Category: Book Reviews - A.B.PATTERSON

Hard-boiled romp with style - "Pine Box for a Pin-up" by Frank De Blase.

31/3/2018

This was my second De Blase novel, and I loved it every bit as much as the first, A Cougar's Kiss.
Great character, Frankie Valentine, along with the ladies, cops and bad guys in his world. It's a really good hard-boiled yarn, up there with the very best in the genre.

A sample:
‘She looked both delicious and dilapidated, a beautiful bleach blonde train wreck. I didn't know whether to feel bad for her or feel her up.’

Aside from a fantastic cast, the story rolls along at a good speed with action and twists. Absolutely loved it!

Cheers,
ABP

Femmes fatales abound in this great hard-boiled collection - "Busted Valentines and Other Dark Delights" by Frank De Blase.

31/3/2018

I’d previously loved Frank De Blase’s novels, A Cougar’s Kiss and Pine Box for a Pin-up, and so went looking for more.
This collection of short stories delivers the same hard-boiled style I liked so much in the novels. There are hustlers, hookers, and desperados aplenty. Even a paedophile priest - always good for a dark, twisted crime tale.
And, as seems to be a trademark of De Blase, those femmes fatales. So well done.
Try these:
The ‘red-hot redhead’ at the bar: ‘whoever poured her into that green dress had obviously forgotten to say “when”.’
Or the ‘brunette knockout with a brain that wouldn’t start and legs that wouldn’t stop...’.

De Blase creates the characters who inhabit his seedy worlds with absolute style, and his plots are always a great read.
I love his work. Off to find another one now!

Cheers,
ABP

Very noir, very hard, very good indeed! "Dirty Words" by Todd Robinson.

27/3/2018

I first encountered Todd Robinson’s name as the editor of the excellent Thuglit magazine, a noir anthology which sadly ceased production in 2016. That was just before I’d heard of it, as I started exploring the juicy world of indie anthology magazines. However, I have bought and read several back issues of Thuglit since and have been absolutely impressed. I also came across one of his short stories in a back issue of All Due Respect magazine and loved his writing style.
And so I started looking for more of Mr Robinson’s work. This brought me to Dirty Words, a rip-roaring collection of 11 of his short stories. Hard-boiled and noir are on a pedestal here.
As the man himself says in his introduction:
“So if you normally spend your hard-earned loot on crime stories that feature a nice scone recipe, you might as well stop right here. It ain’t gonna get any better for you.”
No shit, Sherlock. Not a scone recipe in sight. However, if it’s meals of violence, drugs and sex you’re after, this would be a great addition to that shelf in the kitchen.
The collection that follows is a scorching variety of glimpses into the underbelly of society, and all those truly interesting characters who live there, or survive, or try to, or die horribly along the sordid path. There are only two things all the stories have in common – they’re as hard and dark as hell, and they’re beautifully written.
Mr Robinson knows his art, and I’m going to be looking for more.
Cheers,
ABP

A fantastic noir read - "Down on the Street" by Alec Cizak.

25/3/2018

I came across Alec Cizak’s name as the editor of the excellent Pulp Modern magazine anthology. So I wanted to sample his work.

Down on the Street, a novella in length, is the first of Cizak’s work I’ve tried. Damn, it’s great!
This story is street level noir at its very darkest and grittiest. The story is a insightful and brutally honest depiction of desperate, broken people; people with decent hearts deep down, but with not a single lucky break in their harsh existences. Cizak creates memorable characters, some of whom you can find empathy for, as a fellow human being, others you would like to shoot. And that is exactly as great noir writing should be. The atmosphere is realistic and bleak, and there’s no shortage of genuine bad arses, on both sides of the law. And this is all expertly crafted together with Cizak’s masterful use of language. He’s an absolute pleasure to read, and I’ve already obtained another one of his which is on my TBR pile.
How’s this for the use of language to get a noir novel going – a quote from page 1:

“...people like him, people who’d missed the last train to the American Dream and needed a cheap place to loiter while time and gravity made death attractive.”

