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Book Summary and Reviews of Ghostman by Roger Hobbs

Ghostman by Roger Hobbs

Ghostman

by Roger Hobbs

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  • Published:
  • Feb 2013, 336 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

The sensation of the 2011 Frankfurt Book Fair: a stunningly dark first novel that is sure to become a major publishing event.

When a casino robbery in Atlantic City goes horribly awry the man who orchestrated it is obliged to call in a favor from "Jack." Only thirty or so people are sure this man exists, some believe he's dead, and none know anything at all about his true identity. Those are closely guarded trade secrets, to say the least, for an exceptionally trained, experienced, and talented criminal. But as he struggles to clean up the mess left in the wake of the bungled Atlantic City heist, he finds himself increasingly more visible as he's pursued simultaneously by the FBI and other interested, if mysteriously elusive, parties - a situation that requires every gram of his skill, ingenuity, and self-protective instincts, especially when offense and defense become meaningless terms. 

From its opening pages, Ghostman effortlessly pulls the reader into Jack's refined and peculiar world--and the sophisticated shadowboxing only grows more powerfully intense as the novel moves toward its inexorable conclusion. 

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. Hobbs's supremely confident storytelling should leave readers eagerly anticipating his antihero's future felonies." - Publishers Weekly

"Starred Review. This watertight debut [is] at once slick and gritty… Straight out of the gate, Hobbs has mastered the essentials of a contemporary thriller: a noirlike tone, no-nonsense prose and a hero with just enough personality to ensure he doesn't come off as an amoral death machine [as well as] heart-stopping scenes that illustrate how small mistakes can turn catastrophic." - Kirkus

"A slam-bang, pedal-to-the-metal crime story that fires on all cylinders and then some! Ghostman is a gritty, lean, mean adrenaline machine. Mostly, though, it was just plain fun to read. I absolutely loved this book and cannot recommend it highly enough." - Christopher Reich

This information about Ghostman was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Elizabeth K. (Dallas, TX)

Ghostman - A Thrilling Debut Novel
The main character may be a bad guy, but author Roger Hobbs gives him a clear voice and a code of standards. The hero of Ghostman is a compelling character, and I found myself on his side, rooting for him, despite his off-the-grid criminal lifestyle. The story begins with a botched casino robbery and the hunt for the missing stolen money, which must be recovered quickly before the evil employer who hires Jack Delton, one of many aliases the Ghostman uses, is destroyed. Jack finds himself caught between his scary employer and the even scarier Wolf, a criminal mastermind who owns Atlantic City. The plot twists and turns and the reader wonders who to believe, who to trust, and what to do next, right along with Jack. This amazing story is well-researched, thrilling, and intriguing to the very end. I plan to read everything this author writes, and I look forward to his next book, where I hope we'll not only see more of Jack, but more of the mysterious Angela, as well.

Charlene M. (Murrells Inlet, SC)

Ghost Man - Roger Hobbs
Ghost Man reads like a Mickey Spillaine whodunit. Hobbs creates an anti-hero, Jack Delton, who you're not sure you should root for or hide your wallet. The words come at you like a machine gun, fast and furious. A terrific book which should be a terrific movie. Al Pacino would be a great Marcus. I look forward to reading his second novel.

Jennifer B. (Oviedo, FL)

Impressive!
It is unusual to feel a rush of excitement from a first novel, but that is the case with Ghostman. His descriptive writing made me feel as if I were taking a part in each scene described. Roger Hobbs's style of writing is intelligent without being showy. His method of switching from one heist tale to another kept me interested all the way through the book. Not once did I feel bored.

Julie R. (Woodland, CA)

Ghostman
"Ghostman" is a well written thriller featuring a professional imposter named Jack. Jack is skilled in changing his appearance and voice to match any disguise he is trying to pull off. This skill comes in handy when he needs to disappear after a job or to avoid being caught by the police or FBI. This novel begins with Jack being called in to clean up a botched casino robbery for his colleague Marcus. Little does Jack know that repaying a favor my cost him his life. Will Jack succeed in capturing a missing robber and find the missing money or get caught in the cross fire.

If you are a fan of Dan Brown or Michael Connelly you will like this one. Congratulations to Roger Hobbs in producing a thriller that has won this fan.

Elaine M. (Beaver Falls, PA)

Ghostman
Move over David Baldasci, Vince Flynn, and Lee Child, Roger Hobbs had arrived. Ghostman is an interesting, fast paced first book for Hobbs.
Unlike the authors mentioned, Hobb's character is completely on the wrong side of the law. His protagonist is not the enforcer; but has to clean-up for the enforcer!
This was an unusual read since one finds himself "rooting" for the bad guy and understanding him completely.
When the book is finished, one realizes just how important the cleaner's job is in the scheme of things.
Book clubs would have a great discussion of the main character's main purpose and methods. The book members may even ask themselves, is he really that different from a Jack Reacher?
I enjoyed the book immensely and hope there will be more like this.

Joan R. (Chicago, IL)

Terrific Thriller
I am not someone who reads thrillers, but I gave this one a try and am I glad I did! This is a gem of a book---fast paced, well-written and engrossing. I couldn't put it down. I usually avoid thrillers, because I don't enjoy the violence, but the violence in this book, while present, is not excessive. The narrator is intelligent and interesting and the plot's twists and turns are a pleasing challenge. This book would appeal to a wide range of readers--even those like me who don't usually read this genre---so I heartily recommend it.

...16 more reader reviews

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Author Information

Roger Hobbs

Roger Hobbs lives in Portland, Oregon, having graduated from Reed College in 2011 after majoring in English and studying ancient languages, film noir, and literary theory (and also writing this novel). Follow him at facebook.com/Rogerjhobbs and twitter.com/rogerjhobbs.

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