I live on a sailboat moored
in Key West waters, and I motored through Below Mile Zero in a
week. And what a week! What was the hero's name, did we ever
know it, did anyone speak it? And when's the sequel coming
out?
Intriguing Plot!
Kim Cragin
Full of suspense, which
leaves you thinking for days after finishing. Loved the Key West
setting...I could picture in my mind the action scenes as they
unfolded.
Great Book!
Caleb (Key West sailor)
'Couldn't put it down! 'Was
late for work 'cause I had to finish it. Then I lent the book
to my friend, and I can't wait to get it back, so I can read it
again.
I am fortunate to have
read this Key West thriller. Below Mile Zero
has an incredibly accurate sense of place,
beyond the bars of Duval Street, and gives
you an idea of the complexity of Key West.
The characters are real, and you learn to
care enough about them, the ones you love as
well as the ones you hate, that you have to
know what becomes of them. The plot twists
and turns, taking you along with it, and you
will not want to miss any of it. You could
never have guessed how it ends. The book is
beautifully written, truly a work of
literature. Below Mile Zero is well worth
your time and effort. You will not regret
spending your time seeing what could be
going on in the Key West you don't normally
see.
Key West is an end-of-the-road town and the reluctant hero in
"Below Mile Zero" considered the island to be a safer clime than
New Orleans. Or so he thought until the bullets started flying.
Caught between bad guys, this drifter with no place left to
drift must fight back, deal with betrayal, and come to terms
with his past ... or wake up dead. Brooke Babineau concocts a
mean, fast-paced story that takes the reader for an island tour
while keeping the adrenaline on high.
This review is from: Below Mile
Zero, A novel of Key West (Kindle Edition)
I'm not much of a fictional novel reader, I tend to stick to
light magazines with pretty pictures. What can I say, I'm a
simple soul. Below Mile Zero however, pulled me in and I
couldn't put the book down.
Without giving to much away, the story is told through the eyes
of a drifter that can't seem to straighten out his life. He
keeps finding himself in situations that threaten his freedom
and the breath in his lungs. You follow the main character from
his time in New Orleans to him washing ashore in Key West.
Throughout the story you'll read about real life places on the
rock and you can't help but put yourself in the same situation.
I recommend this book to anyone looking to be entertained. It's
intriguing to see a different, more local and darker side to our
favorite southernmost island. We think of Key West as a rum
soaked, happy-go-luck, anything goes type of place, but when you
add drugs, sinister characters and double-crosses, even the most
beautiful places can be turned into a war ground.
I have lived in Key West for over 11 years and thought I knew
the town pretty well. Below Mile Zero was more than an engaging
story set in this eclectic town, at the end of the road. It was
a wild ride through the neighborhoods and over the waters as the
protagonist gives us his first-hand account of people, places
and events that happened behind the scenes of Duval Street,
throughout New Town and Stock Island. The first-person narrative
allows the reader to become the character, and I found myself
questioning what I would do, what were my values and how much of
this really happened, knowing some of the local legend and folk
lore? The quotes from literary greats throughout the book give
one pause to reflect on the common thread of life that makes
sense (or nonsense ) of it all. And, for you dog lovers...well
you are in for a treat and will recall why they are called
"Man's Best Friend". This is a great read!
* * *
Barnes & Noble
Customer Reviews
Number of
Reviews: 3
Average Rating:
Below Mile Zero blew
me away!
A reviewer
Anonymous, 06/09/2008
Posted May 13, 2010, 1:03 AM EST:
You kept me up all night for two solid nights after I
really got into BMZ! Oh, my god, what those guys went
through. Like I told some friends, after a while, you
forget it isn't real! And, poor Tony, after all they
went through, not to make it. Geez, Brooke, you had me
almost bawling about that! I fell in love with Sarge -
and I am deathly afraid of Rotweillers! What a
blockbuster of a movie that is going to be if you can
get it sold. Talk about wall to wall action. One can
barely take a breath from one crisis to the next. You
have me wondering just how much is fiction and how much
is a little more than just fiction, but I won't ask. I
will prize this book! Please keep trying to get it sold
as a movie, Brooke. I'm serious. What a show that would
be on the big screen.
A GREAT STORY WITH A DOG
HERO
Reader Rating,
Posted June 16, 2008, 5:47 PM EST:
Would you like to read an interesting, exciting story,
written in a beautiful style, by a new author? my answer
was 'yes', and I read 'below mile zero' by Brooke
Babineau. This story kept my interest as i plunged ahead
to the next chapter. The novel introductions to each
chapter were a tour through great literature. This
author's style reminded me works that I read by Scott
Turow and John Grisham. Another super plus for me was
the dog 'Sarge' who became my sentimental favorite
character in the story.
Also
recommended: PRESUMED INNOCENT-SCOTT TUROW,
DISCLOSURE-JOHN GRISHAM
A reviewer
Reader Rating
Posted June 9, 2008, 11:29 PM EST: This is, without a
doubt, the most exhilarating and insightful novel of
suspense and intrigue I have read. It's like a
combination of Nelson DeMille, John Steinbeck , John
Grisham and Ernest Hemingway. When I started I found the
book charming, heartbreakingly funny, and so
introspective that I quickly became completely
immersed. That was just the setup for a thrilling ride
that rattled my cage to the point where I didn't want to
go to sleep, craving the next turn of the screw, but had
to force myself to put the book down, so I could make
the story last and savor each delectable, poignant,
nerve-shredding moment. I've never before been so deeply
inside the skin of a protagonist as in Below Mile Zero,
and I never did discover his name. I'm going to give
myself a couple of weeks then jump into it again...the
only time I've read the same book more than once was Pat
Conroy's Prince of Tides.
