Short Story Wednesday Review: The Last Laugh: Crime Stories by Paul D. Brazill

From the magnificently massive archive here at Casa Tipple and Home Eatery Library….

 

The Last Laugh, a collection of short crime stories by Paul D. Brazill, opens with the signature story “The Last Laugh.” Godard comes back to reality on a hot day in the doorway of a record shop. He might be in Madrid, but he isn’t sure. The dream might have been real or might not. It has been a bad few days and he is feeling it in every fiber of his being. Though, for a man that is supposed to be dead, he is doing okay. Well enough to deal with a complicated problem because, though he mellowed a bit while underground, he still has the stones to do what needs to be done.

 

Toby Richards likes being whipped by Ania Nowak even while it has gotten rather boring for her.  But, she does what she has to do to survive.  In “The Luck Of The Devil” Ania and film director Toby Richards are just two players in a complicated situation involving what might be the skull ring of Himmler.

 

Mickey Mike Calloway is always hatching get rich plans during drinking binges with his friends. Normally, in the cold light of day, such plans are forgotten. But, one such plan stuck with the postman known to all as “Diggsy.”  In “Route 66 And All That” the basic idea to get rich is to rip off a man known to everyone as “Big John Little.”

 

A get rich quick scheme is also at the heart of “The Postman Cometh” where some of the characters of the previous story make a return engagement. Mikey Mike has an idea how they could take over a certain local pub and become wealthy. Or, at the very least, better off than they are now. Not all the business conducted in the pub is above board and law abiding as there are various side businesses being conducted in the establishment.

 

This same idea naturally leads into the next story titled, “Up The Creek.” Paul Garner of the local record store has a deal with Mikey Mike. A bit of business is being conducted when Diggsy sees Eileen Calloway out on the street. Based on her attire and the black bag she is carrying she might be back in the burglary game. If so, that could be a serious problem. Not just because she is Mikey Mike’s sister.

 

Bertie Peaslee has really done it this time in “A Bit Of A Pickle.”  He needs help and not just with getting rid of a body. Though that needs to be done too.

 

A cold winter night in Warsaw by way of “Red Esperanto” and Tatiana’s place is very claustrophobic at the moment. Looking over at the glass elevator at Westin Hotel does not help. More booze as well as Tatiana’s services, of which he will pay for, might help before he meets others at a local bar where plans sure to go wrong will be hatched and stories will be told.

 

The annual meeting of writers and crime fiction fans known as “Bullets in the bookshop” in Blackstone’s Bookshop in Cambridge is underway. Julian Stroud is holding court and is the target of a journalist representing the Madrid Review. Known as Luke Case, the journalist does quite a few things and not all of them are above board in “One Of Those Days In England.”

 

Jude Walker is very much dead and probably had it coming. Why Ginger Ronny had to confess to Burkey about it after a night of heavy drinking Burkey had no idea. It wasn’t like they were even friends. But, he had. Now Ronny is about to make things way worse.

 

Quigley is working “The Bucket List” for the exact reason one would expect. His version is a list of folks who should be permanently taken off the board.  One of those names is Jacko Butler.  He wasn’t the only name on the Quigley’s list that dates back to childhood. There are lots of scores to settle.

 

Lewis Quad also deserved to die in “A Dead Pimp In The Trunk.”  But, that isn’t the point. What happened next is what matters in this tale.

 

He’d never thought he would ever pick up a hitchhiker. Even if she had great legs like this one on the side of the road somewhere a little down the road from Leeds. Of course, he’d also never had the idea that he would have to flee his six bedroom home in Essex in a stolen car. Now he is doing both in “A Tissue Of Webs. The fact she has a white guitar case is also important.

 

There are those days when everything you do goes very bad. Being the top dog at Premier Properties means there is always more than one young buck looking to take you down. That is not going to happen in “The Weather Prophet.” When Ed started at wrong in life he thought it gave him a heck of an edge sales wise and until now that has been true.

