Sideswipe (Hoke Moseley, #3) -DNF 1 of 5 stars ⭐ Not the Hoke Mosley I know…

 Sideswipe (Hoke Moseley, #3) 1 of 5 stars ⭐ 

By Charles Willeford

I did not finish this book. I got to chapter 12, and I just couldn't go on. But I did skim to the end, just to verify I was right about things.

REVIEW:

I've been reading all the Hoke Mosley books, some are great, some not so great. This book was terrible.

Sideswipe has many problems. Some people will think it doesn't age well. It has racist jokes from main characters, sexism, stereotypes, etc. None of that crap matters to me. That's not why I hate this book.

This book doesn't hold with the characters that have already been established. I understand, people can change - but not that much. I think if we we're all watching the new Star Wars, and Luke Skywalker was suddenly a drag queen, we'd all say, "Now hold on just a minute." And we'd all be right.

The characters have not changed for the better either. Instead of being a damaged, loveable loser, Hoke is now a selfish, sexist, asshole, with NO redeeming qualities. I love reading about flawed people, that's why I like noir. But if a book has not one person I can stand, there's a problem.

Hoke Mosley in the previous two books (Miami Blues & New Hope for the Dead) was a self made loser. He'd wear the same shirt for three days in a row, he'd refuse to take exams, so he wouldn't get promoted, and he lived in rat trap hotel because it was free. He didn't put pressure on himself - ever. He always did the bare minimum to get by, even when his daughters came to live with him. Hoke is not big on change, so having the responsibility of his daughters took some getting used to. But that's just it, once he got used to it, no problem. He decided to move in with his new partner, Ellita, because she would help him with his girls. With Hoke, it's always the path of least resistance.

If Hoke took pride in anything, it'd be his job. He's good at it, he knows it, and that's enough. He's not a type A, go-getter, so he doesn't have the stress that goes with it. These established facts are why this book doesn't work.

It begins with Hoke having a stress related nervous breakdown. Why? There's no major life stressor. He's got a new house, his girls are almost grown. He lives with his partner Ellita, who does most of the heavy lifting with his daughters, so again, I ask why? I'm thrown out, because this does not fit with the character. He also becomes a consummate asshole, who doesn't care if his daughters, his colleagues, or his family lives or dies. Who is this man? He's not Hoke Mosley.

There's a parallel story about an old man and a psychopath. I won't even bore you with the review of that. It's so far removed from what could actually happen in the real world, it's not worth reviewing.

There's another side plot about a man who's burglarizing condos. It's so telegraphed and trite, I could hardly believe his editor left it in.

I won't go into much of this, but in this book, Hoke's sexist views and remarks are predatory and offensive. In the last two books, you laughed at his ignorance. The joke was on him, he just didn't realize it. But in this book, you cringe at the things he says to the women around him. Also, every single woman in this book is a useless simp. His daughters, his partner, even side characters are all helpless and irritating. This is another change from the previous two books, and not for the better.

Summation: If you liked Miami Blues and New Hope for the Dead DON'T READ THIS BOOK! The characters are not the same as the first two books in this series. They are not likeable or believable. The stories are boring and telegraphed. There's not one well drawn, or likable character in this book. Save your precious reading time for something that's worthy of you.