After a rather lengthy wait in my TBR, I finally got around to reading the second Gus Dury novel by Tony Black. 'Gutted' definitely shows some character growth and pushes the series in the right direction. My review is as follows:
Gus Dury, the
unfashionable PI of sorts returns for a second go-round in 'Gutted' - an apt
title if ever there was on. Since taking on Col's bar, things have gone down
hill - living life through the bottom of a pint glass has not
only deteriorated Gus' health but also his cash
flow. Unfortunately for Gus, life is about to go a whole lot more
complicated when he discovers a grisly murder while trying to rescue a dog from
a bunch of hoods pent up on animal cruelty.
The body turns out to be that of a
gangster who trains pit bulls for dog fighting - one of his pit pulls had
earlier been responsible for the death of a three year old girl - a judges
daughter. Immediately the murder looks to be a clear cut case
of vengeance served until the cops finger Gus for it.
There is a lot to like about
'Gutted'; the free flowing dialogue really puts you in the thick of the
environment, the characters are all tainted (those on both sides of the
law), there is a splattering of reader references through Gus' past-time, and a
likeness to the damaged protagonist not too dissimilar to
Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor. The ex-wife returns with
a bombshell and the cops are ever persistent in making Gus' life hell -
no wonder he seeks solace in the bottom of a bottle.
Not only is 'Gutted' a well plotted
whodunit murder mystery, it also portrays the growth (err, perhaps I mean slow
demise?) of Gus and meets his addition head on. This is by far the best book
I've read by Tony Black to date - 4 stars.
My review of the previous Gus Dury
novel, 'Paying For It' can be found here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/122469437
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