Reprise Review: Dig Two Graves by Keith Nixon

 Genre: Thriller/Noir/Police Procedural

Description:

“When teenager Nick Buckingham tumbles from the fifth floor of an apartment block, Detective Sergeant Solomon Gray answers the call with a sick feeling in his stomach. The victim was just a kid, sixteen years old. And the exact age the detective's son, Tom, would've been, had he not gone missing at a funfair ten years ago. Each case involving children haunts Gray with the reminder that his son may still be out there - or worse, dead. The seemingly open and shut case of suicide twists into a darker discovery. Buckingham and Gray have never met, so why is Gray's number on the dead teenager's mobile phone?

With his boss, Detective Inspector Yvonne Hamson, Gray begins to unravel a murky world of abuse, lies, and corruption. An investigator from the Met is called in to assist, setting the local police on edge. And when the body of Reverend David Hill is found shot to death in the vestry of Gray's old church, Gray wonders how far the depravity stretches and who might be next. Nothing seems connected, and yet there is one common thread: Detective Sergeant Solomon Gray, himself. As the bodies pile up, Gray must face his own demons. Crippled by loss but determined to find the truth, Gray takes the first step on the long road of redemption.

Set in the once grand town of Margate in the south of England, the now broken and depressed seaside resort becomes its own character in this dark detective thriller.”

Author:

During the day Keith Nixon is employed in a “senior sales role” by a high-tech company in the UK. But when he gets home you’ll find him working on this next book in one of two unrelated genres, either hard-boiled crime fiction or historical fiction.

Appraisal:

This is the first of the Solomon Gray series and I’m already a fan. Gray is a detective and the main story thread appears, at least at first, to be a straightforward (although certainly unique) murder case. I anticipated a straightforward police procedural. It might have been except for Solomon Gray’s past, which haunts him in many ways and I think tends to change the way he views and approaches crime solving. As the story alternates between the two threads, us learning about Gray’s past and observing his efforts to solve the current case (eventually cases) the two threads start getting tangled with each other. I never saw that coming.

The result can be viewed as a police procedural or noir crime fiction or a bit of both. But what struck me is that the underlying story has more depth than is typical of either.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Reprise Review: R.I.P. Robbie Silva by Tony Black

 

Genre: Crime/Noir

Description:

Jed Collins has been out of prison for only thirty minutes before he finds himself landed with a whole heap of problems. The first is Gail, a thoroughly sexy blonde with a bad history. Second is her brutal father, gangland boss Robbie Silva who promises a big payday for Jed but with a high risk. Throw Jed’s own difficult upbringing into the mix and you have an explosive cocktail that leads to violence, theft and murder…Jed is going to be lucky to stay alive and out of prison.

Author:

Tony Black is an award winning national journalist who covered a diverse range of stories from crime to nightclub reviews. Tony then moved into writing crime novels, with nine now published to critical acclaim.

More information can be found about Tony Black on his website.

Appraisal:

I thoroughly enjoyed this novella, a master class in the genre. It was punchy, gritty and tough - just how excellent noir should be. The fast-paced, violent action in RIP Robbie Silva starts immediately when protagonist Jed, a likeable just ex-con, meets troubled Gail. The story gallops along, taking the reader along for a wild ride that doesn’t let up until the final sentence.

As a result I had to read RIP Robbie Silva in a single sitting, getting myself into all kinds of trouble with the family because I ignored them for a couple of hours. However, it was worth it. I spent the time happily savouring the gritty Edinburgh location, seedy ambiance and the machinations of the troubled characters as they struggled with themselves and each other. A scattering of local vernacular through the story added to the weighty atmosphere without being distracting or off putting.

Here’s an example of the style:

‘The barmaid was in her bad fifties, bat-wings and a corned-beef complexion. Her over-dyed black hair was scraped back in a tight scrunchie and showed at least an inch of grey roots; when she smiled at me I wanted to heave.’

A difficult subject underpins RIP Robbie Silva and is the reason Jed, despite deep misgivings, inexplicably finds himself drawn to Gail. In the explosive finale, Jed and Gail lay their demons to rest with a major plot twist I didn’t see coming.