Seeing that on page 1, I knew I was in for a great read. And I loved every page.
Great writing, Mr Cizak, and I’m looking forward to becoming a rusted-on fan of your work.

Cheers,
ABP

Francophile reading - a personal selection by A.B.Patterson.

21/3/2018

Tonight I've added my "Francophile Corner" to the "Reading" page of my website.
Enjoy.
Cheers,
ABP

If you've looked at other parts of my website, then you'd already be aware that I'm an unabashed Francophile!
I spent a fair (and the best) portion of my childhood in the south-west of France, back in the 1970s when my family were living there. Whilst I was at boarding schools in England for most of my schooling (horrendous experiences), I was in France for all the school holidays, and this was the backdrop to what turned out to be the best memories of my childhood. The reprieve that those holidays provided, and in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, have shaped my life ever since.
Anyway, enough about me. What about Francophile reading?

So, I tend to pick up pretty well anything with a Francophile slant, and this page is my tribute to the ones I have enjoyed. I have a personal policy when it comes to mentioning other authors' work: if I like it I'll talk about it, so it's either "good" (3 stars), "very good" (4 stars), or "excellent" (5 stars) - this is the rule of thumb I use when rating books on Amazon or Goodreads. If I didn't like a book I read, then I don't go and slag it off online. I've had it done to me, and it's not pleasant. So, there are books in this category I've read and really didn't enjoy - I simply don't mention them. I'm only interested in spruiking the ones I enjoyed.
Here goes!
Oh, and the list will grow over time, of course!

The collection on this page is, understandably, a mish-mash of genres, given it can include anything Francophile that I've enjoyed. So we have memoir, non-fiction, and fiction (including crime - of course, I'm a crime writer!)

Cheers,
ABP

A House in the Sunflowers
Ruth Silvestre's memoir (there are 2 more following it which I haven't read yet) is of living in the Lot-et-Garonne in the 1970s - the same time that we were in the same département, hence it takes pride of place. This was a wonderful read, and evoked so many memories for me.
The next two books are on my very large TBR pile!

French Collection
Vanessa Couchman now lives in the south of France and writes about a whole range of French things. This collection is a set of fictional short stories, which beautifully capture so much that is French. I absolutely loved this read.
I've reviewed this book on my blog, take a look.

Beginning French
Another memoir of moving to the south of France and all the trials and tribulations, this time from an American couple, Eileen McKenna and Marty Neumeier. This, too, was a great read and made me want to be there.
I've reviewed this book on my blog, take a look.

A House Among Vines
Marguerite Smith's memoir of moving to the south-west of France and all that life entailed. Another memoir that did it for me.

Bruno Chief of Police
Well, back to fiction, and into crime! Martin Walker has produced a great series of crime novels centred on the Dordogne and his police chief protagonist, Bruno. I've read all of them (8 so far) and, whilst they are pretty good as crime stories, the Dordogne lifestyle makes these books.

Treachery in Bordeaux
This is the first in a series of wine-influenced crime novels. Again, the crime side is good, but the wine and everything French is the drawcard.

1914
Okay, so to depart the beauty of the vineyards of south-west France, and to try some historical fiction. We all know, or should know, that the French paid a horrendous price in the First World War. This short novel captures and evokes so much - it is brilliant writing. But don't expect to be smiling afterwards.

For the love of anthologies! Website links. Go there, and then get them to read!

20/3/2018

I just added the weblink for all the current anthology magazines on my web page.

Switchblade
Econoclash Review
Pulp Modern
Down and Out: The Magazine
Broadswords and Blasters

Here's the page on my website: Also: Anthology Corner

Cheers,
ABP

For the love of anthology magazines! A selection by A.B.Patterson.

