Shortcut Man by P.G. Sturges -- Review

A worthy successor to Chandler?  You will likely ask yourself that question while you read through the pages of this novel.  You may also choose to judge this book by its cover and take Michael Connelly's front-cover blurb literally.  That would be a mistake.  A mistake I made.  I bought this book as an impulse purchase at my favorite book store (shameless plug: Uncle Edgar's in Minneapolis), by doing just that.  Unfortunately, my lofty expectations did not help.

Meet Dick Henry.  Ascribed by the book's title, he is a "shortcut man" -- an efficiency expert who doesn't question the need for violence to get results.  We witness Henry assisting his Los Angeles clients -- which are fairly run-of-the-mill episodes until Henry is hired by adult film producer Artie Benjamin to find out whether Artie's wife is cheating on him.  Things start to get complicated when we discover that Artie's wife is none other than the same femme fatale Dick is currently bedding.

The story proceeds to take a few detours from this point on including a stretch of Dick's past (which was the story's highlight for me), but never quite finds its footing.  Despite Shortcut Man's classic noir set-up and attempts to pepper in dark comedy (largely unsuccessful), it's never truly satisfying.  Additionally, it introduces an element of sleaze that doesn't quite gel with the narrative.  Donald Westlake and Lawrence Block did it better in the 60s with their sleazy, pulp paperbacks before they found their groove in crime fiction.  According to the jacket, this is the first installment in a new series.  I will wait until the reviews come in before deciding to  read the next installment.

Also of note, the author is actually the son of famed Hollywood director Preston Sturges.  As a result, there are some elements of Old Los Angeles included that some readers may appreciate (I am one such reader).  Back to the book's cover and the question posed -- I am currently reading Raymond Chandler's Red Wind (a short story as part of Otto Penzler's The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps) -- a worthy successor to Chandler, Sturges is unfortunately not.

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The Terror of Living by Urban Waite

By Air...By Sea...By Land...all play a part in how the story unravels in Urban Waite's debut novel about a drug deal gone awry and the bloody aftermath that ensues.  Phil Hunt and his wife Nora are attempting to live a quiet life in the Pacific Northwest on a horse farm.  Hunt usually succeeds and manages to stay out of trouble -- except for the occasional drug smuggling gig.

When a helicopter drop over the Washington State forest doesn't go as planned, Hunt quickly finds himself on the run from Drake (a deputy sheriff with something to prove as a result of his father's criminal past) and Grady (a hit man with a penchant for butcher's cutlery, out to kill him).

Waite does an effective job turning up the heat as this cat-and-mouse tale unfolds.  The story draws quite a bit from Cormac McCarthy's NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Waite goes on to mention him in his acknowledgements), but creates his own boundaries and establishes a believable sense of place.

I am looking forward to see what Waite serves up next.

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Michael Connelly discusses The Lincoln Lawyer and its journey to the big screen

I am stepping onto the movie set flanked by my legal team. We walk with purpose toward the light stanchions. After Hollywood’s long history of writer abuses, it’s good to know I’ve got veteran trial lawyers on either side of me. Daniel Daly and Roger Mills. Guys who have stared down judges, juries, cops, even killers. Guys who won’t take any crap from anybody.

We enter a hallway crowded with equipment and technicians. Lots of movement. Thick black cables snake across the floor—Daly points them out and says, “There’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.” There are monitors replaying the shot that was just filmed and actors and extras returning to position for the next take. Mills surreptitiously clips me with his elbow. I look at him, and in a cloaked move, he points toward his own stomach, meaning, Look behind me. I casually turn and scan.

Irish Noir - Adrian McKinty's Dead Trilogy

Let me start off by saying that no trilogy has frustrated me more than Adrian McKinty's Dead Trilogy, regardless of the medium (yes, this even includes the final installment in the Beverly Hills Cop trilogy).

In his debut novel DEAD I WELL MAY BE (2003), McKinty introduces us to Michael Forsythe, a street-smart immigrant from Ireland struggling to make a go of it in New York.  Forsythe soon becomes involved with a local crime boss and quickly gets in over his head.  McKinty has a knack for tough-guy dialog and prose that puts him on (or near) the front page of modern noir fiction storytellers....

...only to succumb to the underwhelming follow-up THE DEAD YARD (2006).  Here we find Forsythe working with the FBI to battle an Irish terrorist cell.  The story felt tired from the get-go and never really found its footing.  Unlike its predecessor, which pushed the boundaries of the genre, this entry simply fell flat.

The trilogy concluded with THE BLOOMSDAY DEAD (2007).  Here we find Forsythe making a quiet life for himself in Peru, only to quickly find himself back on his home turf of Ireland assisting the beautiful Irish mob boss (and former lover), Bridget, locate her missing daughter.  An improvement over YARD, but not as strong as the first entry.  McKinty definitely shows a sense of place and frequently keeps the reader on their toes as we follow Forsythe into the underbelly of Belfast.  No ground is broken telling this tale, but a solid entry and satisfying conclusion.

Overall, the DEAD trilogy comes recommended.  The books convey a solid message of revenge, include a protagonist we will follow to the dark end of the street and are told by one of the more prominent noir voices in modern crime fiction today.  I have yet to read McKinty's stand-alone books, but will be seeking them out.

Dead I Well May Be: A
The Dead Yard: D
The Bloomsday Dead: B

Killer paperback cover (St. Louis style)

I was in St. Louis this week on business and was reminded of the 80s TOR paperback cover of John Lutz' Ride the Lightning.  Not a bad read either...

Quentin Tarantino's next movie, a Spaghetti Western?

http://www.reelzchannel.com/movie-news/9384/quentin-tarantino-next-movie-to-be-a-spaghetti-western-starring-christoph-waltz/

All unconfirmed, but this will be epic if true.