Review: The Undertaking by Rob Johnson

 Genre: Crime/Comedy

Description:

“If business didn’t pick up soon, we’d be staring into the abyss of what economists might call ‘totally screwed’.”

“But as chance would have it, Max Dempsey and Partners: Funeral Directors are about to be saved from financial ruin by a mysterious stranger with a wad of cash. It was the first time they’d been asked to collect a body from France, but what could possibly go wrong?

For a start, the body in question isn’t at all what they’d been expecting, and all of a sudden Max and his partners find themselves catapulted into a world of espionage, blackmail, kidnapping, double-dealing and Russian assassins.

The name’s Dempsey. Max Dempsey. Shaken, stirred and totally freaked out.

The Undertaking is the second book in the Cremains series of comedy capers.”

Author:

Rob Johnson is a playwright with four plays that have been professionally produced and toured throughout the UK as well as several books.

For more, visit Johnson’s website.

Appraisal:

If you read the first book in this series, you’ll already be familiar with Max and his partners who by the end of that book found themselves working as undertakers and funeral directors at their own company. But things aren’t going so well. As this story begins, they’re approached by a person who gives them a large upfront payment with more to come. All they have to do is pick up a body from an undertaker in France and bring it back to the UK. Should be a piece of cake, right?

It turns out not to be so easy though. From minor issues, like the body won’t fit in the coffin they brought with them, to more significant issues I can’t mention since it would be a spoiler, they find that things aren’t quite what they expected. Just when they think they have things under control and have figured out how to deal with it, something else happens, with the pace of these wild twists coming faster and faster as the story progresses. If you’re a fan of comedy crime novels, this one is worth a read.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Uses UK spelling and slang.

This is the second book in a series featuring Max Dempsey and crew. While having read the first book in the series, The Cremains, gives you a more complete understanding of what brought Max and his partners to this point in their lives, it isn’t necessary to read the first book in order to understand and enjoy this current book. It can stand alone.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 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

Reprise Review: The Rapist by Les Edgerton

 

Genre: Crime/Thriller

Description:

Meet Truman Ferris Pinter, a self-confessed rapist and murderer, currently residing on death row, hours away from his execution.

Author:

Les Edgerton is the author of fifteen books. He is an ex-con and served two years for a single charge of burglary, reduced from 182, two strong-arm robberies, an armed robbery, and a count of possession with intent to deal. Today, he's completely reformed. Prior to this Les served in the U.S. Navy as a cryptographer during the Cuban Crisis and the beginning of the Vietnam War.

After making parole, Les obtained a B.A. from Indiana University and then received his MFA in Writing (Fiction) from Vermont College. He teaches workshops nationwide on writing. Born in Texas, Les now lives in Indiana with his family.

You can learn more about the author at his blog.

Appraisal:

If you’ve read the author bio you’ll probably appreciate that I approached The Rapist with a degree of trepidation – Les Edgerton is one scary dude. In addition the subject matter would probably be difficult. The cover, of a woman’s face, eyes sightless, is haunting.

And I was right, it isn’t an easy read. It’s one of those stories you push away after finishing it, then pull it back again and look at it in a whole new light. Clearly Edgerton likes to jolt his readers. In fact, afterwards I felt a bit grubby having been in the mind of the main character, Truman Ferris Pinter, for so long.

Socially inept (a gross understatement) and incredibly self-important, Truman is a strange guy. At the outset we meet Truman in prison, he’s on death row having been found guilty of the rape and murder of a young woman. Through the initial part of the story Truman admits and even justifies his actions in a quite unique voice. He feels morally justified in his actions because of who she is and who he is. He is a class above.

Here’s an example from the outset:

He will inhale you, devour you, eat the pulp of your soul and spit out the husk. Behind his eyes lies nothing save the fevered light of unholy candles.

And this is Truman describing himself. Whilst awaiting his sentence for death in a matter of hours time (which adds another layer of tension) he recounts the situation which put him there and we learn about Truman’s life and experiences – some of which are strange – before he goes through a personal change. I won’t say more, you’ll need to discover these for yourself.

Should I feel sorry for Truman? Really I shouldn’t, but eventually I became drawn to the oddball. It was a strange experience.

