Book Review: STRIP JACK, by Ian Rankin

Ian Rankin
STRIP JACK (Inspector Rebus #4)
Orion Publishing Group, 1992
304 pages
Crime / Mystery

If I was going to name this novel, I'd call it something more appropriate like Red Herring, or Red Herring Central. Holy cow did he pack a million-and-one characters into a taut 304 page novel. I like to keep notes when I read a book, but this one kind of got out of hand. I count (give or take) thirty characters. Probably was more. My pen might have run out of ink. However. aside from thinking I might forget who someone was, the story was solid.

John Rebus has his hands full. Aside from looking into a stolen collection of rare books, he is involved in Operation Creeper. There is a bordello in town. On the good side of town --in a prominent area where well-off residents live. When the police are tipped off to the illegal operation, they have no choice but to shut her down!

During the raid, a prominent Parliament figure is snagged in the arrests. Gregor Jack was in one of the rooms, and with one of the prostitutes. Worse, someone tipped off the media. When Jack was led out of the whore house the journaists pounced. Rebus knew something smelled funny. The information about the raid was leaked to the press. Could Gregor Jack have been the target all along?

Rebus becomes even more involved in the politician's life when Elizabeth Jack --Gregor's wife-- turns up dead. And even though the similarities around her death closely match a recent murder, and the killer is confessing to both crimes Rebus isn't convinced.

With a host of likely suspects, but with seemingly no motive, Rebus begins to dig for answers, for the truth . . . Burying himself in the job, Rebus puts his personal life on hold. The dedication to the work could cost him more than he expected to lose.

While not my favorite Jack Rebus novel, STRIP JACK was still a quick read. I truly enjoy Ian Rankin's writing style. He fills each page with wonderful dialogue, and compelling narrative. The main cast of characters (Jack Rebus, Brian Holmes, Chris Kemp, etc.) are all there, and as always, we --the reader-- get more insight into them as they grow more and more into "people," as well.

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series,
and The Vaccination Trilogy

Book Review: SKIN DEEP/ORDINARY MONSTERS, by Frank Martin

Frank Martin
SKIN DEEP: A Vampire Story of Love
ORDINARY MONSTERS: High School and the Final Solution
Burning Willow Press, 2016
85 / 88 pages
Horror

I truly enjoyed the taut tales by Frank Martin. The publisher was quite creative. They combined two novellas, and separated them with a handful of pages of dark comic strips. The cool thing about the book design is when you finish reading one story, you flip the book over, end over end, and there is the second one. Ready to go. Clever, fun design. Two thumbs up to BWP.

SKIN DEEP is a fast paced vampire tale. It is about two sisters, parents, and expectations. Laura, the "favorite" is a track star, destined to do great things. Her artistic sister, Jessica has dreams that leave her parents worried about her future. However, when Laura meets a dangerous stranger it is up to Jessica to attempt saving the day. But does she have it in her to rescue her sister from a hideous vampire?

ORDINARY MONSTERS once again revolves around family, and secrets. It starts out like any High School story. Reckless boys with crushes on girls, and parties. When learning about Nazi Germany and the holocaust, Liam and Eric (who I very much imagined as Christian Slater the entire time I was reading the novella) find themselves in the midst of a legend from the past. Eric's family has secrets. And whether he wants to learn them or not, Liam will find himself face to face with . . .

Frank Martin has put out two chilling novellas. They are gripping, and dark. I imagined them each like a half hour horror show on the SyFy channel. Totally unique, and compelling, I truly enjoyed the books. I have no idea what the eBook version is like -- but I have the paperback, and am proud to shelf if with the rest of my collection!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of The Severed Empire Series,
and The Vaccination Trilogy

Book Review: NIGHTWISE, by R.S. Belcher

R.S. Belcher
NIGHTWISE
Tor Books
Fantasy

What is a Nightwise? Best I can tell, it is an honorable assistant of knight-magicians. They are tasked with protecting the world from evil threats.

And I hate, hate when reviewers compare an author's character to some other author's character. Hate it. Now, with that said, Belcher has created a main character in Laytham Ballard that is similar -- like -- Butcher's Dresden ... but on meth. With sever anger issues. And selfishness. And almost unlikeable.

Ballard's long time . . . I guess you could call him a friend; his one-time partner, Branko Boj, is dying. The man has one last wish. Long ago Boj's wife was kidnapped, tortured for months, until finally he was murdered. All these years Boj has been unable to make pay the man responsible. And although Ballard wants nothing to do with any of it, Boj is responsible for saving his life. Countless times. Reluctantly, the wizard agrees.

As it turns out, Dusan Slorzack is a war criminal. He's wanted by more than just Boj from the acts the horrible man committed. The problem is, Ballard is having trouble finding him. The only thing that give him any direction is the dead banker. The brutal murder scene wasn't so much for punishing the banker as it was to send Ballard a "back off this investigation" message. Despite the message, the warning, Ballard doesn't back off, he now has a solid place to start digging for answers.

Laytham Ballard is a wizard. In the Wisdom, as his grandmother called it, and quite powerful. He is legendary in the magic world. The problem is his personality rots. He is not trustworthy, or friendly. He cares about himself, and little else. He'll do what needs doing to get something done with little regard for anyone else. And that part of his legend is known to all, as well. So when Ballard goes looking for help, few are excited about lending assistance.

With joy missing from an iced over, and blackened heart, Ballard may not know it, but he's the villain desperate to become the hero. NIGHTWISE is filled with constant hints, and nods toward an entire series of Ballard tales (fingers crossed).

NIGHTWISE is dark. Gritty. It has a noir-style, dripping with cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity. R.S. Belcher did some amazing world building between the branches of magic, the layered dimensions, the diversification of beings, and the maps connecting it all. Wow. Thing is, he has the talent as a writer to keep it simple. Followable. There's no getting lost. Belcher guides the reader smoothly from haunting horror, to haunting horror with grace, and a knotted stomach.

Intense and exciting, dark and daunting, NIGHTWISE was a very fantastical mystery!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series, and
The Vaccination Trilogy