Back Lash, Chris Knopf
Back Lash, Chris Knopf
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Back Lash

Author: Chris Knopf

Narrator: Keith Szarabajka

Unabridged: 7 hr 27 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/31/2016

Synopsis

As Sam Acquillo tells us in the early pages of Back Lash, “Not everyone gets to live their adult lives orbiting a central mystery.” But that’s how it’s been for Sam, whose entire existence has been defined by a single, horrific event. Now that event has reached out from the deep past, an unwanted visitor, and Sam is forced to unpack, like a Russian doll, secrets within secrets, each more ominous than the one before. What is revealed would be disturbing enough were it not also so personal—not a welcome development for a man who once said, “Avoidance, rationalization, and denial are highly underrated coping strategies.”The action moves from Southampton to the Bronx, where Sam once prowled in the part-time care of his father, owner of a truck-repair business and of a temper that stood out even on the mean streets. It’s here that Sam learns that evil history doesn’t only repeat itself, it can improve upon the original; that no matter how things change, the world of cops and criminals, priests, power brokers, wise guys, and even wiser old bartenders stays the same—or gets much, much worse.

About Chris Knopf

Chris Knopf’s mystery novels have received exceptional awards and accolades, with critics likening his character Sam Aquillo to Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade, Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe, and Robert B. Parker’s Spenser, while repeatedly comparing Knopf’s work to that of Elmore Leonard, John D. MacDonald, and Ross Macdonald. Two Time was one of thirteen mysteries listed as recommended summer reading in the New York Times Book Review, and Publishers Weekly chose it as one of the “Best 100 Books for 2006.” Head Wounds won the 2008 Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Mystery. Dead Anyway was listed on the 2012 Best Fiction lists of both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. Knopf is a sailor, cabinetmaker, and advertising executive in Connecticut. He and his wife Mary also spend considerable time at their Long Island home in Southampton.

About Keith Szarabajka

Keith Szarabajka has appeared in many films, including The Dark Knight, Missing, and A Perfect World, and on such television shows as The Equalizer, Angel, Cold Case, Golden Years, and Profit. Szarabajka has also appeared in several episodes of Selected Shorts for National Public Radio. He won the 2001 Audie Award for Unabridged Fiction for his reading of Tom Robbins’s Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates and has won several Earphones Awards.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Lance

The previous books in this series have been outstanding examples of crime fiction, but this latest entry seems somewhat unfinished, not nearly as polished as its predecessors. The plot is weakly structured and the narrative is undistinguished. At best, an average book in this otherwise exceptional s......more

Goodreads review by Grey853

When Sam Acquillo gets the chance to solve the mystery of his father's murder from 40 years ago, he's reluctant to step up. From flashbacks we learn of how abusive his father was to both Sam and his mother. Yet despite that, he's convinced to at least follow the slim lead. As usual things heat up an......more

Goodreads review by Patricia

I won this preview edition through Goodreads giveaway. Although this is my first exposure to Chris Knopf's Sam Acquillo series, it is a good stand alone. Sam's father was murdered 40 years ago and the case is still open. Joining him in the search for the killer is Madelyn Wollencroft, a cold case det......more

Goodreads review by Cathy

Honor, vengeance, not sure where this should fall - there's a lot going on in a relatively short story. Narration was good, but this may be better as a physical read to keep count on all the characters.......more

Quotes

“It’s not necessary to have read the earlier Sam Acquillo books, but for those who have, there’s extra pleasure in watching Knopf ingeniously work in exposition. Knopf is particularly good creating secondary characters with distinct idiosyncrasies…An intelligent author who knows how to keep us entertained while flattering our intelligence.” NPR

“Knopf has a way with prose and plotting, as well as a knack for creating a range of full-bodied characters, and that combination makes this seventh in the Sam Acquillo series a true pleasure for mainstream crime-fiction readers.” Booklist (starred review)

“Nicely plotted…Sam must contend with his father’s ghost and his father’s surviving enemies. Sam’s backstory adds depth to an already strong character.” Publishers Weekly

“Knopf keeps the pot steadily simmering.” Kirkus Reviews

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