Boom Review: THE GUARDS, by Ken Bruen

Ken Bruen
THE GUARDS (Jack Taylor #1)
St. Martin's Minotaur, 2001
291 pages
Crime / Private Detective

I discovered Ken Bruen by accident. Came across a TV show on Netflix, JACK TAYLOR. Halfway through the season, I realized the show was based on books by Ken Bruen. So I did what any avid reader would do. I bought all of the Jack Taylor novels.

THE GUARDS is my first attempt at reading Ken Bruen. In this tale we meet Jack Taylor. An alcoholic, he threw away his career as an officer with the Guard. His former partner continued to aspire and eventually became the Guard Superintendent. Jack, on the other hand, became something known as a "finder." Private Detectives were frowned upon in Ireland. A Finder was better.

Jack's office was Grogan's Pub. People looking to hire him found him there. His good friend Sean (and the bar owner), kept him in booze, but always pushed the coffee instead.

When a woman wants Jack for a job, he isn't sure there is much he can do. The lady's teenage daughter committed suicide. No parent ever wants to believe their child is capable of such an act. It is when she received a phone call insinuating foul play she decided she needed someone to look into the matter.

I enjoyed THE GUARDS. The characters are well-crafted, and the story's pacing is perfect. The only issue I have is that for three-quarters of the book, and maybe a smidgen more, Jack does literally no detecting, or investigating. The book more or less revolves around Jack's rock bottom life. We learn about his deceased father, whom he loved, and his worthless mother, who was something of a bitch. There are flirtations, and love interests, battles against booze, with wins, and with losses.

Clues, and breaks in the case pop up practically out of thin air . . . with minimal or little reaction, or follow-up. Until the end. And even then, the ending is a cliff hanger, only was there ever really a cliff?

Thing is, I still loved the story. Kind of imagined Mickey Rourke as Jack Taylor (maybe because of his role in Barfly. Probably because of his role in the movie Barfly). The writing. The dialogue. And the flow --all work wonderfully well. Although I am hard pressed to call this a Mystery novel, a Thriller, or even a Crime --when in fact it is more or less a dark drama, I am looking forward to the second in the series!

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

Book Review: CHARCOAL JOE, by Walter Mosley

Walter Mosley

CHARCOAL JOE

Doubleday, 2016

306 pages

Crime / Private Detective

What can I ever say differently about an Easy Rawlins novel that I haven't said in the past? Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins is by far my favorite private detective character ever. Thing that started it for me was seeing Denzel Washington in Devil in a Blue Dress. Once I found out that movie was based on a book . . . Let's just say the rest is history. I have been a fan of Mosley (Hate to say his #1 fan, because no one likes a bragger --but that would be me) ever since!

CHARCOAL JOE is another fantastic installment in the Easy series. The book takes place in Los Angeles during the 1960s. Ezekiel Porterhouse Rawlins, better known as Easy, is a private detective, and has recently opened up an official agency with two partners. With an office and business cards, and everything.

When his long time friend, Raymond "Mouse" Alexander, come to him with a job, there is no way Easy can say no. He can't say no for a number of reasons. Mouse has saved his life, and protected Easy's family more times than Easy can count. Also, Mouse is representing Charcoal Joe. Joe is the kind of man that if he asks you for something you just give it to him, and be glad you are still breathing after the fact.

A double murder was committed in Malibu. The son of a friend has been arrested by the police. Even though Seymour was found at the scene of the crime, leaning over the bodies, and possibly covered in blood, he has one other strike against him. The men dead were white. Seymour is black. Even though there was no weapon found, the police are considering the case closed.

Joe wants Easy to clear the boy of the chargers.

Easy's case was nothing open and shut to begin with. As he gets closer to the truth, he discovers the old adage is more true. The more he probes for the right answers, the more danger his life is in. Thankfully, Easy rarely works alone, and with friends like Fearless Jones at his side, sometimes it is the thugs who better watch out instead of Easy!

