The Lawless Legion MC by Patrick Klein; Motorcycle Club Thriller Revs and Sputters

 

The Lawless Legion MC by Patrick Klein; Motorcycle Club Thriller Revs and Sputters

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Patrick Klein’s The Lawless Legion MC is an intense thriller that revs when telling about the creation of an outlaw motorcycle club but it sputters by giving us characters who are too one dimensional to relate to or root for.

Sonny is going nowhere fast. He was just fired from his job at the local bar and has dwindling finances. His buddies Mike, Scott, and Johnny Boy have problems of their own. Sonny is hit with an idea. Since he and his friends have a passion for motorcycles why not form a motorcycle club of outlaws? The club called The Lawless Legion MC goes through various circumstances and capers to obtain new members, capital, and a word of mouth reputation that spreads fear.

The book has a strong beginning as it discusses how and why such clubs are formed usually from a desire to socially connect with others and a need to break out of poverty. Sonny and his buddies live in abject poverty, most of them in the same trailer park. Bills pile up, they owe more than they have, and everyone that they know is divorced, broke, homeless, drunk, addicted, unemployed or trapped in low paying jobs, and don’t see much of a future. It’s not hard to imagine why these guys would find crime a suitable means to escape the life that they have been handed since birth. 

The other thing that draws Sonny and the others into the idea of a motorcycle club is the camaraderie and fellowship that they share. They share a love of motorcycles that’s true but it goes beyond that. They call each other “brother” and treat one another like family. This is particularly true of Sonny, Mike, Scott, and Johnny Boy who have been friends since they were kids. 

Sonny wants to share the financial and influential benefits that this club can bring with those that he is closest to. Because of this strong bond among Sonny and his friends, it is a genuinely upsetting moment for him when one of his friends withdraws from the club when he grows concerned about their violent nature to the point of packing his things and leaving the trailer park without telling anyone. Partly out of concern for the direction that his friends are taking but also because if the Lawless Legion is as successful as they hope to be, he is afraid that they may attack him in retaliation.

While the book has a strong start by showing how a motorcycle club is formed and why members get into it, the interest fizzles the higher that the Lawless Legion climbs. Some of their plans to force competition out of town, get a cut of local drug money, and start a fight club are fun in a darkly comic sort of way. Sonny also shows genuine affection for a woman who is coming out of an abusive relationship. These are moments of good character insight but they don't last.

The Lawless Legion members had more depth when they started out but that depth crumbles as they become involved in a war against various enemies like a rival motorcycle club, an opportunistic police officer, and an acquaintance playing the various sides. 

Once they gain the power and influence that they crave, the members become one-dimensional and interchangeable. Some of the newer recruits are not as distinct as the original group and it can be hard to remember who did what. They also look for any reason or rationale to pick a fight, flash their muscles and attitude, and commit violence towards those that they perceive as an enemy. 

Even when a member of the Lawless Legion leaves, it isn’t looked on as an understanding that he made his choice. Instead it is looked on as a moral failing on his part as someone who betrayed them because he didn’t have the stomach to do what they did. As Sonny and the others are losing their humanity, they resent their former friend for still retaining his. 

Perhaps that’s the point, The Lawless Legion have become dehumanized. They have accepted that violent part of themselves and now there is nothing left, no empathy, no understanding, no real companionship even with each other. Just gain, just taking what they can and hurting anyone that gets in the way. Ironically, in their drive to get the money, power, and respect that they always wanted, they may lose the tight friendship and surrogate family that propelled them in the first place. They will lose their brothers. 

Losing Austin by Michael J. Bowler; Affecting, Poignant, and Transcendent Missing Child Novel

 

Losing Austin by Michael J. Bowler; Affecting, Poignant, and Transcendent Missing Child Novel 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Sherlock Holmes said it best, “Whenever you eliminate the improbable then all that remains no matter how impossible must be the truth.” Such is the case in Losing Austin. Michael J. Bowler’s novel about a missing child t is affecting, poignant, riveting, and ultimately otherworldly and transcendent.

