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Dispatched by the district attorney to a declining Massachusetts neighborhood to address a case related to a new public relations campaign, state investigator Win Garano suspects a deeper agenda and becomes involved with a loosely organized association of vigilante police officers, in a case during which he is assisted by his intuitive grandmother.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Berly
The Front by Patricia Cornwall. Police, Detective stuff. Not macabre like most of her stuff, but then also not up to par with most of her stuff. Just fair. Two and a half.
LibraryThing member kd9
This outline of a novel is exactly the reason I no longer buy Patricia Cornwell books, even in paperback. At 188 pages of large type on wide margined pages, it is barely a story, much less a novel. It is supposed to be the complex tale of of a ambitious prosecutor, her downtrodden detective of the
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Massachusetts State Police and a long cold case. But the characters are cardboard. The plot is nonexistent and the subplots start and trail into nothingness. Why involve Scotland Yard? Because she had a neat idea to set a scene in the Dorchester Hotel? Why involve copper theft? Because it was a hot topic? It certainly doesn't have anything to do with the actual plot. This book is nothing more than the waste of an hour or so of your time. Show Less
LibraryThing member Barb_H
Audiobook. Ugh, Kate Reading narrator. Least favorite narrator I've ever heard =( Hope I can still enjoy the book, otherwise I might have to just go ahead and read it myself.
Didn't like it. I will stick with the Scarpetta series that I love.
Didn't like it. I will stick with the Scarpetta series that I love.
LibraryThing member julyso
I wish I had listened to all the reviews of this book...so, please listen to mine! Just go ahead and save yourself some time, this book makes no sense and when you get done you will wonder... "why, oh why, did I read that???" A disappointment, I used to love Patricia Cornwell's books.
LibraryThing member joeypod
A magazine I read gave this good reviews but I wasn't overly impressed. Its short. I read it in about a day. The story/'case" never quites picks up enough speed or intrigue for me the same way Cornwell's earlier books did for me. Because I haven't read the novel before this one I missed some of the
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things going on with the characters. At the end I really had no feelings one way or the other. Show Less
LibraryThing member millhold
Not so hot. Very little meat to this book. I didn't particularly care about the characters, or what they were going through. This might have made a good short story.
LibraryThing member LivelyLady
I have repeatedly tried to get involved with this writer's books, but without success. For some reason her story line or style of writing just skims my surface and does not seem to register. I have trouble concentrating on her writing. And this is no exception. I can name the three main characters,
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but cannot even remember how it ended. Isn't that pathetic???? Show Less
LibraryThing member Kathy89
Not a Scarpetta novel. State police investigator and D.A. investigate a cold case.
LibraryThing member gaturbev
Not my favorite Cornwell book. The ending was, well, stupid.
Also, I didn't appreciate some backhanded comments concerning Republicans/conservatives midway through the book. Those comments coming from "the left" are getting old and tired.
Also, I didn't appreciate some backhanded comments concerning Republicans/conservatives midway through the book. Those comments coming from "the left" are getting old and tired.
LibraryThing member Romonko
I have given up on Patricia Cornwall's, Kay Scarpetta series awhile ago because I just didn't find them exciting any more, and they all seemed rushed and contrived. I did read her Win Garano book At Risk when it came out and I rather enjoyed it and the new characters. So I was looking forward to
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this one. I was disappointed. The book was rushed and not believable to me. I didn't find that the book kept my interest quite frankly. Maybe the books are just too short and there is no time to really develop a plot. I'm not sure, but I am officially done with this author. Sorry Patricia. Show Less
LibraryThing member amacmillen
Not sure what this book is about. So I can't right a review. Very Poor! Character and plot not developed. Gramatical issues. Fire the editor that sent this to publishing. Terrable work.
LibraryThing member GailL
I normally enjoy reading Patricia Cornwell's books, but this series is not up to par. Neither At Risk or The Front held my interest like her other books have. I guess part of it may be that Monique Lamont is very much like most real politicians, arrogant and into herself and doesn't care for anyone
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else. Usually the main characters in Patricia books are more likable. Even the supporting characters like Marino in Scarpetta, have some redeeming traits. I read both in the series but will not rush out to get any more. Show Less
LibraryThing member PIER50
Very poor. I enjoy the Scarpetta books, but this was badly written - poor syntax, no plot development and written in the present tense which just felt clunky. It is a rather thin book with some pointless 'plot' cul de sacs.
Best avoided!
Best avoided!
LibraryThing member manadabomb
I only got this because it was in the bargain bin. I really should have saved my $5.
