“When people say they want to read a really good novel, the kind you just can’t put down, this is the kind of book they mean. Exceptional.” —STEPHEN KING“Berney’s emotional, empathetic writing keeps . . . the pages turning.” —ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, “Required Reading”NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY Entertainment Weekly • Washington Post • AARP • Newsweek • Dallas Morning News • South Florida … Entertainment Weekly • Washington Post • AARP • Newsweek • Dallas Morning News • South Florida Sun-Sentinel • Chicago Public Library • Real Book Spy • CrimeReads • Litreactor • Library Journal • LitHub • Booklist
Winner of the Barry, Macavity, and Anthony Awards, the Hammett Prize, the Left Coast Crime “Lefty” Award for Best Mystery Novel, the Oklahoma Book Award for Best Fiction Novel, and the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award for Best Thriller Novel!
Set against the assassination of JFK, a poignant and evocative crime novel that centers on a desperate cat-and-mouse chase across 1960s America—a story of unexpected connections, daring possibilities, and the hope of second chances from the Edgar Award-winning author of The Long and Faraway Gone.
Frank Guidry’s luck has finally run out.
A loyal street lieutenant to New Orleans’ mob boss Carlos Marcello, Guidry has learned that everybody is expendable. But now it’s his turn—he knows too much about the crime of the century: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Within hours of JFK’s murder, everyone with ties to Marcello is turning up dead, and Guidry suspects he’s next: he was in Dallas on an errand for the boss less than two weeks before the president was shot. With few good options, Guidry hits the road to Las Vegas, to see an old associate—a dangerous man who hates Marcello enough to help Guidry vanish.
Guidry knows that the first rule of running is “don’t stop,” but when he sees a beautiful housewife on the side of the road with a broken-down car, two little daughters and a dog in the back seat, he sees the perfect disguise to cover his tracks from the hit men on his tail. Posing as an insurance man, Guidry offers to help Charlotte reach her destination, California. If she accompanies him to Vegas, he can help her get a new car.
For her, it’s more than a car— it’s an escape. She’s on the run too, from a stifling existence in small-town Oklahoma and a kindly husband who’s a hopeless drunk.
It’s an American story: two strangers meet to share the open road west, a dream, a hope—and find each other on the way.
Charlotte sees that he’s strong and kind; Guidry discovers that she’s smart and funny. He learns that’s she determined to give herself and her kids a new life; she can’t know that he’s desperate to leave his old one behind.
Another rule—fugitives shouldn’t fall in love, especially with each other. A road isn’t just a road, it’s a trail, and Guidry’s ruthless and relentless hunters are closing in on him. But now Guidry doesn’t want to just survive, he wants to really live, maybe for the first time.
Everyone’s expendable, or they should be, but now Guidry just can’t throw away the woman he’s come to love.
And it might get them both killed.
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Enthralling story dragged you along in the wake of an Oklahoma family and a New Orleans gangster, neither of which killed Kennedy.
I chose “November Road” by Lou Berney because it seemed to revolve around JFK’s assassination, but as it turned out, while the assassination was the catalyst for the story, the book was really about an unlikely couple who meet while both are at desperate turning points in their lives.
The characters are all finely drawn, even the secondary and peripheral characters. The prose is straight and to the point, yet delivered with skill and artistry. The romance manages to be deep and vivid while remaining straight-forward. The action is pretty much non-stop, yet never feels rushed or forced. Events move along in a logical, yet still unpredictable manner, keeping the pages turning. The ending feels true and right for all involved.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes a good story which hooks you from the start. There are a few parts which may make some people squeamish, but they are never overdone or too graphic.
Nice character development. Pleasant readk, easy to see the scenery and feel the vibe. Very well-written.
I have read and enjoyed several books by Lew Berney and was excited to read this one. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me.
First, I am not a Kennedy assassination conspiracy theorist so that element of the story really didn’t do anything for me. The plot could have been established with some other motivation. Still, I could deal with that.
It was harder to deal with the fact that I really didn’t like the main character much. He was a long time loyal fixer for an underworld crime boss and he seemed to have no compunction about sacrificing others lives to protect his own interests. Yes, the story involved him growing into someone who could care about others (at least one woman and her daughters) but I had trouble buying it.
Finally, there was the ending. I don’t know how such a story should have ended but I didn’t care for the one the author chose. And the last chapter (epilog) was pretty random.
Overall, I’d recommend picking a different Berney book.
Fast, easy read, good characters. Enough connections to the mysteries and conspiracy theories surrounding JFK’s assassination to be plausible.
A page-turner twist on the typical road adventure: a mobster on the run from the mob, and a woman with two kids on the run from a dead-end marriage. All set against the background of the JFK killing in 1963. The ending was “right” if not quite happy-ever-after. Witty dialog and compelling characters. I’d read more from this author.
Great twist on a tragic time in history that still has so many unanswered questions. I loved that Charlotte was a modern thinking woman ahead of her time that wanted her girls to grow up as strong independent women. She had the strength to leave two men that were just not right for her. In 1963 this was not an easy feat.
I enjoyed the storyline and I will look forward to reading other books written by this author.
A very enjoyable read. I have to admit, the ending caught me by surprise. But really, there was no other way.
Too gritty for me with ugly situations and characters. Not my cup of tea.
Could have done without the the detailed sex scenes
What a wonderful American story. Whimsical and a heart stopping thriller. Just a good story.
Forget the Goodreads Awards. This book has earned the top spot at the Gatewood Awards (that’s me, I’m Erin Gatewood)!
Easily my favorite book of 2018!
Set in 1963, the book starts in New Orleans with Frank Guidry, a top level lieutenant in a major crime syndicate. Frank ends up unknowingly playing a role in the assassination of President Kennedy so he finds himself on the run to save his own life. While running, he comes across a young woman and her two small children who are also running; but for a very different reasons.
So well written and thrilling that I couldn’t sit comfortably in my seat (because I was constantly on the edge….see what I did there?) Hitting a satisfying note at the conclusion, this book will stay with me for years to come.
This book beat out UNDER MY SKIN for a number of awards. But I still love Lou Berney. Two strangers, both on the run from darkness, hit the open road. It’s a love story, a crime story, gritty, moving and deep.
Enjoyed the character’s..
Predictable, entertaining, unchallenging. Perfect summer read.
We’ve all heard so many conspiracy theories about what actually happened when Kennedy was assassinated. But what if there was some truth in at least one of those theories? The author brings to life a possible mob connection, intertwined with an emotional liaison that you wouldn’t predict for this main character. I loved this book from start to finish and will definitely read it again, on the next rainy afternoon, and then the one after that. Worth your money and your time.
The criminal world the man comes from is full of menace and the dreary abusive world the woman comes from is all too believable. All the characters are finely drawn in this original take on The Journey. Can you tell I am left virtually speechless?
A good reminder that you sometimes have to dig a little deeper to understand what you’re capable of. Twists, turns and an unexpected ending create a story you’ll truly feel in your veins.
One of my best books of the year 2019