If you enjoy dark, gritty, noir-style novels, Walter Mosley is an author you need to be reading. I've said it before, though. You can certainly jump right in and read the 14th Easy novel, CHARCOAL JOE, but I highly recommend starting at the beginning, going back to DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS and savor the characters as they grow and bond with you from book, to book, to book.

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

Book Review: THE KNIFE SLIPPED, by Erle Stanley Gardner

Erle Stanley Gardner
THE KNIFE SLIPPED
Hard Case Crime, 2016 (1939)
216 pages
Crime / Noir

THE KNIFE SLIPPED is classic, timeless, private eye, noir. Remember guys like Spillane's Mike Hammer, and Chandler's Marlowe? Yeah. Gardner was before them. Erle Stanley Gardner wrote under many pen names. He was also the creator of the Perry Mason novels, and short stories. THE KNIFE SLIPPED was supposed to be the 2nd book in the Cool & Lam Mystery series. but because of Bertha Cool's sassy, vulgar, smoking behavior, the publishers nixed the idea. Interesting, right? Very!

Hard Case Crime is the first ever to publish THE KNIFE SLIPPED. That alone is exciting. What is more exciting is how wonderful the book is!

Most private detective agencies won't touch two kinds of cases. Divorce matters, and anything political. Most agencies, but not B. Cool Investigations. Donald Lam is kind of new on the job. Making ends meet isn't always a guarantee with B. Cool, so when Bertha Cool gives him a divorce case, he's up for the challenge.

Mother, Mrs. Atterby, and daughter, Mrs, Cunner, need a detective. They are certain Eben Cunner is stepping out on his wife. They want proof. Something they can take to the lawyers. Divorce will be inevitable. After laying down the agency rules, the agreement is made and Donald Lam is on the job.

Following Eben is simple enough. The complication comes alone when it appears Eben is leading a secret life. Only, it might be worse than Atterby and his wife first suspected.

Submerged in bribes, and politics that involve the police force, the fire departments, and people with clout, Donald Lam finds himself in a bit over his head. When a body is discovered, Donald realizes he has become the fall guy. If he can't figure out who the killer is doing time in prison is what he faces.

Chasing down red herrings, and never sure who can be trusted, Donald does his best to maneuver between the traps in the case, his boss, and a new love interest. There isn't much time. The police are closing in. He needs to focus and find answers. Fast!

I will be hunting down Gardner books. And A.A. Fair books (which the rest of the Cool & Lam Mystery titles are penned under). The guys is smooth. The characters well crafted. The plot was tight, plausible. And like I said earlier, timeless (except for the use of payphones, that is). A fantastic book I loved reading, and a treasure Hard Case Crime uncovered!

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

Book Review: HUNGRY GHOSTS, by Stephen Blackmoore

Stephen Blackmoore
HUNGRY GHOSTS
Daw Books, 2017
281 pages
Fantasy / Noir

HUNGRY GHOSTS is the 3rd book in the Eric Carter series, and will be released in just a few days. Here's the thing, if you are like me you can't start reading Book 3 without having read Books 1 & 2. I got my hands on Book 3, but couldn't begin there. So I first read DEAD THINGS, and then BROKEN SOULS before diving into HUNGRY GHOSTS. Read each book in a day. Three days. Three books. Know why I read them so fast? Because they were awesome. All three. That's why.

Eric Carter is a necromancer, an exterminator. He kills ghosts, and demons, and gremlins for a living. Magic runs in the family. After his parents died in a fire, his sister brutally murdered, and his best friend killed, you could say life hasn't been a bed of roses for this gritty mage. Magic hasn't made his life better. It's only forced him to live his life alone.

In HUNGRY GHOSTS, Eric is finally dealing with his marriage. It wasn't love that made him tie the knot. It was information. While hunting for the thing responsible for his sister's murder, Eric made a deal with the Queen of the Dead. It cost him big time. Their bond was a marriage, making Eric the King of the Dead. Problem is, the queen's old ex isn't dead. Not really.

