9/29/2020

Kein Falscher Schritt by Brad Parks

The Last Act was the second thriller written by him I´ve read and my result is that this book is only predictable and boring average. There is no tension, no profoundness, and the plot´s not new either. Sad, to say it, but no recommendation from my side. 

Kein Falscher Schritt*

by Brad Parks
Translation Helga Augustin
Original Title The Last Act
Publisher Fischer TB on August 26, 2020
Genre Thriller
Pages 427
Format Paperback
Source Fischer TB
Goodreads
✶✶✶ 

For Tommy Jump it is the role of his life: The FBI wants to smuggle him into prison for a large sum so that he can find out about the former money launderer of a drug cartel. This is said to have highly explosive documents with which the entire cartel could be broken up. But Tommy underestimated his role, the cartel´s arm extends further than expected. Because he´s not the only one who wants these documents. Now it all depends on Tommy playing his role perfectly, otherwise, it will be his last. (personal translation by ©Vi at Inkvotary).

Story

Tommy has doubts. His last engagement as an actor is over and there is no new one insight and his girlfriend is not sure if she will marry him or not. Filled with questions about his uncertain future he meets his old schoolfriend Danny and Danny offers him a very lucrative job. He wants Tommy to play the role of his life – in prison. Soon Tommy and his girlfriend are part of a dangerous game that shows that nothing goes as planned.

Style

When I read a thriller, I expect the unexpected. I want growing tension until the very end of the story. A main character who shows at least some sort of integrity, who convinces and knows that things will be fine one way or the other, even though circumstances say something completely different. 

Tommy is initially a charming and positive-thinking man who is looking for a new acting engagement and who wants nothing more than to marry his girlfriend. The moment Tommy meets his old friend Danny, his mind and everything else goes downhill. Instead of using his brain and thinking clearly, Tommy shows that money is all he needs to act like a desperate man – which he wasn´t at that moment. As a reader, it annoyed me that the main character literally had to throw away the logical mind in a scene in order to allow a plot to continue for the rest of the book. The story itself is like chewing tasteless gum. No fast-paced story, no exciting elements, or something that makes you bite your nails while reading. 

Characters

The main figure is a pale and not very convincing man who is all too often terribly negative in his thoughts when things don´t go as planned or the way he wants them to. At first, that was something I could ignore but after it turned out to be a main part of Tommy´s character, it was only annoying. 

I don´t know why Brad Parks gave his protagonist this negative change or what the reason behind it was, but for me, it was only another weakness of this thriller. The figures were one big cliché. How boring!

Conclusion

I`m not sure what the writer wanted to achieve with this thriller. The plot isn´t new and most of the story reads like a Déjà vu from another book. What a waste of time. However, this is only my opinion. Read and judge for yourself. 

Happy reading

*This book was kindly provided to me by Fischer TB in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.

Deutsche Rezension

Stil

Wenn ich einen Thriller lese, erwarte ich das Unerwartete. Ich möchte wachsende Spannung bis zum Ende der Geschichte. Eine Hauptfigur, die zumindest eine gewisse Integrität zeigt, die überzeugt und weiß, dass die Dinge auf die eine oder andere Art und Weise wieder gut werden, obwohl die Umstände etwas ganz anderes sagen. 

Tommy ist ein charmanter und positiv denkender Mann, der nach einem neuen Schauspielengagement sucht und nichts weiter möchte, als seine Freundin zu heiraten. In dem Moment, in dem Tommy seinen alten Freund Danny trifft, geht es abwärts mit seinem Verstand und allem anderen. Anstatt sein Gehirn zu benutzen und klar zu denken, zeigt Tommy, dass Geld alles ist, was er braucht, um sich wie ein verzweifelter Mann zu verhalten, was er in diesem Moment nicht war. Als Leser ärgerte es mich, dass die Hauptfigur buchstäblich den logischen Verstand in einer Szene wegwerfen musste, um einen Handlungsfortlauf für den Rest vom Buch zu ermöglichen. Die Geschichte selbst ist, als ob man geschmacklosen Kaugummi kaut. Keine rasante Geschichte, keine aufregenden Elemente oder etwas, das einen beim Lesen die Nägel kauen lässt. 

Charaktere

Die Hauptfigur ist ein blasser und nicht sehr überzeugender Mann, der allzu oft schrecklich negativ in seinen Gedanken ist, wenn die Dinge nicht wie geplant verlaufen oder so, wie er es will. Anfangs konnte ich das ignorieren, aber nachdem sich herausstellte, dass es ein Hauptbestandteil von Tommys Charakter war, war es nur ärgerlich. 

Ich weiß nicht, warum Brad Parks seinem Protagonisten diese negativen Veränderungen gegeben hat oder was der Grund dafür war, aber für mich war es nur eine weitere Schwäche dieses Thrillers. Die Figuren sind ein großes Klischee. Wie langweilig. 

Resultat

Ich bin mir nicht sicher, was der Autor mit diesem Thriller erreichen wollte. Die Handlung ist nicht neu und der größte Teil der Geschichte liest sich wie ein Deja Vu von einem anderen Buch. Was für eine Zeitverschwendung. Das ist aber nur meine Meinung. Lese und urteile selbst. 

*This book was originally published The Last Act by Dutton Books March 12, 2019  

Brad Parks

International bestselling author Brad Parks is the only writer to have won the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, three of crime fiction´s most prestigious prizes. A former reporter with The Washington Post and The Star-Ledger (Newark), he lives in Virginia with his wife and two children. 

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