 

Everything that ever went bad in Peter Robson’s life could be blamed on the old Victorian house at 10 Sycamore Hill. “This Old House” is the bane of his existence. One late October night he came up with the same brilliant idea others before him have had over the decades to get rid of the problem. Like all plans, bad or otherwise, execution is the key. One has to have good help.

 

Lee Madison is haunted by the past in “The Return Of The Tingle.” One can never escape the past as it always is a major motivation in our lives. That fact is certainly true for Lee Madison.

 

Marcus Finch is in quite the mood when he leaves the Blackjax Casino with his younger brother, Toby, in tow. In “Silver Dream Racer” it is time for Marcus and Toby to hunt for action.  The hunt is also a way to vent off the rage building in Marcus. Others are hunting as well.

 

First seen in the story in “The Luck Of The Devil” Himmler’s skull ring takes the starring role in “The Skull Ring.” Found on a stormy night that broke the stifling summer heat it was on the ground next to the dumpster. Just up the alley behind the Methodist church, Rowan woke up. He spotted the ring, picked it up before staggering home, where his life changed forever.

 

Lightning Jones is tall, beautiful, and extremely loud.  She is also trouble in “The Lady And The Gimp.” For Private Detective Peter Ord she could turn out to be a problem he is going to deal with very soon.

 

Dealing with a drunk and drugged up Craig Ferry is just part of the job in “Who Killed Skippy?” Private Detective Peter Ord has known Craig since they were kids. The job is not getting any easier.

 

Oliver Robison finally snapped and ended his wife’s life using a couch cushion.  Gloria is dead, but that did not solve the problem in “The Tut.”

 

If you have read A Case of Noir, Gumshoe, 13 Shots of Noir, Guns Of Brixton, or any of the other numerous works by author Paul D. Brazill you know what to expect. Stories filled with characters that experience constant hard times, drink a lot, and do what they have to survive. The Last Laugh most definitely lives up to its billing of “Crime Stories.” From start to finish in each tale the crime is the thing. The how, the why, and the players all change, but a crime remains the focus of each tale. As is the noir spirit regardless of the European setting of these twenty short stories.  

 

Publisher and author each provided me an eBook copy to read and review. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016, 2023

FFB Review: The Last Laugh: Crime Stories by Paul D. Brazill

From the massive archive....

The Last Laugh, a collection of short crime stories by Paul D. Brazill, opens with the signature story “The Last Laugh.” Godard comes back to reality on a hot day in the doorway of a record shop. He might be in Madrid, but he isn’t sure. The dream might have been real or might not. It has been a bad few days and he is feeling it in every fiber of his being. Though, for a man that is supposed to be dead, he is doing okay. Well enough to deal with a complicated problem because, though he mellowed a bit while underground, he still has the stones to do what needs to be done.

 

Toby Richards likes being whipped by Ania Nowak even while it has gotten rather boring for her.  But, she does what she has to do to survive.  In “The Luck Of The Devil” Ania and film director Toby Richards are just two players in a complicated situation involving what might be the skull ring of Himmler.

 

Mickey Mike Calloway is always hatching get rich plans during drinking binges with his friends. Normally, in the cold light of day, such plans are forgotten. But, one such plan stuck with the postman known to all as “Diggsy.”  In “Route 66 And All That” the basic idea to get rich is to rip off a man known to everyone as “Big John Little.”

 

A get rich quick scheme is also at the heart of “The Postman Cometh” where some of the characters of the previous story make a return engagement. Mikey Mike has an idea how they could take over a certain local pub and become wealthy. Or, at the very least, better off than they are now. Not all the business conducted in the pub is above board and law abiding as there are various side businesses being conducted in the establishment.

 

This same idea naturally leads into the next story titled, “Up The Creek.” Paul Garner of the local record store has a deal with Mikey Mike. A bit of business is being conducted when Diggsy sees Eileen Calloway out on the street. Based on her attire and the black bag she is carrying she might be back in the burglary game. If so, that could be a serious problem. Not just because she is Mikey Mike’s sister.

