Jeff has been falsely convicted of a crime. But when he is “transferred” out of the prison, he is taken… somewhere and locked in a room with another man. It’s not long after that they are released into the tunnels underneath New York and are told that they’ll “win” if they make it to the surface. Meanwhile, his family and girlfriend think he died in a crash.

I really liked this. It didn’t take long to get sucked in, though it takes a little bit to figure out what’s going on in the book. It’s told from different viewpoints, so the reader is partial to things that the characters aren’t as they try to figure out what’s happening, as well. This was one I didn’t really want to put down – I wanted to keep reading. And, there were a couple of twists!

I really like this. Very different.

I’m sure I won’t be the first reviewer to compare The Manhattan Hunt Club to the classic short story, “The Most Dangerous Game.” Hunting humans, no matter how stacked the odds may be with resources like night scopes and automatic weapons that the “prey” doesn’t have, should be more problematic than chasing “tamer” game. The ability of the human to plan, ambush, and counter-attack (however handicapped) means that the conclusion is by no means certain.

The Manhattan Hunt Club is a heady cocktail using a base of vigilantism, hypocrisy, arrogance, and assumption as garnished with psychological obsession, religious fanaticism, social privilege, and some of John Saul’s classic descriptions of horrific deaths and torture. The protagonist is a convicted felon (attempted rape and murder) who insists that he is innocent in spite of the seeming conspiracy of law enforcement and the media against him. The “antagonist” consists primarily of a coalition of powerful figures who insist (at least to each other) that they are doing what needs to be done for the betterment of society. Saul attempts to get the reader to rethink easy answers. And, in so doing, he introduces readers to a part of our society with which we may be unfamiliar.

The action sequences in The Manhattan Hunt Club take place in the tunnels underneath Manhattan’s subway system. It posits (what is very real) an underground labyrinth of homeless (though some call themselves “houseless” because these tunnels are their “homes”) nests and refuges. One of the sub-plots involves a participation of these disenfranchised citizens with the very powerful antagonists of the upper class. The setting along with the descriptions of some of these “houseless” characters may well be the most important point of this book.

So, anyone reading this review may wonder why it isn’t rated higher since it handles important topics and describes socially vital themes. There is a plot twist toward the climax that a four-year-old could have seen coming. A character receives the poetic justice deserved at the hands of a particularly ironic source. Unfortunately, this scene rather defies credulity for me. I don’t think the psychological groundwork was laid for this turn of events. Of course, I could be wrong. The fact that it was likely to happen was, as I stated earlier, obvious. I just don’t “believe” it.

The Manhattan Hunt Club underscores the tension in our society between the “haves” and “have nots,” creating its own version of “Occupy Wall Street.” It also features a few moments of psychological horror for which Saul is known. The Manhattan Hunt Club is worth reading; it just falls short of my higher ratings (which may or may not have any relevance for anyone else).

Este prima carte a lui Saul pe care am citit-o si sincera sa fiu, ma asteptam sa ma captiveze mai mult. Finalul aduce ceva suspans si niste rasturnari de situatie, dar restul m-a cam plictisit. Clubul Manhattan este un club infiintat cu scopul pedepsirii raufacatorilor (daca veti citi cartea, veti afla exact despre ce e vorba), dar nimeni nu se astepta sa se ascunda anumite secrete. Un tanar este condamnat pe nedrept, este haituit de vanatori si totul scapa de sub control. Nu prea m-a atras sa citesc despre lumea vagabonzilor care traiesc in tunele si nici despre crimele comise cu sange rece. Dar macar am facut cunostinta cu un autor nou pentru mine si cu stilul sau literar. Din pacate, nu stiu daca voi mai citi curand o carte scrisa de John Saul...Recenzia pe www.stildescriitor.ro curand!