Past Crimes

I picked this up because, in just glancing at the author s last name, I mistakenly thought this was a book in another series I m reading It was a purchase made in error but once I realized it I decided to go ahead and read it anyway I m glad I did This is a solid entry into a new series that introduces Army Ranger, Donovan Van Shaw Brought up in a lifestyle with decidedly criminal element present, Van made a clean break ten years ago, leaving the life behind to join the Army,and never once commu [...]

I was really quite taken with this debut from Hamilton, I must confess As regular readers of my reviews know, I am always keen to discover new American writers and what appealed to me about Hamilton was the way that his book neatly bypassed the simple label of thriller and instead, through the strength of his characterisation and observation, was on a par with the very best of American contemporary fiction With his main character returning from military service to his old stomping ground and Ha [...]

Past Crimes is a very authentic feeling, cleverly written thriller with a main protagonist in Van Shaw that I absolutely adored.A note from his Grandfather brings Shaw back to Seattle, despite having left that life behind vowing never to return When he discovers his Grandfather has been attacked, he starts to delve into the time that he has been away and finds himself drawn inexorably back into that world.This is a fast, action packed story a la Reacher although to my mind with much greater dept [...]

Simply couldn t finish this one.

One of the best debut crime thriller novels I ve read in the past decade Hamilton crafts an excellent page turner which intrigues as much through his characters as the gripping plotlines Van Shaw, a wounded Army Ranger who grew up as a childhood thief, appeals as a multi layered protagonist with the potential to be the spine of an ongoing series In this first book, he finds himself back in his hometown of Seattle after a decade away, visiting his estranged grandfather following a cryptic message [...]

Every so often a book comes along where the typical way I review a book just doesn t seem right, and I find myself wishing I could write better reviews that can do the book justice To describe Past Crimes in a basic this is what happens way could end up making it sound like just another thriller, yet it s so much than that, and really, it was one of the most exciting and original novels I have read in a long time, and one that totally consumed me over the past day reading it.Van Shaw, soldier a [...]

Van Shaw, raised by his grandfather to be a thief, is stolen from a straight an narrow life back into the mayhem of his father s world when his grandfather is found critically shot Who shot him then is the overall mystery Yet, while the mystery is intriguing, it is the relationship between Van Shaw and his grandfather that keeps the readers hooked The relationship feels real Granted, it is not the life most of us have grown up in, but considering theirs, the situation and problems come across au [...]

I m not usually a fan of books where the bad guys thieves, con men, and the like are the good guys.What redeemed this one was that the bad guys were loyal They didn t backstab or double cross the hero, did everything in their power to help him find whoever had murdered his grandfather.Hamilton did a good job of making Van Shaw, the main character, three dimensional, didn t portray him as some sort of Superman who can shake off a blow to the head in five seconds He didn t do quite as good a job w [...]

I enjoyed this mysteryriller, which was a good blend of action and emotion Van Shaw is a tough Army Ranger trying to figure out who killed his grandfather, a professional criminal The book provides great insights into the life of a kid who admires yet fears his grandfather for good reasons on both counts The mystery has enough twists to keep the reader guessing, and no plot holes Van is clever in figuring out clues and staying one step ahead of the cops I guess what keeps it from being a 5 star [...]

I am always delighted when I find a new to me author Especially one with a series and most especially one with a series that already has Book 2 published And I love the character all the characters and it takes place in my own Seattle Perfection all around I have already bought book 2 in the series and have high hopes.

This first book in the Van Shaw series is a great read.When Van Shaw, on the mend from being wounded in the war on terror, gets a note from his criminal grandfather, asking him to come home, Shaw takes a leave.His grandfather is in a coma, and the cops aren t too worried about it Shaw pokes around, meeting people he knew back in the day There s also stories of Shaw s criminal past throughout the work.Very well done, very hard boiled.

Van Shaw, US Army Ranger veteran, steps off a plane in Seattle drawn back by a note from his estranged grandfather, Dono, 10 years after he suddenly left He hasn t heard from Dono or been home since then, undertaking tours in various war torn theatres as the army trained and moulded Shaw into what he is today.But when Shaw arrives at Dono s house, the place he grew up, he finds his grandfather with a gunshot wound to the head, clinging onto life As he tends to the old man Shaw is attacked by an [...]

I haven t read the other novels nominated for the 2016 Edgar Award for Best First Novel, but I can see why Glen Erik Hamilton s Past Crimes was nominated It s a strong, fast paced story with an intriguing hero, and a victim who is just as fascinating.Army Ranger Van Shaw was already stateside recuperating from his latest injuries when the message in Gaelic came from his estranged grandfather Come home, if you can Since he was getting antsy waiting to rejoin his unit, he heads to Seattle He arriv [...]

The first book in Van Shaw series from author Glen Hamilton, Past Crimes , was a surprisingly fast paced, action packed thriller, and an enjoyable read I picked book up off rack at WalMart just walking by thinking this looks interesting Protagonist Van Shaw, who s career and life is the Army However, with no plans to get out of Army receives a message from his grandfather Irascible Donovan Dono Shaw needs Van to come home as soon as possible Arriving back to his home town Seattle, Van gets to hi [...]

Just a heads up, I am not the kind of reviewer who gives you a basic line of events of the book I figure you have already read the description so you already know what the book s story line is but what you really want to know is it a good book, right Why waste your time But just to put in a bit of the storyline is about a grown man, estranged from his career criminal grandfather who was his caregiver then gets a mysterious note basically saying Come home soon after not hearing from the man for y [...]