 

Bertie Peaslee has really done it this time in “A Bit Of A Pickle.”  He needs help and not just with getting rid of a body. Though that needs to be done too.

 

A cold winter night in Warsaw by way of “Red Esperanto” and Tatiana’s place is very claustrophobic at the moment. Looking over at the glass elevator at Westin Hotel does not help. More booze as well as Tatiana’s services, of which he will pay for, might help before he meets others at a local bar where plans sure to go wrong will be hatched and stories will be told.

 

The annual meeting of writers and crime fiction fans known as “Bullets in the bookshop” in Blackstone’s Bookshop in Cambridge is underway. Julian Stroud is holding court and is the target of a journalist representing the Madrid Review. Known as Luke Case, the journalist does quite a few things and not all of them are above board in “One Of Those Days In England.”

 

Jude Walker is very much dead and probably had it coming. Why Ginger Ronny had to confess to Burkey about it after a night of heavy drinking Burkey had no idea. It wasn’t like they were even friends. But, he had. Now Ronny is about to make things way worse.

 

Quigley is working “The Bucket List” for the exact reason one would expect. His version is a list of folks who should be permanently taken off the board.  One of those names is Jacko Butler.  He wasn’t the only name on the Quigley’s list that dates back to childhood. There are lots of scores to settle.

 

Lewis Quad also deserved to die in “A Dead Pimp In The Trunk.”  But, that isn’t the point. What happened next is what matters in this tale.

 

He’d never thought he would ever pick up a hitchhiker. Even if she had great legs like this one on the side of the road somewhere a little down the road from Leeds. Of course, he’d also never had the idea that he would have to flee his six bedroom home in Essex in a stolen car. Now he is doing both in “A Tissue Of Webs. The fact she has a white guitar case is also important.

 

There are those days when everything you do goes very bad. Being the top dog at Premier Properties means there is always more than one young buck looking to take you down. That is not going to happen in “The Weather Prophet.” When Ed started at wrong in life he thought it gave him a heck of an edge sales wise and until now that has been true.

 

Everything that ever went bad in Peter Robson’s life could be blamed on the old Victorian house at 10 Sycamore Hill. “This Old House” is the bane of his existence. One late October night he came up with the same brilliant idea others before him have had over the decades to get rid of the problem. Like all plans, bad or otherwise, execution is the key. One has to have good help.

 

Lee Madison is haunted by the past in “The Return Of The Tingle.” One can never escape the past as it always is a major motivation in our lives. That fact is certainly true for Lee Madison.

 

Marcus Finch is in quite the mood when he leaves the Blackjax Casino with his younger brother, Toby, in tow. In “Silver Dream Racer” it is time for Marcus and Toby to hunt for action.  The hunt is also a way to vent off the rage building in Marcus. Others are hunting as well.

 

First seen in the story in “The Luck Of The Devil” Himmler’s skull ring takes the starring role in “The Skull Ring.” Found on a stormy night that broke the stifling summer heat it was on the ground next to the dumpster. Just up the alley behind the Methodist church, Rowan woke up. He spotted the ring, picked it up before staggering home, where his life changed forever.

 

Lightning Jones is tall, beautiful, and extremely loud.  She is also trouble in “The Lady And The Gimp.” For Private Detective Peter Ord she could turn out to be a problem he is going to deal with very soon.

 

Dealing with a drunk and drugged up Craig Ferry is just part of the job in “Who Killed Skippy?” Private Detective Peter Ord has known Craig since they were kids. The job is not getting any easier.

 

Oliver Robison finally snapped and ended his wife’s life using a couch cushion.  Gloria is dead, but that did not solve the problem in “The Tut.”

