187 Book Reviews
My 2011 reading season is off to a very good start! - January 02, 2011
By Rubiconreader
This review is from: 187 Victims' Revenge (Paperback)
Let me first start off by saying that this cover is awesome! I know, as a book lover I shouldn’t care what the cover looks like. But as a person with, I don’t know, EYES, it grabbed me because it has a pure look of brutality. That being said, the contents of this book make the cover seem like child’s play. This is my fourth journey with Kane Silver and he delivers (again) with speed, violence, sex, and pain. This book opens with Kane, Si, and Valentino taking on a ‘Mission: Impossible’ type assignment infiltrating prisons and trying to find out who is behind a deadly spree of vigilante prison justice. Inmates who have robbed, raped, killed, and maimed others find these same horrors being visited upon themselves. Kane, Si, and Valentino volunteer to pose as bait to find out who is behind this, and Mr. Halverson (as usual) does not hold back on the raw, graphic descriptions of prison revenge.
Their reward? A much needed pardon. Is it worth the risk? For these guys, hell yes. I like Wade’s book because they fit the bill for the “escapism” I look for when reading. Following Kane from one adventure to the next, you can’t help but put yourself in his shoes and wonder. Of course, there is one adventure in this book that I wouldn’t trade place with Kane even if the reward was an eternity with a naked and horny Megan Fox. I will say that Kane’s sex interest in this book makes Megan Fox look like Michael J. Fox, but still. How much physical pain is one woman worth?
Kane is usually the one dishing out the pain and bloody mayhem, but this time he’s on the receiving end. The torture scenes that are described here are about as savage as you could imagine. But despite that, the daunting missions, near misses, and spilt blood, Kane and his friends remain tighter and closer than ever. This type of brotherly love, loyalty, and fierce bonding is usually found in novels about Rome. Mr. Halverson also puts teasers for the next book at the end of the current book and this one is no different. I look forward to more mayhem, more carnage, and more action.
All in all, When Courts Fail is another excellent book from Wade J. Halverson, who isn’t afraid of taking on delicate subject matter - September 24, 2010
By Randall Radic - Blogcritics.org
This review is from: 187 When Courts Fail
Vigilante books and movies have been around for a long, long time. And of course, vigilante movies are probably much more famous than vigilante books. Remember the Death Wish series of movies? They starred Charles Bronson as an uptown architect, who, when the legal system proved to be bankrupt, decided to dispense his own brand of justice.
Bronson bought a gun. Then he began walking the streets late at night, using himself as bait. Bad guys were drawn to him like steeling filings to a magnet. Bronson executed them with machine-like efficiency. Never mind the fact that Bronson's character was just as guilty as the criminals he hunted. That wasn't the point of the movies. The point of the movies was this: when the system fails, then someone has to step up and take care of business. Because if they don’t, then no one else will.
The person who fills the gap is the vigilante.
And that's what Wade J. Halverson's action-thriller is about, the concept of vigilantism. It's called 187 When Courts Fail.
The bad guy in Halverson's book is Felix Flowers. Felix Flowers vibes pure evil. Felix Flowers vibes predator. As the story opens, Flowers is in prison. Then he's released. Almost immediately, Flowers oscillates his way through a heinous crime.
Only this time, Flowers picked the wrong guy to mess with. John Boyer is a billionaire, who believes in taking care of business one way or the other. Boyer concludes the court system has failed. So he chooses an alternate route, one that isn't on the map. He goes hyper-vigilante.
Boyer hooks up with Kane Silver and his brotherhood. Kane's brotherhood specializes in righteous terminal mayhem. Taking care of business is Kane's middle name. Boyer's vigilantism exceeds all rational boundaries, going beyond the pale. Imagine Clint Eastwood in his ultra-violent Magnum Force joining up with the vigilante cops, and you'll begin to understand the point of the compass Halverson's story follows. Over-the-top doesn't begin to describe it.
There are at least two ways to approach When Courts Fail, philosophically speaking. The first approach is to accept the story as nothing more than pure fiction, a story written for the purpose of entertainment. The other approach involves the presentation and adjudication of a radical answer to atrocious criminality, a form of criminality that Halverson defines as “terrorism.” Whether or not vigilantism is ever justified makes for interesting debate. Readers will have to decide for themselves precisely at what point right and wrong converge, thus producing a kind of moral Schrodinger’s Cat dilemma.