If you want to learn how to quickly build a highly credible story, strong characters, and a real sense of place then read Tony Black. A great writer and a great story.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Frequent strong language. Original review posted December 31, 2012

Format/Typo Issues:

None

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Keith Nixon

Approximate word count: 20-25,000

Review: Mr. Menace by R. Michael Burns

 Genre: Suspense/Detective Mystery/Noir

Description:

“When a mysterious woman begs detective Frank Orpheus to help her find a missing person—herself—he is intrigued on more than just a professional level. The perplexing puzzle of his client’s lost memory is the most interesting case he’s gotten in years…and the fact that she’s rich and gorgeous doesn’t hurt his enthusiasm, either. 

Despite dire warnings from his devoted and prescient secretary Cass, Frank takes the job. But even as his fascination with the mysterious Lady in Gray flares into passion, Frank finds himself drawn into a shadowy underworld populated by devilish dilettantes and notorious criminals…all of them the puppets of the cryptic crime lord known only as Mr. Menace. A man who traffics not just in drugs and booze, but—possibly—in souls.

As Frank uncovers the clues that might lead him at last to lost identity of the Lady in Gray, he learns that her world holds dangers far more diabolical and deadly than knife-wielding thugs and insidious criminal syndicates.  Frank’s obsession with his strange client could get him and the people he cares about killed— or worse. The closer Frank gets to finding the answers, the more he suspects that the truth might be too terrible to live with. Just who—and what—is this woman he’s fallen for?

 And how hard, and how far, will he finally fall?”

Author:

“R. Michael Burns is an October child and Colorado native with a background in theater, creative writing, philosophy, and other dark arts.  He has published short stories in the horror, science fiction, fantasy, and mystery genres, as well as the horror novel Windwalkers. After earning degrees in English and Philosophy, he taught for the better part of five years in Japan, both in public schools and in a private English conversation school.  During that time, he traveled extensively around southeast Asia. Three of his Japan-based fantasy tales have appeared in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly's Best Of anthologies, and his articles on the craft of fiction have been recognized by Predators and Editors and are taught in several college creative writing courses.  He currently resides in Florida where he teaches English and coaches his school's speech and debate team.”

Appraisal:

One thing I can say about this book is that it is different. In many ways I’m not sure quite what to make of it.

It starts out not unlike a typical detective novel. A private investigator, Frank Orpheus, has a potential client come to his office with a need that is outside the realm of his typical cases, things like finding out if a spouse is cheating or someone is attempting to defraud their insurance company. In this case his new client wants him to figure out who she is, because she’s lost all memories. It’s like she woke up on the street with no idea of who she was or where she lived. Her clothes indicate she’s well-to-do and the pocketful of large bills she has to pay him indicate she’s not just a mentally ill homeless person, but the vibe he’s getting is strange. His secretary tries to convince him to not take the case, but he’s curious and, if we’re going to be totally honest, that he finds her attractive figures into his decision to take this on.

When this story is taking place isn’t obvious. Going in I assumed it was contemporary, but various anachronisms that popped up (things like landline phones and phone booths, taking pictures using film, or not using modern technology of any kind at any point where they’d obviously be used today) told me it was sometime in the distant (but not ancient) past, Sometime in at least the 70s or 80s, but conceivably decades earlier.

As the story goes on it gets stranger and stranger. Frank finds some of the answers he’s looking for, but what to do with that knowledge and figuring out how to get his client back to who she was mentally proves not so easy. As the story goes on it becomes darker and darker, and goes from what I’d consider a hardboiled or noir detective story into what might be termed supernatural and almost surely into the realm of horror. How everything resolves, and where our main characters, Frank, his secretary Cass, and our mysterious client, end up by the end is nowhere near what I’d have guessed as one strange twist after another led us down many different roads and extremely dark alleys to a strange finale.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some mild violence and adult content.

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on an ARC (advanced readers copy) and I can’t judge the final product based on this.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Review: Blood by Choice by Rob Pierce

 

Genre: Noir/Hard-Boiled/Crime Fiction

Description:

“Two women and a child are murdered. Dust, who unknowingly set them up, returns to Berkeley to find the killer. With his old buddy Karma in tow, Dust discovers that one of the culprits was Vollmer, a ruthless hired gun working for Dust’s former boss, Rico. When Vollmer finds out Dust is in town the hunt becomes mutual.