The writing is very sharp, the prose as rich and wealthy as a billionaire. I stayed up late for three nights in a row to finish The Rapist, only going to bed when I literally couldn’t keep my eyes open, it’s that compelling a story.

I haven’t picked up anything quite like The Rapist before. I probably never will again.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

A rape scene but not overly graphic.

Added for Reprise Review: The Rapist by Les Edgerton was a nominee in the Thriller category for B&P 2014 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran November 17, 2013

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Keith Nixon

Approximate word count: 45 -50,000 words

Reprise Review: One More Body by Josh Stallings

 

Genre: Crime

Description:

Moses McGuire is lost, staying hidden in Mexico with the ghosts of his past. Until he’s approached by Rollens, a detective who claims her niece has been taken and sold into a life of child prostitution. McGuire reluctantly returns home to help. But all is not as it seems and McGuire is drawn into a messy world of crime and desperation.

Author:

Josh Stallings has had many occupations in life – from criminal, to taxi driver to club bouncer. On the creative front he has written and edited prize winning films, some in partnership with leading writers such as Tad Williams. More recently Josh turned to novels. One More Body is his fourth book. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and several pets.

Appraisal:

This is the third installment comprising anti-hero Moses McGuire, after Beautiful, Naked and the Dead and Out There Bad. It opens with McGuire in a bad way, existing in Mexico, riddled with guilt, talking to a ghost and pelting back prescription drugs and alcohol in equal measure.

In effect, the story takes up where Out There Bad finished (although each of the books operate as stand-alones). Once Rollens appears on the scene McGuire slowly begins to take a grip on his life through helping others. He’s a bad guy with a big heart, an excellent character who’s as frail as he’s strong.

The story moves along at a fast pace, flipping between first person (McGuire) and third person (the kidnapped girl, Freedom). As McGuire rises from the depths he’s cast himself into, Freedom sinks down into a grim world of child prostitution, exploitation and murder. It’s here the writing is at its most graphic - Stallings takes no prisoners when he describes scenes of abuse. The pill isn’t sweetened in the slightest.

What is very interesting and incredibly well done is how the writing style reflects McGuire’s mental state. At the outset he’s lost, guilt ridden and off his face on narcotics and the prose matches it. Then he’s drawn back to LA and begins to find a degree of purpose, but his world is still confusing, he’s not sure which way is up. The writing tightens, but still has a vague quality running through it. Then McGuire comes off the drugs and is entirely focused so the style shifts with it – to clipped and direct sentences. It’s clever and very well done.

Here’s an example of the writing:

I fired a second shot into the windshield. The concussion sent a million chunks of glass spilling back. It tore a three-inch hole through the seat before ripping out through the trunk. The safety glass bloodied up the bangers pretty good, but they showed good form, not a wail or a moan.

A thoroughly enjoyable, cracking read of knuckleduster prose.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Plenty of swearing and graphic scenes.

Added for Reprise Review: One More Body by Josh Stallings was a nominee in the Crime Fiction category for B&P 2014 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran November 27, 2013.

Format/Typo Issues:

None.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Keith Nixon

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Review: Someone Else’s Life by Kevin J Simington

 

Genre: Mystery/Crime Thriller

Description:

“What if you weren’t who you thought you were? A mysterious case of identity switching turns deadly when struggling private investigator, John Targett, becomes involved. As the plot deepens and more layers are uncovered, John must fight for his life against a well-organised crime gang who will do anything to remain undetected. As he is drawn deeper into the rabbit hole of subterfuge, he will need to risk everything in order to protect his daughter and remain alive himself.”

Author:

After many years as a teacher, Australian Kevin J. Simington quit in 2016 to write full time. He’s written a bunch of books, mostly science fiction, but some non-fiction and now a crime thriller to mix things up a bit.

Appraisal:

There are some things about this book I absolutely loved. There is one other thing that, at least in this specific book, bugged the heck out of me. Possibly unfairly. We’ll get to that, first for the good.

