One Man's Law by John Clarkson


Over-testosteronized and just bad.

Published in 1994 by Berkley

First things first. I am a fan of good action stories. David Morrell - great. Robert Parker - Very good. This book. Ugh.

It's as though John Clarkson sat down after watching an A-Team marathon and decided what he needed in order to write this book was a little more cartoonish violence, a lot more sex, long descriptions of S&M sessions and a James Bond girl.

One Man's Law was too much for me. I can't tell you how many cars exploded from being shot in the gas tanks. The lead female character is aloof and built like a fashion model. Don't worry - Devlin will get in her pants over and over again! The bad guys have hundreds of guns an unlimited supply of money and some are even trained killers. Don't worry - Devlin and his Samoan-stereotype sidekick will just run fast, kick and punch harder and shoot accurately on the run while hundreds of bullets zing harmlessly by (if Devlin does get hit, it will only be a flesh wound and he'll heal quickly thanks to a quick rubdown and some more sex).

The ending wraps itself up too quickly and too neatly - we found out about another conspirator after he's been taken out. The dialogue is stiff. The big final confrontation scene is hoaky. Can I go on? Sure, but I won't.

If you have nothing else to read except for this book, watch TV.

 I rate this book 1 star out of 5.

 This book can be found on Amazon.com here: One Man's Law.

 Reviewed on June 14, 2008.

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