JCB's Reviews > Train

It's somewhat difficult to completely like Pete Dexter. The characters are flawed - almost to a point where they’re detrimental to the story. One chapter you’re on their side, the next not so much. There is almost always in his books one absolutely vile and despicable act - usually abhorrently sexual (see ‘Paris Trout’, ‘Deadwood’; they come to mind first - and will never be erased from memory). But he is still an interesting author whose style of writing is certainly distinctive.

Train is set in 50's racist Los Angeles, whose cops were apparently as racist and corrupt as any in the country at that time. Train attracts the attention of a police sergeant named Miller Packard, and their interactions form the majority of the plot.

It was a quick read, but all of his books are. The book could have been called ‘Packard’ though - his character opens and closes the book, and I found him to be the more developed and interesting figure in the story anyway. But for a good third of the book, the story was intriguing for both Train and Packard. The book's path and characters seems to change halfway thru though, and scenes and characters which are started/introduced seem to just stop/disappear, and they’re not re visited again (the seedy and devious journalist, the cop hit by the character ‘Plural’, the neighbors’ efforts to buy them off; for that matter itself even the fates of the two or three main characters are dropped). Along with that, the story just meanders to an inexplicable end.

But Dexter is a master of dialogue - and throughout the book are examples of just absolutely clever and exquisite writing. Most of the stars given are due to his excellence in this area. But this book was (I think) one of his lesser efforts plot wise.