The week in reading - 14/12 - 20/12/20
Starting something new, which might make things more manageable for me to keep this up-to-date. Probably a weird time of year to be thinking of such things, but felt inspired to post last week and hoping to keep doing so. With that in mind I present my week in reading with my collected reviews of books finished for the week. This week it is filled with very differing types and tones of story, but overall quality.
The Girl with the Stone Heart by Scott Grand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
"Come on. You're a ghost in your own life. Just a witness. What happened?"
I've become a fan of Scott Grand's work over the course of the year in anticipation for this one with Sport being a particular highlight. The Girl with the Stone Heart is very close to that quality and showcases Grand's ability to build unique character voices and has a melancholy tone that I so adore in my noir.
Grace is running the town bowling alley in between doing jobs for "The Council", which unlike a local Scottish one appears far more nefarious. The fishing town he inhabits is struck by tragedy as a boat containing six local fishermen disappears without a trace and Grace must deliver pay offs to the families only to discover something more sinister in the offing.
The tone and the character really made this book and while it does fall directly into my wheelhouse, it is superbly done. Everything feels old, used and run down including Grace. He's certainly not the first character of his kind in noir, but I was taken with the way he can care about people, but also have no qualms about getting violent when the need arises.
This is a wonderful little noir that has more than a stone heart and a feel and tone that make it very memorable. Like all the best things it ends too soon. Hopefully won't have long to wait for more Grand tales.
It's A Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World by Curtis M. Lawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Showing my age and lack of film viewing in the past few years, but easiest to compare this to Smokin’ Aces albeit this is much better and likely to live in the mind longer than the aforementioned. Kingsley, a fixer and collector of famous murder weapons, is on his way to purchase The Fangs of Wallachia, a pair of daggers thought to have magical properties, when he discovers the dealer has been robbed of the item and left very much in an injured state. The theft sets in motion a number of parties to look to retrieve the daggers from the drugged wastrel now in possession of them. Among them a mercenary, an assassin nun, a pair of “arty” serial killers, a corrupt cop with other player manipulating things in the background.
This is a high speed, rip roaring actioner full of funny lines and references. Lawson manages the task of making each character distinctive even when they are all ghastly murderous types. He keeps you invested in things and always second guessing what the outcome will be. There’s also a brilliant and unexpected sequence in the last third relating to the daggers and elevating them from mere macguffin status.
I’ll need to read the sequel at some point as there was enough fun to be had here and the story ends on a somewhat unresolved note.
The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In 1986, Julianna and Wyatt live through and survive separate traumatic events that continue to haunt them in 2012 with one lingering question hanging over both their lives. Julianna needs to know what happened to her sister, who disappeared without a trace and Wyatt is stuck on why he was the only survivor of a robbery that saw his five colleagues executed. Wyatt has traversed the country to escape his past, but when a job requiring him to return to his hometown comes up it puts him the headlights of his past and he must confront it.
This is a pure character driven novel and like the best noir the characters are forced into decisions that are going to be terrible. It's almost hard to read at times because you know nothing good will come of the road they've taken at times. The writing is great and flits between the past and current events really well that feels believable in how the characters may be thinking in such moments as the past sometimes assails them suddenly.
Hooker by M. Lopes da Silva
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is my second Rewind or Die title and it surprised me by being much darker than my previous one. It fits in with the VHS aspirations of the collection and brings us a dark thriller with heart.
L.A. is besieged by a serial killer targeting prostitutes and one of his victims is Sylvia's sister, Penny. This sets Sylvia and the killer on a collision course across the city as Sylvia seeks revenge.
Some wonderful and inventive analogies and descriptions lie within and a surprising amount of heart involved in this revenge tale as opposed to the all out fury usually involved in such stories. The representation of sex workers and transgender people is deftly handled as they are given a humane platform, which they are not always afforded in the world of fiction.
Look forward to many more Rewind or Die reads and this served to show the scope of the series and it won't all be gross out, funny horror, but also dark and soulful too.
The Girl with the Stone Heart by Scott GrandMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
"Come on. You're a ghost in your own life. Just a witness. What happened?"
I've become a fan of Scott Grand's work over the course of the year in anticipation for this one with Sport being a particular highlight. The Girl with the Stone Heart is very close to that quality and showcases Grand's ability to build unique character voices and has a melancholy tone that I so adore in my noir.
Grace is running the town bowling alley in between doing jobs for "The Council", which unlike a local Scottish one appears far more nefarious. The fishing town he inhabits is struck by tragedy as a boat containing six local fishermen disappears without a trace and Grace must deliver pay offs to the families only to discover something more sinister in the offing.
The tone and the character really made this book and while it does fall directly into my wheelhouse, it is superbly done. Everything feels old, used and run down including Grace. He's certainly not the first character of his kind in noir, but I was taken with the way he can care about people, but also have no qualms about getting violent when the need arises.
This is a wonderful little noir that has more than a stone heart and a feel and tone that make it very memorable. Like all the best things it ends too soon. Hopefully won't have long to wait for more Grand tales.
It's A Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World by Curtis M. LawsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Showing my age and lack of film viewing in the past few years, but easiest to compare this to Smokin’ Aces albeit this is much better and likely to live in the mind longer than the aforementioned. Kingsley, a fixer and collector of famous murder weapons, is on his way to purchase The Fangs of Wallachia, a pair of daggers thought to have magical properties, when he discovers the dealer has been robbed of the item and left very much in an injured state. The theft sets in motion a number of parties to look to retrieve the daggers from the drugged wastrel now in possession of them. Among them a mercenary, an assassin nun, a pair of “arty” serial killers, a corrupt cop with other player manipulating things in the background.
This is a high speed, rip roaring actioner full of funny lines and references. Lawson manages the task of making each character distinctive even when they are all ghastly murderous types. He keeps you invested in things and always second guessing what the outcome will be. There’s also a brilliant and unexpected sequence in the last third relating to the daggers and elevating them from mere macguffin status.
I’ll need to read the sequel at some point as there was enough fun to be had here and the story ends on a somewhat unresolved note.
The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou BerneyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
In 1986, Julianna and Wyatt live through and survive separate traumatic events that continue to haunt them in 2012 with one lingering question hanging over both their lives. Julianna needs to know what happened to her sister, who disappeared without a trace and Wyatt is stuck on why he was the only survivor of a robbery that saw his five colleagues executed. Wyatt has traversed the country to escape his past, but when a job requiring him to return to his hometown comes up it puts him the headlights of his past and he must confront it.
This is a pure character driven novel and like the best noir the characters are forced into decisions that are going to be terrible. It's almost hard to read at times because you know nothing good will come of the road they've taken at times. The writing is great and flits between the past and current events really well that feels believable in how the characters may be thinking in such moments as the past sometimes assails them suddenly.
Hooker by M. Lopes da SilvaMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is my second Rewind or Die title and it surprised me by being much darker than my previous one. It fits in with the VHS aspirations of the collection and brings us a dark thriller with heart.
L.A. is besieged by a serial killer targeting prostitutes and one of his victims is Sylvia's sister, Penny. This sets Sylvia and the killer on a collision course across the city as Sylvia seeks revenge.
Some wonderful and inventive analogies and descriptions lie within and a surprising amount of heart involved in this revenge tale as opposed to the all out fury usually involved in such stories. The representation of sex workers and transgender people is deftly handled as they are given a humane platform, which they are not always afforded in the world of fiction.
Look forward to many more Rewind or Die reads and this served to show the scope of the series and it won't all be gross out, funny horror, but also dark and soulful too.
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