What's not to like about Leather's brisk but sharp story? These are the types of books I love to turn to in between longer reads. The writing is to the point, the characters are clear and plotting keeps you turning the pages. Some readers may be bothered by the Leather's jumping from first-person to second-person but it's central to the story. I wasn't bothered by it.


This book lead me right to his other story, The Bestseller. It dovetails with The Basement in a fun way. I'd pay another .99 to read more stories like either of these. If the price had been higher, I might not have taken a shot on his book. Smart move to pull someone like me in with that .99 entry point. Keep 'em coming. ( )

This book has two story lines and it flips back and forth between them until the end. One line is about a quirky man who lives in a tiny apartment and comes up with many different plots for movie scripts that he writes and sends out to various Hollywood types. He even has penchant for "stalking" said Hollywood types. The other story line is about someone locked up in a basement (hence the title!) and how that person is being taught to be subservient to her abductor. Very depraved stuff going on there. For me, I wasn't too excited about either story, but then the end came and it threw me for such a surprise that I was almost audibly shocked! A great twist that I truly did not see coming! You gotta read it, if you want to experience it for yourself! ( )

Finally, after trying to read the last 2 books I checked out at the library (and gave up on), I found one I can sink my teeth into. Unfortunately, it is only a 120pg book so the fun won't last long. The story of a wannabe screen writer who may also be our killer plays out as 2 detectives close in on him in New York City. The book promises to leave you "battered, bruised, and broken", here's hoping!"
07/07/2012 45.0% "The chapters go back and forth between the screen-writer, Marvin and our killer. Marvin is dealing with a couple of cops who find him suspicious and thinks he may be a serial killer currently active in NYC. The killer is describing what he does to his victims as he does it. A very faced paced, quick read. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before it is a short book and will probably leave me wanting more."
Well, I think it would have been a better read if there was more to the book. The book itself was good and I enjoyed the story, but it came to such a short, abrupt end it was kind of disappointing. ( )

This was my first Stephen Leather book and I loved it. I do have to admit, I did not fall in love with the main character, Marvin Waller, and that's one of the reasons I liked the book so much. I have a strong respect for authors that are talented enough to make you not like a character so much that you need to keep reading to find out what happened to them. Marvin Waller is a screenplay writer and I am hopeful that the screenplays he discusses in this book will turn into full length novels by Leather in the future.
I was a bit distracted by the spelling and editing in the book. I'm fine with English spellings but not when the book is set in NYC. Other than that, I thought the writing was great and I will definately be reading more works by Stephen Leather. ( )

This was my first Stephen Leather book and I loved it. I do have to admit, I did not fall in love with the main character, Marvin Waller, and that's one of the reasons I liked the book so much. I have a strong respect for authors that are talented enough to make you not like a character so much that you need to keep reading to find out what happened to them. Marvin Waller is a screenplay writer and I am hopeful that the screenplays he discusses in this book will turn into full length novels by Leather in the future.
I was a bit distracted by the spelling and editing in the book. I'm fine with English spellings but not when the book is set in NYC. Other than that, I thought the writing was great and I will definately be reading more works by Stephen Leather. ( )