All the Beautiful Sinners

Stephen Graham Jones's All the Beautiful Sinners is a spectacular thriller written with an elegant prose style and told with sharp, cinematic imagery. Its characters, often complex and kinetic, inhabit a harsh, unforgiving America-a place where serial killers are gods and children do their bidding. This is not a book for the squeamish, nor for the lazy. It is an intelligent read. Characters talk like real people, react to their surroundings like real people would react, but live in an extraordinary environment. It is not a difficult book, but the reader must pay attention, as readers should for any book. If you enjoy thoughtful writing, read it. You will inhabit its landscape, will walk (and sometimes run, sometimes cradling broken appendages) with its characters, and will come to love even the darkest edges of its menacing reality. I highly recommend All the Beautiful Sinners to anyone who loves good writing.

This book challenges the reader to become involved in the story. I am so used to novels that are simply "bubble gum for the mind", that I had to start over about a quarter into the book and actually pay attention. This book is not "dumbed down". It is an adventure. The prose is beautiful. The storyline is complex, amazing and chilling. There are several different storylines that can be gleaned from this book if you choose to do so. I love Jim Doe and hope to read more books with him as a central character. This author has definitely gotten my attention!

This book puts the thrill back in thriller. Not only is it edge-of-the-seat exciting, but the prose...just plain beautiful. One memorable image after another. I sure hope Jones brings back Jim Doe in a future book. I'll be watching for it.

Ah....All the Beautiful Sinners....a suspenseful story with all the right elements to keep the reader involved. The rhythm of the story is remarkable: take a step forward-glance over your shoulder (sometimes far into the past)-slide back just a little-then move on. While this rhythm propels readers through the uncertainty that looms around the characters, it also explains why events are happening. The events-murder, kidnapping, loss-are presented in vivid descriptions. For example, one of the FBI guys is tracking a sociopath behind a path of tornados. The scene unfolds with a water tower eerily watching the destruction: "The Bluff City water tower was leaned over, like it was trying to look at something on the next street." Throughout this chapter, stark images of the tower breaking apart foreshadow the tragedy that happens next. Flashbacks help readers crawl into the minds of the characters. One in particular, with a father and son on the lake, is told in slow motion. At another point in the story, FBI agents move into a basement where they suspect the killer might be: "Behind Creed, four more agents streamed down the stairs, covering each other. They were like circus performers, a troupe of mimes in their black turtlenecks and identical blazers." Sharp, clear images like these take the reader right into the scene. References to American Indians are strong and thought provoking. At one point, Jim Doe, the main character, decides not to call the cops for help: "He wanted to call the DPS, the FBI. Agnes. But a white cop in an Indian place like this. Or, cops. All the men would fold themselves into lockers, spin the locks from the inside, stay there as long as they had to." Character development is wonderful! All the Beautiful Sinners can be read on many different levels: for the beauty of the narration, for historical and symbolic values, or for pure enjoyment. The story is full of tension, violence, and loneliness as Jim Doe travels across the country, at first seeking the murderer of a sheriff, but later unraveling the mystery of his own sister who vanished years before. Highly recommended!

ALL THE BEAUTIFUL SINNERS is a work of art. The cadence of the prose snap off the page and their rhythm is amazing. The book is an amazing thriller but don't pigeon hole this book into any genere it's a book for everybody. It'll keep you reading late into the night...and did I mention the prose...this guy can WRITE. Seriously if you're looking to read something different something with edge and is suspenseful, something that will make you fall in love with literature again, buy this book. Spend the [money] on ALL THE BEAUTIFUL SINNERS.