November Road
Ratings8
Average rating4.1
15
Ratings8
Average rating4.1
"When people say they want to read a really good novel, the kind you just can't put down, this is the kind of book they mean. Exceptional." —STEPHEN KING “Berney’s emotional, empathetic writing keeps . . . the pages turning.” —ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, “Required Reading” NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY Entertainment Weekly • Washington Post • AARP • Newsweek • Dallas Morning News • South Florida Sun-Sentinel • Chicago Public Library • Real Book Spy • CrimeReads • Litreactor • Library Journal • LitHub • Booklist Winner of the Barry, Macavity, and Anthony Awards, the Hammett Prize, the Left Coast Crime “Lefty” Award for Best Mystery Novel, the Oklahoma Book Award for Best Fiction Novel, and the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award for Best Thriller Novel! Set against the assassination of JFK, a poignant and evocative crime novel that centers on a desperate cat-and-mouse chase across 1960s America—a story of unexpected connections, daring possibilities, and the hope of second chances from the Edgar Award-winning author of The Long and Faraway Gone. Frank Guidry’s luck has finally run out. A loyal street lieutenant to New Orleans’ mob boss Carlos Marcello, Guidry has learned that everybody is expendable. But now it’s his turn—he knows too much about the crime of the century: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Within hours of JFK’s murder, everyone with ties to Marcello is turning up dead, and Guidry suspects he’s next: he was in Dallas on an errand for the boss less than two weeks before the president was shot. With few good options, Guidry hits the road to Las Vegas, to see an old associate—a dangerous man who hates Marcello enough to help Guidry vanish. Guidry knows that the first rule of running is "don’t stop," but when he sees a beautiful housewife on the side of the road with a broken-down car, two little daughters and a dog in the back seat, he sees the perfect disguise to cover his tracks from the hit men on his tail. Posing as an insurance man, Guidry offers to help Charlotte reach her destination, California. If she accompanies him to Vegas, he can help her get a new car. For her, it’s more than a car— it’s an escape. She’s on the run too, from a stifling existence in small-town Oklahoma and a kindly husband who’s a hopeless drunk. It’s an American story: two strangers meet to share the open road west, a dream, a hope—and find each other on the way. Charlotte sees that he’s strong and kind; Guidry discovers that she’s smart and funny. He learns that’s she determined to give herself and her kids a new life; she can’t know that he’s desperate to leave his old one behind. Another rule—fugitives shouldn’t fall in love, especially with each other. A road isn’t just a road, it’s a trail, and Guidry’s ruthless and relentless hunters are closing in on him. But now Guidry doesn’t want to just survive, he wants to really live, maybe for the first time. Everyone’s expendable, or they should be, but now Guidry just can’t throw away the woman he’s come to love. And it might get them both killed.
Reviews with the most likes.
This tale worked for me. Frank Guidry losing his heart over Charlotte was just credible enough. The pacing of the story-telling excellent.
This is one of the best crime novels I have read. There are three main characters. The first is young mother traveling with two little daughters and a dog. The other two are a smooth talking fixer and a stone-cold killer, both employed by a New Orleans mob boss.
Their stories intertwine as they make their ways across the country. Each is transformed by their journey, but in very different ways. Lots of interesting characters encountered along the way add color to the story. Things get very tense, life altering decisions have to be made, and the body count gets high.
I really cannot say much more without giving things away. (I recommend avoiding the publisher's cover text, which I think gives way too much detail.) Just read and enjoy.
I've read a lot of non-fiction books surrounding the JFK assassination but this was my first novelized version. Though not about Kennedy himself, his death serves as the backdrop and involves real-life characters that may or may not have been involved.
The book primarily follows Charlotte and Guidry on the run, eventually crossing paths, with Barone on their tail having been sent by Carlos Marcello. All of the storylines here are strong and intertwine well. There's a great deal of action, too. The story flies by.
I latched onto Guidry the most which surprised me given I figured I'd be more inclined toward Charlotte. I do like her and her daughters' story, but I wasn't super into it until Guidry entered the picture. I like the growth he goes through with the family.
For as great as the action was, there was a lot going on for a 300 page book. I found it difficult to follow at times, though thankfully, they weren't major plot points and were infrequent. This messed with the pacing a bit but ultimately didn't take away from the story.