Colton's nonverbal Autistic older brother Austin goes missing after Colton insults him. Colton and their parents go through an agonizing search. When they find no evidence that Austin either wandered off, got lost, or had been kidnapped, Colton looks for other possibilities. He remembers a brighter than usual rainbow and a strange unusual presence in the woods at the time and suspects that his brother was abducted by aliens. Other witnesses with similar stories corroborate this theory, a theory that looks more realistic when Austin reappears five years later completely unaged.

Losing Austin is a novel that veers between Crime Thriller and Science Fiction. Bowler produces a novel that is a mixture of the two subgenres and styles.

The book reveals the anguish when a child goes missing. Colton and his parents’ bond bends and threatens to break from the strain and there are hints that this fracture is permanent even after Austin returns. Colton and Austin’s father is so busy trying to be the stoic rock for the family that instead he becomes remote to them. Their depressed mother basically withdraws from everyone else and lives in her own private world of grief and despair. She barely acknowledges Colton’s presence except with occasional disdain and  hovers in and out of life without any real involvement. 

As for Colton, his emotions go from determination, to rage, to guilt. He searches the woods every day long after rescue teams have stopped looking for Austin. Once he admits his theory about alien abduction, he connects with people on social media who have similar experiences. He feels helpless that he couldn’t control what happened to Austin and despite his efforts can’t find him. To respond to that, he takes action so at least he can say that he did everything that he could. 

With that helplessness comes rage and fury. He gets into fights with bullying classmates that make fun of Austin or spread rumors about him. While some want to help Colton, particularly a former bully turned friend, others use the opportunity to isolate him even further. Since Colton and his family have become public figures because of this tragedy, he is constantly aware that he is being watched and monitored by everyone else at school. The scrutiny is so intense that he is temporarily home schooled. This contributes to his loneliness and insecurity. 

Above all,  Colton feels tense guilty and remorse. He obsessively goes over Austin’s last day especially the harsh words that he said knowing that Austin would never retaliate. He acted on impulse, spoke without thinking, and was immediately remorseful afterwards. But what was said was said and it seared into him for a long time. 

Colton reveals his pain and inner torment in an interview with Anderson Cooper (in one of the book’s lighter moments, Colton refers to Cooper as “CNN Dude,” a nickname that the news anchor graciously accepts). Colton bares all partly out of confession but also so people who are going through such grief, pain, and inner frustration can learn from his story. 

The realistic situation that the family goes through weaves with the fantastic theories espoused by Colton and his new friends. One of Colton’s friends shares a similar story of a missing brother and believes that “the rain took him.” 

After rational outcomes produce no results, it makes sense to look for the unusual. At first that seems to be what is at play here. The Reader doubts Colton’s narration but can’t deny that there are some strange things but it’s all understated. The nature around him like the bright rainbow, the rain occurring during disappearances, or the mysterious presence watching him are eerie but not unusual. The other witnesses could be just as confused or worse appealing to a grief stricken boy's anxieties. They could be straws that Colton is trying to grasp to find answers, calm his rage, and assuage his guilt.

However, when Austin returns unaged, the impossibility becomes almost confirmed. It puts the book into a different place than what was presented before where anything reasonable and logical turns into anything supernatural or otherworldly. 

The final chapters open up another solution that wasn’t addressed before. It becomes jarring but it also transcends reality and expands the book’s insights about other worlds into a new direction. The ending is also explained in a way that makes sense despite the abruptness. It makes one curious if Bowler is planning on exploring this scenario in future installments. 

Losing Austin captures the emotions of a Thriller, the themes of a Science Fiction, and the passage of a Coming of Age novel. It is a book that is worth finding.

Redemption The Last Order by Anirudh Vaishya; A Broken Reflection by Shelly M. Patel

 

Redemption: The Last Order by Anirudh Vaishya 

Redemption: The Last Order is a screenplay that is both cerebral and thrilling. It is equally a mental challenge and adrenaline rush. It would be interesting to see how it resonates as a film for moviegoers who like action military movies and those who like psychological and political thrillers. 