Eric and the old king are linked. Slowly Eric is turning into jade. Stone. And the old king, who was all jade, is acquiring flesh. The old king wants Eric to kill the Queen. Claims she's playing him to get what she wants. Trouble is, the queen wants Eric to kill the old king once and for all, purporting the god can't be trusted.

Eric knows he is a pawn in some game, a piece in the middle of an old lover's quarrel, but he doesn't care. He wants the marriage annulled, and his life --pathetic as it was-- back. He finds he is left with only one option. Kill both the Queen and the old King. The only real issue arises when one realizes there might not be an easy way to kill gods.

"Revenge is one hell of a motivator." With the help of a fellow necromancer, Eric embarks on a journey to recover an obsidian dagger. This is perhaps the only weapon with enough power to permanently kill a god. The journey leads him into Aztec realms, and Mist walls where Eric is forced to face demons head on. His own personal demons. Exiting from the mist is almost unheard of . . . And yet into the mist he must go, as the answers he seeks are on the other side.

HUNGRY GHOSTS has enough twists and turns to give me whiplash, that's for sure! It is an amazing third installment in the series (and hopefully not the last). There is something about the way Blackmoore writes that just resonates with the way I most enjoy reading. Taut sentences, with an almost machine gun burst of phrases. Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta-ta ... it just sucks you in! Downfall? I read all three books in three days. How long will I have to wait for Blackmoore's next book? (I can answer that. Too long).

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

Book Review: BROKEN SOULS, by Stephen Blackmoore

Stephen Blackmoore
BROKEN SOULS
Daw Books, 2014
264 pages
Fantasy / Crime

In the Second Eric Carter novel, BROKEN SOULS, by Stephen Blackmoore, six months have passed since the events that occurred in DEAD THINGS. Things are twice as hectic, and detrimental as last time!

Forced into a marriage with the Queen of the Dead, Eric is desperate to find a way to annul the binding vows. Aside from a wedding band he can't remove from his finger, Eric's eyes have become like pitch black marbles. No iris, no whites. He knows he'd made a rash decision in getting married, but there has to be a way out of the mess.

Eric Carter's life is in shambles. His sister was brutally murdered, his best friend is dead, and his ex-girlfriend hates him. He learns he is now King of the Dead, thanks to his marriage. Only adding to the shambles, the Queen's ex might not be dead.

With the death of mob boss, Jean Boudreau, there is a clawing match for power over the territory. A front runner is Russian Sergei Gusarov, and his demented sister Katya. Eric find himself hunting down the two wannabes. They have a obsidian dagger, and skin people in order to wear the pelts. Magic is afoot. The dangers are close to home. And Eric is the center of the mobster's attention. In short -- Eric is being hunted by the psychopaths!

Eric teams up with Gabriela Cortez, a Bruja (witch), who is a do-gooder, giving shelter to vampires in a self-run hotel. She knows all about the dagger. It was hers. She wants it back. And like-minded, has no love for the Queen of the Dead. The plan is simple, just three steps. 1) Get the dagger, 2) Stop the Russians, and 3) Kill the Queen of the Dead.

Warnings come from everywhere, and soon Eric has no idea who he can trust, making their simple plan becomes a whole lot more complicated. The Russians seem to know Eric and Gabriela's every move before the moves are made . . . and for this they walk into trap after trap!

Stephen Blackmoore has a gift. His gritty noir writing style is smooth, and easy to follow. The storyline is complex, and compelling. The characters are amazingly well crafted, and the world created is defined and imaginative. BROKEN SOULS is as good as DEAD THINGS. If you are a fan of Harry Dresden, you are going to love Eric Carter!

