All Categories - A.B.PATTERSON

Book Review - "A Good Rush of Blood" by Matt Phillips

14/4/2025

I could easily rename this novel A Delicious Deluge of Noir, since it hits every high note of the genre. Or should that be low note, given the tone? As I got into the gripping storyline, and it is flawless storytelling, I was captured by both the atmosphere evoked by Mr Phillips’s biting prose and the wonderfully drawn characters. I’ll certainly never again casually think of Palm Springs as some cookie-cutter retirement village, that’s for sure! The main protagonist, Creeley, is a female toughened by her background, richly detailed and woven in, and by the environs she inhabits. She’s every bit as flawed and troubled as a memorable noir protagonist should be. And you really want to back her from the get-go. However, survival is never a given for this lady, as she mixes it with a cast of dissolute and depraved characters, including a perfectly portrayed corrupt cop, a staple of the genre. The odds are so not in Creeley’s favour. You’ll just have to read this to see how it pans out for her. This was my first taste of long-form fiction from Mr Phillips and I loved it. I will be back for more. Superb noir writing!
Cheers, ABP

Book Review - "I Cum in Peace" by Brian G. Berry

23/3/2025

This novella was simply so much fun! One look at the title and you know it’s going to be. It’s classic pulp writing expertly blending a glorious mishmash of sci-fi, horror, and crime. The action rolls fast and non-stop, and there’s plenty of lascivious sex, always good to read. The alien has a libido bigger than Texas, and the title announces the lusty intentions. No spoilers, but there’s a very dark side to this randy alien. Fun, fun, fun! Exactly what good pulp should be. And one gets the distinct feel that Berry had a whole lot of fun writing it. This was my first taste of Berry’s work and based on my sheer enjoyment I’ve bought a couple more. We need more tributes to great pulp like this. And this is another superb example of the raw and honest writing that indie authors produce, free from the censorship of trad-publishing houses. Love your work, Mr Berry.
Cheers, ABP

Book Review - "Death Cult" by Janelle Schiecke

23/3/2025

With my recent forays into horror writing courtesy of meeting some great indie authors online, I happened upon this novella by Ms Schiecke. It’s well written, well plotted, and boiling with action. For a novella, its cast of characters is impressive, with truly all sorts in the mix. Schiecke does an excellent job at evoking one of those middle of nowhere backwaters with its collection of strange freakish people, to put it mildly. The townsfolk are ominous enough, but soon we meet the titular death cult. Then the horror truly starts. And into the fray come our unsuspecting naïve protagonists, the proverbial lambs. And the torrents of blood start. Schiecke’s tight, descriptive prose is uncensored indie writing at its best, and it had me seeing the scenes clearly in my mind, as if watching the screen. I’ll be seeking out more of her work. Thank you, Ms Schiecke, you have added no end to my new-found enjoyment in reading horror.
Cheers, ABP

Book Review - "A Hot Dose of Hell" by Steve Stark

16/3/2025

My first reaction when I finished Mr Stark’s stunning debut novel was that I needed a 6-star rating option, ’cos 5 simply ain’t enough!  Alas, 5 stars it will have to be.
I truly love the indie author scene – it’s a gift that keeps giving as one discovers more and more superb writing, with wonderful and talented authors delivering honest and freely expressed stories, away from the woke and censorious editors at the major publishing houses.
Horror is not my normal reading genre, although of late my forays into the indie author scene have brought me a wider range of reading, and that is a great thing.
I can’t give enough praise to this book.  It’s a hell of a storyline with non-stop action.  In the climactic scene, I was almost as out of breath as the protagonists, although thankfully I wasn’t fighting off drug-addled zombies.  Stark’s descriptive abilities on the page are outstanding, be it characters, action, or places.  The rundown British seaside town, Scarmouth, is perfectly drawn, reminding me of a couple I have seen over the years.  If you enjoy some gore and violence, this novel takes them to a whole new level.  At the same time, there’s no shortage of rich characterisation, and Stark’s obvious compassion for those people who have ended up trodden into the gutter by life is a warm and human aspect to the story.  Many of the characters we can feel something for, as flawed as they are, and there are some despicable ones, too.  Then there are the touches of Establishment and/or corporate manipulation of society, compounding everyone’s misery.  A novel for our times, indeed.  And as if that’s not enough to feed our reading hunger, then there’s the satirical humour.  Stark’s utter demolition of the virtue-signalling, woke, bourgeois middle-class is simply divine to read and laugh out loud at times.  No spoilers, but boy, do they get what they deserve!  There were humorous moments when I was reminded of Tom Sharpe, one of the greatest British comedic authors and a favourite of mine when it comes to satire.  And at risk of this putting me in a depraved light (wouldn’t be the first time!), the scene with one of Scarmouth’s monster seagulls being beaten by one of the main henchmen had me splitting my sides with laughter.
This book is an amazing achievement and, given it’s Stark’s first novel, I can only salivate at what’s to come.  Bravo, Mr Stark, and please keep writing, because, as for the end of any great performance, the crowd is on its feet shouting ENCORE!
Cheers, ABP