The first thing I loved was the main character, private investigator John Targett. For a moment I thought he was a … I’ll use the term butt to hopefully dodge any backlash from the naughty word police. Then I realized he was really more of the smart version of that. A smart butt. He reminded me of the guy I like to think I see in the mirror some mornings, only better. I found myself laughing at his quips and smart-butt comments all the way through the book.

Good characters help a book, but you need a story to draw the reader in as well, and this was a great one. The “mystery” here was a wild situation, a grown man is convinced that he isn’t the baby his mother gave birth to, and he makes a good case for thinking that. But figuring out what happened decades later is a trick, luckily one Targett was up to. How it was going to shake out, if the explanation was going to be something off the wall or if they were going to figure it out at all kept me on edge the whole way.

Now for the thing that bugged me. English has several flavors and variations. (Some places that would be flavours.) While some people might take issue with reading a book that uses spelling conventions different from their home country. That doesn’t bother me at all. I read those books all the time. If an author is from the UK or (as in this case) Australia and uses the spelling of their home country, that’s no problem. Likewise, using words that never get used in the US (my home country) but are common to the author’s country is usually okay too. When a Scottish author has his Scottish character call someone a “wanker” (a word that virtually no one in the US would use in a non-joking or non-ironic way) then it adds to the story (I get that he’s in Scotland and understand what he’s saying). He’s Scottish, he talks like a Scotsman. But if the characters are natives of the US and live in California, from all indications most of them living there all of their life, and they call someone a wanker, it gets my attention for the wrong reason, throwing me out of the story because that character wouldn’t use that word. When the narrator refers to a bonnet and means the hood of a car, not a woman’s old-fashioned head covering or another character is talking about vehicles that had driven by a particular location and talks in terms of lorries rather than trucks, you start to wonder if these people are really Californians at all. Those and other subtle and not so subtle things in word choice and language usage threw me out of the story several times.

The above may be a non-issue to you or, maybe not even something you’d notice. In the overall scheme of things it isn’t that big of a deal. The good in this story far outweighs this irritant. If there is a subsequent book which, given the character seems possible and given the surprise twist at the ending, seems likely, I’ll still be eager to read it. But I’ll also be hoping that our American characters sound like they aren’t poorly disguised imports.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

The author lives in and is a native of Australia, so he uses Australian spelling conventions.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Review: Tokyo Traffic by Michael Pronko

 

Genre: Crime/Thriller

Description:

“Running from a life she didn't choose, in a city she doesn't know  Sukanya, a young Thai girl, loses herself in the vastness of Tokyo. With her Bangkok street smarts, and some stolen money, she stays ahead of her former captors who will do anything to recover the computer she took. After befriending Chiho, a Japanese girl living in an internet café, Sukanya makes plans to rid herself of her pursuers, and her past, forever.

In Tokyo, street smarts aren't always enough

Meanwhile, Detective Hiroshi Shimizu leaves the safe confines of his office to investigate a porn studio where a brutal triple murder took place. The studio's accounts point him in multiple directions at once. Together with ex-sumo wrestler Sakaguchi and old-school Takamatsu, Hiroshi tracks the killers through Tokyo's music clubs and teen hangouts, bayside docks and byways, straight into the underbelly of the global economy.

As bodies wash up from Tokyo Bay, Hiroshi tries to find the Thai girl at the center of it all, whose name he doesn't even know. He uncovers a human trafficking ring and cryptocurrency scammers whose connections extend to the highest levels of Tokyo's power elite.”

Author:

Michael Pronko is a Tokyo-based writer and a professor of American Literature at a university there.

Appraisal:

This was an interesting read. While it has the elements you’d want and expect to find in a crime thriller such as this, for me and probably many of those who will see this review the books like this you typically read are normally happening in the US, sometimes the UK or possibly Canada. While there are some differences in these places, the cultural differences between them and Japan, where Tokyo Traffic takes place, is significant. Those differences and how they are reflected in the story as well as how Detective Hiroshi Shimizu approaches getting to the bottom of the case made for a change of pace from your typical crime thriller. The story kept me engrossed, wondering how it was all going to shake out and worried about a few characters who were in danger throughout.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Adult subjects implied throughout, but never very explicit.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 words

Review: One Hundred Bullets by EJ Findorff

 

Genre: Thriller/Crime

Description:

“Captain Lou Rush of the New Orleans police department is the leader of the Tribunal, a band of ten cops dedicated to eliminating the criminals that fall through the cracks of the justice system. Their success has made them powerful, and untouchable in the Crescent City, but that is about to change.