On his first mission PFC John Brandt is the only survivor in a strategic fiasco that ended with the deaths of his crew, a base destroyed in a nuclear standoff, and injuries that put him in a coma for five years. When he awakens, he is informed that he was in a simulation and the memory was one of his lieutenant’s. He’s awake but the rest of his team are still in their comas and his CO has died. His superiors are very interested in how he broke from the simulation and woke up as though his brain is somehow immune to the computer interface that his teammates are still in. Meanwhile, his journalist girlfriend, Amanda, is missing while covering a high profile story in China and war between the US and North Korea seems inevitable because of interference from Su Hyang, a former US ally/informer turned traitor. Weapons threaten to rain down on both sides and one location hits a bit too close to home for Brandt, literally. 

This is a very effective Thriller. The opening is tense as Brandt is faced in a worst case scenario that is meant to have no positive resolution. Every decision is calculated for him to lose which puts him out of his element. It’s an overwhelming and traumatizing experience that plays on many of the fears and anxieties of being in a warzone and knowing that every decision that one makes could be their last. 

That this is a simulation offers no comfort. In a way, it is very similar to The Manchurian Candidate or other films that play on the plan of brainwashing military personnel. They study the fears and anxieties and don’t have any considerations about what it might do to the participants. It is a microcosm of the concept of war itself in which people in the higher echelons send those in the lower to fight and die, testing their resolve, physical endurance, intellect, adaptability, strategy, and survival instincts. They send them to die and consider the results either unfortunate mistakes, acceptable losses, or satisfactory when more on the other side are killed.

Brandt’s relationship with other characters flesh out his personality. While there are many characters such as his mother, friends, and colleagues who awaken Brandt’s protective nature, there are two in particular that serve as counterpoints to Brandt’s journey. The first is Amanda. Sometimes romances are a distraction or an unnecessary subplot in the genre but in this specific case and context it works. 

Amanda is just as dedicated to her journalism career as Brandt is to his military career. Their encounters are not a passionate romance between lovers but a partnership of equals who use their different talents to report the truth and protect the people doing so. Their relationship is a realistic coupling of people in high risk stressful situations. They gravitate towards each other as an emotional release so when things are settled, they have a hard time functioning with the day to day dilemmas and conflicts like where are they going to live or what their future plans are. 

The other emotional counterpoint is Brandt’s father, Charles. He seems like a quiet unassuming guy but we later learn that he is more involved than he lets on. In an extended flashback, one of the highlights of the script, we learn Charles’ backstory and his close connection to the current events. We see him as a young inexperienced brilliant student and his allyship with another character. We also see how these past decisions shaped his son’s future and those of other key players. The tragedy is human error caused this situation. Things were done and said at the wrong time,place, and circumstances. Decisions were made that only peripherally involved the lead characters but led to distrust, suspicion, and a lifetime of rage, despair, revenge, and compliance. 

Redemption: The Last Order is the kind of screenplay that keeps you at the edge of your seat but makes you think about what you just observed. It says a lot about patriotism, free will, mind control, domination, propaganda, and what it really means to fight, die, and live for your country.

A Broken Reflection by Shelly M. Patel 

This is a shorter adaptation of this review, the full review can be seen on LitPick. 

A Broken Reflection presents an absorbing investigation with multiple viewpoints and leads but ends with a resolution that is disappointing, overdone, and does very little to make this variation unique or stand out from others.

Claire and Stephen seem to have an idyllic affluent married suburban life but it's all surface. There are cracks in their home life that are becoming more evident. Stephen has had many extramarital affairs and Claire is being seen by many colleagues and acquaintances as unstable and temperamental. Stephen’s infidelities and Claire's characteristics become more evident when a woman known to the couple has been found murdered. Claire is seen as a primary suspect especially when it turns out that the deceased woman was Stephen’s mistress. As bodies pile up, evidence gathers, and Claire and Stephen become more suspicious towards each other, Claire conducts her own investigation to clear her name. Meanwhile a very devious pair observe the events with their own agendas. Jessica has a dangerous fixation for Stephen and Cole is stalking the object of his affection: Claire.