Stylistically, Halverson is the literary offspring of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert Heinlein, with just a dash of Vince Flynn. A volatile combination that translates into full-spectrum, phase-locked, pulsating action from the word ‘go.’ Yet at the same time, a mystical spirituality pokes its head up every now and then, making Kane and his crew much more than mere thugs-for-hire. Kane is a sensitive human being, who attempts to navigate a moral passage through a modern world trapped in mediation, disillusion, and self-inflicted impotence.
187 Pain and Bliss is highly recommended - September 01, 2010
By Randall Radic - Blogcritics.org
This review is from: 187 Pain and Bliss (Hardcover)
When much younger (a long, long time ago), the reviewer, yours truly, and his brothers lived vicarious lives through so-called pulp fiction. The authors of pulp fiction were referred to by the hoity-toity, high literary types (a phrase that has to be spoken with minimal enunciation, using the nasal passages) as “hacks.” Some of these snobs dignified such authors by appending the term ‘writer’ to the term ‘hack’ hackwriters.
The implication of either expression was definitely derogatory.
The Brothers Radic paid no attention to such literary fastidiousness. Essentially, the Brothers Radic considered the tastes and preferences of the intellectual elite to be false, doctrinaire, artificial, shrill, shallow, uncertain, eclectic, jejune, and insincere. In other words, the Brothers Radic believed that the literary aristocrats were missing out on a whole bunch of fun by eschewing such writers as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert Heinlein, and Robert E. Howard.
For example, Robert E. Howard conceived Bran Mak Morn, who was a warrior-hero of the Picts, and Solomon Kane, who was a combination of Bruce Lee and Snake Slipkin (Escape from New York). These swashbuckling adventurers lived and breathed danger, dark intrigue, and exhilarating combat. Put simply, they saved the day by kicking butt and annihilating legions of bad guys, who were responsible for putting ‘evil’ in the word devil. The damsels they saved were frail and vulnerable and beautiful.
In hindsight, Solomon Kane and Bran Mak Morn were the worst stereotypes of macho, imperialist males. Which goes a long way toward explaining why they were so much fun to read. Pulp fiction was and is so much fun for one simple reason. It’s pure, unadulterated Darwinism: only the strong survive!
Happily, this kind of writing is still around. One purveyor of action-packed, rock-em-sock-em, macho tales is Wade J. Halverson, who himself has lived a most unusual life. Halverson was a super-heavyweight Thai boxer, holds multiple black belts in various martial art disciplines, and worked as a bodyguard for the rich and famous.
All that to say this: Halverson has lived what he writes. And he writes Kane Silver novels, the latest of which is 187 Pain and Bliss. And it's a doozy.
187 Pain and Bliss is the story of 10-year old Axle Hunter, who, surviving a plane crash, finds himself alone, standing in the middle of an opium poppy field in Thailand. Adopted and raised by Chang So'Ming, a drug lord, Axle grows up in a world of violence, honor, and tradition.
When rival drug cartels murder the only family Axle has ever known, he seeks revenge. Yet Axle can't take down the bad guys by himself. Enter Kane Silver, who teaches Axle the true meaning of honor. And it goes without saying there's a lot of hand-to-hand combat and dead bad guys involved in the learning process.
187 Pain and Bliss is not high literary stuff. Which is why it's so much fun. Reading 187 Pain and Bliss is akin to watching both Kill Bill movies, Reservoir Dogs, The Boondock Saints, and Snatch all at the same time. In other words, there's just enough character development so the reader identifies with the protagonists, but the driving force of the story is action, action, action. Which means Halverson does his job well. He writes action-packed pulp fiction. There's no namby-pamby stuff included.
Halverson has a real knack for action thrillers. He crafts his story carefully, moving from scene to scene with just the right amount of escalating tension. The chapters are short, as they have to be. And the dialogue is authentic, which adds reality and humanity to the characters.