After two decades, the time has come for Lou Rush’s son Nick to join the Tribunal as aging members are due to retire. However, a fellow officer is killed by the Tribunal, and Nick discovers that his father may have also murdered an innocent man.

For years, Nick’s fiancé Cali Maddox quietly blends into the background. With an agenda of her own, her secrets will force father and son to decide where their true loyalties lie - with the Tribunal or with the love of Nick’s life, because one of them will not survive the aftermath.”

Author:

“New Orleans and all its dark weirdness laid the foundation for every story E.J. has written since high school up to present day. He was born and raised in the Crescent City, but now lives in Chicago.”

Appraisal:

Wow. This was quite a story. Few stories keep me as on edge, unsure of what was going to happen next, pulling for the good guys (but at times not positive who the good guys really are), as this one did. Just when I’d think I had a handle on things, not where the story was going to go, but at least who was good and who wasn’t, or what was fact and what wasn’t, something would happen to show me I was wrong. Or maybe not, as what I was sure of changed, then changed back (but with more details and a more nuanced opinion). It was a great story, an edge-of-your-seat thriller, with a unique set of characters and a new take on an old premise. (A group of vigilantes taking out the bad guys has been around since the old west, or at least the westerns that pretend to be from then, right?)

So why am I raving about the great story and giving it a mediocre ranking? One of the knocks against self-publishing is that too often indie authors don’t polish their prose to acceptable levels, letting way too many grammar issues, typos, and other such things that should be eradicated prior to publication get through to the book that goes on sale. My experience has been that for the most part, this complaint is overstated. But when I do read a book that has issues with inadequate proofing, if I don’t discard it up front, if the number of issues I flagged while reading it go over a certain number, I’ll mention it and knock off stars to reflect the inadequate proofing. This book exceeded my limit. In fact, it has double the number of errors it takes for me to consider a book over the line. These are all minor (missing words, extra words, wrong words, etc) but all things that make me stumble over the sentences as I’m reading, throwing me out of the story. It’s sad when such a fantastic story is sullied by proofreading as atrocious as this.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

Lots of proofing issues. Missing or extra words, wrong words, and assorted other issues. Way beyond what is acceptable.

Rating: *** Three Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words

Review: Dead in the Water by Donna Collins

 

Genre: Thriller/Crime/Mystery

Description:

“Jason Wade is an East End boxer-turned-Police Crime Scene Investigator. He likes his job, has a good circle of friends, and is never short of female admirers. But, although on the outside his life looks an enviable one, behind closed doors he has more than one secret hidden away. When a female body is dragged from the Thames, the skeletons from Jason's past quickly begin to resurface and his near-perfect life slowly begins to spiral out of control. But, when a second victim is pulled from the Thames with amnesia, Jason questions if the two accidents are related to each other. With none of his colleagues believing there is a link between the two incidences, and ordered to stay away from the case by his boss, will investigating these seemingly unrelated cases lead Jason to his own downfall, and how many of his friends will he take with him?”

Author:

A native of England, Donna Collins is a fan of 70s and 80s TV shows which along with her reading books from the same time period she attributes as the reason she likes dark mysteries and thrillers, not just to read, but to write. Along with writing, Ms Collins has worked for multiple law enforcements organizations, which should give her some different perspectives to influence her storytelling. This is her fourth book.

Appraisal:

This was a strange story, and I mean that in a positive way, in that it kept me guessing, wondering who the good guys were and who the bad. Some, with good reason, would say they were all bad guys. Why? Because every member of law enforcement with any significant mention in this story, including our hero and protagonist, Jason, were stretching rules at a minimum, if not actually breaking laws. However, since it is fiction, I found it easy enough to go along with the credo of the ends justifying the means. If we’re going to be fair, had all the good guys strictly followed the rules here, the story would have been a lot different, less entertaining, and not a very satisfying read. As it is this was an intense thriller that kept me interested and guessing where things were headed and how Jason was going to find and prove what he needed to. This is the first of a planned series and based on the ending, I think we’ve got at least one story thread for book two (if not subsequent books as well) setup already.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

This is the first book in a series.

