The Smack: A Novel Hardcover – Big Book, July 18, 2017

Having read and enjoyed other books by Richard, I decided to take a chance on this one, and I'm glad I did. It was an engaging read with characters I cared about. 4.5 stars!

I've never read anything of Richard Lange's before reading his astonishing piece of neo-noir The Smack; indeed, I honestly don't even remember why I picked the book up in the first place. Sure, the plot sounds intriguing, but it's pure noir: a washed up con artist gets the chance for one big score that could let him get out of the game forever. That's an idea we've heard...oh, too many times to count. But trust me, that familiarity doesn't do anything to detract from the greatness of The Smack, which is riveting, engaging, and will break your heart even as it crafts a fantastic piece of LA noir.Rowan Petty, when we meet him, is not having what one could call a lucky streak. Indeed, while he's sourly commenting on the washed-up family friend who wants to meet with him, it's not hard to see that Petty resents him for fear that he'll become this man: a laughing-stock, a bad-luck totem who's constantly begging for scraps. So his first instinct, of course, is to laugh off this supposed dream job - a bunch of money smuggled back by Army soldiers defrauding the government over in the Middle East. But the more he sniffs around, the better the deal sounds, and the more his old conman instincts want to kick in. And all that is before a pair of women enter into his life - one new, one old - that give him a reason and a motivation to get out of the game.All of this could be old-hat, easily. But in Lange's hands, The Smack comes to live, turning Petty from an archetype (or a cliche, if you're feeling less generous) and into something richer - someone we really care about. There's no reason that we should get invested in a relationship between a con man and a prostitute who's named herself after Tina Fey, but somehow, it works, giving us a bond between two people who've given up on ever finding a connection to someone that's not about money. It's fraught stuff, one that treads on complicated emotional dynamics, but it comes together beautifully, making me genuinely concerned as to whether these two people can make this unlikely connection work.That's more important than the story itself, in terms of making The Smack work, but that story is no slouch either. With corrupt soldiers, a slew of cons ranging from small to large, and a lived-in sense of what the underworld looks like, The Smack's story is a gripping tale of double-crosses, theft, deception, and some very dangerous men willing to do anything for that money - pure noir tropes, sure, but done with style and grace, and a sense of stakes that's hard to match. Writing a complicated set of heists and cons is one thing; making me genuinely concerned not just that the cons will work, but that these people will come out emotionally okay on the other end - that's far more impressive, and the thing that really made The Smack so great for me.

Richard Lange is a very talented writer. He pretty much hit all the marks, realistic dialogue, good plot, good overall story, etc. It’s not groundbreaking writing, but this type of story wouldn’t really fit into that category. There’s not much to criticize about this book. I’d say it’s very good, not great in my opinion, but satisfying. The main character in this book isn’t that likeable. He’s gritty. He’s a used up con man, and I think most readers would have difficulty relating to him, or seeing him in a favorable light. The author has the ability to make the reader see the main character’s good side, and that’s no small feat. The story also has a hooker with a heart of gold, kind of. I liked her. This is the kind of story that I admire and enjoy, typically, but I wouldn’t classify it as a page turner, per se. I read it piecemeal over the course of a month. I could definitely put it down, but did come back to it regularly. I have an eye for finding errors. I find typos in most books, even Stephen King books. The Smack was flawless in this regard – a completely professional product. Overall, I’d say if you enjoy reading Dennis Lehane, Elmore, etc., then this book would be to your liking.

This was, for me, one of those books that is continuously entertaining and generous in giving the reader something to root for throughout. It's only after finishing that you realize how bloody-minded the story was and how ruthless in eliminating characters--central and secondary--the author has been.The foundation of the storyline sits squarely in the Afghan war--a grim reminder of how much that conflict has cost the country is lives, treasure and political judgement. There is little sympathy for the characters who are wounded in various ways by the war experience and other travails of life. The anti-hero/protagonist (an aging grifter who's lost his edge) could not be further away from the concept of war hero. The whole novel rests on the pursuit of ill-gotten gains by some dubious (at best) and truly evil (at worst) folks."The Smack" is certainly well written, but it could have been a better novel with a bit more redemption for some of its characters built in.

I cannot agree that this is a FIVE STAR novel so I will offer a contrarian review. The novel is ENTERTAINING if the reader just goes along without thinking too much. The story falls apart in retrospection. My idea of the 'good guy' in the story is Tony, the seriously injured Vet who is merely holding stolen money for someone. Everybody else (well, maybe not Tinafey) is on the con or out to make a killing. When the best ending to be hoped for is that the 'least bad' people walk away with Uncle Sam's money I am left with a sour taste in my mouth. I agree with other reviewers that pacing is also a problem from time to time and that trouble keeps coming from some of the least likely angles. The 'police' visit to Tony's dad stretched belief a bit too far. Character development was good, if stereotyped: the engaging con-man; the honest prostitute, the manipulative ex-wife and so on. They all did their expected bit for the story so that's fine by me.

Richard Lange can really write. The prose is simple but elegant, and the story pulls you in. My main problem with the novel is that he never quite managed to make me fully sympathetic with such a complete Con Man. I kind of liked the protagonist, but I never fully felt that I actually wanted him to succeed. That said I enjoyed the book, and will probably try another.

A marginally successful con artist tries for the once in a lifetime scam that will make him rich. Everything, of course, doesn't always go as expected as a romance and the competition of some heavy hitters interfer. It's a page turner, in the style of, but not quite at Elmore Leonard's level. It was close enough to make me want to read another of Lange's novels.

I've read Angel Baby and several of Lange's short stories before, they were pretty good (the stories especially), but this is on another level.He takes a lot of crime fiction archetypes and turns them on their head. The plot moves fast, slows down into a character study at times with entertaining detours, then goes wherever you least expect it. His dialogue rings true, so do the characters behind the words.With this book he is making a claim for greatness alongside Don Winslow, Kem Nunn, Newton Thornburg and others who have done the Californian crime genre at its best. I was planning on savouring this one but ended up tearing through it over the weekend instead.

Lange never fails to deliver.With similar themes to his two previous novels,The Smack is an entertaining read where the pace never slows,as desperate people do desperate things for money.My favourite line,' Don't write a cheque with your mouth that your ass can't cash.'pretty much sets the tone of the whole thing.The main protagonist Rowan Petty would have worked better for me if he had a darker edge to him........but I ain't cashin' a cheque.