This is unusual in that the protagonist is not a blameless man nor is the relative he tries to protect Shaw is now a soldier but seems to have plenty of leave time to take when a grandfather he hasn t seen since he grew up calls him home to Seattle As occurs in these stories the grandfather is shot and injured just as Shaw arrives Luckily the soldier knows how to stem the bleeding while calling the medics.So now we need to ask why the old man was targeted and who shot him Not to mention that aft [...]

It has been years since Van Shaw returned home He has been seriously wounded twice as an Army Ranger, but even then he returned to his Army family instead of the grandfather who raised him and taught him how to steal.But now his grandfather has asked him to come home And Van is prepared to resolve their differences.Instead, he arrives to find his grandfather critically wounded and himself a suspect.Glen Erik Hamilton s book is a good page turner with exciting positive reviews by Lee Child So the [...]

Van Lewis, estranged from his grandfather for several years, returns home in response to a letter from his grandfather asking for help He arrives just in time to discover his grandfather, grievously wounded, lying on the floor of his living room Determined to find out who was responsible, Van puts his skills as an Army Ranger and as a trained thief trained by his grandfather to work The book is like 3.5 than 4.0, but an interesting back story carries the day.

Don t bother A thriller that bordered on boring Nothing original at all That would be OK if the writing was worth it It s not.

I won a copy of Past Crimes from a Giveaway.I m glad I won a copy because I may not have otherwise picked up this book since I ve never read one of Mr Hamilton s books before I love stories when the hero is raised in a morally and ethically ambiguous environment who turns out to be a dedicated, solid and just a good damn guy.That is Van Shaw in a nutshell A soldier on military leave, he returns to his hometown of Seattle in response to a summons by his estranged grandfather, Dono Unfortunately, [...]

Seattle, WA Sergeant Donovan Van Shaw US Army Special Forces 75th Ranger Regiment, Baghdad, Afghanistan FOB, Ft Benning GA wasn t real sure he was glad to be back in the states.The 1st place he went was his grandfather s house It had been 20 yrs The door was open not a pleasant sight.Dono Shaw Irish immigrant laid on the floor blood pouring out with a bullet hole in his head.Detective John Guerin 40 , Detective Kanellis, Voh, Bob Olson CSI were at the crime scene Dr Singh informed Dono the bulle [...]

Glen Erik Hamilton s long and sinuous crime novel, Past Times, has all the elements needed to be a big seller My question is it is too big to be an enjoyable read Can a reader sit down and digest the many winding trails that weave through the story and feel the time was worthwhile Or will a feeling of tedium set in and spoil the party I say yes to some degree of all the above Hamilton is an extraordinarily talented writer The story is rich with interesting characters and their storyline is well [...]

Not bad An Army Ranger uses his leave to follow up on a request to visit his Grandfather They have been estranged for some while, but he finds him wounded and hanging onto life As he looks into it he uses a range of murky contacts from his past and some skills he picked up from his Grandfather who lived well over the line of legal activity We learn about his past and why he left to join the army and the impact that had on his Grandfather and his friends.An interesting scenario, I did enjoy that [...]

I really like this book Past Crimes by Glen Erik Hamilton He brought the characters to life, with so much realism that you could almost picture what everything was going on with the details he described, but not overwhelming on the detail You were rooting for the good guys and the demise of the bad guys I really like the twist to the story that you would not see coming These are the books that will keep me coming back to again and again I Highly recommend this book to all my family and friends W [...]

I won this book in a giveaway and my review below is my honest opinion.I loved this book I have never read anything by Hamilton before, so this was a first and I couldn t be happier Normally, I despise third person writing because it s harder for me to get lost in the story, but I didn t feel that here at all His writing was so smooth and the ideas flowed so well that I had no issues following It was fun, good action, great characters and an overall wonderful read I will be looking for of his b [...]

Fast paced and twisting, this is one of those mystery suspense novels that s hard to put down The characters at the center of the book and especially the main character, Van Shaw are believable and engaging, and Hamilton s use of atmosphere is masterful The I read of this work, the I didn t want it to stop.All told, I ll keep reading the Van Shaw series and any other works to come from Glen Erik Hamilton the depth and believability of character here were incredibly refreshing for a work like t [...]

I really enjoyed this book I actually liked the way the author pieced in Van s earlier years with the present day story It made the present make sense and have purpose I was a bit lost near the end as to who all the criminals were, but maybe that was because I fell asleep with the book on my chest in the middle of the night, hoping to finish But all in all, a good read I hope to read the next one in the series.

I stayed up past my bedtime finishing Past Crimes Van Shaw is an Army Ranger has taken leave to after receiving a request to come home from his estranged grandfather in Seattle Arriving at the house, he finds his grandfather critically injured and Van is a logical suspect The ensuing effort to clear his name has lots of twists, turns, and surprises.I received a free review copy of Past Crimes through Giveaways.

This is an engaging book It begins in a manner that brings one into the story in a way that is disarming and appropriate to the story While I don t usually read war related stories, I ll read any good story, and this one is well written, and so fits the bill I like stories written in the first person and that have no gratuitous evil The title is Van Shaw 1, implying a series, so, I will know I ll read the others in the series That says all that needs to be said, I suppose.

Mostly an entertaining, but not memorable read Main character was sympathetic despite some character flaws and questionable decisions My biggest problems were with the reveal of the killer, which felt random and the secondary characters who were forgettable The most interesting character, Dono, was only explored in flashbacks.I d give this 3.5 stars.