Author is from the UK and this is reflected in spelling conventions used.

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Review: The Blues Don't Care (Bobby Saxon Book 1) by Paul D Marks

Genre: Crime

Description:

A huge McGuffin inhabits this story, which is why I have used the Amazon ‘blurb’ supplied by the publisher so as not to uncover it accidentally.

The Amazon blurb says “Bobby Saxon lives in a world that isn’t quite ready for him. He’s the only white musician in an otherwise all-black swing band at the famous Club Alabam in Los Angeles during World War II—and that isn’t the only unique thing about him...

And if that isn’t enough to deal with, in order to get a permanent gig with the band, Bobby must first solve a murder that one of the band members is falsely accused of in that racially prejudiced society.”

Bobby Saxon has previously appeared in three of Paul's published stories – ‘Sleepy Lagoon Nocturne’, from the anthology Landmarked for Murder, ‘The Good Old Days’, in the anthology Murder Across the Map, and ‘Santa Claus Blues’, from Futures Magazine.

Author:

Paul D. Marks is a Los Angeles native, and loves the city that LA used to be. His former day job was as a screenplay "script doctor." He is one of the last people to have shot a film on the famous MGM backlot before it was torn down.

He is the author of over thirty published short stories, which, he says, run the gamut from serious fiction to mystery and satire. They include several award winners. This is his second novel. A complete list of his publications is on his website.

Appraisal:

So, what’s the best thing about this novel? The author is a native of LA and it shows. He is very knowledgeable about its history, its architecture, its people. The city is a vibrant character in its own right. The time in which the book is set is evocative. The bands, the huge boom in business, the early days of the consumer society, the cars, the segregation, Hollywood and the stars who worked there, the gangsters, the music – it’s all here. Many famous names are dropped: many famous watering holes of the time make an appearance. There is much about the war and what the conscripts may be facing overseas. Period detail is very good indeed.

Unfortunately, the plot of the book is a crime and investigation of same (by Saxon) which are too slight to carry its 400 or so pages. Because of this The Blues Don’t Care is rather a baggy book, proceeding at a leisurely pace to a series of similar denouements.

You are most likely to enjoy this book if you prefer character-driven fiction. Saxon is a complex character and he is the heart of the book: everything else is there to give him something to do.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Format/Typo Issues:

I was working from an e-ARC, so presume the typos etc which I came across will be corrected before the book is released.

Rating: *** Three Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 105-110,000 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

Review: Cremains by Rob Johnson

Genre: Crime/Comedy

Description:

“When sacked bank manager turned bank robber Max Dempsey (aka Simon Golightly) finds himself deep in debt to dodgy undertaker Danny Bishop, he’s prepared to do almost anything to pay it off and keep all of his fingers.

But he’s likely to lose a lot more than his fingers when he agrees to do a ‘little job’ for Danny and unintentionally crosses psychopathic Greek gangster, Nikos Spiropoulos.

Meanwhile, Bernard Pemberton and his granddaughter Tess are on a road trip to scatter their beloved Dottie’s ashes on a Scottish hilltop, but is it really her ashes in the cremation urn or something else altogether?

Cremains is a crime caper that twists and turns its way towards a conclusion that even Max himself couldn’t have predicted.”

Author:

Rob Johnson is a playwright with four plays that have been professionally produced and toured throughout the UK. This is his fifth book.

For more, visit Johnson’s website.

Appraisal:

Forty years ago a big part of my reading material was made up of comedic crime novels by authors such as Donald Westlake with his series featuring John Dortmunder and Lawrence Block’s series with gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr as the star. Now I read a much wider range of genres and those comedic crime novels don’t seem to make it to my reading list nearly as often. For that reason alone this was a nice change of pace.