 

If you have read A Case of Noir, Gumshoe, 13 Shots of Noir, Guns Of Brixton, or any of the other numerous works by author Paul D. Brazill you know what to expect. Stories filled with characters that experience constant hard times, drink a lot, and do what they have to survive. The Last Laugh most definitely lives up to its billing of “Crime Stories.” From start to finish in each tale the crime is the thing. The how, the why, and the players all change, but a crime remains the focus of each tale. As is the noir spirit regardless of the European setting of these twenty short stories.  

 

 

Publisher and author each provided me an eBook copy to read and review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016, 2022

Short Story Wednesday Review: The Deepening Shade: New and Collected Stories by Jake Hinkson

 

From the massive archive … 

Published by All Due Respect Books, one knows that The Deepening Shade: New and Collected Stories by Jake Hinkson is not going to be one of those light and happy books. All Due Respect is known for their anthologies and other projects where the happy people and cozy cats would be killed and their bodies buried upside down in that old rock quarry outside of town. There are no happy people in The Deepening Shade: New and Collected Stories where the tone of the tales is dark and where religion and/or alcohol often play a role. Sometimes their role is minor and other times their role is major. Often times neither is the answer as events grind along with a certain inevitability due to fate and the choices these characters make. Finding the line between fate and personal choice is rarely easy and such is the case here.

The read opens with “Maker’s and Coke.” Stopping by Knight’s Liquor Store on the way to work was a possible mistake. Certainly drinking on duty was a definite mistake.

Dancing as Dixie Delight at The Fur Trap doesn’t change the fact that she is “The Big Sister.”  Janie has a huge problem and needs her help.

The girl is not only pregnant, but has been roughed up a bit in “The Girl from Yesterday.” The guy who walked into the homeless shelter with her did not look like the kind of guy who would do that, but the bad guys who do that sort of thing are not always obvious. Marie Porter, one of the people who runs the place, wants to know a lot more.

Not only is Randy considered Mister Employee of the Month” at Alltel he is also more than willing once prompted to talk about “Randy’s Personal Lord and Savior.” The backstory of why he does not drink and is so religious is the point of the tale.

Just after noon on one August afternoon three robbers come into the restaurant looking for money and more. Marianne’s attention on her potential client is destroyed. In the “Aftermath” of the robbery her perspective and maybe even her world is changed.

She never had children and now, in a strange twist of fate, she lives in a nursing home across the street from a daycare. What might have been is the ache of memory as well as physical pain in “The Empty Sky.”

Graham has a major problem and needs Larry’s help in “Cold City.” Since both are cops the problem is worse than for a normal citizen. Then too, because they are cops, they have certain options.

There are problems that the McDonalds Corporation doesn’t pay enough for one to deal with minutes before going off duty. A customer is publicly making a big deal about one such problem in “Microeconomics” so now it has to be dealt with before things get worse.

A Police Sniper is hard at work in the very short “Good Cover.”

Handling snakes as a test of religious faith is just part of the deal at work in “The Serpent Box.” It is not news to crime readers that serpents come in many forms.

He’d known that night after she screamed in her sleep that being with her had been a mistake. In “Night Terrors” the waking hours afterwards are worse and the stuff of nightmares.

When your wife is cousins with somebody you have to do things with folks would prefer not to do. Such is the case here in “Dinner with Friends.” If only they all knew what you were capable of and had done you might not have to sit around and listen to these idiots.

It was just supposed to be funny. The ad was supposed to be a way to blow off some steam. Then things got really serious in “Casual Encounter.”

Attending the meetings of recovering alcoholics was a means to an end in “The Theologians.” He might not be the only one using the group meetings for a far different purpose.

Summer heat in Arkansas is just part of the background in “Our Violence.” So too is the legacy of family as well as unresolved childhood issues that could be based on genetic as much as nurturing.

