Past Crimes: A Van Shaw Novel: An Edgar Award Winner (Van Shaw Novels)

THERE MAY BE SOME SPOILERS IN HERE, PLEASE NOTE—FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK!!!This was a romping read by author Glen Erik Hamilton (GEH) whom I haven’t previously read but will continue hence. GEH truly makes his characters come alive and Van Shaw is a great protagonist. The storyline is original and his characters and situations come alive, which naturally draws the readers into the plot.Past Crimes is an apt name for this novel as the reader is brought into Van’s past through glimpses into his younger life. I really enjoyed GEH’s interspersed vignettes regarding his youth and growing up with his Irish criminal grandfather Dono Shaw. Dono came alive on the pages, often through recollections of other people, especially those memories Van cherishes. This type of approach for a thriller, while unusual, made the novel even more outstanding. I often felt like I was in the mind of Dono; scary thought once you get there.GEH rounds out his main characters quite well and that was no easy task with so many characters that play important roles in Van’s life. The verbalized mental machinations of the characters helped my understanding of who Dono really was--Dono was delightfully unconventional and even though he had few friends and a criminal background, his character was amazingly likeable.There are a number of plot twists that will catch you off guard, and surprised even into the final chapter. I can honestly say, I had no idea who really killed Dono and the emergence of the true killer blew my mind. It was unexpected, dramatic, and oh so surprising.While GEH loses a great character in Dono, I have no doubt that his creativity will continue to develop other fascinating future characters in subsequent storylines. It was so nice to read a complete novel where you are not left hanging and have to buy the next book to find out what happens. So many authors are not writing stand-alone books and I have made an effort to eliminate these authors from my library.I thoroughly enjoyed the dialogue and the writing is very strong. There were moments of intense suspense, characters with expected flaws, atypical gangsters and victims, and a love line that does not interfere with the plot, maybe even enhances it a bit.As stated, characters are presented well, and the plot is multilayered, and I have no complaints about the writing style, it was superlative. Once I started reading, I could not put the story away until I was sated, though sad, at the end. I was able to bond emotionally with several of the main characters and the plot engaged me completely. I thought it was nonconforming for a thriller and very innovative. I think most readers like their main characters flawed and these do not disappoint. I was quite pleasantly surprised by the plot twists and final revelations, philosophies and actions of the main characters and sad to see some of them go. I look forward to more novels by GEH. Great read, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

This is the first book in a series, and I'm planning to follow the series. The protagonist, Donovan "Van" Shaw, is a sergeant in the military, with the horrific scars to prove it. Apart from his skills as a Ranger, he has others, learned from his grandfather. Donovan "Dono" Shaw is only 36 years older than his grandson, and since he raised him from the age of six, he was always more of a father. He was also more than a father...he was a master thief. Van learned to case buildings, disarm security, and pick locks when other kids were going out for football. He took to the criminal life with ease, but a breach with Dono led him to a more traditional path. Now he's back, at Dono's request. It has been a decade or more since he saw the old man, and what he doesn't expect is to see him, shot, lying in a pool of blood. Van has to find out who did this, and why, and he has a strange assortment of assistants, from Dono's nosy elderly neighbor with an unpleasant dog to Dono's former associates. Van is torn between the past and the present, which is ably revealed by alternating chapters from his childhood with his current life. We see him growing up under Dono's care, becoming a skilled criminal, then finally breaking away from it. We also see Dono, who is not the sociopath one might think, but who actually abides by a particular moral compass. In fact, his moral compass is what leads to the entire situation. I think I will re-reading this book in a few years; it was quite entertaining. There wasn't so much technicality that my eyes glazed over, but it had enough details to give a glimpse into a way of life that I've never encountered.

Chrachters are likable and developed enough to care. Nice twist at the end

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 with some of the secondary characters. And some of the flashback scenes didn’t seem to add anything and could have been covered in a paragraph elsewhere. Part of that was due to their erratic appearance. Had they appeared at regular intervals, their presence would have been less disruptive of the story’s flowHamilton also did a good job of making the action scenes real, didn’t leave the reader wondering how this or that went down. Although in a place or two, he had happenstance tip the scales in favor of Shaw over the real bad guys.Overall, this book was good enough to make me want to read more Van Shaw stories.

Good plot plenty of action

Erik Hamilton's Van Shaw is a complex character that readers can relate to. Hamilton moves his story at a fast pace with plenty of action, great twists and turns, and leaves you waiting for the next Van Shaw adventure. Recommended reading for those who like their fiction fast and furious.

A mediocre crime novel.

生まれ育った街に呼び戻された主人公が事件に巻き込まれる、という物語。その生い立ちがなかなか面白く、また過去が徐々に明らかになっていく展開も良かった。主人公は休暇中の軍人という設定のため、休暇が終わるまでに事件の真相を暴かなくてはならないという制限もあり、読み応えも充分。シリーズ第二作も期待している。

A young man with a career criminal for a grandfather runs away to join the army only to return years later on the very day that his granddad is shot. The army ranger, Van Shaw, sets out on a quest to find his grandfather's killer.The book is told from a first person perspective and features flashbacks to Van Shaw's childhood, memories that intertwine with the spine of the main plot. It starts strongly with a powerful opening scene. For me it drifts a bit after that. It feels a bit slow and the conflict lacks punch. In the second half though, the book picks up again and the final quarter is strong.The set piece scene near the end, which I won't spoil is particularly strong. And I found myself thinking that GEH had very cleverly organised the information that led up to it. So, overall, a good book with a slightly slow middle third but some great closing action and a nice twist as well.