The Shotgun Rule

A Novel

By: Charlie Huston

Narrated by: Charlie Thurston

The first stand-alone thriller by critically acclaimed author Charlie Huston, The Shotgun Ruleis a raw tale of four teenage friends who go looking for a little trouble – and find it.

Blood spilled on the asphalt of this town long years gone has left a stain, and it's spreading.

Not that a thing like that matters to teenagers like George, Hector, Paul, and Andy. It's summer 1983 in a northern California suburb, and these working-class kids have been killing time the usual way: Ducking their parents, tinkering with their bikes, and racing around town getting high and boosting their neighbors' meds. Just another typical summer break in the burbs – until Andy's bike is stolen by the town's legendary petty hoods, the Arroyo brothers. When the boys break into the Arroyos' place in search of the bike, they stumble across the brothers' private industry: a crank lab. Being the kind of kids who rarely know better, they do what comes naturally: They take a stash of crank to sell for quick cash. But in doing so they unleash hidden rivalries and crimes, as well as the dark and secret past of their town and their families.

The spreading stain is drawing local drug lords, crooked cops, hard-riding bikers, and the brutal history of the boys' fathers in its wake.

©2007 Charlie Huston (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Excellent Suspense/Thriller

Well written suspense novel. The characters are well-developed and you feel like you know these characters. You definitely want to keep reading to find out what happens to these characters. And while some of it is predictable, there is plenty that catches you by surprise. The local color is great providing a great and realistic portrayal of the SF East Bay Area. Narration is great although there were a few characters that sounded very similar. I have tried several other books by this author, and just couldn’t get into them. So, if you are new to this author, you might want to start with this one.

The Shotgun Rule

I only read (listened) to this book b/c my Mom had to for class and I was curious.

I didn't too much care for Part 1. These kids were assholes and a bit on the crazy side. A lot of homophobia and racism which I felt was done more for shock than anything else.

Part 2 had me thinking "well damn" a lot. Deception, blood, craziness. A majority of the adults in this story were terrible.

At the end I started to care for these kids even though they were reckless assholes.

A pack of guys really screw up!

1 genius kid amongst His big brother & pals goes along w/ a dumb scam in the 80's - a whole different world from now. They find that they don't know each other as well as they'd once thought. Esp of the adults they all admire. Narration : Had 2 amp speed to 1.06 cuz the guy's voice was fine. I do not however like this style of speaking. It seems like hes being told 2 speak w/o a relaxed tone or i just don't get it? Sound seemed o.k. The 4 reading this. I so enjoy the period & they got the slang 'spot on' I'm ashamed 2 admit. we mostly spoke that way w/ a slant of the whole using 'fag' as a friend word & not a racist word that refers 2 a homosexual! Not in my vocab but it was then we called handicapped people 'retarded' & it was P.C. 2 do so?! Still a good time & then u could also talk w/ people & negotiate. not get zip gunned down or OOPS... A drive-by. This was the day of drive-ins & double features! Try again & develop the dad a lot more.

Overall very good

I really enjoyed the performance. It was exciting and emotionally engaging. Sometimes the characters in the situation became confusing but the overall performance came together very nicely. Thank you for creating this work.

Very well plotted & narrated

Charlie Huston can write. And that is on full display here, in a kind of coming of age story meets gangster mayhem mash up. The characters are well developed and the narration is excellent.

Great story about teenage angst gone wild

Great narration, the characters came to life. Great story. Entertaining without some BS political lesson. Thanks Charlie.

The Shotgun Rule

Another winning book by Charlie Huston, great characters all the way around, with an equal blend of humor and violence. Also great back stories on some of the main characters. I am so glad that I had the hardcover book because the narrator was driving me nuts and I had to quit listening early in the book. Scott Brick who has narrated some of Charlie's other books would have been a much better choice.

Creative writing at its best

This is a coming of age story involving a group of boys. As in most Charlie Huston novels, it’s unpredictable, creative, and a bit graphic in violence. It’s a fantastic story for those that are not of faint heart. You just don’t know where this story is going until it’s done. I absolutely loved it like I have his other two novels that I’ve read. He has a unique style and way of twisting the story around that keeps you constantly engaged.

Bad

This book could of improved with a better narrator, but the storyline was weak. Very predictable and difficult to finish. I am glad I didn’t waste a credit!

What was the matter with the narrator?

He was reading so slowly. It was hard to focus on the story when I kept asking myself, "Why is the narrator reading so slowly?"