Reviews
“Ferocious, action-packed… a jet-fueled narrative that pays off from start to finish.”
Noise has the ruthless speed and efficiency of one of Donald E. Westlake’s Parker novels. Like those stories, Rose’s book dives deep into pulp when illustrating Leon’s adversaries, who wear evil on their sleeves, with overwrought dialogue to match.
Noise is unquestionably a thrilling read. It races along but still finds time for solid characterization, suspense, and metaphorical touches. It’s an energetic tale with grit and gravity, and a promising start for a first-time novelist.
“One of the year’s most memorable heroes… Leon’s jaw-dropping courage in a world of sleaze and unimaginable danger is pure magic.”
While Garcia Rose has created a classic quest thriller, he’s no less devoted to the art of wordsmithing. Noise features some of the most lush language you’ll find in the genre, at times resembling the carefully crafted prose of Cormac McCarthy.
“A revenge flick dressed up as art house mystery.”
By and large this could simply have been the literary equivalent of one of those revenge flicks you curl up with on the couch, a bowl of popcorn and a beer (or two) close at hand. But no, we’re given a story that’s more than popcorn and violence (though there is plenty of the latter). When Rose isn’t detailing Leon’s choreography of investigation and execution, he offers Leon’s reflections on his predicament and surroundings.
Rose juxtaposes brutality with spirited, yet acerbic, prose. Meticulous attention to detail evokes noirish cinematic imagery. Read the book before Hollywood figures out how to make the movie.
“A wealth of emotionally resonant characters via an action-packed vengeance tale.”
The plot is excellently paced, and the author presents a near perfect balance between quiet character moments and over-the-top action. The prose of Noise is descriptive, evocative, and passionate, raising the novel above its more violent elements.
Leon, who ignores society’s rules and uses his own brand of do-whatever-it-takes justice, operates in a moral gray area but still manages to evoke empathy, as he does what he does out of an overarching sense of family loyalty and love.
“Noise is a force to be reckoned with.”
This is a fast-paced, action filled novel that will leave you breathless… an explosive, and at times terrifying, look at what one man is willing to do for someone he loves.
It stands out in the mystery/thriller genre because it is different. The characters are well developed and the plot makes some interesting and unexpected turns. It is definitely a page turner and once you start reading, it is hard to put down.
On the stories
Losing Found Things →“In one of the best moments in Brett’s story, the narrator recounts how the life of the drummer is one of numbers, of counting. The passage is beautiful.”Short Story Reader
“Years ago, on first reading Catcher in the Rye, it was the voice that astounded me there. The voice had attitude… Brett does that here.”Short Story Reader
“He would carry child-sized scars for the rest of his life. That’s one of those sentences that makes me read and write fiction.”David Erlewine
“The voice here is more sculptor than painter: words hammered into place, into the exactly suited shape and shine, and scratches. Dynamite prose. So good it hurts.”Barry Friesen
“Mind-blowing perfect. Exquisite details, world-weary voice, and people worth knowing. A staggering, compelling work of fiction.”MaryAnne Kolton
“This feels terribly real… This work is frighteningly good.”Meg Pokrass
“A merciless character study… I want his name.”John Minichillo
“A piece of perfect. The language is unbelievable, heady, took me and pulled me into the drama and intensity of feeling.”Yvette Wielhouwer Managan
“Loved this story. It has such an engaging, cinematic quality, and such ferocious language.”J.A. Johnson
“Gorgeous language… such a perfect description of that universal need to connect.”Lauren Becker
“I felt the emotions in this piece: the sadness, the loneliness, the weariness.”Teresa Shen Swingler
“Superbly explosive. The rage escalates and careens out of control.”Ajay Nair
“I read this a couple times and it came up different each time.”Susan Gibb
“Perfect, compact and explosive, closing with the gentlest word.”James Lloyd Davis
“Potent, strong noir.”Larry Strattner
“The language crackles.”Andrew Bowen
“Compelling raw energy.”Susan Tepper
“A beautifully, articulately, sensitively described journey.”Gloria Garfunkel
“Beautiful and moving, wonderfully sustained.”Rachel J. Fenton
“Beautiful and wonderful and sad and real.”Sally Houtman