There are some engaging bits, particularly as the characters are introduced and the investigation consumes them. Since the book is told from multiple viewpoints starting with Claire's, we already see the imperfections but not outright. Our sympathies move back and forth between Claire and Stephen depicting one another as abuser and victim, innocent and guilty. This causes the Reader discomfort and suspicion as we search for the real answers.

We peer into the points of view from various characters and we experience quite a few obsessions and potential motives. No one in this book comes off particularly well or likable. When the murders occur, it's not necessarily a question of whodunnit and is more who wouldn't do it?

By far the two most intriguing characters are Jessica and Cole. It says something in a cast of unstable dangerous people, that these two are the worst. Jessica is conniving and manipulative in her approach while Cole is more immature, having an almost adolescent crush on Claire. They take different pursuits towards the objects of their affections. These two are not a mentally well duo.

Unfortunately as interesting as the investigation is, the resolution is every bit as disappointing. Because of spoilers, it won't be revealed but let's just say that it's a cliche that is often found in soap operas and Psychological Thriller.There is a final twist that salvages the reveal somewhat, but it undermines what had been revealed so far and could have done with it. 

The ending of A Broken Reflection shatters what would have been a clear image of a good suspense novel into pieces.

Buckingham Mockup by Asif I. Shaikh; Humorous, Satiric, Warm, and Spiritual Journey of Hiding From The Law and Finding Oneself

Buckingham Mockup by Asif I. Shaikh; Humorous, Satiric, Warm, and Spiritual Journey of Hiding From The Law and Finding Oneself 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Asif I. Shaikh's Buckingham Mockup walks a thin line between humor and joy, satire and spirit, something to laugh at and something to think about.

Alan Haworth went on the run via plane with embezzled drug money. He makes an emergency landing on the island of McCoypuri. He befriends the various locals including Andrew and Marta, a couple that look after Alan during his arrival, Sikander and Hannah, who own Lala’s, the restaurant and hangout, and Laladip, a politician with designs on expansion. Alan becomes involved with his new surroundings while plotting an escape and getting more money.  But he begins to really like the place and people.

Buckingham Mockup takes a tone that might seem uneven but is also meaningful within the distinct divisions that separates them. It starts out as a satirical and even silly crime and political caper. It then takes a strange turn and becomes a meditative and spiritual journey towards finding oneself in a greater place than they were before.

While he is in McCoypuri, Alan plots to get enough money and plans his escape. He can't help but see the criminal possibilities for such an isolated island with plenty of resources, locals, and tourists to take advantage of. He acts appalled by that thought, but often goes back to it as though he may not mind the financial advantages that such a venture could bring. 

He is someone whose criminal history is somewhat laughable as he was a low level grunt who knew that he was in over his head but wanted to make a fast buck. When things got too dangerous, Alan fled for his life and crashed a plane into McCoypuri. If not for his new friends, his escape would have been a short one. It's a good thing that he becomes involved with various legit businesses because he was an incompetent criminal.

Alan is practically rescued and tended by the locals and is torn between his growing loyalty towards them and his own ambitions. He becomes involved with Sikander’s social media presence and local activism. He works with Laladip’s campaign and PR ops. He encourages Hannah's volunteer work and embraces her social consciousness. He also makes Laladip’s a home away from home. The longer that Alan stays in McCoypuri, the more that he feels accepted and involved.

There is a deeper spiritual connection that is understated but still captivating. Alan gets into deeper discussions with characters about altruism, faith, acceptance, and feeling a part of something greater than himself. 

The title Buckingham Mockup describes a model or rendering of a design or product that shows how it might look and function in real life. In the book, it is built for a hotel that Alan envisions for the island. It also serves as a double meaning for Alan himself.