Admittedly, this type of ferociously goosed up, testosterone dripping yarn is not for everyone. But for readers who crave careening action and gladiator-like fight scenes where no quarter is asked and none is given, 187 Pain and Bliss is just the right cup of tea.
Mr. Halverson delivers again with a story chock full of rage, ferocity, revenge, and vengeance - September 05, 2010
By Rubiconreader
This review is from: 187 Pain and Bliss (Hardcover)
This book was given to me by the author, there, now that that stupid disclaimer is out of the way, they say that the sophomore book is harder to write than the first one, especially if (as in this case) the first one was very good. Apparently Mr. Halverson didn’t get that memo. I’m glad he stuck with the formula that made his first book so good, so brutal, so sudden, while showing us the power of friendship and loyalty. While this story is billed as a ‘Kane Silver’ novel, the bad muther in this book is Axle.
Axle is on a plane with his mother that crashes into the jungles of Thailand. To survive a place crash is one thing, but to do it on the outskirts in the middle of nowhere AND at ten years old takes someone special. Or wild. From then on Axle’s life is one long barbaric game of survival. Through violence he is introduced to the jungle. He is parented by violence and violence permeates his skin like drunken jungle mosquitoes. To quell this force Alex becomes a world-class fighter and dedicates his life to training. He does well for himself and even finds himself some local tail. But when you breathe, live, smell, taste, and caress violence, it only makes sense that it will find its way back to you. Violence finds its way back to Axle and the path it blazes is white frikkin’ hot. But not nearly as hot as the path Axle blazes back as he tracks down those responsible. One by bloody, agonizing, murdering one.
Like his first book, Wade wrote this one like if he doesn’t get it out fast enough, something else will. I’ve come to realize that this extremely fast writing style is just how Wade is. There were a few times where it was a little too fast and I wanted more background dammit! But that’s his M.O. so I just dealt. That’s always a good/bad thing with authors like this. What they write is so good that you go through it like Kim Kardashian does bikini wax, but then you have to wait until they drink themselves into another book. (Stephen King reference, not Mr. Halverson).
MY RATING IS 5 STARS - December 07, 2010
By Sherrie
This review is from: 187 Pain and Bliss (Hardcover)
MY THOUGHTS: This is the second book from Wade J. Halverson that I have read. He's a very good writer, and this series of books is loaded with thrills, suspense and mystery. As Axle is devastated by the brutal deaths of his family, he is looking for some help. He heads to the one man that he can trust, Kane Silver. Kane has a business called Securities & Such. Along with Kane there is Valentinao and Si'Ling. Hank is the one that oversees them all, kind of like a dad. Kane, Valentinao, Si'Ling and Axle start their packing to head to China. Their job is to track down the people who killed Axle's family. Does Axle get his revenge for his families deaths? You'll have to read the book to find out.
Get a copy as soon as you can, and enjoy the trip! - December 12, 2009
By Fredamans
This review is from: Life After 187
Right from the beginning I was hooked! Not a page, chapter or minute was I bored or had a flat feeling. I was truly rapt in the story, and had a hard time when having to put the book down. It had something for men, and for women. It was action packed, I mean fully loaded, for the guys. And it had a softer, more romantic side for the ladies. By now means a Harlequin, this is a hard hitting story that I can't wait for the sequel!!
Get a copy as soon as you can, and enjoy the trip!
This book draws you in!!! - July 24, 2010
By Larry D Larson
This review is from: Life After 187 (Hardcover)
I was told that my cousin Wade Halverson is a writer, but I didn't realize on how great of a writer and storyteller that he is until I read his book "Life after 187". His writing and descriptions of his characters in the book are excellent. With all the violence in the world today, there is still always the hope and goodness that comes out in the end. Wade shows this in this book!! His characters come to life in this book and throughout the story you get the sense that you know them. I have always heard the expression that you should write about what you know and Wade has surely shown this in his book. Well done, Wade!!!
Wade Halverson delivers an intriguing antihero that commands fear and enthrall - March 15, 2010
By Shawn A. Huestis "Fellow Writer"
This review is from: Life After 187 (Paperback)
Kane silver is a murderer whose brutality has been honed by grueling training and tragedy. Through his struggles, you see the shadier sides of the American prison system and blood sport fighting. In a deeper sense, you feel kinship for his friends, and passion for his lovers. The pacing hurls you through the wintry heights of Tahoe, down to the sweltering streets of Argentina. Life After 187 is a must read for anyone who enjoys a deadly fight.