Also
recommended: Lion's game, Plum Island,
General's Daughter-Nelson DeMille. Prince of Tides-Pat
Conroy. The Firm, Runaway Jury, Rainmaker-John Grisham,
Tortilla Flats, Cannery Row-John Steinbeck. Hunt for Red
October, Patriot Games-Tom Clancy
* * *
Buy.Com
Brilliant! 12/28/2008
Villains you love to hate, a hero you can imagine being, set in
the paradise island of Key West, intrigue, a great dog, thrills,
real drama, believable drama...this one's got it all. Not one of
those cheesy almost-200 pagers with large margins and small
words; this guy knows how to write, and he does it well. Talk
about pushing all the buttons. Warning! once you start you won't
want to put it down, and at 400-plus pages forget about
television.
Charlie from Chicago, Ill
Excellent 9/1/2008
Thrilling... I am in awe of Brooke Babineau; he has defined a
new standard of excellence in writing with Below Mile Zero. On
the surface this was a thrilling suspenseful adventure about the
bad old days of Key West smuggling. However, what emerges is a
deeper understanding into the human psyche and an amazing series
of insights into terror and how we cope with events beyond our
experience or understanding. I won't give away any of the
details, because you will want to savor each delicious turn of
the screw for yourself. A friend, who'd read Below Mile Zero,
suggested I visit the publisher's web site where the whole
beginning of the novel is posted. Beware! Once I started I had
to own a copy of my own. Can't wait for the sequel or the movie.
B. Clooney from Middle Village, NY
The Best I've ever read!!! Rated by Lee [From USA -
8/11/2008]
The finest novel I have ever had the
privilege of reading. Twists and turns and a plot that leaves
one hanging; Mr. Babineau has created in Below Mile Zero, a
device to torture we constant readers and to deprive us of our
sleep, by crafting a story that compels one to keep the light on
well after hours. I cannot wait for the next. Bravo, Brooke
Babineau, Bravo! Does one dare hope a feature film may be
forthcoming?
Brilliant and terrifying!!!
Rated by Nancy G. [From USA - 8/27/2008]
Until Below Mile Zero I thought Key West, Florida a charming
little tourist place, like Disneyland with palm trees; this
shows a darker more suspenseful reality than one would ever
guess. The author kept me up night after night compelling me to
turn the next page, devouring chapter after chapter, tantalizing
my mind with exceptional characters and such a stunningly
elegant use of the English language that I was put in mind of
the best efforts of Grisham, Conroy, Steinbeck, and the like.
The intimated sequel is a delicious torture.
* * *
alibris.com
Customer rating:
5 out
of 5
Wow!!!,August 30, 2008
By Mary332,
Los Angeles, CA
"I have never been so thoroughly entertained before. Brooke
Babineau's, Below Mile Zero took me behind the lush tropical
scenery of Key West. The protagonist, whose name I never did
learn, was one of the most intriguing characters I've ever
experienced; his insights and honesty were so engaging, along
with a thrilling roller-coaster ride of a story, that I couldn't
bear to put the book down. For a suspense/mystery novel this had
moments of sheer hilarity contrasted with nail-biting terror.
One of the funniest, scariest, saddest, and most exhilarating
reads I've ever experienced. One hopes the intimated sequel will
be forthcoming. I can imagine Brad Pitt as the hero when this is
made into a movie."
Holy shit! (heck if you are shy) I
never saw the byways and waterways of my Key West home quite
like Babineau does in Below Mile Zero, thank all the gods
and goddesses. It's too much excitement! And if there's not a
sequel (I'm in love with the hero), I may have to kill someone.
C.S. Gilbert. poet
Itrackmine.com
Customer
rating:
5 out of 5
1/22/2009
I have lived in Key West for
over 11 years and thought I knew the town pretty well. Below
Mile Zero was more than an engaging story set in this eclectic
town, at the end of the road. It was a wild ride through the
neighborhoods and over the waters as the protagonist gives us
his first-hand account of people, places and events that
happened behind the scenes of Duval Street, throughout New Town
and Stock Island. The first-person narrative allows the reader
to become the character, and I found myself questioning what I
would do, what were my values and how much of this really
happened, knowing some of the local legend and folk lore? The
quotes from literary greats throughout the book give one pause
to reflect on the common thread of life that makes sense (or
nonsense ) of it all. And, for you dog lovers...well you are in
for a treat and will recall why they are called "Man's Best
Friend". This is a great read!
I've never bothered with writing a review
before, but this book really needs to be
discovered.
I found a copy in a shop on the Key West
waterfront. For that I am grateful because I
might never have discovered it otherwise.
The author, Brooke Babineau, I learned is
the real deal. A real Key West author who's
been there and done that, his life sounds
like an adventure novel but he seems to shy
away from publicity. I've heard a few rumors
that more than most people would realize in
this book really...more
I learned how lucky I have been. This was an
amazing read that took me into a world of
suspense and intrigue, and taught me so much
about what life can serve up when we least
expect it. A wonderfully written story with
a great canine character that I immediately
loved. What an imagination!
[The following reviewer, Shirrel Rhoades, is former
Fiction Editor with The Saturday Evening Post and Executive Vice President/Publisher at Marvel Entertainment (Marvel
Comics)]
A reviewer