20/3/2018

Today, I've added my "Anthology Corner" page to my website.
My Anthology Corner: Also: Anthology Corner
The initial text is below:
Cheers,
ABP

It's only in the last couple of years, as I've read ever more broadly in the crime genre (chiefly hard-boiled and noir), that I've come across anthologies in magazine format.
And I'm now a complete addict!
Short stories were an early feature of my reading habits, being introduced to W. Somerset Maugham in my 20s. Maugham was a master of the short story and, whilst he wasn't a crime writer, his searingly hot and ruthless insights into human nature were worthy of the best crime writing has ever thrown up.
So, what is it about these anthologies I've become hooked on that really does it for me?
Firstly, it's the exposure to a range of other authors in a short space. Sure, in any given anthology, there are stories you'll like more than others. But from my experience so far, and thanks to the skill of the various editors, I've yet to come across any poor writing, even if the actual story wasn't up my alley. Good times!
Secondly, and I think particularly relevantly in this day and age, a short story presents a great reading opportunity for a limited chunk of time. At present with my consulting work (the stuff I have to do to pay the bills for an otherwise starving author!), I have a 25 minute train commute - what better way to fill that short trip than with a short story? It's bloody perfect.
And thirdly, getting into these anthologies got me off my backside and trying my own hand at short story writing - something which had been on my project list for a long time (quite a few things have loitered on that list for way too long!). As it's turned out, I love putting together a short story. It's a completely different discipline from a novel or novella, in my view. But it stretches you as a writer, and that can only be a great thing. Having had a couple of my efforts now published in one of these anthologies, Switchblade magazine, my motivation is now sky-high.
So, this will be my "Anthology Corner", where I will add new titles to the existing stable as I come across them.
Take a look at the list below, and then go and sample them.
I'll be adding more listing information for them as time goes on.
Cheers,
ABP

SWITCHBLADE
Editor: Scotch Rutherford
"An Anthology of Noir" is the blurb.
Crime - very hard-boiled and noir - superb, in fact. Started in 2016, and going strong. So far, 4 issues plus one special edition published.

ECONOCLASH REVIEW
Editor: J.D. Graves
"Quality Cheap Thrills" is the blurb.
A truly delightful mixture of crime, noir, fantasy, macabre, and horror.
It's a newcomer, with only the first issue out so far.

PULP MODERN
Editor: Alec Cizak
As its name implies, full of crime and noir and pulp. This is the magazine's "second act" as Mr Cizak calls it.

DOWN & OUT: THE MAGAZINE
Editor: Rick Ollerman
This is an offering from Down & Out Books to join this market segment. The first issue came out in 2017. And it's all good hard crime.

THUGLIT
Editor: Todd Robinson
Sadly no longer around. But you can, like me, scoop up the back issues online.
I've read three so far, and Mr Robinson's efforts with this anthology were simply superb. It ran for several years. I fully intend to collect the WHOLE back catalogue.

ALL DUE RESPECT
Editor: Chris Rhatigan
Again, sadly no longer with us. But it's brief existence provided some great crime and noir.

BROADSWORDS and BLASTERS
Editors: Matthew X. Gomez & Cameron Mount
"Pulp Magazine with Modern Sensibilities" is the blurb.
Not in the same stable as the crime-oriented gang above, but pulp it still is. Mainly fantasy and sic-fi but plenty of noir overtones and all the action you expect from true pulp.
Started in 2017.

"Broadswords and Blasters - Issue # 1" - An excellent magazine anthology.

18/3/2018

The blurb says that "pulp isn't dead", and I couldn't agree more. This is a great action-packed selection from the authors featured in this debut anthology issue, and a great job by the editors, Matthew X. Gomex and Cameron Mount. Well done, guys!
I have been getting into a number of anthology magazines in the last couple of years - and I truly hope they all prosper and thrive. What I love about them is the exposure to a range of different authors, as well as the bite-sized stories, which are so perfect for commuting trips or other short chunks of time.
This collection was somewhat outside of my normal reading zone, being fairly weighted towards fantasy, however I do enjoy sci-fi as a genre, so it wasn't too much of a stretch. And there was even a sci-fi take on a PI story here (my usual genre) - loved that one by Dave D'Alessio. And this is why it's so great to wander out of one's normal comfort zone - because this selection are all excellent pieces of writing. Heaps of action, solid characterisation, and some delicious twists. And did I mention excellent writing? Damned good, all of them.
So, despite not being my usual zone, I enjoyed this collection so much I now have Issue # 2 lined up on my TBR pile. And I'm going to keep reading it, as a regular addition to my anthology enjoyment.
Cheers,
ABP

"Econoclash Review # 1" - a stunning first issue of a new anthology of "Quality Cheap Thrills"!

