I do like a bit of noir so this, Book 1 of the Race Against Death series, was very much of interest. The blurb (borrowed from Amazon) goes like this:"No writer in NYC is safe. Gothic scribes with cult followings are bleeding under stained glass. Golden child authors are swan diving from the top of New York Public Library defiling their legacy. Scumbag cops, Detective Anderson and Sgt. Bethany Powers are slaps away from exposing the shady deal Farrow cut with Featherton. The world Farrow enters just keeps moving faster and faster...it seems only his own death can slow it down, until he discovers that something greater than his words were stolen...something more beautiful than he's ever run into before...something that inspires him to dig deeper into his own soul...something alive... "
It certainly caught my attention. Farrow's world is one of eccentric and varied characters who make for a colourful cast as he tries to unravel what has happened to publishing magnate Percy Featherton. The body count mounts as the police, apparently unconcerned by procedure, continue to be convinced Farrow is their perp. However he becomes more interested in uncovering truths about his own life, and he discovers friends haven't been entirely truthful with him.
This is very much a noir crime tale, and the picture painted by the author is of a dark and brooding New York. In places the language is a bit strong, and there is some sexual content. The tone is very distinctive, so evocative and screams noir. There were parts where I felt I had got a little lost and like I had missed something, but by the end I thought the plot had been neatly tied up and I wasn't left wondering.
I liked this short novel with all the twists and turns the author throws at the reader. I'll be interested to hear about Book 2.
Format: Kindle, review copy
My Rating: 3*
2 comments:
Definitely sounds different. Great review.
Thank you! It was pretty different to anything else I've read recently, not sure what I could draw a parallel with.
Post a Comment