A crime thriller that is not too thrilling, really. The book begins with the prison shower room killing of an inmate by the antagonist, Lamar Pye. Lamar has to escape from prison because of the murder. According to Stephen Hunter, it's pretty easy to get out of a maximum security prison. Lamar, his retarded cousin, Odell (who Hunter has talking all 'retarded' throughout the novel--very irritating) and their wimpy cellmate Richard (Odell calls him "Wi--Chud") hop the joint. The prison scenes and the interaction between the three villains really seemed unrealistic. It was more like what a wealthy writer guy might think prisoners acted like. I'm no expert, surely, but the scenes ran hollow.Yadda, yadda, yadda, Lamar and Odell almost kill State Trooper Bud Pewtie (they do kill his partner, Bill) which sets up the 'drama' and 'tension' of the rest of the novel. Bud's a hero, but not in his own life as a supposedly caring husband and father of two sons, because he has been having an affair with Bill's wife for months. This whole affair scenario dragged on way too long--it smelled of some kind of literary device Hunter was using to add some human failings to his protagonist. Obvioulsy this "crisis of honor" is having an effect on Bud--there's a scene where Bud, who is all stitched up from his near death encounter with Lamar, does not bleed when having sex with the recently widowed Holly, his mistress, but starts bleeding when he cheers for his son at a ballgame immediately after. Okay, I get it. Vulnerable with the family. Pain. Bleeding. Okay. Gee, Mr. Hunter, is it hard to type with those Virginia Baked fists?You won't believe how Bud catches up with Lamar. No really, you won't be able to suspend your disbelief.This is a really bad book that is a paradoxical mix of trite and cliched with "no way" unbelievability.Oh and one more thing, everyone keeps talking about how this book shows that the good guys aren't always totally good and the bad guys aren't all bad and I'm thinking, "How is this homicidal maniac not all bad?" Is it because he cared for his retarded sociopathic (and also homicidal)cousin so much? Or is it because Lamar loved Ruta Beth (another insane homicidal character) so much? No, much like the novel as a whole, Lamar Pye was all bad.
However you define this book or Stephen Hunter's writing, all anyone needs to know is Dirty White Boys is storytelling at its' best. Stephen Hunter has been in the game for a number of years, but I hadn't heard of the author until he was recently recommended to me by a friend. And I fell in love.I adore face-paced thrillers where every loose end is nicely tied by the end, and that's exactly what I got. On the surface, Dirty White Boys sounds like a macho read, full of testerone. And it is, but at the same time, Hunter offers so much depth with the characters, actions, mystery, suspense, that I personally didn't notice anything overty macho that wasn't well within context. I simply enjoyed the ride.Gushing praise aside, the novel reads like a big open door with a flashing neon sign. Come in! Look around and I'll show you a world you never knew. From the descriptions of the prison's social structure to the personal lives of police officers, the novel rides a rollercoaster and don't expect to take a breath until the final sentence.I'm especially impressed with the exploration of criminal psychology, written in a relatable way and through the expressions of the charactters' every day lives. I found myself caring so much about the psyopathic criminals that I almost cried right along with Lamar.Though not Hunter's first book, I chose to read this one first and now I'm devouring every book he wrote. I chose this one because, well, come on, the title, I had to. Five stars from me, and two thumbs up.I recommend disregarding the packaging and just enjoy the ride. Hunter is a testatment that there are still amazing authors who know how to tell a good story.
What do You think about Dirty White Boys (1995)?
Didn't want to finish it and set it aside. I'm not sure what specifically turned me off, but I got 3/4 of the way through this novel and found myself not caring how it ended. I have a pretty good idea how it will end (hero wins, bad guy defeated, blah, blah, blah) I just lost any interest in working my way to that ending.It might have been too many shifts in character point of view. This was especially troubling because in the e-book version that I read there was NO extra spacing or any other indication that you were shifting into a different character's point of view. This broke me out of the flow of the book every single time. It's just sloppy formatting and there is no excuse for it.
—Mark Neumayer
Ok, Dirty White Boys is a great title - not like, "whoa man, amazing way cool." But it is provocative. Got a catchy beat. I'd rate it a 75 cause I can dance to it - and if you weren't around to watch American Bandstand way back in the day that comment won't mean a damn thing. Lately I've been finding when I reference things from my past in front of my younger straight-outta-high-school students they just look at me with these blank expressions. Some shit just doesn't translate any longer. Stuff be changing so fast the past is gone and ain't nobody schooling the youngsters so they just don't know, and don't care. Which is sort of how I felt about Stephen Hunter's Dirty White Boys. It's got a foot in another era and no damn future. There's ideas and cultural portrayals that no longer translate, and the book only came out in 1995. This macho lawman stuff and its John Wayne-isms seems so old fashion - like he's channeling Gary Cooper, only no one knows who the hell Cooper was so it's sort moot. Yet there's some cool dialogue. There's some good ultra violence. Some sex, without the sex. And a lot of superficial relationships that skim along the surface and don't really go deep. That said, I kinda liked it. Sort of like a grilled cheese sandwich. You know the ones made outta Wonder bread and American cheese that really ain't got no substance, are bad as hell for you, take 10 minutes to make right, and only two to eat. But as your arteries are hardening you're think about eating another one. Maybe throw another "slice" of that Velveeta on it - mmmmmmmm, good.
—Patrick O'Neil
Dead Men RunningThis for starters is not meant for anyone that is under 18 or 21 and anyone who does not want to read the language it has in it...trust me the language is something that could do without but also makes this book what it is... This book takes place in southern Oklahoma down in and around McAllister Oklahoma which is where our state prison is located and holds some of the toughest and roughest criminals in Oklahoma. Dirty White Boys is one book that has the language, criminals, fights and everything else that you might imagine happening in prisons it will keep you on the edge of your seat only if you can get used to the language...
—Janeandjerry