Cremains is different from those comedic crime novels of my younger years in that back then I always knew Dortmunder or Bernie or whoever the protagonist was would survive their current adventure, even if they came out of it empty handed. Here I wasn’t sure if our protagonist, Max, was going to survive the story or not. (I’m not going to tell you either.) I wasn’t sure if he did survive this adventure whether he’d be wishing he hadn’t if his wife found out what he’d been up to. (Not to mention his sister-in-law.) It definitely kept me guessing, but also laughing. Both good results.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Uses UK spelling conventions and slang. A lot of UK slang. I didn’t feel like I had any issues understanding, but if you think there is only one flavor of English and it’s what you learned growing up in Kansas, this will expand your horizons. Consider yourself warned. (It will be good for you. You’ll feel like you aren’t in Kansas anymore.) I’m not going to mention the little bit of Greek you’ll be exposed to. It’s no big deal, I promise.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Reprise Review: The Big O by Declan Burke

Genre: Crime/Thriller

Description:

By day Karen works for disgraced plastic surgeon Frank, by night she carries out armed robberies. Whilst holding up a store she meets Ray, who also has two roles – mural painter and kidnapper.

Frank lives the high-life, but he’s bankrupt. He needs a lot of money, and fast, to resolve his many problems. So he employs local crook Terry to kidnap his ex-wife, Madge. The plan – get an insurance payout for $500,000 and jet off somewhere hot.

The trouble is Madge is Karen’s best friend and Ray is the one who’ll be snatching her. Throw psychopath Rossi, fresh out of prison and gunning for Karen, into the mix and things are going to get very messy, very quickly…

Author:

Declan Burke lives in Ireland with his family. To date he has published four critically acclaimed novels. In addition Declan hosts a website dedicated to Irish crime fiction, Crime Always Pays.

To learn more about the author visit his website.

Appraisal:

Two comments before I start this review:

1)   I’ve clearly been living in a hole for the last few years as this was my first experience of Mr. Burke’s writing.

2)   I have a very short attention span.

Number one is now corrected (thankfully) but number two is a permanent affliction. I get bored easily, I find it hard to stick with long books that don’t grab me by my throat in the first couple of pages, I physically groan when I see the book size measure on the kindle screen going off the scale.

Can’t help it, it’s just me.

So when I start The Big O, I don’t know of Mr. Burke and the book looks huge. Oh dear. But this is the opening paragraph:    

In the bar Karen drinking vodka-tonic, Ray on brandy to calm his nerves. Karen told him how people react to death and a stick-up in pretty much the same way: shock, disbelief, anger, acceptance.

Then Karen goes on to describe how to carry out said stick-up, it transpires this is how she met Ray (having nearly shot him). And so within a couple of paragraphs we plunge headlong into a whip-crack smart novel that barrels along at high pace that simply compels me to finish it. For the next couple of days I’m stuck with my nose in my kindle, much to my wife’s disgust as she wants me to get stuck into dreaded DIY instead, but I’m simply too absorbed by the characters and their activities to do anything else but read.

In short I thoroughly enjoyed The Big O and was disappointed when I finally put it down, simply because the joyride was over.

This is a very cleverly plotted, character driven novel. There are relatively few characters but all are very strong, have flaws (to varying degrees) but display hidden depths that are gradually revealed as the narrative progresses, adding to it.

The action is split into seven segments – the week long period over which the snatch is planned and occurs. These segments are then broken up by short chapters (which keeps the pace high) each headlined with the particular person whose perspective it follows – the narrative is modified accordingly. The prose is economic, very sharp and strongly dialogue driven.

What I really liked about The Big O and that set it apart from the pack was that initially the story seems well sign posted, i.e. it appears obvious what’s going to happen next, but Burke was simply lulling me into a false sense of security before throwing me into a tail spin with a twist. This happened on numerous occasions. In the end I gave up guessing – hence the joyride.

For example, Anna. I had a concept of who the character was and how they fitted with the others, but I was completely wrong (I won’t say any more so as not to give it away). Then there’s the snatch, again the cards fall in a completely different way to how I envisaged they would. It’s very, very well done.

Overall a thoroughly enjoyable, clever and well plotted read that simply makes me want to find more of Burke’s work.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Adult scenes.

Added for Reprise Review: The Big O by Declan Burke was a nominee in the Crime Fiction category for B&P 2014 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran June 15, 2013

Format/Typo Issues:

None.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Keith Nixon

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words