Review: ONE FOR MY BABY by Barry Graham

Best summarised as a noir akin to Stark’s Parker, ONE FOR MY BABY encompasses all the lurid and violent traditions explored in this sub genre of darker crime fiction with the added element of sexual desire and a misguided drive to achieve the American dream.

Mark is a lounge musician who moonlights as a dangerous thief. His targets, a string of restaurants, his method, more scare and terrorise than bloodshed and body bags. That all changes when he robs a restaurant owned by underworld figure Casci and becomes involved with one of the staff; the femme fatale of ONE FOR MY BABY, Linda.

The confident, devil may care persona of Linda portrayed to the cops at the police station following Mark’s capture shortly after robbing Casci crumbles when confronted with the robber who stuck a gun to her head. Rather than confirm the police’s suspicion she denies his involvement – a move made of lust which brings about violent ramifications.

Clocking in at around 60pgs, ONE FOR MY BABY is a quick read but left this reader fully satisfied. Not a word was used as padding; each chapter progressed the story and thoroughly entertained.

Author Barry Graham has a string of great reads (along with one of my all time favourite noirs WHEN IT ALL COMES DOWN TO DUST, review HERE) and ONE FOR MY BABY is yet another. Highly recommended.