The Letty Dobesh Chronicles books 1-3 (The Pain Of Others, Sunset Key, & Grab) Short stories that have apparently been optioned by the TNT network & is now a TV series. I'm not interested in watching it after reading the book. Crouch has commentary at the end of each story to explain why the screenplay was changed, etc, etc. Letty is an alcoholic crystal meth junkie who likes to steal things and pick pockets & sometimes gets custom jobs from a psychopath. The 1st story she's robbing a hotel room and the guests arrive so she has to hide and overhears a murder plot that she somehow must try and stop, all while jonesing for meth. The 2nd story she's sent on a job by the psychopath to steal a valuable painting from a man who's having his last night of freedom with her before he starts his prison sentence. The 3rd story she's on a quest to stay sober and goes to Las Vegas (really?) and helps out on a casino robbery. ( )

I should have read the details more closely. I wasn't expecting 3 short stories. I listened to the Audible edition and it was only 5 hr 46 minutes. Some of that was padded with the author talking about how much he loved the character. ( )

I definitely enjoyed this collection of three novella-length stories. I might even have a bit of a crush on Letty. She's a complicated, flawed woman who is damn good at what she does and wish there had been a few more stories because I didn't get my fill.

There were some things I didn't like about the writing - the non-white characters speaking in culturally stereotypical ways and being the only ones identified by their color or race being top on the list - but the stories were good.

I'd definitely read more Letty Dobesh stories. ( )

I'm a huge fan of Blake Crouch's work. Letty is a flawed character whom you really get to care for. I really enjoyed Blake's notes in comparing the stories in this book to the new show on TNT. I can't wait to read/watch more about Letty. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review. ( )

Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book from Net Galley, but I listened to the audiobook version.

Good Behavior is simultaneously the definitive collection of Letty Dobesh stories by Blake Crouch and no longer the definitive story of Letty herself.

These stories were originally published as three separate novellas over the course of a few years. As of 2016, they are also the basis for a TNT series starring Michelle Dockery in her first post-Downton role in an ongoing series. This volume collects the stories along with author commentary.

However, unlike other book adaptations, I think I might recommend watching the show before reading Good Behavior. These stories read a hell of a lot like the rough draft of the show, and might best be appreciated with that in mind.

Crouch’s commentaries reinforce this impression. He discusses how he and the show’s co-creator adapted and cannibalized each story for the show, and it’s obvious that he thinks the adaptation is an improvement.

He points out more than once how the stories as written didn’t match the tone of the show or how tweaking events and characters for the adaptation opened things up in new and exciting ways.

As I listened to the audiobook, I oftentimes found myself thinking “Letty wouldn’t do that” or “this isn’t a Letty story”. Michelle Dockery’s portrayal is so compelling that I couldn’t picture the character any other way.

That said, I did enjoy reading Good Behavior. That’s especially surprising after I gave up on Crouch’s Wayward Pines trilogy after two books. I just couldn’t work up the energy to care about the finale, and I barely enjoyed the second book.

It helps that Letty is a much more interesting and likable protagonist than the main character in Wayward Pines, who spends most of his time hitting his head and blacking out. Also, it felt like Crouch had a better handle on style and language in these stories. He pulls off a few clever turns of phrase here and there that add a nice noir flavor.

Ultimately, I do recommend picking up Good Behavior, but only as supplemental material for the show and not a true standalone work. In fact, this collection is entertaining enough that I’m willing to give Crouch another chance, especially since he had a hand in writing the show.

Originally published at Full of Words ( )