Fun, Fast, Enjoyable and Fresh - February 6, 2010
By Doc Mike (USA, San Diego)
This review is from: Life After 187 (Paperback)
I'm a reader,... I enjoy Speculative Fiction, Classics, Horror, Sci-Fi and Techno-Thrillers.
I enjoy all genres and feel that I have a good, sound insight as to what is entertaining, reflective and rewarding in a book.
A good friend of mine introduced me to, and highly recommended that I read "Life After 187" and, like all books before I read them, I do a little research. I knew very little about the themes and background in the intro to this book. I read the reviews and I thought,..."Why Not"?
WELL........ I'm thankful I did.
In all of the books I have read over the years that I can recall there are few, if any, that are so visceral, so engrossing and so RAW, that I could not put them down.
There is an abrupt, piercing, staccato to the storytelling that held me from page one. Complementing the unique style of the writing, is a clean, conscice "In your face" style of structure that builds Clear and Tangible moments. A style which few Authors can produce.
The characters are likable,,..I actually CARED about them, and yes,....I Identified with and was rooting for them.
It's a great beginning to what I hope is a series of some really great characters I've come to know and respect and care about; I hope there is more.
You had me at page 1 - January 31, 2010
By Amy Joseph (California)
This review is from: Life After 187 (Paperback)
This book had my full attention from the first page. I felt like I knew the characters, cared what happened to them and got immersed in the story immediately. This book gave me a perfect visual of what was happening and who the cast of characters were and what they were about. It's a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat, as if you were watching an action-thriller type movie. I wholeheartedly recommend it.
As a footnote, my teenage son is now reading it and can't put it down. He's not the bookworm type kid. This is the first book he's ever 'wanted' to read. He's loving it. He talks about it each day after reading in school. He will write his own review when he's finished. But to all the moms and dads out there who's teenage boys don't want to read the boring books the school sends home, the typical "boy fishing down stream loses his dog" books, Life After 187 has my son fascinated and reading on his own! Great balance good/bad written with good taste.
I can't wait for more books By Wade Halverson!
Great read!! Can't wait for the next book in thie series - January 27, 2010
By Jill (California)
This review is from: Life After 187 (Paperback)
I was excited to read this book, took it with me on a trip and read it cover to cover..did not want to put it down. It possesses all the elements of a great read...suspense, action, adventure and sexy. It was an exciting, tough as nails book and i found the characters to be very intriguing. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.
Outstanding Page Turner - January 26, 2010
By C. Morrissey
This review is from: Life After 187 (Paperback)
What a great story! The characters that Halverson creates are extremely tough. Three of them are in prison for life and seem to take a great deal of joy in a good fight; however, as I read the story, I found myself thinking that these guys are very like-able. I truly enjoyed the fact that I was provided enough detail about the surroundings and the physical attributes of the characters that I was easily able to imagine them. Thank you to Wade Halverson for staying away from the urge to explain every last detail!
Hope to see more from both Halverson and Kane Silver!
Page Turner - January 20, 2010
By Crowdie (Ohio, USA)
This review is from: Life After 187 (Paperback)
Wade Halverson hooked me from page one and I love a page turner. I thought the characters were great although I wouldn't have minded a little more background on them. Mr. Halverson has a true gift for telling a story but I did think he could have given us even more and made the story longer. Being from the West Coast, it was fun to see familiar places mentioned in his writing. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read.
No-holds-barred Action - January 19, 2010
By Sheree McLeod
This review is from: Life After 187 (Paperback)
Life After 187 grabbed me from the first page, which is just as well because it is a very quick read. It's obvious that Halverson writes what he knows, and does it well. Intense and authentic, the author's simple but direct style of writing plays almost like a movie. I thought the fight scenes were great and I would have liked to see more (which surprised me.) However this isn't just an action-packed adrenaline ride, there are moments of quiet, where the bond of friendship and honour between Kane, Si and Val are at the forefront of this novel bringing about the light and shade, essential to a good story!
