November Road

This is one of the best crime novels I have read. There are three main characters. The first is young mother traveling with two little daughters and a dog. The other two are a smooth talking fixer and a stone-cold killer, both employed by a New Orleans mob boss.

Their stories intertwine as they make their ways across the country. Each is transformed by their journey, but in very different ways. Lots of interesting characters encountered along the way add color to the story. Things get very tense, life altering decisions have to be made, and the body count gets high.

I really cannot say much more without giving things away. (I recommend avoiding the publisher's cover text, which I think gives way too much detail.) Just read and enjoy.

I've read a lot of non-fiction books surrounding the JFK assassination but this was my first novelized version. Though not about Kennedy himself, his death serves as the backdrop and involves real-life characters that may or may not have been involved. 

The book primarily follows Charlotte and Guidry on the run, eventually crossing paths, with Barone on their tail having been sent by Carlos Marcello. All of the storylines here are strong and intertwine well. There's a great deal of action, too. The story flies by.

I latched onto Guidry the most which surprised me given I figured I'd be more inclined toward Charlotte. I do like her and her daughters' story, but I wasn't super into it until Guidry entered the picture. I like the growth he goes through with the family.

For as great as the action was, there was a lot going on for a 300 page book. I found it difficult to follow at times, though thankfully, they weren't major plot points and were infrequent. This messed with the pacing a bit but ultimately didn't take away from the story. 

This tale worked for me. Frank Guidry losing his heart over Charlotte was just credible enough. The pacing of the story-telling excellent.

Loved it; read it