The Alan that we meet at the beginning of the book is the design and model. He gives the impression of being shallow, materialistic, and longing for excitement and easy money. As Alan’s journey continues, we see the real Alan: the one who is empathetic, connected, involved, active, generous, centered, and calmer. In making plans for his new home, Alan realizes that he actually is home.

 

Freeze Frame by Rob Santana; Santana Captures Quirky Romance Turned Crime Thriller

Freeze Frame by Rob Santana; Santana Captures Quirky Romance Turned Crime Thriller 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Rob Santana is an expert at writing the unexpected.

The Oscar Goes To features the titular awards ceremony interrupted by the Best Actress Winner’s on air suicide. Little Blue Eyes turns a potentially heartwarming story about a woman taking in an abandoned baby into a thriller about addiction, racism, and human trafficking. Even real people like Adolf Hitler and Jane Austen are taken to strange unexpected dimensions. When you read one of Santana's books you don't know what will happen. All you do know is that it won't be anything like the book that you thought it was going to be at the beginning.

His latest novel, Freeze Frame, starts out as a quirky romantic comedy drama that builds into a psychological crime thriller and gives you enough time to appreciate the transition.

Future filmmaker, Kim Poynter loves taking videos of the people around him particularly of Nova Muller, the pretty girl from across the street. He's in love with her but since she already has a boyfriend, Zane, he settles into the friend zone, for now. He is preparing to record Nova’s brother's wedding during the time that both he and Nova discover some horrible secrets about their families. The suspicion and tension from these secrets build until the wedding when Kim happens to capture a crime that will change his and Nova's lives forever. 

Freeze Frame is the type of book that has a slow build up before it reaches the climax. If done right, it can be a benefit by letting one get to know the characters and the conflicts. If done wrong, it can be a sluggish detriment as the Reader waits for something exciting to happen. Santana does it right. He allows us to understand his characters, particularly Kim and Nova, and see them as rich vibrant people before their worlds fall apart around them. 

Kim struggles with his own ambitions and expectations from his family. He has an eye for film and is interested in capturing the world around him. It is how he expresses himself by measuring every camera angle, preparing every shot, and making his work into works of cinematic art even if they are weddings, parties, and every day events. They aren't ordinary to him. They allow him to understand the people that he is recording and allow them to recognize his dedication. 

Kim's materialistic parents however are not supportive of his drive. They want to know why he isn't more interested in earning money and making investments. Look at them. They put their money into Lehman Brothers and that is certainly “too big to fail.” Right? (This book is set in the late 2000’s before the financial crisis.) 

Besides his parent's lack of financial foresight, they are also having marital troubles. Kim captures a compromising situation involving his parents and it changes their relationship forever. 

Kim captures videos because for him they symbolize perfection. If he doesn't like something he can edit it or change it. The negative parts can be removed. Unfortunately, that cannot happen after he puts the camera down. He has to deal with real life with all of its complications, messiness, and hypocrisy.

Nova is the opposite of Kim in many ways. Kim uses his camera to create a fanciful perfect world, but Nova uses herself. She acts like the smart attractive girl next door. The Miss Everything who is going places. What everyone thinks that they see is a brilliant beautiful good girl. What they don't see is a troubled young woman with a suspicious nature, a surly attitude, and complicated relationships with those around her.

She doesn't get along with her father who is overprotective of her in ways that could veer towards inappropriate. There is a bond that at times might be loving but can also be suffocating even threatening.

Their relationship gets progressively worse throughout the book until it completely deteriorates in a way that is sad but inevitable.

Nova also doesn't like her future sister in law at all. Her only supporter is her brother and even that will soon change. Her relationship with Zane is crumbling. He can be incredibly possessive and verbally abusive. Nova has some serious emotional issues that need working through and her friendship with Kim gives her the chance to be honest.

The build-up of Kim and Nova's “will they won't they” potential relationship is a quirky romantic comedy drama, the story of two misfits, that are two-thirds of a love triangle and are from dysfunctional families, that find their way to each other. Then it takes a 180 degree turn and this sweet and cute potential romance is not so sweet or cute.

Things occur that cause them to question their relationships with friends, family, and each other. One or more secrets are brought forward and a violent act is committed. This violent act spirals the book into a thriller. Kim records it and has to weigh whether to reveal it to the authorities and how to hide it from nefarious people who want it to stay private. 

The characterization that was present at the beginning gives way more to plot. But since the Reader has gotten to know Kim and Nova, that makes their situation more dire and the conflicts surrounding them more pronounced. They are left with some difficult choices to make and either way could result in more difficulties. They are hard choices but once made are clearly understood because of what we had experienced with the characters beforehand.

Freeze Frame captures a memorable quirky romance turned crime thriller. It is the picture of an excellent read and is among Santana's best.

 

Journeyman: A Central City Novel (Kulpa and Bayonne Mysteries Book 2)by Indy Perro; Central City Sequel Doubles Down on Cop and Criminal Duality

 

Journeyman (A Central City Novel) by Indy Perro; Central City Sequel Doubles Down on Cop and Criminal Duality

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: When we last left Central City in Indy Perro’s book of the same name, Detective Vinnie Bayonne and ex-con, bar owner, and informant Kane Kulpa pool their resources to solve the murder of several prostitute’s clients. The murderer was identified and Tran van Kahn, the leader of a Vietnamese gang that tried to muscle in on Kane’s territory, was murdered. Unfortunately, these came at a great cost to Kane and Bayonne. Adam McKenna, Bayonne’s partner and Kane’s brother, was left institutionalized and Kane and Adam’s developmentally disabled and traumatized mother, Molly Matches died.

 In the followup novel, Journeyman, we see the cop and criminal are struggling to rebuild shaky lives. Bayonne’s commitment to justice is questioned because of his friendship with Kane and he embarks on a relationship with prostitute Cassandra. Meanwhile, Kane is beginning a tentative  leadership amidst rivalries from gangs who are out for blood and revenge. Bayonne is assigned to investigate the possible overdose death of the mayor’s son. Meanwhile gang war is declared after a shootout occurs outside Kane’s bar, the Side Saddle.

This is the type of mystery where the author is less concerned about the mystery itself than they are about the lead characters. Frankly, it’s all the better for it. The O.D. plot and the gang plot are interesting but in some ways predictable. There isn’t much in the way of a whodunnit so much as the enemies are quite visible leaving little to surprises or revelations. It’s stuff that is often found in other works that deal with gangs, drugs, sex work, political corruption, and crimes and quite frequently done better. Nothing new technically arrives or is resolved. But that is not where Journeyman’s real strength lies.

Journeyman’s real strength, in fact the strongest asset to the Central City series as a whole are its two leads: Vinnie Bayonne and Kane Kulpa. While in some works anyone can solve the central mystery, with this one only Bayonne and Kane can solve this one and leave Central City well in somewhat peace. 

We see these two at their most emotionally vulnerable as they try to maintain some semblance of order with their surroundings. They are protective of those that they are close to: Bayonne with Cassandra and Kane with his friends. We also see them facing antagonists challenging their leadership from various gangs to corrupt politicians and authority figures. Despite this, the two men have the strength and compassion to protect those around them.

One of the best chapters that show the duo’s concern for others is when Bayonne and Kane visit Adam in the hospital. As they talk to and care for Adam and confide in each other about his treatment and their concerns about his future, it is clear that both men are in mourning for the seriously ill man in front of him. Adam is not dead but is just as gone as if he had a bullet to his brain. They lost a partner and best friend with a once bright future in front of him and a brother with a broken past which deprived him of a family. We see that these men have many of the same concerns, goals, and motives even if they have different means to obtain them.

