Hi folks,
FREEEEEEEEE!!!!
My publisher, StoneGate Ink is offering one of my recent novels, JUST LIKE THAT, as a free download for two days, this Saturday and Sunday. Get it at http://www.amazon.com/Just-Like-That-ebook/dp/B005GHDY82/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1327003731&sr=1-3 Hope you get it and hope you enjoy the read. Although it’s fiction, about 80-85% is autobiographical. (The parts that are fiction are the events in which the statute of limitations haven’t expired…) It’s based on several road trips I combined into one and gives you a realistic glimpse into my time incarcerated in Pendleton. Cathy Johns, the assistant warden at the Angola (Louisiana) prison read it and said it was the “truest account of the criminal mind” she’d ever read. I guess it should be… after all, I was a criminal for a long time…
(Paperback copies are also available at the regular price of $12.97 and may be ordered from the Amazon site at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=les+edgerton&x=0&y=0)
I’ve been blessed to have gotten great reviews and blurbs for this novel from some of the brightest stars in noir and crime writing. Our of 14 Amazon reviews, 11 gave it a 5-star rating, two a 4-star rating, and one a 3-star.
Amazon Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Beware: ADDICTIVE READING AHEAD, January 11, 2012
OK, so I started this book and couldn't stop. Edgerton's ability to haul the reader into the story and minds of his characters, in this case, the criminal mentality, left me helpless to set the book down and fiercely invested in this work of fiction that feels like fact. The odd thing was that I didn't have much sympathy with the character but felt mesmerized by the train wreck about to happen. With no experience of incarceration, I can't comment on that, but do know about surviving stressful, traumatic environments on a daily basis. There comes a point where emotions must be kept at a distance in order to function. Edgerton shows what it's like to be forced into institutionalized stress 24/7, the eventual moral nonchalance, and resultant urge/addiction to do something or anything to feel again. An exciting, scary read and window into recidivism.
5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful Prison Novel Is in Top Form as Chester Himes' Writing, December 10, 2011
By
Ed Lynskey, "author of ASK THE DICE and THE Z... (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
Les Edgerton's masterful JUST LIKE THAT is the same rich vein as the noir-miester Chester Himes' prison novel YESTERDAY WILL MAKE YOU CRY. Both authors drew upon their life experience as convicts to craft their visceral, powerful, and, most of all, honest narratives. The protagonist Jake Mayes' portrayal is based eighty percent on actual events. He's a complex man, hardboiled but racked with searing pain, especially over his femme fatale/lover Donna. I liked reading his colorful trip taken to New Orleans with his friend Bud where a strong bond is forged between the men. Hollywood and TV have gotten it all wrong about the modern U.S. prison culture. Read JUST LIKE THAT to get the real skinny. Mr. Edgerton doesn't pull any punches at debunking Tinsel Town's myths. The gritty details emerging in the inmates' daily existence behind bars will surprise you, page after page. This essential writing makes for a captivating crime fiction read.
4.0 out of 5 stars Just Like That, October 8, 2011
If Thelma and Louise had stayed at the bar they might have met up with the characters in Just Like That. I never dreamed I'd be rooting for protaganists who, in real life, I would studiouly avoid. Les opens up the seedier side of life with grit and humor.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Les near his best, September 29, 2011
By JJ Toner "JJ Toner" (Co Wicklow, IE) - See all my reviews
I loved this book. The narrative bounces along with its own in-built energy, like the engine in a 1964 Mustang that refuses to stop even after you've switched it off and trousered the key. Les throws a lot of the writing book out the window in this one, followed by large parts of the grammar primer, and yet, the voice comes across as curiously erudite. The word "if" is noticeably absent all over the place, as in "You're smart, you try and become invisible." For anyone that needs to know what prison in the USA is really like, this book is Prison USA 101. A minor gripe I had with the book was a couple of passages where he repeated himself. The one serious gripe I had was the way the narrative was set aside every now and then to educate the reader on Tinseltown prison movie BS. I would have preferred to draw my own conclusions on that score.
Still a five star book with a strong, throbbing storyline and an angry voice telling it. I learned a lot about the criminal mind. Robbers rob for the adrenaline rush much more than the financial rewards - who knew? I also learned a few new words along the way. As you'd expect from a master of the arts of noir writing, there were some wonderful turns of phrase, like "...his face as white as an Eskimo's ass" and "...you were going to go back and sit in your f***ing cell and give names to your toes"
As I drew near the end of the book I was gutted, but consoled by the fact that I have another of his books waiting on my kindle.
