the noir world of the original story. (Sorry if that's not clear. You have to read all four books.)The basic storyline here is that Max is tired of his shrewish wife, Deirdre, and hires a hit man to kill her. Max wants to be with his assistant, Angela, instead, and doesn't know that she is actually living with the killer, Dillon (who Max knows as Popeye). Meanwhile, a ne'er-do-well named Bobby Rosa is wheelchair-bound and spends his time taking porno/cheesecake pictures of women in Central Park. He will eventually make his way into the main Max/Angela storyline. Note that this is characteristic with these writers (Ken Bruen, the creator of the Jack Taylor Galway novels, Jason Starr, noir master); they will introduce multiple characters and cut between their stories and the main plotline. Eventually we will see how all of these individuals are connected and how their individual stories intersect.While PIMP is laugh-out-loud hilarious, BUST is more traditional noir with some borderline zany characters. Think of Elmore Leonard in his more comic mode –a few steps beyond Damon Runyon and Jimmy Breslin. If there is a line of comic continuity with Jimmy Breslin at 1, Dave Barry at 10, Carl Hiassen at 8 and Elmore Leonard at 4 or 5, BUST would be around 5-6 (funny, crazy, but not leg-slapping).The result is first-rate entertainment and though there is a considerable amount of sex and violence they are both muted by the comic ethos and overtones. Don't expect to like the characters, but expect to become interested in their respective fates as they fumble their way through life.

Bust is a modern noir crime novel by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr. Apparently, they have also written two more books that continue the story, Slide and The Max. Can't wait to get my hands on those books. Even though this book is a collaboration between two authors, it's impossible to tell who wrote which parts. All you need to do is read the first page to know this book is beyond awesome. Max, who owns some computer networking company, meets a crazy Irish hit man in a NY pizzeria. Max pays Popeye ten grand to kill his wife. Meanwhile, Bobby Rosa sits in his wheelchair in Central Park snapping boob shots of sunbathers. Bobby has the photos on all the walls of his apartment and a heavy box filled with guns and ammo. Bobby later comes up with the idea of photographing couples having affairs in a skanky hotel. Speaking of which, the reason Max is so hot to have his wife killed is Angela Petrakos, his executive secretary. "Most of her money went on clothes. The most basic lesson she learned was that if you wore a short skirt, killer heels, and a tight top, guys went ape." Funny, Angela finds Max his hit man. Who's playing who here. This book rolls down the highway at breakneck speed. It's comedic without getting stupid. Great crime writing. Highly recommended. Gotta wonder if the title is a reference to Max's preoccupation with certain feminine assets or what happens when a murder for hire goes sideways.

Something needs to be made clear about Bust: You will not like a single character in the book, especially by the end. This is far from a feel-good novel. It will drag you through the dirt more than once and leave you a bloody mess by the time everything is said and done. And, because of that, it's wonderful.The characters in Bust are all self-absorbed, and none of them are looking out for anything beyond their own interests. Every time Bruen and Starr give you some glimmer of humanity for a character, they make them do something despicable which firmly cancels out any sort of empathy you may have for them. Thus, Bust becomes a game of seeing who will get their comeuppance first...and believe me, they get it.In terms of plotting, the book is really solid. One would think a book with two authors and four points of view would turn into a tangled mess, but Bruen and Star interweave things perfectly, elegantly merging character stories and viewpoints with each chapter, leading to a tense plot where you wonder who's going to mess up next.The book will not make you feel good, but it is a tightly written gritty book that will keep you entertained for the short time you are reading it (it's a quick read, too...I read it over the course of a couple of afternoons)

I ordered Bust based on its Amazon rating alone when scanning Hard Case Crime books, not knowing what to expect. But the cover hardly encouraged me to dive in: it sat on my bookshelf, unread, for months.But when I finally dived in, wow -- what a surprise! Ken Bruen and Jason Starr combine to deliver a coherent, engaging story, the plot reckless enough to be funny without crossing the line of farcical. As the story alternates between the perspectives of four principal characters, as I reader I feel I am observing a developing train wreck, with the only thing certain about the outcome is it's going to get ugly.So while I wouldn't put Bust in the same top league as Hard Case Crime masterpieces Confession, Little Girl Lost, or Songs of Innocence, it's a highly recommended read.The sequel, Slide, goes even further over the deep end, edging close or maybe even crossing that boundary to farce. But despite their differences, each is recommended. Read Bust first, however.

Great thriller - loved it enough to buy the other 3 books!

too queasy for me.

Very good ,didnt have to reed other books in series.

Ich kann meinem Vorredner nur recht geben. Das Buch ist klasse geschrieben und spannend vom Anfang bis zum Ende. Hier folgt ein Twist dem anderen, schräge Figuren geben sich ein Stelldichein und wer hier eigentlich gut, oder böse ist, bleibt völlig unklar, denn jeder scheint sein eigenes Spiel zu spielen. Ein tolles Buch und bestimmt nicht mein letztes von dem Autorenteam.