A read containing stories of characters dealing with the blows of life, The Deepening Shade: New and Collected Stories is a work that resonates on many levels. A hard scrabble way of life is the background to many of these tales as folks deal with events of various types. Dark humor is at work here as is religion, desperation, and crime. Whether choice is really at work in each of these tales, as some would argue, is a question that often is not easily answered. These stories feature people dealing with events where fate and choice are the opposite sides of the same coin and it is up to the reader to determine which way the coin landed.

The Deepening Shade: New and Collected Stories by Jake Hinkson showcases a complexity and a variety not seen in many short story collections or even anthologies for that matter. Much is at work in each of these tales in a book that is not for everyone. A mighty good read and one well worth your time both as a reader and as a writer. 

 

Material supplied by the publisher last fall for my use in an objective review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015, 2022

Short Story Wednesday Review: Crooked Roads: Crime Stories by Alec Cizak

From the massive archive…

Published in 2015 by All Due Respect Books, Crooked Roads: Crime Stories by Alec Cizak features fifteen previously published short stories. Published in print and online the tales reflect flawed characters, crimes of various types, and situations where there are no easy answers.

“The Space Between” starts readers off with a very short tale about the relationship, as well as the lack of one, between the cashier and the customer. She spoke in clichés, but for the narrator, his life is also full of clichés.

The guy known as “Bump” had never seen somebody die until Kristos put the shotgun deep into Hector’s mouth and pulled the trigger. Now it is supposed to be Bump’s turn to kill in “Columbus Day.” All that was supposed to happen was the three of them, if you counted in Sophia who is about as crazy as Kristos, were to bust into a cook house, grab the latest batch, and go back home to watch The Vikings on Monday Night Football. At least, that had been the plan just a couple of hours ago.

Dad always said to never underestimate just how stupid some folks can be and then proved it himself. Living in a trailer park, Neptune Park, isn’t that great. He knows his girlfriend’s dad, Mr. Vaughn, is not happy at all that he is intimate with his daughter, Missy. Sure, she might be working out her issues, but Dwayne likes her a lot and knows the score in “No Hard Feelings.”

It is January and the rains have come to Wilshire Boulevard. For Rex Burris, who relies on the generosity of others, the rains are a bad thing because folks don’t give when it rains. In “American Chivalry” Rex has a plan for the Korean wives on the 20 bus if he can get enough space change to get on the bus in the first place.

The short Mexican is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Though he doesn’t know it yet as “Dumb Shit” begins. Donny and his friend, Smitty, lost their roofing jobs to Mexican workers that worked far cheaper for the contractor, Jimbo Pincer. Donny is mad at everyone in the world. It never is a good thing when Donny is mad.

She’s alone, drinking, and has a .32 in her purse. She also has a story to tell in “Spare Change.”

Bud Gorski has a wife he can’t make happy and a night job at Liberty Steel that does not pay enough. The strike has not helped things at all. Ron feels bad for him in “State Road 53” though he does not feel bad enough to stop seeing Bud’s wife, Lynn.

Stan Dillon does not normally go for blondes and then she walked into the bar. As a cop, he knows a hooker when he sees one. In “Patience,” the hooker of the same name has a friend, Finesse, and a place, if he is willing. Off duty and male, he is definitely willing to go with her to the Ramada on Wilshire.

The two guys that are friends of Katy’s dad showed up wearing ski masks. They gave her a blindfold and put her in their car. She wanted to see Billy get his in “Katy Too.”

“My Kind Of Town” features Jenna and Tom who have a plan for their future. Tom’s wife Maggie is not part of that plan. Neither is his gas station.

Enrique Paz has been trailing the guy on foot for a while now in “A Matter Of Time.” Paz was supposed to be meeting a couple of white guys from West Hollywood to sell them some meth before this guy earned his attention. The fact went he into a church isn’t going to save him.

Debbie had seemed fine when she left after having drugs and sex with Ethan though she did not tell him where she was going. In “Methamphetamine And A Shotgun” Ethan has decided to go outside and see the day. He has also decided it is a good idea to take his shotgun.

