This book really had me enthralled.

A cross between The Goldfinch and a gritty thriller.

It takes a little to get the story started, but once it does there is a lot going on. The main character is completely believable while the assorted cast of bad guys makes you scared to drive anywhere near the desert.

5 stars!

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. This story is amazing! The book follows the major characters for several decades. The action is swift and compelling and the twists are spiked throughout. I totally recommend this book if the reader enjoys psychological thrillers loaded with revenge and non-stop adventure.

At its best The Skeleton Palms by Cary Watson has a noirish Jim Thompson (Pop. 1280, The Killer Inside Me) quality to it, at its worst it is overlong, uneven, and cliched. Basically, it's the life story of a sociopathic man named Tom Bridger, a man who is not terribly sympathetic but not without some positive qualities.

It's an ambitious story that begins with Bridger caught up in a dispute between a billionaire and his trophy wife, there's some confusion at first as the reader is dropped into a situation with no preamble and then has to follow along on faith that it will all make sense at some point and it mostly does but it takes a loooong time getting to it. The chapters alternate between "today" (the current situation) and the "distant past" (how young Tom Bridger's life led him to be the man in this predicament).

The contemporary part of the story is full of cliches and speeches about jaded rich people and the corrupting influence of obscene wealth, etc. The other part is a coming of age story that profiles the making of a killer. It has a lot more nuance and a bit more sympathy (Tom is only 8-years old when this part begins) but alas, it is a little overlong... Tries to be too much and ends up being a bit of a struggle to read as the narrative ebbs and flows and has too many climactic resolutions that don't seem to get resolved.

This book could have made two complete full length novels though, no doubt, some of the impact would have been lost. The two narratives are somewhat different styles. The coming of age part being more along the lines of a dark fable - ,almost Dickensian in its bleakness with over-the-top Tarantino sensibilities. The contemporary portion is part convoluted revenge tale with action/adventure flourishes.

The end result, for me, was that it was just too long and uneven. I wouldn't recommend it but at the same time I might suggest it as an example of something more ambitious and experimental than the norm.

*""I received a free digital copy of this title through net galley.

This is a story that tries really hard to be good. Really really hard and therein lies the problem. This person knows how to to write but gets carried away and throws in almost every noir crime cliche there is. The story is told in varying timelines but they don't sync and the timing is off so every time it happened I just wanted to stop reading. And not start it again. I had to make myself finish this and that doesn't happen often. I found myself wanting to redline it constantly. If nothing else, it needed a good editor to put some context around things and maybe rein this writer in a bit. This would have made a better short story....in fact several short stories. With some coherent character development. Everyone in this story you've seen/read before and they are all hollow. They needed some fleshing out but instead not only do you not get to know them much but you can't even really connect with any of them. I hate giving bad reviews...I realize this is someones career choice but in all good conscience I just can't give this more than the obligatory one star. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.