Kane, along with Chinese monk Si'Ling and Valentino, a bad-ass Mexican are all serving consecutive life sentences for murder. I felt a huge amount of sympathy for Kane early in the story but must admit I was surprised to be rooting for the 'bad' guys from the beginning; testament to the great job Halverson does portraying these characters. Violence, pain and despair are combined with friendship, loyalty, respect, honour and a strong moral code, traits which make these atypical heroes so easy to like.
An entertaining read with strong characters more than making up for any implausible plot scenes. Thoroughly recommended for fans of no-holds-barred action.
Exciting but violent - January 6, 2010
By Elena
This review is from: Life After 187 (Paperback)
Fast moving, violent and exciting.
The main character is in prison for murder, and yet, I found that I had to like him - mostly because I could understand his reasons. But so much of the rest of the world he inhabits is corrupt. The situations Kane Silver is in almost from the time he enters prison almost seem to be too much to believe. Open fighting at parties, bribes. I can understand the underground nature once he escapes, but at the beginning? The one other thing that pushed a bit beyond my belief was the way every woman Kane met fell into his bed immediately.
Still, whether or not the book pushes your bounds of belief, it's an exciting, quick read. The descriptions are concise and vivid, as is the action. There are a lot of fights, but they do provide insight into the characters.
This is a Kick-Butt Book! - December 17, 2009
By Cecile B. Smith (USA)
This review is from: Life After 187 (Paperback)
This book was given to me by the author, Mr. Halverson for review. The thoughts that are expressed are solely mine and mine alone. Now on the review...
This book is kick ass. There is some steamy sex, a hell'va lot of action, and the courage of a true man. Please meet Kane Silver. Now, this book was not very high on the romance, but I will tell you that Kane made it to my Sex On A Stick Man status. How you might ask... I will let the story unfold.
Kane was raised in a military family all his life, moving from one post to another with his family. His father made the military his career; so Kane was raised to be the best the best could be. Kane followed in his father's footsteps. At the age of 25 years old, Kane's fellow comrades deemed him a Greek statue. He was in awesome shape, good looking and I my words, just plain hot. But it was not just his physical features that drew me to him, no. It was the man himself. He was all a man should be and more. He was the perfect gentleman, the perfect soldier, and all around great guy. But I do not want you to think that they man was all that perfect, for he was not ~ no one is.
Kane meet Melinda when he was serving in the Persian Gulf war. They hit it off instantly ~ love at first sight. I have to give my hat off to Mr. Wade for bringing the characters to life for me. I could see the love that Kane and Melinda shared. How deep it ran and how true it was. The depht of how they truly adored each other.
One day, like any other, all that changed. Kane's world was rocked and not in a good way. One afternoon, four men decided to break into Kane's house; with the Melinda inside. Well, the events that unfold broke my heart and had tears in my eyes. But the story did not end there.
No, Mr. Wade pushed farther into the depths of how far would a man go to do the right thing. Kane's life changed. I do not want to give away to much of the book, but know that I found myself rooting for Kane through the whole thing. The thing that may bore some women are the fighting scenes. I watch a lot of mma(mixed martial arts) shows and such, so for me, this was awesome. I felt like I was standing on the side of Kane and his opponent, watching them fight. I felt like I was right there when Kane would be doing his daily workouts. Mr. Wade did a brilliant job at luring into the intoxicating tale of Kane's journey in life.
I can honestly say this was an awesome book. The ride it took me one and where it ended, I never saw that coming. The love that is in the book is simply amazing. First with his wife, then you see it trickled down to his friends. Family. The loyalty to everyone Kane comes into contact with is not lost either. He is a man of honor and code and most of all respect.
A man who would defend me no matter the cost, honor his own values and morals, treat everyone with the respect they deserve, fight for his friends and love with all his heart is definitely a sex on a stick man to me. So, if you would like to meet a man of such description, I think you should definitely go out and get this book. It definitely leaving you feeling a sense of satisfaction and it will leave a smile on your face.
Mr. Wade, I appreciate you allowing me the time to read and review your book and I look forward to many more. Good luck to you, sir!