This is an extremely small book (about 180+ pages) and contain none of Cornwell's characters that I normally care about. The plot was awful, the characters were awful and made me want to punch them. In short, DO NOT
This is an extremely small book (about 180+ pages) and contain none of Cornwell's characters that I normally care about. The plot was awful, the characters were awful and made me want to punch them. In short, DO NOT
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READ THIS BOOK. Show Less
LibraryThing member delphimo
This novel is a very fast read, especially since a movie for television did both this novel and At Risk. The differences between the novel and the movie for The Front are great. A major difference is the outcome of female detective Stump. I enjoy reading Cornwell, but this novel is not up to par
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with her other novels, and the characters are not as good. Monique Lamont, the District Attorney, is a despicable character. Lamont's only concern is herself and her future. She will use whatever and whoever to advance her plans. Win Garano seems her male reflection, a little. Win, like Lamont must wear the best clothes and eat and drink the best food, but Win has feelings and a sense of justice. Lamont decides to open an old unsolved case with the assistance of Win and Stump. Lamont looks for a sensational outcome, but the answer is mundane. In the process, Lamont begins an affair with a 16 year-old college student, thief, and blackmailer. The story lacks emotion. Show Less
LibraryThing member SuseGordon
small quick read, not really sure about the characters, are they or aren't they likable(?)... and the story is not that fleshed-out... there were some leaps in dialog and/or the story that made it seem a bit disjointed (I went back to check page numbers to make sure I didn't miss a whole
Lamont, Win "Geronimo", and "Stump" - good charactors with possibilities...
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section)Lamont, Win "Geronimo", and "Stump" - good charactors with possibilities...
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LibraryThing member jjnaaucoin
I felt like this book went nowhere and did so very slowly. I really just didn't get the point of it, this book could have been a couple of chapters in one of her normal books.
LibraryThing member bsquaredinoz
I used to be a huge fan of Cornwell’s Scarpetta books but some years ago found they had become bogged down in unnecessary length and the plots were increasingly convoluted and ridiculous. I eventually gave up all together after Trace in 2004. Since then I have, very occasionally, wondered whether
Monique Lamont is a District Attorney with greater political ambitions and as part of her long term publicity strategy she orders Win Garano, a special investigator assigned to her office, to re-open a 40 year old case in which a young English woman living in Boston was murdered. Lamont seems to think they can tie the murder in to the infamous Boston Strangler case and Garano is both skeptical and reluctant to have anything to do with the investigation. He is supposed to be helped by a female cop nick-named Stump (which we discover has nothing to do with the fact she has a prosthetic leg) but she is occupied by other things including investigating a series of robberies.
The book is better than that last Scarpetta I read in that the story moves at a faster pace and is a more manageable length. But it reads more like the treatment for a new, not very good, TV series than a novel. There’s little depth to the characters and they all felt like stereotypes to me (the ice maiden female, her disgruntled, smarter underling, the feisty disabled woman, the hippy grandmother…). There’s lots of dialogue but most of it is the kind of unrealistic psycho babble that no two humans would ever actually engage in.
The real downfall though is the plot. After meandering down some not terribly interesting alleys (maybe someone could make the theft of copper from building sites interesting but Cornwell couldn’t) the protagonist makes a huge leap of logic and the whole thing is wrapped up neatly. Except for the Scotland Yard connection: I still don’t know what that was about and I even re-played the last hour to make sure I hadn’t been daydreaming. Even though the book is short Cornwell manages to find room for a swag of irrelevant subjects including terrorism, the mafia, JFK’s Presidency and the aforementioned Scotland Yard. I hope Apple paid her for the numerous mentions of their famous phone because the gratuitous product placement didn’t help the book in any way. No one I know mentions the brand of their phone every time they check the thing for messages.
I can’t say I was disappointed by the book because I didn’t set out with tremendously high expectations. Perhaps that’s an unfair way to head into a book but this is the woman who revived a favoured character from the dead in the silliest plot device I’ve ever had the misfortune to read. Given that I didn’t pay much for it and it didn’t occupy a lot of my time I guess I’m happy to know for sure that I’m missing nothing by reading other authors in preference to Cornwell.
Audibook specific comments: I thought the narrator did a good job given the book was so dialogue-heavy and there were a lot of characters but as an Aussie I didn’t notice what was, according to other reviewers, a less than stellar Boston accent.
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I am missing out on anything by forsaking all things Cornwell so when I noticed The Front, the second of a series featuring Massachusetts State Police investigator Win Garano, was short (under 5 hours or less than 200 pages in the print version) and on special at iTunes I took the opportunity to check it out.Monique Lamont is a District Attorney with greater political ambitions and as part of her long term publicity strategy she orders Win Garano, a special investigator assigned to her office, to re-open a 40 year old case in which a young English woman living in Boston was murdered. Lamont seems to think they can tie the murder in to the infamous Boston Strangler case and Garano is both skeptical and reluctant to have anything to do with the investigation. He is supposed to be helped by a female cop nick-named Stump (which we discover has nothing to do with the fact she has a prosthetic leg) but she is occupied by other things including investigating a series of robberies.
The book is better than that last Scarpetta I read in that the story moves at a faster pace and is a more manageable length. But it reads more like the treatment for a new, not very good, TV series than a novel. There’s little depth to the characters and they all felt like stereotypes to me (the ice maiden female, her disgruntled, smarter underling, the feisty disabled woman, the hippy grandmother…). There’s lots of dialogue but most of it is the kind of unrealistic psycho babble that no two humans would ever actually engage in.
