This one has a great atmosphere, sort of an Eyes Wide Shut mixed with the drearier work of David Goodis. But this one proves itself to be middle-of-thThis one has a great atmosphere, sort of an Eyes Wide Shut mixed with the drearier work of David Goodis. But this one proves itself to be middle-of-the-road when compared to other Brubaker and Sean Philips work, really petering out at the end into a bit of an anticlimax. Still better than a lot of material out there though and I feel like a re-read might be warranted soon....more
DC Comics has the really great idea to expand on the idea behind the enduring success of Batman: The Killing Joke, and assign six different sets of wrDC Comics has the really great idea to expand on the idea behind the enduring success of Batman: The Killing Joke, and assign six different sets of writers and artists to create their own version of that classic story but for a different Batman villain. The conceit is based on the famous line from The Killing Joke:
"All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day."
First up is the Riddler, given the Tom King treatment. King does what he does best and writes a nuanced exploration of Edward Nigma; what motivates him and what his relationship is to Batman.
Like Alan Moore did in The Killing Joke, we get two parallel stories here, one set in present day as Batman investigates why Nygma would murder someone in cold blood without an accompanying riddle, and a flashback story looking back at Nygma’s past and providing a possible origin to his character. And while it might be a little too derivative of Alan Moore's graphic novel, it’s wonderfully written with King’s trademark thoughtfulness, great dialogue, and a show-stopping ending. But the real stand-out here is the moody, textured art by Mitch Gerads, which might be the best work that I’ve seen by the artist!...more
Set on the eve of the desegregation of Boston's public schools in the 1970's, a woman from Southie, an ex-addict cop, and the Irish mob collide after Set on the eve of the desegregation of Boston's public schools in the 1970's, a woman from Southie, an ex-addict cop, and the Irish mob collide after a young white girl goes missing and a black man is found dead at a train station, setting fire to an already lit match of racial unrest in the city.
"We're not built for princesses down here."
It feels like it's been a while since I've read a novel by Lehane, one of my favorites. And everything here is all that you expect from a master crime writer. The man has such a strong command of his art form at this point. Not only is this a great time capsule documenting this tense time in Boston (and American) history, but it's also a fantastic portrait of these two lead characters.
Mary Pat Fennessy is finally confronted with how stuck she and her community have been in their ways, how malignant her environment can be, and how she has to reckon with how this toxicity could have tragically spilled into her daughter. And in contrast, Detective Bobby Coyness has grown up in the same way but somehow managed to keep on the right path, even though it's an everyday struggle to keep his morality and his sobriety.
He considers the possibility that maybe the opposite of hate is not love. It's hope. Because hate takes years to build, but hope can come sliding around the corner when you're not even looking.
Although this didn't have the raw power like some of his best novels have, this is still a great book, with its focus on the struggle to not allow hatred to be passed down from generation to generation....more
…because the wounded find the wounded, washed up on the same sad shore.
Picking up immediately after Danny Ryan hightailed it outta Provide
…because the wounded find the wounded, washed up on the same sad shore.
Picking up immediately after Danny Ryan hightailed it outta Providence after losing his wife and the war with the Italian mob, this second novel in Winslow’s final trilogy finds Danny on the run, and struggling to carve out a safe space for his friends and young son.
The novel takes on a very different atmosphere than the first, trading New England for the the sunny West Coast, bouncing around San Diego, Las Vegas, and the city of dreams itself, Los Angeles. I love that the book takes a bigger look at and expands on what were minor characters from the first novel as Danny makes this journey with the ragtag crew that he ran from Providence with. It was cool seeing more of Bernie Hughes, Jimmy Mac, Ned Egan, and especially the constantly entertaining Altar Boys: Sean and Kevin. The love story is potent but watching these New England hoods try to navigate the Hollywood world is pure gold!...more
The Rogues, the group of street-level, blue-collar Flash villains out of Central City are popular for being much more grounded supervillains than peopThe Rogues, the group of street-level, blue-collar Flash villains out of Central City are popular for being much more grounded supervillains than people are used to seeing in superhero comic books, as they were envisioned by Geoff Johns in his Flash run. Joshua Williamson now has the wonderful idea of telling the last story of the Rogues, giving them a “one last job” heist story, where an aging, paroled Captain Cold gathers the crew together for one final job, the heist of all heists, stealing a pile of gold from a vault deep within Gorilla City.
It’s a fantastic idea, with double crosses, and plot twists, but I couldn’t help but wish a more capable writer took a crack at it. I barely understood what the plan was and the heist itself was pretty damn weak, and this whole thing was just a bit unremarkable, with characters that felt diluted. I wish someone like Ed Brubaker or Greg Rucka had a crack at something like this. The potential here is a little wasted. ...more
This is a great Noirvember read and my favorite volume of the consistently great Reckless series of hard-boiled graphic novels by Ed Brubaker and SeanThis is a great Noirvember read and my favorite volume of the consistently great Reckless series of hard-boiled graphic novels by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips about a pulp "detective" named Ethan Reckless, that's a cross between Travis McGee, Jack Reacher, and Matthew Scudder. It's a companion piece of sorts with the last book, The Ghost In You, which focused solely on Ethan's best buddy Anna with only a small hint as to what was going on with Ethan. Here, we get the whole dramatic tale of what happened to him when he takes a missing wife case in post-earthquake San Francisco.
I really enjoyed the story and the way it developed, its focus on abuse, and the cycle of violence that abuse can foster. The book is the best one at building and illustrating Ethan's character since the very first novel, and it does so in small but effective ways. And I was totally surprised by how hopeful and bittersweet the ending is. I'm used to stories in this genre ending with nihilism and negativity, but it was actually refreshing to see somewhat of a happy ending. It's not all sunshine and roses mind you, but it feels perfectly cathartic. Bravo Brubaker and Phillips, you outdid yourselves with this one. ...more
Give them horror or give them heartstrings. Nothing else sticks.
Jordan Harper is one of the best crime writers today and in his latest no
Give them horror or give them heartstrings. Nothing else sticks.
Jordan Harper is one of the best crime writers today and in his latest novel, he’s tackling the underbelly of the City of Angels.
Jordan Harper’s Los Angeles is a place of secrets, black bag PR, sponcons, money and celebrity in excess; a world filled with “noise to hide the whispers” and corruption so widespread that it’s a wonder anything ever gets done. You can feel the love/hate relationship with the city here, with a condemnation of the town so scathing that it could only come from when you love a place.
His two main characters, Mae Pruett and Chris Tamburro, are two people haunted by what they have done for the PR beast and desperate to somehow make things right and regain whatever decency they have left.
It’s a powerful novel, which is not a surprise given how great Harper’s writing here. It reads like something James Ellroy would write if he stepped into 2022. Harper’s writing even evolves into something akin to the Ellroy, with muscular and punchy prose that hits hard and fast. Harper does an amazing job with character here, navigating the emotion maturely and riding that line of sentimentality perfectly.
It’s still early in Harper’s career so it’s exciting to imagine what he has in store next.
“It’s like I’m in this backward purgatory. Like maybe if I commit enough sins, I’ll be able to get free.”
True madness is like an aura around someone. It glows blue like the flame from a gas fire. That madness can spread. Become like a religion for
True madness is like an aura around someone. It glows blue like the flame from a gas fire. That madness can spread. Become like a religion for the lost.
With this new novel, Cosby is 4 for 4. He continues to kick down the doors with guns blazing as he releases banger after banger in the crime fiction genre.
Being an investigative cop drama, I was a bit worried that it would feel a bit stale as the detective mystery has gotten a little worn out to me. But I should have know better. This feels very fresh as it follows Titus Crown, the first black sheriff of the small Virginia county of Charon, as he not only tries to get a lid on the racial unrest in his town but also hunts a terrifying serial killer on a rampage.
Cosby does everything right here, starting with the portrayal and build-up of the serial killer. The killer and their actions here are seriously bone-chilling and serves to maintain a potent layer of tension throughout the whole book. I was also impressed by how well-developed the community was, and loved how present Titus's deputies were, showing how this investigation is not a one-man show and how much he can't do his job without them. There's a romantic figure from Titus's past that pops up halfway through the book and I was really worried that this would turn into a silly love triangle, but I loved the mature way it was handled, without resorting to soap opera antics. One of the author's strengths is a tendency to never oversell, never hit the reader over the head, but efficiently present just the right amount of emotional development and social commentary to keep the reader truly engaged. He's like a storytelling gymnast, finding the right balance. ...more
Loading...