Still a five star book with a strong, throbbing storyline and an angry voice telling it. I learned a lot about the criminal mind. Robbers rob for the adrenaline rush much more than the financial rewards - who knew? I also learned a few new words along the way. As you'd expect from a master of the arts of noir writing, there were some wonderful turns of phrase, like "...his face as white as an Eskimo's ass" and "...you were going to go back and sit in your f***ing cell and give names to your toes"
As I drew near the end of the book I was gutted, but consoled by the fact that I have another of his books waiting on my kindle.
3.0 out of 5 stars More a prison story than a road-trip tale, September 25, 2011
By Cliff Hardy (Sydney NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
This book was promoted as a story about two ex-cons going on a road trip, well that's true in part. Most of the story deals with the prison time of the lead character, Jake Mayes, both before and after the road trip. The book is semi-autobiographical with author Les Edgerton also spending a fair chunk of his life behind bars. This gives Just Like That an incredibly authentic feel and through Jake Mayes you get a terrific insight into the workings of the criminal mind. Bad habits, bad girls and bad choices all are portrayed with a sense that trouble is not too far away and the randomness of the violence is astounding. The story is well written and moves along at a nice clip. While Jake Mayes is certainly someone you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of you also get a good feel for the reason he is like he is, and why he is where he is.
5.0 out of 5 stars BLAM!, September 15, 2011
By Paul D Brazill (Bydgoszcz, Poland) - See all my reviews
JUST LIKE THAT has it all. Great dialogue, whipcrack scenes and meaty characters haul you along on a harboiled crime road-trip worthy of the Elmore Leonard and Joe R Lansdale. A shot to the heart as well as the head, JUST LIKE THAT is highly recommended.
4.0 out of 5 stars Uneasy time, August 22, 2011
Les Edgerton takes incidents from his own early life and commits them to (electronic) paper with an honesty and integrity that you come across all too rarely. Just Like That starts as a buddy book & ends as a jailhouse book, the two sides weighted almost equally. It barely let's up with the action as Jake, Les' alter-ego, goes from one bad choice to another and ends up back in Pendleton jail for the failed robbery of a bar. A nasty, to put it mildly, encounter with another inmate colours the rest of the book from here as the daily grind and desperation of jail life unfolds and ends in murder.
What stood out for me was the writing style - it's written in a conversational first person tone that really draws you in and keeps you reading even though some of the events descibed are really grim. Must be the years behind the barbers chair that have honed that kind of storytelling style. Obvious comparisons here to the work of Eddie Bunker as they both cover similar terrain but Mr Edgerton throws in a welcome sense of black humour without smoothing the edges too much.
Will be checking out the rest of Mr Edgertons output (he has at least 3 more novels & a short story collection out soon)as this one hit the spot. Enjoy
What stood out for me was the writing style - it's written in a conversational first person tone that really draws you in and keeps you reading even though some of the events descibed are really grim. Must be the years behind the barbers chair that have honed that kind of storytelling style. Obvious comparisons here to the work of Eddie Bunker as they both cover similar terrain but Mr Edgerton throws in a welcome sense of black humour without smoothing the edges too much.
Will be checking out the rest of Mr Edgertons output (he has at least 3 more novels & a short story collection out soon)as this one hit the spot. Enjoy
5.0 stars out of 5 stars
This book riveted me to my seat. Mr. Edgerton is a writer who really captures not only the details of the inner workings of a criminal mind; but the whole world of prisons and a crime spree road trip across parts of urban and rural America. My husband is really the crime fiction buff in the family, and I'm more of the Keruoac "On the Road" fan. But Mr. Edgerton's writing really had a powerful prose style that makes the reading experience a "literary" one...albeit with more violence and bloodshed than "On the Road." But I must admit I could not stop turning the pages of JUST LIKE THAT. I'm glad this was recommeded to me and I plan on reading more of this author's original and exciting work.