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

Book Review: DEAD THINGS, by Stephen Blackmoore

Stephen Blackmoore
DEAD THINGS
Daw Books, 2013
295 pages
Fantasy / Crime / Noir

I love fantasy novels. And I love mystery novels, but I prefer they be gritty, dark, and the more intense the better. Because I am a huge fan of Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden, and R.S. Belcher's Laytham Ballard (and hell, even John Constantine from the move / TV show Constantine), I am always on the lookout for books, authors, who can combine fantasy with noir, private eye main characters. Guess what? Stephen Blackmoore and his main character Eric Carter fit the bill. Man, do they!

In DEAD THINGS, Eric Carter is a pretty well known necromancer. An Exterminator of ghosts, demons, and gremlins. He kills them for a living. He talks with the dead. The dead follow him around. They all have a story, and constantly pestering Carter is as much a curse as it is a skill. Problem is, in his line of work, putting the ones he loves in danger comes with the territory. This is partly why years ago he fled his home town in L.A. He didn't want to put the lives of family and friends in jeopardy.

Well, there is that, and the fact that after he killed the head mob honcho, Jean Boudreau, the warning was clear. Get out of town or your family will suffer the consequences. So it was a pretty direct threat. And despite all of his magic, and power, running is also sometimes as good an idea as staying and fighting. Sometimes. But Carter ran.

It is the vicious murder of his kid sister Lucy that brings him back to town. He wants answers. Police have nothing. And clearly a dark force was behind the attack. While the more things change, the more they stay the same, Carter calls on old friends, and ex-loves for help. Tension between him and each of them is high. Resentment, feelings of abandonment, and lack of trust swell between them like concrete walls.

Getting results requires Carter to make matrimonial deals that bind his soul. It seems worth it at the time. Whoever killed his sister isn't done. Her death was committed specifically for one reason. The closer to that answer Carter gets, the more danger he puts everyone in!

An absolutely amazing book. Aside from characters, the supporting cast is so-well developed, I feel like I just watched a movie. I saw every scene in my head while I read. Clear. Vivid. Colorful. The magic is intricate, and bound by rules. The world-building is concise and defined. The pace is just faster than a constant pant in an attempt at catching your breath. And then before I knew it, I was done with the story! Once more, an absolutely amazing book. (Thankfully, this is book one in three --so far. Not to rub it in, but guess what? I have books 2, and 3 in queue)!

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

Book Review: SNATCH, by Gregory Mcdonald

Gregory Mcdonald
SNATCH
Hard Case Crime / Titan Books, 2017 (1980, 1985)
446 pages
Crime / Noir / Satire

Gregory Mcdonald, who passed away in 2008, is best known for his FLETCH series. Yes. Fletch. That loveable, quirky crime solving journalist depicted by Chevy Chase on the big screen. Back-when I'd read a handful of the Fletch books, and loved them. Now, some two decades later, I am rediscovering Mcdonald's work.

SNATCH is like picking up a 45 record down at the music store. (Feel free to Google the reference if necessary). Hard Case Crime has re-released two novels under one title. SNATCH. And, just like that 45 RPM record there is clearly a Side A, and a Side B.

In the first novel, SNATCHED, we are looking at a kidnapping. Difference is, the abduction has nothing to do with money. When eight year-old Toby Rinaldi goes missing, his parents find themselves in the midst of a nightmare.

Teodoro is a Middle East Ambassador to the King, living in New York City. His wife, Christina, an American, is overwhelmed by the politics, and diplomatic life that seem to have driven a wedge into her marriage, and threatens her family.

There is a powerful article on the table. Resolution 1176R. It deals with closing, or not closing, the Persian Gulf to the shipping of oil. Whether passed, or dropped, the possibility of war hangs in the balance. Teodoro's presentation, and vote, could make all of the difference.

A phone call confirms it. Toby will either live or die based on how Teodoro votes. The choice is up to the ambassador.

Working with the king's secret security personnel, Teodoro does not trust anyone. And he has every right to feel paranoid. Something has gone wrong. There is more behind the kidnapping. Toby's life is in danger, and the vote is only a few days away!
SNATCHED was an easy, straight forward read. Some good twists. The characters were simple, but well drawn. Some of the best parts of the book pertained to Toby and his Kidnapper, Spike. The last forty, to fifty pages was packed with action. Fantazyland-style action. And the pages just kept turning, and turning. 