10/3/2018

What a great collection, and what an auspicious first issue for a new anthology. J.D. Graves has done a first-rate job as the editor here, and he has a piece in the line-up as well.
I love a good anthology – such a great opportunity to read a variety of other authors’ work. Econoclash Review touts itself as “Quality Cheap Thrills”, and it sure lives up to its blurb. There’s plenty of quality here, and cheap thrills are always good.
Starting with the cover art, which I love – this is pure pulp material paying tribute to the heyday – Eric Hibbeler take a bow, you’ve got serious pulp art talent my friend! Who can go past a busty blonde in a ripped red dress, with a monster bearing down on her? Classic.
So, into the stories, and one of the interesting features of this new magazine is Mr Graves fusing together various genres and sub-genres into a collection which hangs together from the reader’s perspective. Now, hard-boiled crime and noir are my domains – both reading and writing – but I do like to venture out; escape from the reserve every now and then, so this collection really worked for me.
I was already familiar with the four crime and noir authors here (Soldan, Graves, Manzolillo, & Rutherford), and they all lived up to my previous high view of their work.
William R. Soldan delivers gritty, drug-fuelled social depravity in his “Recompense” – to get much darker you’d need to extinguish the sun – this was atmospheric social noir at its best.
J.D. Graves, aside from establishing his credentials at putting together an anthology (I admire any of my fellow authors who can achieve this), likewise gets out his paintbrush with only one colour – black, my friends! In just 14 pages of “The Little Death of Jacob Green”, we meet the most twisted, emotionally screwed up characters imaginable, in a small town whose main industries seem to be extramarital sex and murder. Loved it!
In “Quick Pick”, Nick Manzolillo weaves a macabre tale of the sheer power of greed and the lengths it’ll drive people to, even those who seem to have some human decency. Beware appearances! And the final twist in this story will leave you smiling.
The last of the noir, but this time with a distinct sci-fi slant, is from Scotch Rutherford in “Neon Anemone”. This is a great short story with action blasting off each page – fast cars, guns, gambling, top-secret government facilities where unspeakably unethical things occur (Mmm … rather close to the truth, perhaps), and even our hero enjoying a 2005 bottle of Burgundy – a lovely touch to the story, and a man after my own heart. Some great characterization and human emotions drive the action.
The other seven stories are a variety of escapades into what I would loosely call fantasy and horror – still pretty noir in a couple of cases, and even some dark humour in there as well. All of them were good fun reads: “The Last Book” by Rick McQuiston; “The Boss Man Cometh” by Christopher Hivner; “Blessed He Be, Shinokaze” by Joachim Heijndermans; “Meet The Family” by Charlotte Platt (my favourite of these seven, and definitely not a family to meet!); “Exit Ramp” by Lyndon Perry; “Green Eyed Monster” by Gerri R. Gray (another lovely twisted tale with some very twisted sex); and “Beneath Me” by Edward Turner III (which had my skin crawling!).

Mr Graves, this is a sensational first issue, and I am certainly looking forward to Issue # 2. Might have to get writing for that one myself, although the standard is clearly set at a high bar - I'll need to pull my finger out!

My friends, you love your quality cheap thrills? Then get yourselves a copy of Econoclash Review!

Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/EconoClash-Review-Quality-Cheap-Thrills/dp/1981881387/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520657840&sr=8-1&keywords=econoclash+review

Cheers,
ABP

"Switchblade" Issue # 3 - hard-boiled, noir, and addictive!

