OK. This was my second go at reading this book, and this time I made it through to the end.THE LOUD ADIOS is too well-written to be considered "bad." Besides, it won a very prestigious award, so there are obviously people who appreciate it more than I do. It's just that, compared to later books in the series, THE LOUD ADIOS simply doesn't measure up. All the elements are there, but Kuhlken hasn't quite hit upon the right formula yet, which is easily forgivable considering this is the very first book in the series. The problems with the book are fairly subtle: the characters are not likeable enough (for example, the "hero"--in addition to being borderline suicidal--annoyed me by always pointlessly breaking stuff whenever he got angry), the romance comes across as awkward to the point of being downright inappropriate, people's motivations often feel sketchy, and the tone of the book is too dark compared to that of the rest of the series.As a debut, THE LOUD ADIOS succeeds by hinting to readers of better things to come once the author really hits his stride. On the other hand, I would definitely recommend beginning the series somewhere else, such as with THE BIGGEST LIAR IN CALIFORNIA, which, in addition to being a much better read, takes place first in the series chronologically.
