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 |