13/12/2017

I am absolutely loving Switchblade! Issue 3 is, once again, a beautifully hard and dark offering from the Switchblade house, and its editor, Scotch Rutherford.

Following my review of the Special Edition of Switchblade Issue 3, my copy of the normal Issue 3 arrived. There was a fair bit of commonality between the two versions of Issue 3, so I’ve included my earlier comments below for the pieces I read in the Special.
However, the pieces I hadn’t read before were a real treat. I was especially impressed with Robert Smith’s “Duke’s Birthday Bash” – the description of a certain class of Englishman was so on the money, and it was a great story. Going to go looking for more of Smith’s work, for sure. For the flash fiction extra, Joe Ricker’s “Baggage” managed a very dark look at some sad lives in just 3 pages – great work. And there was another poem, “Switchblade: A Screwdriver for the Skin”, this one by Zakariah Johnson. Whilst poetry and noir don’t seem like a match, this verse does it, and viscerally so – I even got a bit squeamish. But then I’m terrified of bloody needles, so a superb, poetic description of a blade doing its nasty work is guaranteed to set my skin on edge.

From my earlier review of the Special Edition...
I really, really enjoyed all the pieces in the collection. Personally, I prefer short stories over flash fiction, I think because there's more story development by definition, but everything here was very good indeed. The short story set opens with Preston Lang, already a firm favourite of mine, and he delighted darkly as always with "Press It Down". Nice twist as usual, loved it. "Crawdaddy" by J.D. Graves is noir at its best with great characters, bent cops, and twisted tragedy all round! And for more twisted mayhem with outstanding female sexual predators, Calvin Demmer's "The Lioness Must Hunt" is femmes fatales taken to a new level - I don't want to meet those ladies, ever! There were also great short stories from Charles Roland, Eric Beetner, Ehren Baker, and Morgan Boyd.
Then the flash fiction rounded it out, with pieces from J.L. Boekestein, Richard Risemberg and Michael Loniewski.

Yep, as we are coming to expect, if you love noir and hard-boiled, then Switchblade delivers, both barrels at once!
Great work again, Mr Rutherford! BRAVO!

And I've got some more authors to get hold of novels from!
Cheers,
ABP

Calling all Francophiles - "French Collection" by Vanessa Couchman.

13/12/2017

Regular visitors to my posts and my website will know that I am an unashamed Francophile. And from time to time, my reading choices reflect that – can’t read hard-boiled and noir crime all the time!

Well, what a delicious delight Vanessa Couchman’s collection of short stories turned out to be. Quite a bit of my Francophile reading has been autobiographical tracts about living in France – and some truly great reading.
But Couchman’s French Collection is a wonderful little assortment of short fiction pieces – magnificent in their crossing over time periods and their capture of so much that is French. As my regular readers know, I don’t do spoilers. But here are a couple of lines of Couchman’s that jumped out at me.
The first, about a little place near Cahors in the south-west of France at the outbreak of the First World War:
“The August heat crushed the soundless village, stripped of men.”
So succinct, so powerful, so evocative.
And then here’s this one about a small town shop:
“...a place where the women span and embroidered their gossip.”
For me, Couchman captures so much of France, both contemporary and historical. And her use of language is an utter pleasure to read.
I was originally intending to make this my read on the commute to work for a few days. I started Monday morning on the train, continued Monday afternoon on the way home, and then kept the bedside light on Monday night until I had finished the collection.
Bravo, Vanessa.
My friends, if you are a Francophile like me, this is a MUST read. I absolutely loved it!

Cheers,
ABP

More great noir crime from Preston Lang - "The Sin Tax"

16/11/2017

I've become a big fan of Preston Lang since I discovered his work in Switchblade magazine. This is the second of his novels I've now read, and my enjoyment of his work just continues to grow. This tale, full of seedy individuals, is a great hard-boiled and noir read. As usual with Lang, there are flawed protagonists who struggle with their lives and you want to get behind them. There are also a fair selection of arseholes who you want to see go down, painfully. I do love the way Lang does his characterization, and his story plotting is up there, too. As always from me, no spoilers, but suffice to say I didn't see this end result coming.
Great work, Preston, and my copy of The Carrier is already here on my TBR pile!
Cheers,
ABP

"Switchblade" Issue # 3 SPECIAL EDITION - Oozing noir and hard-boiled thrills!