IN THE SECOND book in SNATCH, we have SAFEKEEPING.

Unfortunately, for me, SAFEKEEPING was clearly the B Side of the 45, the lesser known song, if you will. It is meant as satire. I needed to continually remind myself of that while reading. It is nothing at all like the Fletch novels, and nothing at all like SNATCHED.

I saw some reviews compare SAFEKEEPING to the likes of Mark Twain. I did not see that. The story takes place during World War II. Our main character, the hero, if you will, is Robert James Saint James Burnes Walter. (Robby Burnes for short). The eight year old boy is in an England bordering school when he learns that his parents have died in a bombing.

The school informs the child in a very flippant way of the deaths. They inform Robby that he will be sent to stay with his uncle in New York City. Journalist Thadeus Lowry shows up hours late to retrieve his nephew. He is clearly self-absorbed, arrogant, and does not seem to realize no one takes him serious at all.

There is no sympathy, or questions asked about the death of Robby's parents. Thadeus seems indifferent about the death of his sister, Robby's mother, and more concerned with finding his next story--always looking for the byline.

The two get tangled up in some misadventures that, I presume, are meant to be funny, and ironic, and full of satire. Me? I either just didn't get, or just didn't care enough to try. The story reads easy. Smooth writing. For me, SAFEKEEPING was like drinking from the container in the 'fridge and expecting sodapop, only to end up swallowing milk. Milk's still good, but not when you are expecting soda. Perhaps I thought I was in for a noir-style story, and was a bit taken aback by getting something more Steinbeck-ish instead.


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

Book Review: DARKNESS, TAKE MY HAND, by Dennis Lehane

DARKNESS,TAKE MY HAND is the second book in the Kenzie & Gennaro series. It was a whole lot darker than the first. A bit more disturbing. Many cogs in a mysterious wheel spinning at once. And I loved it.

Diandra Warren is worried. She is a professor and psychiatrist. When a young woman, Moira Kenzi, comes to her for help nothing adds up. Things get worse when the doctor receives a photograph in the mail. It is of her son. She now finds herself worried about his safety, as well as her own.

If the Irish Mob isn’t directly behind the silent threats, it could be Kevin Hurlihy, Jack Rouse’s right hand man. Either way, Kevin’s involvement spells trouble. The man has no heart, and is known for his unorthodox ways of dealing with things. Delivering pain, resorting to torture, and even killing people doesn’t faze him in the slightest.

Kenzie and Gennaro are hired. Diandra wants to be absolutely sure no one is after her son. The investigation involves a lot of shadowing, keeping the doctor’s son under constant surveillance. The best the private eyes can tell, there is nothing for the family to worry about.

Nothing to worry about, that is until a young girl is found dead. Crucified. Her hands and feet were nailed into the ground. On her was Kenzie’s business card. Although seemingly separate from Kenzie and Gennaro’s initial investigation, sins of the past are brought to the present.

Someone is killing people from the old neighborhood. And before each person is killed a photograph of that person is sent to someone they love. A serial killer is on the loose. The police and the FBI find one common factor in all of the cases. Patrick Kenzie. He is in some way tied to nearly each and every one.

When those Kenzie loves are threatened, are put into harm’s way, the joint investigation is stepped-up, but it may not be enough. Finding the one responsible is no easy feat. Bodies keep turning up. And it is clear that time is running out. Kenzie receives a simple threat, not everyone you love can live.

A fantastic, fast-paced, and gritty crime novel! DARKNESS, TAKE MY HAND just grabbed me from the depressing opening scene, until the very last page. I am finding this is common in the Lehane books I’ve read recently. He is quickly working his way up as one of my favorite authors!