Unfortunately it is the means that cause a wedge between Bayonne and Kane. Kane desires to remain as leader and overpower his rivals. He becomes more ruthless and colder in ordering murder and extortion. 

As Kane ascends in the Underworld, Bayonne becomes more regimented in upholding the law. As the world collapses and becomes grayer, Bayonne holds onto the black and white of the legal system. 

Bayonne and Kane’s friendship is forever scarred when the two make decisions putting them in direct conflict. In the end, they face each other equal in power, are having ascended in their careers, but now no longer friends. What's worse is because of their shared history, they are not only enemies but enemies that know each other's backgrounds, secrets, and modus operandi. 

Bayonne and Kane are worthy opponents who will certainly lose their worthiness by the next book. They may lose what once made them great: their friendship.

New Book Alert: Central City by Indy Perro; The Thin Line Between Cop and Criminal Gets Thinner

 

New Book Alert: Central City by Indy Perro; The Thin Line Between Cop and Criminal Gets Thinner

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: There are many authors in the hard boiled mystery genre that explore the thin line between cop and criminal. Sometimes their methods aren't that different. Sometimes they are psychologically damaged and may have more in common than others are aware. Sometimes the police officer displays behavior that could be considered violent or illegal while the criminal is a beloved member of the community and devoted family head.

One author who explores that line is Indy Perro with his novel, Central City. This mystery suspense thriller tells of police officers and a representative from the other side of the law conducting their own separate investigations on the same murders only to learn that their links are much tighter than either would believe or want to admit.

After a tense opening set in 1977 in which two young boys are caught in an abusive situation with their father, we turn to 1992 where a man has been brutally murdered. Detectives Vinnie Bayonne and Adam McKenna are on the case. After they investigate similar murders before and since this one, they learn that the men all had something in common: they were prostitute's johns (clients). So someone is out killing men who solicited prostitute's company but who and why? Is it a jealous ex? A prostitute making the johns pay? Someone with a venereal disease making the whole world pay? A religious person removing sin from the world? 

While Bayonne and McKenna conduct their investigation, someone else is trying to figure it out, someone with less legal means at his disposal. Kane Kulpa, an ex-con and informant to the police is also looking for the murderer. Of course, he gets to bypass all of those pesky laws and requirements that police officers aren't supposed to follow like resorting to violence, intimidation, and psychological mind tricks. Of course that cops do them anyway further cements the close links between characters on the opposite sides of the law showing that they aren't that different except one carries a badge and the other doesn't.

Of the characters in this book the best one is Kane himself. He acts as a go between the law and the lawless not really a part of either one. He has a mutual respect with Bayonne and often offers information for the price of a drink. He is also caught in an approaching war between different gangs as a Vietnamese gang threatens him to leave his old gang behind and work with them or else. 

Just like Bayonne and McKenna, Kane wants to keep the streets safe. He is especially protective of the prostitutes including having one, with the delightful name of Molly Matches, live with and work for him as a housekeeper. His history as a once abused child and former convict gives him empathy for impoverished citizens forced to turn to crime when they have no other means of employment. Kane comes across as a better character than Bayonne and McKenna.

Bayonne and McKenn aren't bad characters per se. They are just not as developed as Kane. Perhaps that's the point, to subvert our understanding and loyalty between cop and crook. Bayonne is the seasoned veteran without much of a character and backstory. He is clearly concerned for people like Kane and the prostitutes, taking a fatherly concern for their welfare. He is the kind of cop that many wish would exist in real life: the type that looks beyond the poor and criminal exterior and sees the suffering hurting person inside.

McKenna is the typical rookie who tries to set himself above the people that he and Bayonne encounter. However, there is a surprise twist that links Kane, Bayonne, and Mckenna and puts them closer together. Even though the surprise is somewhat easy to guess, it's not cheesy and the results bring out the best in all three characters.

Central City is a brilliant detective noir story with modern sensibilities that reveal sometimes law givers and law breakers are often on the same side.