10/11/2017

Another superb offering from Switchblade and its editor, Scotch Rutherford.
Now, in the interests of transparency, I do have a story included in this Special Edition, so my review comments here relate to all the other authors in the set. (I'll let others comment on my work! But it is an honour to be joining such a fine group of noir and hard-boiled artistes!)

This anthology has 9 short stories, 3 flash pieces, and a poem! Yep, I hadn't thought about poetry in the noir context before, but the short poetic offering from J.L.Boekestein hits the hard notes.
I really, really enjoyed all the pieces in the collection. Personally, I prefer short stories over flash fiction, I think because there's more story development by definition, but everything here was very good indeed. The short story set opens with Preston Lang, already a firm favourite of mine, and he delighted darkly as always with "Press It Down". Nice twist as usual, loved it. (I've actually just finished another one of Preston's books, The Sin Tax, so a review - excellent - is on its way).
Another stand-out for me here was "The Lateral Line" by Scotch Rutherford, the editor. It was the first short story of his I've read and it was smoking hot, complete with a porn star called Jizzy Chasm! How good is that?! And Scotch's depiction of seediness is just brilliant. "Crawdaddy" by J.D. Graves is noir at its best with great characters, bent cops, and twisted tragedy all round! And for more twisted mayhem with outstanding female sexual predators, Calvin Demmer's "The Lioness Must Hunt" is femmes fatales taken to a new level - I don't want to meet those ladies, ever! There were also great short stories from Charles Roland, Eric Beetner, Ehren Baker, and Morgan Boyd. Oh, and there was this Aussie in there, some A.B.Patterson bloke with "Little Rich Street Girl"!
Then the flash fiction rounded it out, with pieces from J.L.Boekestein, Richard Risemberg and Michael Loniewski.
Yep, as we are coming to expect, if you love noir and hard-boiled, then Switchblade delivers, both barrels at once!
Great work again, Mr Rutherford!

And I've got some more authors to get hold of novels from!
Cheers,
ABP

Great set of noir short stories from Preston Lang - "This One Is Trouble"

30/10/2017

I'm a big fan of Preston Lang's work, as per my previous review of his novel The Blind Rooster, as well as a couple of shorts I'd read in anthologies (see Switchblade magazine).

His collection of short stories in this set is a solid demonstration of his snappy story telling and excellent prose, as well as a great range of colourful characters, great femmes fatales, and gritty violence. And his range of tales shows great imagination.

I've recently acquired another two of Mr Lang's novels, so will be diving into one of them shortly.

Oh, and I do just live the cover image! Speaks volumes.
If you love hard-boiled and noir as much as I do, then I seriously recommend Preston Lang's work.

And in very recent news, I've just appeared along with Mr Lang in the Special Edition of Switchblade magazine! Something sort of cool about having your first short story published along with another writer you really admire. And there are a gang of other great writers in there, too.

Cheers,
ABP

A great hard-boiled crime read - "A Cougar's Kiss", by Frank De Blase

30/10/2017

I just loved this one by Frank De Blase, my first.
I saw an interview with De Blase in Crimespree Magazine and liked the sound of his attitude to writing, and in particular to femmes fatales. The great cover art says it all!
So I thought I'd get online and buy one for a try: I always love trying out authors new to me.

And I was not disappointed, not one iota. This novel is dripping with femmes of the fatale variety, and just oozing style. The characters are great and the storyline keeps you gripped, but it is the style that predominates. I love my hard-boiled and noir, and this was so right up my alley. I've ordered another of De Blase's - can't wait for it to arrive.

Love your work, Frank!
If you love that old style of hard-boiled, then I can't recommend De Blase highly enough.

Cheers,
ABP
P.S. The next one has arrived!