Gotham City. The cesspool of crime of the DC Universe, but Tom King theorizes that it was once a thriving haven and wasn’t always synonymous with crimGotham City. The cesspool of crime of the DC Universe, but Tom King theorizes that it was once a thriving haven and wasn’t always synonymous with crime. Year One stories in DC are always important origin stories and it’s pretty cool to now present one for the most popular fictional city in pop culture.
In a brilliant idea, the telling of Gotham’s fall from grace is presented here as a hard-boiled crime mystery starring the OG private dick Slam Bradley, who gives a deathbed confession of his involvement in a child kidnapping case that set the city on fire. Witness a pre-Batman Gotham, where everyone has secrets and the seediness that has been festering in the shadows of the city are brought to the surface, in pure Tom King-style.
The writing here is fantastic and a must-read for fans of classic mystery and gritty noir as King once again knocks it out of the park!
“This is not some scum-slum where you can get away with your sins. This is Gotham. Where the angels rise. And the devils burn.”
Maybe it was bound to happen at some point. Maybe it was too much to hold out hope that McCammon could maintain the high quality that I’ve come to expMaybe it was bound to happen at some point. Maybe it was too much to hold out hope that McCammon could maintain the high quality that I’ve come to expect from the wonderful Matthew Corbett series, even with it being eight books deep at this point. Well here it is, this book marks the dip in quality.
I’m not sure why this book was even written. It blows my mind that the author thought that it would be a good idea to have a random side quest for the entirety of the penultimate book in a 9 book series, when the momentum should instead be rising to a climax. But, that's exactly what happens here, grinding the overall story to a halt while Matthew and his unlikely band of colleagues find themselves stuck on a mysterious Mediterranean island isolated from society. I had a similar nitpick with The River of Souls and I forgave it because it was still enjoyable. But this is the same times 100 here!
And like with River of Souls , I could forgive it if said side story was interesting on its own. But it’s the opposite. It feels lazy and pedestrian and not even remotely interesting, with a strange, half-baked cop-out of an answer to what was happening on the island. It also had side quests within the side quests, as we spend like 200 pages flashing back to the origins of new characters we don’t really give a shit about.
So essentially, the book reads like the rejected drafts of about 4 supplemental novellas that should have been released on their own, as further reading into the Matthew Corbett universe, but instead they were cobbled together here in an unsatisfying collection and labeled the 8th book in the main series. A total disappointment....more
In this book, the series takes a little break from following Ethan. And this time, his friend, projectionist, and fan-favorite, Anna Keller, takes cenIn this book, the series takes a little break from following Ethan. And this time, his friend, projectionist, and fan-favorite, Anna Keller, takes center stage as she takes on a strange case while Ethan is on a job in Frisco. And the series feels fresher for it!
A B-movie scream-queen from Anna’s childhood hires Anna to investigate whether or not her newly inherited Hollywood mansion is haunted. I love the mystery and mythology of older Hollywood and this book, even more so than previous Reckless books, is an homage to that time and culture. I love the break from Ethan as the main character and the further deepening of Anna's backstory. The quirkiness of the mystery fits Anna well. A great resolution and final scene helps make this another great installment, and one of the series' best!...more
For a while, I've been staying away from most "detective" novels because I began to find them repetitive and not fulfilling anymore. I longed for someFor a while, I've been staying away from most "detective" novels because I began to find them repetitive and not fulfilling anymore. I longed for something more than just solving a mystery over and over. But every now and then, a standard mystery comes along and impresses me! I read Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby recently and I really enjoyed it and sought out this one, his previous debut novel. I enjoyed it just as much and I can confidently say that he truly is a rising star to watch.