5.0 stars out of 5 stars
I read Just Like That a week ago, but still don't feel I can adequately articulate how the novel moved me. As a female who mostly reads women authors with female leads, I felt a tad strange about my immediate fascination for Jake. This con was unlike anyone I knew personally or read about in other novels, and the idea of rash criminal behavior without provocation sent a chill through me. Still, night after night I broke promises to myself to read only three or four chapters. With a story that seemed surreal in its unfamiliar setting, lingo baffling as hell, yet as much fun as learning a foreign language, and testosterone practically seeping through my Kindle, I couldn't believe how easily I'd been hooked. Les did what all writers hope to do; kept this reader thinking about events and characters from the book for days. God knows I never want to find myself inside a place so dreary and dangerous, however I'm suddenly Jonesin' to read about modern day life inside a female prison.
5.0 out of 5 stars Edgerton slams another one home with Just Like That., August 16, 2011
By Karen L. Wells "Karen L. Wells" (Boca Raton, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
Take a walk--no--take a run on the wild side with Les Edgerton and buckle up before you start reading his high-octane novel, Just Like That. Be sure to allow enough time to finish it in one sitting--it's a can not put down novel based mostly on Edgerton's own life experiences (85%) --it is gusty, gritty and authentic. One wonders while reading what 85% of the novel is real and true? Just Like That gives the reader a lot to think about days after finishing the book. Tell a friend.
(REAL NAME)
Take a walk--no--take a run on the wild side with Les Edgerton and buckle up before you start reading his high-octane novel, Just Like That. Be sure to allow enough time to finish it in one sitting--it's a can not put down novel based mostly on Edgerton's own life experiences (85%) --it is gusty, gritty and authentic. One wonders while reading what 85% of the novel is real and true? Just Like That gives the reader a lot to think about days after finishing the book. Tell a friend.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow, I just love the way Les writes! The title "Just Like That" is brilliant and will resonate with you on every page and upon completion of the book. The story is very raw with absolute clarity told through the criminal mind. I now look and see some folks in a completely different way. The book title "Just Like That" just became my new favorite colloquialism.
5.0 out of 5 stars
We start with a picaresque tale of a couple of ex-cons hitting the road and end with the un-picaresque tale of buddies back in the pen. For visceral excitement, JUST LIKE THAT is nothing short of Elmore Leonard. For True Crime Fiction--well there's nothing to compare it to. You'll not only get involved on an elemental level with the real-life con characters and their real-life criminal action, but you'll learn why everything you've seen on the small or the big screen about criminals, courts, and penitentiaries is as about as genuine as a politician's smile. An exciting read and a handbook to the inside conveyed in first-rate writing. Spell that w-i-n-n-e-r.
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read and watch out - Les is going for it on this one., August 14, 2011
The great thing about Just Like That is the language. The feel. Les Edgerton is a master of words. Like Albert Camus, he describes a killing in short, simple language that carries a blow to the mind. This is a creation of visual travel. Read Just Like That and you may wonder if you wake up to the sound of bars locking shut. Read on. Go Go Go!
5.0 out of 5 stars A writer at the top of his game, August 9, 2011
By Eddie Vega (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
Ex-felon Les Edgerton knows the internal workings of the criminal mind, and with lean muscular prose he has written a book about it. While there are many qualities that make this book worth reading -- certainly the writing itself, which is excellent throughout, and the plot which moves with the kick of a 45 cal. bullet, -- what I most appreciated was its effort in coming to terms with the most perplexing of evils, those spur of the moment just-like-that crimes not motivated by necessity or reason but by some primal source that gives the lie to the perfectibility of mankind.
Hope lots of you take advantage of the two-day freebie! If you like it, I’d really appreciate your posting a short review on Amazon and if you hit the “Like” button, I’m told that helps also. Also, if you enjoy the read, please check out my other titles, including THE PERFECT CRIME and THE BITCH. Coming soon is my collection of short stories, GUMBO YA-YA, from Snubnose Press.
Blue skies,
Les
P.S. Check out Helen Ginger’s interview on Inspiration Forum. She graciously gives me several shout-outs for which I’m grateful. You can read it at http://www.inspirationforum.co.uk/showthread.php?tid=2167
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4 comments:
I am so on this it's not even funny. I can't wait to delve into your "criminal mind".
Thanks, Anne. It's really dark in here...
Hi Les, I went free for Saturday and Sunday too, see me? I'm number 24 in free, just behind you at 23!!
Way to go, Sally! You rock! I imagine you sent this awhile back as I just checked JUST LIKE THAT and it now sits at #17 for all sales and at #1 for my category (literary fiction). And, it's impacting in a big way my other StoneGate Ink title. Guess this stuff works...
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