New Book Alert: No One Runs Faster Than A Bullet by Andrew Davies; Short But Intriguing Look At Kansas City's Criminal Underworld

 

New Book Alert: No One Runs Faster Than A Bullet by Andrew Davies; Short But Intriguing Look At Kansas City's Criminal Underworld

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: I would like to apologise for the long forced break in my blog. I had Covid last month and was sick for two weeks. Afterwards, I had to make adjustments on my glasses because my eyes bothered me. I am better now and have plenty of reviews backed up!

Now on with the first:

 No one may run faster than a bullet, but that doesn't mean an author should write faster than one.

Andrew Davies' short novel, No One Runs Faster Than A Bullet has a very interesting premise in exploring the world of Kansas City's organized crime racket in the late 1920's. It has a potentially interesting roguish bunch of characters that would be fascinating to explore in the environment of deceit, decadence, and depravity. However, because of its short length, a fragment and a sketch of a brilliant idea is all we get. Because of Davies' desire to keep the book short, what is a great idea and concept comes across as shallow and underutilised.

We get some historical information in the opening pages by introducing the  ratification of the 18th Amendment and how it influenced the increase in  organized crime in various American cities such as Chicago, New York City, and Kansas City. 

While Chicago and New York's involvement in organized crime is widely known in pop culture, Kansas City is not as discussed. According to various sources, Kansas City began as a racketeering  center when the DiGiovanni brothers emigrated from Sicily and settled in Kansas City. Their organization rackets were controlled by John Lazia and given a free pass by corrupt politician, Teddy Pendergast. Kansas City was a prime location for illegal activity because of its central presence to various states.

In this milieu several people are featured: stock broker, Albert Carr who is right there when the Dow goes down on October, 1929, Ezra Cohen, a prizefighter who joined law enforcement, Owens, a Pinkerton detective with a bad temper and his violent partner, Anderson, Donovan, a pastor who sees sin everywhere even an attack by a dog, and Ezekiel, the District Attorney, and his wife, Laura who had been kidnapped a year prior. Behind the scenes is Shlomo Weintraub, head of the Weintraub Syndicate and the real strung puller in just about everything going on in Kansas City. 

It's a pretty intriguing roster of characters Davie writes about. The majority of them are amoral and dishonest, even when they claim to be on the right side of the law. They don't mind doing things like getting on the take or using excessive force. There are also some interesting touches with the characters such as Owens and Anderson taking part in a sting operation and Laura still having PTSD from her kidnapping.

There are also many characters who are no doubt based on real people. Weintraub clearly is similar to the real life DiGiovanni brothers and Lazia. Donovan has more than a whiff of the real life Hellfire and Brimstone pastor's of the 1920's and '30's like Billy Sunday.

 Among the most recognizable figures is Laura who is clearly based on Nell Donnelly Read, a Kansas City clothing designer and wife of a prominent politician who was kidnapped. Read's husband contacted Lazia to help him find and search for her. Read was returned, but she later divorced her husband and married his law partner who helped engineer her rescue. Knowing that puts a dismal foreshadowing in Laura and Ezekiel's marriage with the realization that their real life counterpart's marriage didn't last.

No One Runs Faster Than A Bullet could be better. Many of the problems are undone by too many fascinating characters and not enough pages to deal with then and the plot. No sooner are characters introduced than they take part in a shakedown of various criminals, without really concerning ourselves with who they are and what their stakes are in this struggle. Many of the illegal activities are either too quick or discussed after the fact, so we don't have much time to build up the activities. 

Also, this is too large a cast and too many plot lines going on to keep track of in a short novel that is less than 100 pages. If Davie had just involved one of the crimes and had only a few characters it might have worked. Even better, he could have easily expanded the short novel into a longer one putting more emphasis on the characters that we only sort of get to know before Tommy guns are drawn. 

With some extra work and characterization, No One Runs Faster Than A Bullet could make a crime novel that would place Kansas City as a memorable criminal underworld setting. As it is however, it promises to be a great shot but ends up missing the mark.