This book is armed with a cool, collected protagonist, who's pretty badass but not ridiculously so, tortured but not in a forced, clichéd way. Nate Waymaker works as an undertaker in his small Virginia town, but has been hired by the local church ladies to look into the mysterious death of a clergyman with a shaky past. The strange thing is that Cosby falls into many tropes here, with a structure lifted right out of Devil in a Blue Dress and with a hero who seems to be able to get every woman in the world drop their panties for him. But at the same time there was something that felt genuine about the novel, as if I was reading these clichés for the first time. The characters jump off the page, the dialogue is rich and grounded, and I enjoyed witnessing this author crafting a good story while finding his voice....more
It's always a grand adventure when I jump into a new Matthew Corbett book! I've always called these books the most consistently enjoyable series out tIt's always a grand adventure when I jump into a new Matthew Corbett book! I've always called these books the most consistently enjoyable series out there, and this 7th book doesn't break that trend. This picks up right after the end of Freedom of the Mask and Matthew is now forced to work for his arch-enemy Professor Fell and track down a valuable book of potions stolen by the even more evil Cardinal Black in order to find an antidote to cure Matthew's poisoned paramour Berry Grigsby.
I'm constantly blown away by how damned refreshingly modern these books feel, given the fact that they take place during the very formal times of the early 18th century. If you've heard about these books and think that they sound like they would be slow and boring, you couldn't be any more wrong. This book finds Matthew and his murderous traveling partner Julian Devane running headfirst into a dangerously high-stakes undercover operation and they manage to put themselves squarely in the sights of Europe's entire criminal underground.
I'm always worried that McCammon's long-windedness would ruin things for me, but again, there's so much awesome here that it's easily ignored. McCammon's big strength, what makes his books so enjoyable, is his uncanny talent with characters. All the supporting cast is instantly memorable, from Julian Devane, to Samson Lash, to RakeHell Lizzie, to Miles Merda, and definitely the creepy Satan-worshipping Cardinal Black. And Matthew himself continues to be one of fiction's best heroes, and this time he faces his biggest moral challenges as he tries desperately to cling to his honor, even at the cost of survival.
Once again, I would recommend these books to anyone, but especially if you've enjoyed the other novels. As usual, this book ends on a great cliffhanger that sets up the next historical adventure. So now begins the long wait until the next installment....more
★★★1/2 Another Blacksad mystery, this time with some great New Orleans flavor! The plot is pretty standard but as usual, it's all very well done and th★★★1/2 Another Blacksad mystery, this time with some great New Orleans flavor! The plot is pretty standard but as usual, it's all very well done and the drop-dead gorgeous art is the real star here. And the Louisiana setting provides a new atmosphere that sets it apart from the first book. Snuck this in as a quick Noirvember read.
You know that Gotham City must be a pretty screwed up place when a story focusing solely on the city's cops is just as compelling as the ones focusingYou know that Gotham City must be a pretty screwed up place when a story focusing solely on the city's cops is just as compelling as the ones focusing on it's cape-wearing, billionaire vigilante. That's the case in this multiple award winning series by now superstar writers Brubaker and Rucka (splitting the writing duties between the day shift and night shift, and rotating story arcs). The detectives of the GCPD Major Crimes Unit are the stars here, in a constant struggle to navigate the dangerous criminal world of Gotham, all while dealing with sometimes playing second fiddle to a crazy person that runs around in a bat costume, overshadows their efforts, and undermines their authority, leaving them to constantly clean up his damn mess.
I loved seeing the Bat-world from this point of view of regular Joe's just trying to make a living: whether it's seeing the lasting effects that a super-weapon like Mr. Freeze's gun would have on a person, the day-to-day bureaucracy behind who will turn the switch on the Bat-Signal, or seeing how the mad chaos caused by The Joker could put the fear of god in a whole town.
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Although I wish all of them got equal attention, all of the characters are enjoyable and well-drawn, lending to further ground the comic book atmosphere. Most of the story arcs were great but the standouts to me were:
"Soft Targets," about the unit trying to hunt down the Joker as he holds Gotham hostage during Christmas.
"Dead Robin," about the investigation of a serial killer dressing up his victims as the Boy Wonder.
"Corrigan," where Det. Renee Montoya must clear her partner's name after evidence is removed from the scene of an officer involved shooting by a corrupt forensics officer
And of course, the award-winning "Half a Life," in which Montoya's life gets turned upside down after being targeted by an unknown stalker.
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This series is a must-read, and you don't need to be a Batman fan or reader to really enjoy this. The character is barely in this and only once in a while makes an appearance. It's less of a Batman book and something closer to NYPD Blue, Homicide: Life on the Street, or even The Wire. So get on this quickly, especially if you enjoy police procedurals!...more