Review: ONE MORE BODY by Josh Stallings

Sitting on the beach with a dead woman might drive some men mad. I found it reassuring.

An underlying current of aggression balanced by an appreciation for beauty in the unconventional. Moses McGuire is the embodiment of unlawful justice; a vigilante of sorts driven by a deeply rooted urge to protect the innocent and vulnerable from the ever present snakes lying in wait with expectant fangs dripping with blood lust and an eager anticipation for pain-for-profit opportunities ready for their unassuming victim. For his part, Moses will cross any line if it means bringing home his quarry to safety, regardless of the ramifications.

A teenage girl, 13, is kidnapped and thrust unwillingly into the life of prostitution. With little hope, Freedom, slowly sees her bright future decay in front of her own eyes as horror upon horror is placed upon and in her. Persuaded by Rollens; a strong take-charge female character assuming the identity of an LAPD Detective, Moses accepts the task of locating this young girl and delivering her to safety. As with any plot featuring Moses McGuire, this isn’t a slow walk on the beach, peach and cream affair on a sunny day. Moses’ world is a dark and hurtful place where only the light of foot and steeled heart dare to tread.

Author Josh Stallings has once again encapsulated the full embodiment of noir. ONE MORE BODY’s eloquent brutality is choreographed for maximum impact. The body count is high, but then again so are the stakes. For Moses, Freedom represents more than a trapped and tortured soul, she’s a reason to keep his blood pumping another day with a glimmer of hope that she’ll place a broken piece of his own trapped and tortured soul back where it belongs.

ONE MORE BODY comprises well-articulated and full bodied characters that complement the raging bull of a man, Moses, whose self-medication and self-induced-warfare are a staple of his very being. Without spoiling too much, Gregor, makes a return as a trusted and deadly sick-kick to help Moses on his violent journey into the underbelly of the sex industry there’s also a band of vets and some mobsters who get in on the action – just to add further firepower to bloodied path Moses walks.

Like its predecessors, ONE MORE BODY demands attention and refuses to let up. The action is breakneck from the first to last word. ONE MORE BODY is one more reason why Josh Stallings is near the top of my ‘must read authors’.