By: Richard North Patterson Publisher: Ballantine Books Average Rating: Binding: Mass Market Paperback Label: Ballantine Books Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 368 Publication Date: July 12, 1985 Release Date: July 12, 1985
Product Description: "Mr. Patterson is a natural storyteller....Fast moving...A handsome job." THE NEW YORK TIMES William Lasko is a self-made millionaire who's got an eye for wealth and influence, the ear of the president, and a talent for using both to get what he wants. Now the Economic Crimes Commission wants the corrupt, untouchable Lasko brought down--and U.S. Attorney Christopher Paget is tapped to take on the job. To gather enough evidence to nail Lasko without alienating the White House, Paget's got to go by the book. But Lasko makes his own rules. And eliminating enemies is William Lasko's golden one....
ANOTHER WINNER! Good story, well crafted and hard to put down! I'll read ALL his books in the future.
Very Well Written, but Problematic in Some Areas THE LASKO TANGENT is Richard North Patterson's first novel, written in 1978 at the age of twenty-nine. It won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel, and Patterson later wrote two massively successful books featuring the same lead character in the early 1990s.
For a debut, THE LASKO TANGENT is extremely well written. Patterson is clearly a first-rate wordsmith, and you can see his talent virtually leap off the page. My major problem with this novel, however, is that the central character is not particularly likable. He is a young, rather arrogant individual who is hard to care for. Since he is the only fully developed character in the book, this creates a novel without much of a hero.
THE LASKO TANGENT also has remarkably convoluted storyline that focuses on a complex money laundering scheme. Although I ultimately found this plot quite clever, it is rather hard to follow in spots. The hero's job is never clearly defined or explained to the reader. I also found the ending of this novel abrupt and rather unsatisfying.
Ultimately, I recommend this book only for hardcore fans of Patterson. The prose is definitely first-rate, but I felt the characterization and plot were somewhat lacking. If you're new to Patterson, you may want to try his later novels first, such as DEGREE OF GUILT.
CRISP BUT NOT TOTALLY SATISFYING This is Patterson's first book, and in his introduction he offers an explanation for its inception. Christopher Paget appears in two later novels, "Degree of Guilt" and "Eyes of a Child" which are far superior novels than this one. Be warned, though---if you read "Degree of Guilt" first you'll pretty much know what happens in this book. Paget is a little overbearing and cynical in this one and not as likeable in his mature years. The pace is pretty effective, and the villains are appropriately nasty. I found the ending a tad bit too brisk; it just seemed to end. RECOMMENDED IN ORDER TO ENJOY THE BETTER SEQUELS.
Early Patterson Pretty Smokin' This is the first of the "Paget Trilogy" and is a pretty decent book. Let's remember Patterson was 29 when he wrote this back in 1979. I guess that could explain the dope references, which didn't bother me at all. A flawed main protagonist??? Oh my God, The HORROR!!! Easy read that will set you up for the much better "Degree of Guilt".
Audio Version Lacks Sophistication My wife and I bought this tape for something to listen to while traveling cross country in the car. Though it's abridged, we felt the author's endorsement would ensure a quality presentation -- big mistake.
First of all, Ken Howard's voice offered little range and capability in offering distinctions between the various characters, and he clearly sounds nothing like a 29-year old protagonist. The novel's dialogue doesn't help on this last point, however, as I had difficulty being convinced that Paget could be both this jaded and self-assured at such a young age.
Most of the characters were two-dimensional sterotypes with limited depth -- especially the women, of which there were too few. These guys are supposed to be big corporate and government hardball players, and yet get flustered everytime Paget talks tough (Ohhh, I'm sooo scared of you). There also appears to be virtually no sensory information in the narrative beyond a visual context -- we know almost nothing about any of the character's personalities or their appearance and mannerisms throughout the book. This applies to descriptions and sensations of the locales as well. I suppose this could have been what was cut as part of the abridged version.
The plot stalls for about half of the book, but picks up quickly at the end, but Paget's failure in attempting to analyze and interpret his first big clue (a written note) is a big investigative oversight right from the start.
Anything Goes Trivia
Last Kiss
Megaton Man
Trevor