PhillipTomasso

Author of the Severed Empire Series

and theVaccination Trilogy

Book Review: ROSE GOLD, by Walter Mosley

Walter Mosley
ROSE GOLD
Doubleday, 2014
308 pages
Crime / Private Eye

I will never forget seeing Denzel Washington in the movie, Devil in a Blue Dress. Thought it was one of the best films I'd ever seen. I then did some digging of my own. Learned that the movie was based on the book of the same name, by Walter Mosely. Ever since, I have been a devout fan, Devout.

ROSE GOLD is the 13th Easy Rawlins novel. Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins is an African American private investigator. The books take place between the 1940s through the 1960s. It is some of the best noir, gritty, hard-boiled stuff on bookshelves.

Little by little Easy has done alright. A hard worker, he's saved up money, and takes care of his family. When not solving cases, he has a number of rental properties that he owns. He is a man of the people. Tough, and fearless, he has a heart of gold. Unfortunately, those in the know have no problem taking advantage of Easy's position.

When Easy's properties start failing inspections, and fees begin piling up, the timing couldn't be any worse. He is in the middle of moving, taking his family a few blocks away, into something a little bigger, a little better. With his money tied-up, he's forced to work on the rental repairs himself. But there is a time limit to get all of the work done.

So when Roger Frisk, assistant to the LAPD chief of police, shows up offering Easy work, and the promise of making the fines disappear, he has no choice but to see what's what. Turns out college student, Rosemary Goldsmith, is missing. She hasn't been seen on campus in weeks. It could be she took off, or quite possibly that she's been kidnapped. Foster Goldsmith, Rose's father, is the owner of Goldsmith Armaments. With a constant threat of war, Goldsmith's business in weaponry does very, very well.

Thing is, Frisk isn't hiring Easy to find Rose. He wants Easy to track down ex-boxer Robert Mantle. For a large paycheck, and his rental properties vanishing, all Easy needs to do is tell Frisk where Mantle is. That's it. Nothing more.

Except, nothing is ever as it seems, nor is anything that easy. The saying is, "If it sounds too good to be true . . . "

I said it earlier, I will mention it one more time. I am a devout fan of Walter Mosley and his writing. Thing is, as much as I want to recommend this book to you . . . I almost can't. Do yourself a favor. Go back to the beginning. Start with DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS. Experience each of the Easy novels in order. So much happens in each tale, and carries on into the next book. (Can someone pick up Rose Gold and read it without having read the first in the series? Sure. Absolutely. It's just, me? Personally? I wouldn't recommend it. Do yourself a favor. Submerge yourself in Mosley's writing. If you like crime drama, noir, and solid characters . . . You don't want to miss out on someone I consider one of today's best crime novelists.

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

Book Review: WORLD GONE BY, by Dennis Lehane

Dennis Lehane
WORLD GONE BY
William Morrow, 2016
320 pages
Crime

I am reading this series, the Coughlin Series, so out of order. I started with LIVE BY NIGHT (Book 2) because I wanted to read it before seeing the movie (starring Ben Affleck, which, by the way, I enjoyed both). And rather than go back and read Book 1, THE GIVEN DAY, I decided I'd read Book 3, WORLD GONE BY. My reason being, THE GIVEN DAY deals with Joe Coughlin's father, and Books 2 and 3 deal with Joe. Anywho . . .

WORLD GONE BY takes place roughly ten years after LIVE BY NIGHT (Click HERE to see my review of LIVE BY NIGHT). Joe Coughlin has his hands full. He is still down south, in Tampa, doing his best to run an honest business, but out there is a bullet with his name on it, there is a rat in the organization, and Joe--he's seeing ghosts!

In WORLD GONE BY it all comes down to someone owing you a favor. Joe never goes soft. He has just never been about the killing. He never considered himself a gangster, just an outlaw. But along the way, did all of that change?

Not nearly as complex as LIVE BY NIGHT, but still an amazing crime novel, WORLD GONE BY seems like the perfect end to an amazing trilogy.

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