In this, the third book of the Uncle Dust series, old debts are paid and new ones incurred. Brutish, dangerous men lurk in every corner and slaughter runs rampant.”

Author:

“Rob Pierce wrote the novels Uncle Dust and With The Right Enemies, the novella Vern In The Heat, and the short story collection The Things I Love Will Kill Me Yet. Editor of Swill Magazine, an editorial consultant with All Due Respect Books, and co-editor at Flash Fiction Offensive, Rob has been nominated for a Derringer Award for short crime fiction and has had stories published in numerous ugly magazines. He lives and will probably die in Oakland, California.”

Appraisal:

The protagonist of this book is technically named Dustin, but his nickname, Dust, fits him much better. Why? Well generally because he’s dirty, as in not a very nice person in many ways. He’s done a lot of bad things in his life and they don’t stop in our story here. But it’s easy to forgive him, even as the body counts are steadily climbing as the story goes on, because Dust is back on the streets of the East Bay, mainly in Oakland and Berkeley, with the intent of finding whoever it was that killed two of his former girlfriends along with a child of one of them. Those deaths might have happened in an effort to get Dust back in the Bay Area so the local crime boss could exact some revenge. Doesn’t matter. Dust can’t let this go unanswered. If you’re really into hard-boiled, maybe you like your hard-boiled eggs as hard as a rock and the bodies piled up as high as a San Francisco high rise, then this is definitely the book for you.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

This genre isn’t the one to read if you’re offended by strong language, adult situations, or violence of any kind in your reading material. Consider yourself warned. It appears that this is the third book in a series featuring Dust, but this story stands alone well, there is no need to have read prior books in the series to understand what is going on in this one.

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on an advance reader copy, so I can’t judge the final product in this area.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Review: Coldwater by Tom Pitts

Genre: Noir/Crime/Thriller

Description:

“After a miscarriage, a young couple move from San Francisco to the Sacramento suburbs to restart their lives. When the vacant house across the street is taken over by who they think are squatters, they're pulled into a battle neither of them bargained for. The gang of unruly drug addicts who've infested their block have a dark and secret history that reaches beyond their neighborhood and all the way to the most powerful and wealthy men in California.

L.A. fixer Calper Dennings is sent by a private party to quell the trouble before it affects his employer. But before he can finish the job, he too is pulled into the violent dark world of a man with endless resources to destroy anyone around him.”

Author:

“Tom Pitts is a Canadian/American author and screenwriter who received his education on the streets of San Francisco. He remains there, working, writing, and trying to survive.” Pitts is the author of several other books.

Appraisal:

A tense read. A bit of a mystery, putting together who all the players are, how their stories fit together, and where things are going to go. It kept me guessing, on my toes, and all those other clichés you’d hope to read in regards to a book like this. In some ways it felt like the answers to some of those questions were also a bit cliched (the man with endless resources mentioned in the book description), but realistically they say that every plot has already been written and all an author can hope for is to put their own unique twists on it. Pitts certainly did that. If you’re into crime fiction, this is a solid effort and well worth your time.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Plenty of adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on an uncorrected advance reader copy, so unable to gauge final product in this area.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Reprise Review: Long Way Down by Tony Black

Genre: Crime/Noir

Description:

Gus Dury is a down at heel ex-reporter with a dark past. He’s kicking his heels in life when Danny Murray, a runner for local gang boss Boaby ‘Shaky’ Stevens, asks Gus to do a job for him – find an old friend, Barry Fulton. Gus is reluctant, but £3,000 helps sweeten the deal. Gus quickly learns Barry has got involved with Irish gangsters encroaching onto Shaky’s patch and, unless he finds him soon, someone’s going to end up dead.

This standalone novella is part of Black’s Gus Dury series, the other four (Paying For It, Gutted, Loss, and Long Time Dead) are full length novels.

Author:

Tony Black is an award winning national journalist who covered a diverse range of stories from crime to nightclub reviews. Tony then moved into writing crime novels, with nine now published to critical acclaim.

More information can be found about Tony Black on his website.