She needs a payphone and that has proved to be a bit of a problem in “Little People.” She could use her cellphone, but that would create a record. A record of the call could link her to the guy in the trunk of her silver Lexus.

Harold showed up early at Nicole’s place in “A Moral Majority.” He has a problem and a sin to confess. If the congregation finds out, they won’t be happy. He needs advice and a solution to a terrible problem he has created.

“The Ralphs At Third And Vermont” used to exist before the riots. It burned. What happened to Charlie, who used to carry folks groceries, is the point of this tale that shifts back and forth in time.

The tales in Crooked Roads: Crime Stories are all good ones. These previously published stories feature a range of characters, emotions, and situations that create a dark atmosphere full of vengeance and violence. Nothing is simple in these tales whether it is the plan for survival, the reason for the situation, or the actions by anyone involved. Published by All Due Respect Books, the short stories contained in Crooked Roads: Crime Stories by Alec Cizak live up the title and then some. In a number of cases, the road is not just crooked, but pulverized into sharp channels that rip your soul.

  

Crooked Roads: Crime Stories

Alec Cizak

http://nomoralcenter.blogspot.com/

All Due Respect Books

http://www.allduerepectbooks.com

May 2015

ASIN: B079KX5GSW

eBook (print format available)

160 Pages 

 

 

Material was purchased in August 2015 to read and review by way of funds in my Amazon Associate account.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016

Short Story Wednesday Review: All Due Respect 2020

All Due Respect 2020 is the book version of the stories that appeared online at All Due Respect. Edited by Chris Rhatigan and David Nemeth, the stories appear in the book in the same order as they appeared each month on the website. These are crime fiction tales of characters dealing with hard problems.

 

The book opens with “Mad Dog” by Stephen D. Rogers. Mad Dog woke up our narrator and did it in a unique way to make sure he knew the seriousness of the situation. Mad Dog is a legend and he is her current mission. This is not good news at all.

 

Our narrator is on the hunt for Harold King in “49,000 Ways To Die” by Tom Leins. Mr. Rey was hired to do a job. He is highly motivated to find him wherever he is on the streets in this tale of British Crime fiction.

 

The wealthy Cindy-Lou Stepford caused Duane to lose his job at “Everything’s Coming Up Duane” by Michael Pool begins. His new unemployment gives him more bar stool time at the Shadybrook Cabaret. It also gives him time to contemplate how to teach her an unforgettable lesson.

 

It is unbearably hot at the house located somewhere just off the coastline of Mississippi. Vernon, sixty years old, is caring for John Tarden who is slowly growing worse day by day thanks to Parkinson’s disease. John still likes and wants his tea, good days or bad, and no matter the weather in “Perennial” by Andrew Davie.

 

It is cold and windy as “On The Edge” by Sharon Diane King begins as Malcom McLeod goes to see Sandy at the old motel. They have known each other for many years now. Things need to be said and settled.

 

On the same day that Kennedy banned travel to Cuba, the famous painting appeared. Don can see it from his perch on the fire escape. Getting to it is not going to be easy in “The Woman From Florence” by Preston Lang. Getting away with it is going to be harder.

 

Ray and Jimmy work the bodies at crematorium. It is their responsibility to move the deceased through the oven and take care of business. Clearly there is an opportunity to possibly be had in “What’s One More” by Jay Butkowski.

 

Back to England in “The Gangster’s Game” by Stephen Berry where Damian Jones is calling about a job. Chris knew it was a bad idea to agree to the job. He could blame that decision on the drinking. He now is being confronted with the results of that decision and now really needs some drinks.

 

Dealing with the loss of a daughter is hell for Shainey Colchek. Today is the day when the ashes must be released in “Donors” by Craig Francis Coates. Grief is a multi-stage process before one can heal.

 

She went on the boat to interview Brian Lindley in “A Little Push” by Bobby Mathews. Not the way most of us would want to interview a known serial killer, but she has her reasons for doing it as he wanted. It has taken nearly a year to get the interview of a lifetime and she isn’t going to screw it all up now.

