The Manipulated

The Manipulated is a ton of fun. Nathan Walpow really knows how to pull you in, and once you're there, you don't want to leave. Right from the first chapter, he had me. As others have said, though Joe Portugal has appeared in other novels, you could easily just jump right in here and join the fun! This is one of those books where you suddenly find you've been reading for hours and it doesn't even seem like it. Can't wait for the next one!

Walpow has an easy and inviting style that once I began reading The Manipulated, I couldn't stop. I have read a couple of the Joe Portugal novels in the past, but past knowledge is definitely NOT necessary when reading this latest adventure. In fact, this is a great one to jump in on. Joe is reaching a turning point and I get the feeling things in the future are going to be different for him, equally engaging, but different. If you like a good mystery, if you like to laugh, if you enjoy a wholly real and inviting main character, read The Manipulated.

I was recently introduced to Joe Portugal in One Last Hit by a coworker and found it to be a fun and an enticing read, but The Manipulated thrusts Joe and his adventures to a whole new level. The Manipulated is sexier, darker, funnier and all around more explosive. Mr. Walpow's ability to express the relationships and ties between his characters is so powerful and insightful it makes this chapter in Joe's life an impossible one to put down, and leaves you thirsty for more. I'm a fan!