Appraisal:

Long Way Down is a gem of a story. It’s theoretically a quick read, however I found myself spending a lot longer than normal with it simply because I wanted to stay immersed in the prose. This was a challenge because the action starts on the first page, when Danny steps into Gus’s sphere, and doesn’t let up.

The characters are very strong, Gus himself clearly has a deep background with references made to a difficult upbringing. He drinks, swears, fights – not someone you’d want your daughter to bring home. But he’s resolute, loyal, tough – someone you’d want at your back. The supporting cast of (few) friends and (many) enemies are equally entertaining – Gus mixes with some dubious company. A particular favourite is Mac the Knife, a man not to be messed with.

The dialogue is sharp and at times witty, despite the gritty and grimly sharp Edinburgh location which, is excellently described with a minimum of carefully chosen words and some local vernacular. For example:

The bar was dark, dingy. In days gone past there’d have been a pall of grey smoke you’d struggle to shine headlamps through. Now the nicotine-stained walls and ceiling looked painfully over-exposed – the woodchip papering would turn to writhing maggots after a few scoops.

And another:

I picked out the smell of p*ss and sickly-sweet Buckfast mingling on the grimy stairwell. Some of the young crew had been in to tag the walls since my last visit, and despite being a respecter of the creative urge I couldn’t help but think their efforts sucked balls. Right into a hernia.

The only ‘disappointment’ with Long Way Down? I finished it too quickly! Top drawer noir.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Frequent strong language.

Added for Reprise Review: Long Way Down by Tony Black was a nominee in the Thriller/Suspense category for B&P 2013 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran January 13, 2013.

Format/Typo Issues:

None.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Keith Nixon

Approximate word count: 10-15,000 words

Reprise Review: Killing Ways 2 by Steven Torres

Genre: Mystery/Noir/Short Story Collecton

Description:

“Hard luck, hard knock, hot and cold blooded killers, criminals, and the people they collide with.”

Author:

Born and raised in the South Bronx and now a college teacher in Connecticut, Steven Torres is author of the Precinct Puerto Rico series (published by St. Martin’s Press) and the novel, The Concrete Maze. This is his second self-published short story collection, pulling together six short stories, previously published in various magazines. For more, visit his Amazon Authorpage.

Appraisal:

Can noir, which to me implies characters with a non-sentimental, dog-eat-dog view of life lived on the edge, be humorous? If asked before reading Killing Ways 2, I’d have said no, with the obvious exception that the genre sometimes seems to satirize itself, with characters that take the “it is what it is” ethos to an extreme. The first two stories in this collection changed my mind, where I saw humor and were coincidentally also my favorites.

These stories, The Biography of Stoop, the Thief - Chapter One: Stoop and Clyde and The Biography of Stoop, the Thief - Chapter Three: Stoop and Elizabeth are standalone short stories focusing on Stupendous Jones (known by most as Stoop). How he got his name is a sad commentary on his origins, yet still tickled my funny bone. Stoop’s life is hard and he’s virtually on his own from a young age. What could be sad and completely dark, comes off as that, and more, not only from the subtle humor Torres uses in describing Stoop’s life, but also from the picture it paints of Stoop as a modern-day Tom Sawyer of the ‘hood. The other stories are darker, yet each is excellent, built on a solid premise, with strong characterization that quickly draws the reader into the story.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Added for Reprise Review: Killing Ways 2 by Steven Torres was a nominee in the Short Story Collections category for B&P 2013 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran July 16, 2012.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

Review: Jack Gilmour: Wish Lawyer by Ed Ryder

Description:

“As Las Vegas' first and only demonic contract lawyer, Jack Gilmour protects his clients from deals too good to be true.

An urgent case of misplaced lust sends Jack on a collision course with Lucia Oredis, a dangerous and seductive demon from his past. To cancel the contract and save his client, Lucia demands that Jack investigates a conspiracy in the corridors of demonic power.

As the clock ticks down, Jack gets in way over his head with the human and demonic underworlds in a battle for dominion over the city. With only his wits and a gambling wizard for help, can Jack save the day and both worlds?”

Author:

“Ed Ryder is a research scientist by day and author by night.

When not spending time working or writing, Ed is either horse riding, playing video games, or watching science fiction movies and TV shows.

His favourite author is Clive Barker, and he loves pizza.”

