Hi folks,
Keep getting wonderful reviews for THE BITCH. Here's one that just came out from Charlie Stella, one of my favorite writers, on his blog, Temporary Knucksline:
Our motto
...
Leave
the (political) party. Take the cannoli.
"It always seems impossible until it's done." Nelson Mandela
"It always seems impossible until it's done." Nelson Mandela
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Book
Reviews … Movie Review … the Sleaze Column(s) … the Stoner Bowl … Happy
Anniversary, Principessa!
Amici:
Books …
The Bitch,
by Les Edgerton … there’s a basic noir formula that goes something like this:
introduce a dark character (sometimes with a touch of light in his soul), then
put him in a vice and keep squeezing; put him in the wrong place at the wrong
time doing the wrong thing and then make the wrong people show up in the wrong
place at the wrong time … and so on. How the formula is delivered is what makes
it work or not.
Anthony Neil Smith mentioned chops in his
forward to Les Edgerton’s The Bitch … I’ve also seen words like
verisimilitude and gravitas attributed to Edgerton’s works … and it’s all true
… not to mention the crafty hooks he leaves at the ends of chapters that demand
you turn the page just that much faster (rather than put the book down and wait
until you have some free time later in the day). Edgerton gets you to make time
for this novel about a twice fallen con struggling to maintain a peaceful
civilian life through hard work and commitment to family. And the vice he gets
squeezed by is his past—2 bits in the joint where he made enemies and friends
alike, so when a former cellmate he owes his life to shows up, you know it
can’t be good. So does Jake know it can’t be good … Walker (Jake’s former
cellmate) needs Jake’s help … reciprocity can be an MF’er in the criminal world
… owing anybody never works out well … so when Jake is forced into performing
one last criminal act (or is it the last one?) … things unroll so fast and
furious, each turn of the page comes with great anticipation and fear. And talk
about people showing up at the wrong place at the wrong time …
No spoilers here. Buy the book and find
out the rest. The author himself has paid the price of incarceration and come
out shining. The Bitch is a true page turner well worth the price of
admission.
Thanks, Mr. Stella!
He also has some other cool stuff on his blog--check it out.
Blue skies,
Les
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment