Length 205 pages
Format ebook
Published 2017
Series standalone
My Copy provided by the publisher
Riding Shotgun and Other American Cruelties is a collection
of 3 crime novellas. The writing is reminiscent of Elmore Leonard with
characters as good as any by Joe R Lansdale. Each story comprises colorful characters thrown into deadly situations, sometimes of their own accord, others' not so much.
Easy-Peezy
Return to the golden age of American bank robbing where criminals gained instant and lasting celebrity on the back of Robin Hood-esq thievery. Easy-Peezy takes place in the 1930's and focuses on a group of old timers, former bank robbers, who want to relive the glory days. While in their 70's, each still has the thirst for the dollar and is willing to shed blood to get it, however its the notoriety and fame which drive this gang. From the opening stanza to the bullet riddled ending, this novella never takes it foot of the peddle.
Riding Shotgun
A popular crime author is turned into a mass murderer on the hunt to save his kidnapped daughter. Riding Shotgun oozes noir. From the outset you know that Hollywood feel-good ending isn't going to eventuate. A perfect balance of plot, dialogue, character development and pitch black humor. Well written start to heart breaking finish.
Easy-Peezy
Return to the golden age of American bank robbing where criminals gained instant and lasting celebrity on the back of Robin Hood-esq thievery. Easy-Peezy takes place in the 1930's and focuses on a group of old timers, former bank robbers, who want to relive the glory days. While in their 70's, each still has the thirst for the dollar and is willing to shed blood to get it, however its the notoriety and fame which drive this gang. From the opening stanza to the bullet riddled ending, this novella never takes it foot of the peddle.
Riding Shotgun
A popular crime author is turned into a mass murderer on the hunt to save his kidnapped daughter. Riding Shotgun oozes noir. From the outset you know that Hollywood feel-good ending isn't going to eventuate. A perfect balance of plot, dialogue, character development and pitch black humor. Well written start to heart breaking finish.
$crilla
Showcasing diversity in crime, $crilla, the third and final novel, is again, completely different from the others in the collection yet just as violent, entertaining and re-read worthy. Music studio gangsters, mobsters, and a private eye fight it out in a proverbial storm of bullets as the head of a record label goes missing. I can't speak highly enough of the characters here, each reads 'real' and is complimentary to the well defined murderous plot.
Showcasing diversity in crime, $crilla, the third and final novel, is again, completely different from the others in the collection yet just as violent, entertaining and re-read worthy. Music studio gangsters, mobsters, and a private eye fight it out in a proverbial storm of bullets as the head of a record label goes missing. I can't speak highly enough of the characters here, each reads 'real' and is complimentary to the well defined murderous plot.
My rating: 5/5, this book is excellent and will appeal to
readers of noir who like their fiction with a healthy dose of dark humor to
balance out the bloodshed.
No comments:
Post a Comment