To learn more visit Mr. Ryder’s Blog or his Facebook page.

Appraisal:

Jack Gilmour Wish Lawyer, is suitably set in Las Vegas where people get caught up in the glitz and glamour of a freewheeling lifestyle. He is surrounded by beautiful people who may not be as they outwardly seem. Eddie Malfitano, who owns a couple of casinos a few blocks off downtown, is visibly upset when he drags his nephew, Benny, into Jack’s office. Benny has just finished college and is visiting his uncle Eddie for the summer to get a taste of the business. Benny has been struck with a major case of lust at one of the downtown casinos, when all of a sudden there is a man that says he can fix Benny up with this sultry beauty and all he has to do is sign on the dotted line. So, Benny does.

At first Jack assumes Benny signed a karmic contract which is a simple matter. In reality Benny signed a soul contract, which is a whole different story. Did you know that demons have Demonic Precepts to live by? Well they do, and Jack is an expert in demonic law. As it says in the description, this case sends Jack on a collision course with Lucia Oredis, a dangerous and seductive demon from Jack’s past. Lucia will cancel Benny’s contract if Jack investigates a conspiracy in the halls of demonic powers in the underworld.

There are layers upon layers as the plot twists and turns, in the streets of Las Vegas as well as in the underworld. The characters are multi-dimensional, some are twisted and pure evil, others not-so-much. The dialogue is intelligent, conscientious, and at times humorous. The descriptive prose at the beginning is beautiful and sets you right there with Jack. The noir twists are totally enjoyable, especially when we meet Gloria, Jack’s secretary. She is a gloriously strong woman who got satisfaction in the end, and I would like to see more of her.

If you need a break from the routine urban fantasy, take a walk on the wild side of Las Vegas with Jack Gilmour: Wish Lawyer for a unique and witty roller-coaster ride.

Buy now from:            Amazon US          Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language. Uses UK spelling conventions.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 30-35,000 words

Review: The Father by Andrés Cruciani

Genre: Literary Fiction/Noir

Description:

“The story goes like this:

One day, Savage comes home to find his girlfriend, Sarah, crying, holding their shrieking daughter over a bath of steaming water.

That afternoon, Savage takes their money, their baby, and jumps on a bus. When he calls Sarah, she threatens to call the police.

‘If you do, you will never see her again,’ he proclaims.

He begins a life on the lam. But is a life of hiding really the greatness Savage had always dreamed of?”

Author:

“After graduating from Cornell, Andrés Cruciani earned a Master's in Education from Brooklyn College and an MFA from The New School. He has been a teacher for 15 years and has taught writing at FIT and the Hispanic Center for Excellence at Albert Einstein College among other places. Andrés has had numerous pieces nominated for awards and published in The Westchester Review, Pamplemousse, Green Mountains Review, and Welter among other magazines. He served as editor for LIT magazine and is the current senior editor of Brooklyn Aikikai Journal. He recently founded Toho Publishing. When not writing, Andrés trains in Aikido.”

For more, visit his website.

Appraisal:

As explained in the description, the man who calls himself Savage (among many other names over time) kidnapped his young daughter, leaving her mother, because he felt it was the only way to keep his daughter alive. You can decide for yourself whether that was a reasonable interpretation or the most appropriate reaction. I’ve decided that he believed it and that’s what matters. 

This is their story as Savage tries to provide his daughter a life that is as normal as he can make it, even though it is far from normal, all while trying to hide from his daughter the reality of their life. The author has a way with words, with his turns of phrase varying from the lyrical to the literary. Savage’s love for his daughter comes through loud and clear as well. While in many ways this is a dark story, it’s also the opposite, with its chronicling of a father’s love and the lengths this father will go to for his daughter.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 30-35,000 words

Reprise Review: The Secret Files of Hugo and Victoria by J.E. (Buck) Buchanan

Genre: Noir/Paranormal/Satire

Description:

“At last, a novel that seeks to answer the age-old question of whether a hardboiled private eye writer and a goody-two-shoes vampiress-in-denial can find redemption and true happiness.”

Author:

A former member of law enforcement in Florida, Buck Buchanan now works as a law enforcement consultant as well as having his finger in several writerly pursuits, including editing, conducting writers’ workshops, and writing crime fiction.