The real downfall though is the plot. After meandering down some not terribly interesting alleys (maybe someone could make the theft of copper from building sites interesting but Cornwell couldn’t) the protagonist makes a huge leap of logic and the whole thing is wrapped up neatly. Except for the Scotland Yard connection: I still don’t know what that was about and I even re-played the last hour to make sure I hadn’t been daydreaming. Even though the book is short Cornwell manages to find room for a swag of irrelevant subjects including terrorism, the mafia, JFK’s Presidency and the aforementioned Scotland Yard. I hope Apple paid her for the numerous mentions of their famous phone because the gratuitous product placement didn’t help the book in any way. No one I know mentions the brand of their phone every time they check the thing for messages.
I can’t say I was disappointed by the book because I didn’t set out with tremendously high expectations. Perhaps that’s an unfair way to head into a book but this is the woman who revived a favoured character from the dead in the silliest plot device I’ve ever had the misfortune to read. Given that I didn’t pay much for it and it didn’t occupy a lot of my time I guess I’m happy to know for sure that I’m missing nothing by reading other authors in preference to Cornwell.
Audibook specific comments: I thought the narrator did a good job given the book was so dialogue-heavy and there were a lot of characters but as an Aussie I didn’t notice what was, according to other reviewers, a less than stellar Boston accent.
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LibraryThing member cmeilink
It's been a while since I've read anything from Patricia Cornwell, and, I have to say, this book was somewhat surprising.
For instance, I was halfway through the book and was still trying to discern the plot of the book. The story unfolded slowly, allowing the reader to familiarize him- or herself
The Front centers around an old, unsolved murder of a young woman. An ambitious D.A., Monique Lamont, has her own agenda when she assigns Win Garano, a state investigator, to the case. What are her reasons for digging up this case? Win is not too thrilled to be pulled into it, especially when he finds that he will be working the case with Stump, a Watertown detective.
A quick read. At the end, though, I was found wanting more. It was well written, I really liked the characters, and I could have kept reading for another 100 or 200 pages.
For instance, I was halfway through the book and was still trying to discern the plot of the book. The story unfolded slowly, allowing the reader to familiarize him- or herself
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with the characters, and it was done so smoothly and was so well paced, you found yourself turning the pages quickly to see where everything was headed.The Front centers around an old, unsolved murder of a young woman. An ambitious D.A., Monique Lamont, has her own agenda when she assigns Win Garano, a state investigator, to the case. What are her reasons for digging up this case? Win is not too thrilled to be pulled into it, especially when he finds that he will be working the case with Stump, a Watertown detective.
A quick read. At the end, though, I was found wanting more. It was well written, I really liked the characters, and I could have kept reading for another 100 or 200 pages.
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LibraryThing member christinejoseph
Weak mystery
D.A. Lamont has a special job for Win Garano. As part of a new public relations campaign about the dangers of declining neighborhoods, she's sending him to Watertown to "come up with a drama," and she thinks she knows just the case that will serve. Garano is very skeptical, because he
D.A. Lamont has a special job for Win Garano. As part of a new public relations campaign about the dangers of declining neighborhoods, she's sending him to Watertown to "come up with a drama," and she thinks she knows just the case that will serve. Garano is very skeptical, because he
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knows that Watertown is also the home base for a loose association of municipal police departments called the FRONT, set up in order that they don't have to be so dependent on the state--much to Lamont's anger. He senses a much deeper agenda here--but he has no idea just how deep it goes. In the days that follow, he'll find that Lamont's task, and the places it leads him, will resemble a house of mirrors--everywhere he turns, he's not quite sure if what he's seeing is true. Show Less
LibraryThing member True54Blue
A short work that started somewhere and ended nowhere. The title has nothing to do with the plot which was underdeveloped and senseless. I guess once you're a famous author you can get pretty much anything published. It was a quick read and doesn't require any brain power to follow the plot so
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that's a plus, I guess. Show Less
LibraryThing member Ruby_Barnes
It's an affront.
This was the closest I have come to giving up on a book since Satanic Verses. The non-dialogue is truncated in the style of a film script and makes for difficult reading. There are five main characters but none of them satisfy. The plot trips over itself with several improbable
This was the closest I have come to giving up on a book since Satanic Verses. The non-dialogue is truncated in the style of a film script and makes for difficult reading. There are five main characters but none of them satisfy. The plot trips over itself with several improbable
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threads that don't come together or follow through, culminating in an implausible ending out of the blue. This book looks like a rush job by Cornwell. I need to revisit other of her work to understand her popularity. Show Less
LibraryThing member readingover50
I really enjoy the Kay Scarpetta series. This book felt like it was written by a different author. The writing felt juvenile and unfocused. It was very simplistic and many times it felt like events weren't explained. The ending was a big WTF moment, not because it was shocking but because it made
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no sense. I do not recommend this book at all. Show Less