Home » Posts tagged "detective fiction" (Page 2)

Book Review: Conquer: Fear of a Black Cat by Edward M. Erdelac

Conquer: Fear of a Black Cat (John Conquer series, book 2) by Edward M. Erdelac

Self-published, 2023

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8856895413

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy: Amazon.com

 

 

Forget about those silly excuses for black heroes that Marvel comes up with: if you want a real black hero-you call John Conquer.  Whereas book 1 in the series was a collection of short stories, Conquer gets his own full-length (over 500 pages) novel this time.   The book succeeds on all levels, and hopefully won’t be the last one in the series.  John Conquer is without a doubt one of the most interesting book characters out there today.

 

Set in 1978 Harlem, private investigator John Conquer has finally got a case that may be too much for him.  People are turning up dead all over Harlem with their hands cut off.  For Conquer, this case is personal- one of the victims is the lady who raised him.  What follows is a good detective crime story that races all over the city, from Studio 54, to CBGB’s, to Untermeyer Park, as Conquer tries to put the pieces together.

 

This book is a period piece, and in that aspect, it’s absolutely perfect.  The author did a staggering job of making 1970’s NYC seem real: this seems so true to life you can almost smell the spray from the graffiti on the subways.  The descriptions, the mannerisms, the dialogue: it’s all perfectly true to life.  The book is a phenomenal example of world-building: .

 

The plot itself is a good one. The author again does a fantastic job of mixing voodoo and all sorts of magic into a standard detective story. It’s what gives the Conquer stories their unique flavor.  Sometimes Conquer has to pound the pavement like a normal detective, but often he has voodoo tricks he can use to help solve the case.  One improvement over the last book is this time, some of the lesser-known gods and magic items come with a bit of background, so readers won’t need to make Wikipedia runs.  Some of the characters from the previous stories return. Detective Lou Lazzaroni plays a part, and Conquer is, thankfully, still driving the Cordoba inhabited by the wise-cracking ghost, Pope.  Conquer and Pope make a perfectly mismatched team, especially when they are squabbling about disco.  Some real people from the 1970s also pop up in the story.  David ‘Son of Sam’ Berkowitz plays a part, and there are also appearances by Muhammed Ali, Andy Warhol, and…Donald Trump.  (anti-Trumpers will be ecstatic with Trump’s part)  The gangs from the 1970’s cult classic film The Warriors also pop up in the narrative.  The new characters in the book are quite intriguing, with Conquer’s drunken sort-of security guard Oshkosh being one of the most fun.  For a detective story, this one has a fair amount to keep track of, but the author wisely inserted a recap into the story around page 300 for any readers who might have gotten a bit lost.

 

‘Da bottom line here: this is a fantastic knockout of a story.  You wanna hang with the slickest, baddest cat out there? You’ve gotta read Conquer.  Hopefully, this isn’t the last we’ll see of him.  Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on December 8, 2023 by , Reply

Book Review: The City by S.C. Mendes

Cover art for The City by S.C Mendes

The City by S.C. Mendes

Blood Bound Books, 2017

ISBN: 9781940250335

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition  (Amazon.com)

 

The City is a well-brewed mix: one part early 1900s detective story, one part horror, and one part insanity.  It’s a potent recipe, and this book sizzles from start to finish, but it’s an extremely disturbing novel as well.  Some of what you read in this book, you may wish you could unread.  Despite that, it’s a powerful story that keeps pulling you along.

 

The book is set in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Max Elliot is the proverbial grizzled vet detective called back to duty for a murder case similar to the one that cost Max his wife and daughter.  The story quickly veers away from the usual, as Max learns of a city (the City, as it’s known) located many miles beneath San Francisco,  accessible only to certain topdwellers, and run by lizard-men called the Mara.  That’s where the case leads him, and where most of the book takes place.  Max finds answers, but he also finds a hell that makes Dante’s Inferno looks like a children’s playground.

 

This book has everything you want: outstanding characters and development, twisting plot, and a fast pace, but it’s the City itself that is the true star of the book.  That’s what will keep readers burning through the pages, wondering what else the City can throw at Max and his allies.  It’s a place of pleasure and pain, where every vice and perversion is available.  It’s somewhat similar to the attitude of the Hellraiser franchise.  Think of the worst things you can, then sit back and read, because the author thought of worse things and used them in the City’s pleasure gallery.  Readers who, (for whatever reason) have a knowledge of ancient torture methods will recognize a few, as the  bronze bull from Roman times makes an appearance.  It’s another world, and a very well thought out one: the location is a character in itself.  This is also where the true ugliness in the book takes place. It’s not the unspeakable atrocities performed on humans (although that’s bad enough) but it’s the people in the city that happily pay to watch such atrocities, often pleasuring themselves at the same time. If you have doubts about the nature of the human race, this won’t help.  The City is a depressing, bleak look at a segment of humanity, and will leave you feeling drained afterwards.

 

Bottom line here: this is phenomenal stuff, but it’s likely to make readers bottom out as well.  There’s no sunshine and roses, no happy endings; this is dark, sunless material.  If you liked Clive Barker at the peak of his storytelling abilities, you will love this. It’s the same wild nightmares on overdrive.  No doubt about it, based on this book, S.C. Mendes is a force to be reckoned with in horror.  Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on January 19, 2023 by , Reply

Book Review: Of Saints and Shadows by Christopher Golden

Of Saints and Shadows by Christopher Golden

JournalStone, 2016 (reprint edition)

ISBN-13: 978-1945373213

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition

 

JournalStone has been a treasure trove of new authors and stories, and rarely disappoints. For years now, each release has drawn strong attention from readers of horror, dark fantasy, and other speculative fiction. This time, they made a smart decision, in reprinting Christopher Golden’s Shadow Saga series.

This is not a typical or cliched vampire series: it’s a very different, strongly written and smartly plotted tale. From the amazing Strangewood to the forthcoming Ararat, Golden has never failed to entertain his readers. Writing across multiple genres, including thrillers, horror, and urban fantasy. he has created outstanding stories and characters that connect with his readers.

The first novel in the Shadow Saga series, Of Saints and Shadows, introduces readers to vampire sleuth Peter Octavian, a figure who lives in the shadows between his own kind and those who hunt him. Octavian makes his living as a private detective, and has refused to partake in the “blood song”, the drinking of humans’ lifeblood. Golden tackles several myths about vampires, and turns them upside down. It appears that most of the myths are only that, and find their power in the belief of the suggestions, such as not being able to walk in daylight. He discovers that a secret sect of the Catholic Church is hell bent on recovering the book, The Gospel of Shadows, which has the key to destroying all of the vampires. As different groups race to retrieve the tome, each with its own agenda, Peter races to Vatican City to help his brethren.

Golden has updated all of the books in the series with introductions and additional material, and hopefully Shadow Saga will find the audience it should have had the first time. Look for Angel Souls and Devil Hearts, Of Masques and Martyrs, The Gathering Dark, and Waking Nightmares. Recommended for fans of the vampire tale but more importantly, for anyone who loves a good, strong story.

Reviewed by David Simms


Posted on March 3, 2017 by , Reply
First « 123 » Last