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A Simple Act of Violence | 
 enlarge | Author: R.j. Ellory
Publisher: Orion
Category: Book
List Price: £9.99
Buy New: £5.49
You Save: £4.50 (45%)
New (19) Used (2) from £3.75
Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 1996
Media: Paperback
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 1.6
ISBN: 0752891898
EAN: 9780752891897
ASIN: 0752891898
Publication Date: October 2, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. Shipped from UK Mainland. Delivery is usually 2 - 3 working days from order by Royal Mail, International Delivery is by Airmail.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
Soaring with Angels November 16, 2008
D. Hurst (Tavistock, Devon)
ASAOV is up there with A Quiet Belief In Angels. RJE's words are a pleasure to read, and the fact that his subject matter in a crime novel is much more heavyweight than most only adds to the power of its impact. RJE's great ability is to be able to write such wonderful sentences that I would read them if there was no sense to what they were saying. The fact is it's a captivating story, and one that might just change the way you view the world.
A thriller in every sense of the word November 9, 2008
Wish For The Moon
A Simple Act of Violence
If you want a superb mystery that keeps you turning the pages, then look no further. A Simple Act of Violence is a thriller in every sense of the word.
Never one to patronise or underestimate his readers, Roger Jon Ellory delivers a fast paced story, written with intelligence, thoughtful characterisations, punchy dialogue and such an ability to evoke heart stopping scenarios that he has gained a huge and loyal following. His dialogue is realistic, humorous and individual to each character. His prose is eloquent, written with intention and to great effect. Another reviewer, one-eyed Jack, may have been smiling to himself when reading the first few pages, but, as a woman who has experienced evenings alone in my home, the irony that OEJ refers to passed me by - the tension created in the first page alone left me with hairs standing up on the back of my neck. RJE certainly knows how to hook you fast and effectively.
The subject matter is that of serial killer and CIA conspiracy entwined so skilfully as to challenge the reader to examine his or her own understanding of American politics. RJE's power of keen observation allows him to create characters who are touchingly flawed and imbued with great humanity, even to the point that the reader can feel compassion for someone who has committed atrocities that are almost unimaginable. He also has a disconcerting gift for describing emotional events that allow the reader to relate to them so much that you can end up feeling sucker punched and have to take time to recover your composure. I know I did.
Having read all his published novels, I am no longer astonished at RJE's versatility. You couldn't do better than to spend some quality time with the writings of an author who is so clearly passionate about what he does and what he does with such virtuosity.
A Simple Act of Brilliance! November 9, 2008
M. J. Bulmer (Scotland)
After first reading A Quiet Belief in Angels I knew I had found the work of a brilliant author, so then I bought his other books and read them all which are fantastic! So it seemed a long wait for his next novel A Simple Act of Violence to come out, but believe me it was worth the wait!
ASAOV is the story of a group of women that have been murdered and the press dub the person the ribbon killer! You only have to read the first few pages and you are at once in the room with next victim awaiting her fate, you don't dare breathe as you are reading it, its that good, so with a start like that of course you just want to read more and more. The book is 500 pages long and to use one of Roger's signature words it only felt like just a 'handful of moments' and you don't want the moment to end.
This books weaves in so much, his work is never just a story its so much more, for me they are an eduation in events gone by that after reading you just want to find out a bit more about and try to distingish between fact and fiction, and think about the world a little more deeply.
The main characters Detective Robert Miller and John Robey are so real and in one part they have a conversation which reminded me a scene from Silence of the Lambs with Robey being Hannibal Lecter, and Miller, Clarice Starling having his vunerability and frustrations being exposed - very clever.
Please read this book it is full of suspense, you will not be disappointed and then tell a friend to read it to! he deserves the recognition - Roger Ellory is so talented. I can't wait now until June 09 for his next book and after reading any ASAOV you won't to.
Put your life on hold for this one! November 6, 2008
J. Bird (UK)
Quite why R J Ellory had to write 22 novels and amass 500 rejection letters before he could find a publisher, is quite, quite beyond me. This is a cracking good novel.
When I started "A Simple Act of Violence" I was trying to follow the advice of another reviewer of Ellory's novels on this site, don't rush it, but savour the writing. I can see what he meant. It's complex, meticulously researched, packed with deeply disturbing detail, all the more disturbing because you know the backdrop is real. It pays to step back occasionally and reflect on what you've read, however tempting it is to race through it.
And it's full of people you come to care about and want to share a beer with, and those you really don't ever want to meet in a dark alley. The light and shade of human nature. Ellory's characters are real humans, not two-dimensional replicas. You spend time in their company. By the end of the novel you feel like you know them, like they've told you their life story. And you're not going to forget them, or that story, in a hurry. With family man Al Roth, busy creating his own dynasty, and single, troubled Detective Robert Miller, that's a pleasure. They're good men, worn, weary, and have seen the worst of what humans can do to each other. And they keep trying to clean up the mess that humans make. They're the kind of men the world needs. And like all humans, like all friends, Robert has demons and dark corners and he does things that infuriate and exasperate you. He does the wrong thing to do the right thing. He crosses his own lines because he cares too much. I found myself, like his neighbour and friend Harriet, begging him to get more sleep, eat a bit more, and care a bit less. And then you remember you're reading a novel, you don't actually know the guy and you can't influence his behaviour. I did thank Ellory for giving Robert the indulgent, gentle kindness of Harriet and Zalman Shamir, his neighbours who run the cafe downstairs from his apartment. Harriet is a delight, and she has Robert sussed. She says something to him which I can't quote, it would give too much away. But it had me laughing out loud. I don't know if she wore glasses, but she was clearly looking at him over them and wagging a finger. Olympia Dukakis will play her, one day.
It's superb. Buy it, read it, and read it again.
Ellory does it again November 2, 2008
M. Perks (West Midlands)
Having read and been totally captivated by Ellory's last novel A Quiet Belief in Angels, I was very much looking forward to reading his new novel and bought it as soon as it came out. I am happy to report that yet again Ellory has written another great book.
It would be unfair to compare it to A Quiet Belief, as it is radically different. But I found it a fantastic read in its own right. From the moment Catherine Sheridan's body is found it becomes clear that all is not as it seems. Especially when it's discovered Sheridan had terminal cancer. A ribbon attached to the body makes it seem it is the work of a serial killer called the Ribbon Killer.
As the story progresses we learn that Sheridan doesn't exist in any records, nor do any of the other victims. Robert Miller is the detective assigned to find the killer. What he finally uncovers is a conspiracy and corruption of the highest order that threatens his life.
There is a lot of clever interplay between the main suspect a college professor John Robery and Robert Miller as the story unfolds and reaches a dramatic climax.
It is controversial in its theme that power corrupts and is concerning the activities of the CIA in Nicaragua but none the less it is a riveting read and is certainly different than your usual crime thriller. Whilst the story is complex Ellory's skill as a writer makes it a page turner of gigantic proportions. It confirms his place at the very top of crime writing in this country. I would recommend it and any of his other books to anyone. His new book due out in June can't quickly enough.
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