The Accounting Paperback – Unabridged, May 14, 2013

Enjoyable! Good read! Doesn’t make you over think. Just makes you want to keep reading! I enjoy Mr Lashner’s writing.

The book begins when JJ Morretti goes to see his best friend, Auggie. When he arrives at his home, he sees that Auggie has been murdered. JJ knows that there there is no mystery as to the reason that he is murdered. He knows who did it and he knows that he will be next. From there, the story switches at times to Morretti’s childhood, with his two best friends, Auggie and Ben. No, they weren’t geeky nerds although they were bullied in school by John Grubbins. Derek Grubbins, John’s brother, was also a drug dealer who sold Morretti pot. Morretti decided one night - along with his friends - to break into Grubbins house to steal some pot because he thought the quality of the pot that Grubbins sold him was terrible. When they were in the house though, they also found over a million dollars in drug money stashed in garbage cans. After little deliberation, the three decide to make the choice of stealing the money. As I read through The Accounting, I thought that not only was it a thriller but it was a book that you might even think that would have been written by Elmore Leonard. You have a lot of criminals throughout the book in the story that can be compared with early Leonard books such as 52 pickup. Some of the characters include a motorcycle gang that is lead by foul mouth overweight woman. Then there are of course the Grubbin’s, nasty characers who are thugs and drug dealers. Then you have other thugs like Clevenger. There is even a blend in the story of Morretti being a mortgage broker that can also take you back to some of Leonard’s other novels such as Stick. Of course, you also have a very strong friendship between JJ, Ben and Auggie from the early days. In one scene, you see the three of them getting high while listening and dancing to Bruce Springsteen. It’s hard to have any empathy for any of them, especially JJ, since he is married now and has put his wife and children at risk since he stole the drug money in the first place. With all that said, I’m really not giving anything away. Lashner has written a great thriller in the spirt of Elmore Leonard. The ratings on the book are high and it’s only $4.99 on Kindle. The book is hard to put down and you have a lot of memorable characters, suspense, and an ending that you won’t forget anytime soon. It’s easy for me to say that The Accounting is one of the best books that I have read this year. If you’re a fan of Elmore Leonard, you should enjoy it as well. It’s worth more than five stars.

Ok, not Victor Carl... Not exactly, but a protagonist who is pretty adapt at rationalization and taken in its entirety, and his sort of warped pollyannaish outlook of his own life, I can see how he figures it will all work out just fine in the end. Ok, so I do have to say I understand some of the criticisms levied against this one. Mr. Lashner did open the verbal floodgates. I can't remember a book that was so, um, descriptive. It was as if he had a Roget's thesaurus open and it must have been well worn when he was through. He even used erstwhile! I did find my eyes slipping over a few longer passages, but it was if Mr. Lashner did it on purpose. I don't mean to imply his other books are mailed in, rather that I sensed he was exploring his literary boundaries.One thing that made me sit up an notice was some of the dialog between the protagonist and the various antagonists. It seemed folkish, almost hokey. Again, it has me asking why. If this had been his first book, perhaps that would make some sense, but regardless whether one likes this book or not, it can't really be argued that it was well conceived and told. Mr. Lashner used the past in a way to explain certain parts of the present, and did so creatively.The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that I don't know why he wrote it in the manner he did. Truthfully 4 stars is a bit of a copout. If there was nothing behind the style, then I probably would lean towards 3ish stars. I do believe in the benefit of the doubt though. Yes, I will certainly read more of Mr. Lashner's writings.

I miss Victor Carl, the hapless hero and morally ambiguous attorney who woke up "with his suit in tatters, his socks missing, and a stinging pain in his chest thanks to a new tattoo he doesn't remember getting: a heart inscribed with the name Chantal Adair." Now that was a hell of a story.It's been seven years since Lashner's last book and my fingers were crossed for another twisty tale of double-crosses and didn't-see-that-one-coming decisions by a man of high hopes and flexible ethics.Instead, this book reads like it was pounded out in one of those Book in a Month writing marathons. A decent read, but disappointing.It's a meditation on secrets and what it does to relationships. Way too much meditation, as far as I'm concerned. One can easily imagine Lashner had "Secrets keep relationships superficial" taped to his monitor.Jon Willing is a flim-flam mortgage broker whose mortaged-to-the-hilt life is on the skids thanks to the downturn in the economy. His kids are growing up and pulling away, and his wife has given up on him and wants a divorce. Worse yet, now bad guys are looking for him over some drug money he and a couple buddies stole when they were teens.There were a couple of fun scenes with bikers, but the rest was predictable. I haven't the slightest interest in seeing what happens next to Jon.This can't be what Lashner has been working on for seven years. Where's that story?

Got this free through my Kindle for Samsung app which allows you 1 free book a month. Previous such free selections have been middling, almost a chore to get through, so I was surprised that this one grabbed me from the start. Was reading it every chance I got, in bed, on the train to and from work, waiting at dentist...The story is great, about 3 teenagers who steal drug money and have to go into hiding in later life, but what lifts it up beyond just a thriller is its examination of what keeping such a lifechanging dirty secret does to them, and especially to the protagonist: to his marriage, to his self image, to his friendships. Maybe it's because I just watched 'It" at the cinema but I also thought it touched on a similar theme: about never having such friends as you did when you were a kid. There's also a nod to the economic background of the last decade, which makes it feel quite topical.If I had any complaints it would be that maybe everything is wrapped up a little too neatly. Also (mild spoiler!) would US currency from 25 years ago still be valid currency?In any case I will definitely be adding Mr Lashner to my list of authors to look out for

This isn't just a thriller, it took me back to the simple joys and trials of childhood and adolescence, the mistakes we all make and continue to make, and how these impact later life. It shows that there is nothing more important than family and treasured close friends. Money doesn't buy happiness and at the end of it all, if we have all that truly means something, and can say "Still Here.", then we have done okay. Thanks to the author for a great read, and most of all, the wake up call.

This is the first stand alone William Lashner I've read, although I'm a fan of the Victor Carl series. This one is excellent, tension maintained throughout and a real page turner. The wisecracking is still there, but the black humour doesn't get in the way of the plot. To me this is a step up for Lashner, and I would draw similarities with Harlan Coben and Robert Crais, which is praise indeed from me!

What a great book. The author writes so well that the beginning can be tough to read at times but only because you're so emotionally involved. The rollercoaster journey keeps going to a great climax. Thank you William, great read.

It's a knack few writers seem to possess, painting pictures while passing through a twisting, complex tale, from situation to situation, at a dizzying pace that becomes compulsive in its page-turning impetus. This is my first Lashner concoction, so I'm really pleased to know there are more to read ahead!