Appraisal:

Hugo Rongg is a “private eye writer” (think of your favorite “hardboiled detective”) who drives a “classic Yugo.” Victoria Station is a sexy dame with a “little genetics problem”; specifically she’s a vampire who falls hard for Hugo and, with his guidance, hopes to become a private eye writer, too. The Secret Files … satirizes two genres, both noir (the genre of the hardboiled detective) and the paranormal genre with vampires, werewolves, and such creatures, especially the hybrids. Can you guess the difference between a vampig and a hampire?

Relatively short, I read straight through The Secret Files … laughing constantly. For a few examples of things that tickled my funny bone, it makes fun of the language of the hardboiled detective, i.e., “The joint had been tossed, trashed, rifled… you know, searched” and the silly nicknames often hung on villains in those novels, “Nickel is Dime’s half-brother …” At times I got the feeling that despite my constant laughter that there were many jokes sneaking past me. For example, there was a subtle political statement that I almost missed and a little dig at those who are too dogmatic about religion. If you’re into satire, especially if you like the genres being satirized and don’t mind a little fun being poked at them, The Secret Files … should be a perfect fit. I’ll leave you with one more quote. This is for the paranormal fans:

“My head spun. I’d just learned I had vampire, witch, and werewolf blood in my veins and a parrot for a grandfather. Talk about a bad heir day.”

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Added for Reprise Review: The Secret Files of Hugo and Victoria by J.E. (Buck) Buchanan was a nominee in the Humor and Satire category for B&P 2013 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran June 1, 2012

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words

Reprise Review: Eightball Boogie by Declan Burke

Genre: Noir/Mystery

Description:

“Freelance hack Harry Rigby likes a smoke, the easy life and Robert Ryan playing the bad guy in late night black-and-whites. Sweet. But when the wife of a prominent politician is murdered in her best nightdress, Rigby finds himself caught in a crossfire between rogue paramilitaries, an internal Garda inquiry and the heaviest blizzard of coke ever to hit Ireland’s northwest. If all that wasn’t bad enough, his relationship with Denise is on the rocks. And then there’s Gonzo, Rigby’s brother, back on the streets and meaner than a jilted shark …”

This book was originally published by Lilliput Press and may still be available through them in a paper version.

Author:

Declan Burke lives with his family in Wicklow, Ireland. In addition to this novel, he has written three others, two of them available for your Kindle. He also edited Down Those Green Streets: Irish Crime Writing in the 21st Century. For more, visit Burke’s blog.

Appraisal:

Imagine an Elmore Leonard book written by an Irishman, and you’ll have a good idea of what to expect from Eightball Boogie. Harry Rigby is a hanging-by-his-fingertips private eye who bills himself as a “research consultant.” His relationships are complicated and not always what they seem (to us or to him), and in this case he’s in over his head from the start.

Although I loved the story, what I found impressed me the most was Burke’s way with words. For example, this line:

Down in the Old Quarter, two times out of three you flip a double-headed coin, it comes down on its edge. Last time, it doesn’t come down at all.

Or Burke’s description of his favorite pub:

The benches were upholstered in worn red velvet. The carpet was pocked with tiny scorch marks. The low ceiling was tuberculosis brown.

Or when Harry said he’d “have spotted Helen Conway with one eye tied behind my back.” I’d be reading on cruise control, taking the story in, and then hit a line that had me do a double take because it was different, but also evocative, in a way you don’t often see. Eightball Boogie gets all the stars and thumbs pointing at the ceiling that I have to give.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language and situations. The author is from Ireland where Eightball Boogie takes place, and uses spelling conventions appropriate for Ireland. There is also a lot of Irish slang.

Added for Reprise Review: Eightball Boogie by Declan Burke was a nominee in the Mystery category for B&P 2013 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran June 11, 2012

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of what I perceived as proofing or copy editing misses, almost all instances of missing small words. I’ve become convinced that these situations aren’t seen as errors in many English speaking countries. For example, “I was tempted to touch the ugly welts on her throat but I got out the car, locked it, crunched through the snow to the hospital,” seems like it is missing an “of” to me. If not, where did he get the car out from? Maybe his pocket?

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 65-70,000 words