 

Barry has a meal to prepare and serve in “The Last Supper” by Michael Penncavage. You could have figured out that much by the title alone. This reviewer is not going to spoil things by telling you more.

 

BV Lawson brings the crime fiction to a close with “Quaking In My Boots.” Brett Holder is seriously impressed with the home of Nelson Sanzo. It should survive just about any earthquake California throws at the recent transplant. An angry ex is one thing, but an earthquake is something that terrifies Sanzo.

 

This collection of crime fiction tales is filled with characters dealing with hard problems in their hard lives. These characters are used to dealing with serious adversity on a daily basis. What they need are solutions. One way or the other, they usually find them in All Due Respect 2020.

 

  

All Due Respect 2020

Editor Chris Rhatigan

https://chrisrhatiganediting.com/

Editor David Nemeth

https://unlawfulacts.net/about/

All Due Respect Books (Down & Out Books)

https://allduerespectbooks.com/books/all-due-respect-2020

https://downandoutbooks.com/bookstore/adr-2020/

November 2020

ISBN# 978-1-64396-165-1

Paperback (also available in eBook format)

158 Pages

  

In addition to the eBook copy I was sent by Editor David Nemeth, Johnny Wesner gifted me a print copy of the book for my birthday last month. The print version was what I read and reviewed here. Nobody had any expectation of a review. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2020

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Review: Debt Crusher: A Novella by Michael Pool

Cam Reynolds has a simple job. Collect the money owed to his boss, Tommy, Jr. He is the son of the legendary and now deceased mob boss, Tom Colcetti. The kid may not value him as much as his father did, but the kid is keeping the family business going and Cam still has a job. Though it is not the job he wants as he feels that he should have moved up by now. Junior has also made some changes that Cam does not approve of and it looks like he won’t be moving upwards anytime soon. At forty two years old he should be doing better than still having to go after guys to collect debts.

It is the job Cam has and he is very good at it. Cam has a reputation for violently collecting monies owed hence his nickname of “Crusher.” He has such a reputation that he rarely has to get physical these days which are a good thing as the years are beginning to take a toll. The latest dead beat who owes is a guy by the name of Gomez.  The man owes 10K and tried to run after getting a wakeup call from Cam who happened to be sitting outside the guy’s place when he made the call. After trying to run and being caught, some trunk therapy followed by quiet contemplation of his circumstances should assist Gomez with his motivation to pay up.

Unfortunately, things go wrong and years of loyal service mean nothing. Gomez was connected and Cam got the order to lay off after he had already started trunk therapy. Crusher screwed up and now he is a dead man on the run. At least he thinks he has a sexually willing travel companion in the mysterious woman he met in a Seattle area bar who is willing to help him get out of town in exchange for a fee.

Author Michael Pool quickly pulls the reader into a classic noir style set up where the antihero is on the run because things finally went wrong. One little thing starts the collapsing domino chain and things escalate rapidly in the wrong direction. Unlike his short story collection that I reviewed back in January, New Alleys For Nothing Men: Crime and Noir Stories, where some characters are a bit more introspective, Debt Crusher is pretty much a straightforward violent crime fiction novella. In some of those stories, the violence is chained up and it takes time to be released. In this novella, the violence is a major character and barely under control from the first page. Debt Crusher quickly becomes one violent confrontation after another as Cam does what it takes to not only honor his nickname, but to stay alive. If you prefer animals in your stories, a read clean of graphic language, and the violence to be off the page, this is most definitely not the read for you.

Debt Crusher: A Novella

Michael Pool

http://www.michaelpool.net

All Due Respect Books (Imprint of Down & Out Books)

http://www.allduerespectbooks.com

February 2018

ASIN#: B079R7ZJGN

eBook (also available in paperback format)

117 Pages

$4.99

Copy provide by the author for my use to read and review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2018