The Up and Comer

Like a lot of people, I never heard of Howard Roughan until I read James Patterson's novel HONEYMOON, which Roughan co-wrote. I thought HONEYMOON was better written than the average Patterson novel, so I thought I would give one of Roughan's earlier novels I shot. I'm glad I did. THE UP AND COMER is a very witty, darkly comic novel. It is also a novel that features an remarkably unlikable character as its protagnoist. New York attorney Philip Randall has married his wife Tracy for her family money, while at the same time having an extramarital affair with his best friend's wife. He is also very smug and offers a lot of acerbic (yet funny) commentary about city life in New York. Eventually, something goes terribly wrong with Randall's life. The way he handles this crisis, and the violent complications that ensue, lead to a very suspenseful read. In some ways, this novel reminds me of another novel, James Siegel's DERAILED. I must admit that I found Randall to be very off-putting at first, because he is such a louse. However, this book gets better as it goes along, and Randall is a very different person at the end of this book than he is at the beginning. In the end, this novel is something of a morality tale, and I enjoyed it immensely. In short, I highly recommend this book to people who like their suspense mixed with a little dark comedy. I sincrely hope that Roughan writes more books.

A funny thing happened to me while I was reading Honeymoon James Patterson and Howard Roughan. I found a new to me author and what a find. While I have read all of Mr. Paterson's books I rarely bother to red his CO authors book if there are any because quite frankly I'm never that enamored with these books. That said as I gulped down Honeymoon in one day, I couldn't wait to find other books by this author, purchase them and then read his first book The Up and Comer. And now that I have finished Mr. Roughan's debut novel, I can honestly say this is one of the one of the best suspense books I've read in some time. Phillip Randall is living the high life in Manhattan. With a wife from a very wealthy family and a job in a prestigious law firm, Phillip seems to have it all. Even a nice affair with his friends wife. But it may be too good since somebody is out to blackmail him. And we as readers watch as Phillip's carefully planned life begins to unravel and things go from bad to worse. I highly recommend this book and now can't wait to read Howard Roughan's second book, The Promise of a Lie. I also look forward to read ing more books by this talented author who now joins the ranks of other suspsense and or mystery writers I love which include James Patterson, Dennis Lehane James Patterson, Harlan Coben and David Rosenfelt. Finally I owe a big thank you to Mr. Patterson for introducing me to Mr. Roughan. Had I not read Honeymoon I might never have found out about this author and enjoyed a book as much as I enjoyed The Up and Comer.

I'm married. I've got kids. I have no time to read. A friend of mine recommended this book and I couldn't put it down from its first disturbing page. Kids and family....they had to suffer while I woke up, read, ate, read,ate again, read some more....you get the picture. The main character, Phillip Randall is a bit too familiar to me. The decsions he makes - while deplorable - have an all to easy way of making you think...would I do that?His use of commercial catch phrases is pretty darn funny. There were a few chapters there where there were more tag lines than half time at the Super Bowl.When you come right down to it, though, Roughan has to be some kind of wacko to put this book together. He touches enough dark areas of the psyche that you feel the need to go straight to church after you finish. Buy this book. It's a good read and it'll make you think about all those "good people" out there. Are you one of them?

I absolutely loved reading THE UP AND COMER. Despite the infidelity of the main character, Philip Randall, a man who seemingly had everything one could only dream about,it was difficult to dislike him. There were times I actually laughed out loud because the dialogue was that funny when least expected. I'm hoping there will be a sequel to this book because I'd really like to see Philip make a complete Up and Comeback!

Perhaps it is the remains of his youth, but ultra-confident attorney Philip Randall smugly feels he owns the world. Philip has some evidence to support his belief. He is climbing the legal corporate ladder at a record pace. His malleable wife comes from a very wealthy Greenwich, Connecticut family that adores him. Finally, the brazen Philip has a lover, who knows how to excite him. However, it is the latter that begins to cause Philip great harm. An old acquaintance Tyler Mills has been taking pictures of Philip with his lover. Tyler wants money for his silence or he threatens to blow up Philip's perfect orb. Philip knows that if Tyler talks, his elitist lifestyle ends. However, he also knows that paying the blackmailer will mean a life of feeding this lunatic who will never let go of the cash cow he has cornered. THE UP AND COMER is a forceful thriller that succeeds because the key characters come across as human. Philip's hedonism, his wife's compliance, his lover's needs, and his blackmailer's rough blend of sadism all ring authentic and make the tale an exciting character study. The story line is told by Philip, which allows readers to slowly see him turn from smug importance to frightened desperado. This technique humanizes the cast even further as readers will wonder what path Philip will take. Howard Roughan is clearly an up and coming author worth following. Harriet Klausner