Book Review - "Namaste Mart Confidential" by Andrew Miller

10/3/2025

Namaste Mart Confidential

Andrew Miller

I’ve previously savoured several shorter pieces of Andrew Miller’s fiction, so I was eager to get hold of his debut novel, knowing what he was capable of on the page.
And Namaste Mart Confidential surpassed expectations.  This is damned fine writing.
The cover blurb calls it a “wild ride” and that is no understatement.  Miller has a wonderfully fertile imagination and we end up with this fantastically fun cast of characters, from the two protagonists, Adam and Richie, who moonlight as unlicenced PIs from their jobs at the Mart, to gangsters, cops, celebrities and their shallow sycophants, religious freaks, and a missing lingerie shop girl.  Some of the cast are likeable, some are certainly not, but all are believable and the interplays between them are finely crafted.
It's got the solid storyline of a good mystery, but it’s so much more.  At times it feels like a classic farce, with wonderful humour, but also truly biting satire of modern L.A. society, and not just L.A. for that matter.  Miller’s satirical skewering of the cult of celebrity and of the religious cults, to name two of the main targets, is simply delicious to read.
Namaste Mart Confidential will make a superb black comedy on the screen, and that day can’t come fast enough.  Meantime, take a read of this riotous romp.  Thank you, Mr Miller, and bring on your next gem.

Cheers, ABP

Book Review - "Lost Causes" by Richard Nichols

9/3/2025

I love a good international thriller, having grown up devouring Ian Fleming and Frederick Forsyth, amongst others. Well, now I can add Richard Nichols to the top of that glorious list. I loved this debut novel. For me, it has it all to make it an awesome spy thriller.
Our main man, John Buchan (love the tip of the hat, there!), is an excellently crafted character, with his backstory and motivations established by interspersed flashbacks. We end up with a protagonist who is human, believable, and one we can get right behind. He’s an utterly no-nonsense action man, and the bad guys can lay awake at night in fear, at least until it’s time to die! In keeping with the very best of the spy thriller genre, Nichols lays out a superb plot with intrigue and twists, and there is action pumping relentlessly from start to finish. We have the international locations, we have the guns and the hardware, and we have the smouldering hot femme fatale – all boxes ticked. Nichols delivers the tough male hero, à la Fleming, and he demonstrates the careful research, à la Forsyth. What he gives us on top, and refreshingly so in amongst the mediocrity of much modern genre fiction, is a main character who openly and unapologetically both laments the loss of more honest and more satisfying times and lambasts the wimps and woke brigades who have become the scourge of our modern world. John Buchan’s clear nostalgia for the pre-woke age, those golden days, resonates for many of us. Bravo, Mr Nichols, and please, please, please give us more!
Cheers, ABP

Book Review - "Muscle" by John Davies

24/2/2025

Muscle
John Davies

This novella was an absolute blast!  I loved it.  As you’d expect for a short novella, the storyline is not complex, but you can revel in the characters and the descriptions in this narrative.  It’s an unashamed action escapade and is raw and brutal in its depiction of violence.  As well as the great yarn, in a deft display of social commentary Davies starkly evokes both the gratuitous violence indulged in by some toxic men alongside the survival-justified violence resorted to by other men.
I was drawn to the main character immediately, a hard man used to surviving with his fists, a necessary skill in his world.  But his struggles with his emotions and his relationship add a very different dimension, and I reckon Davies has delved into the male psyche with insight and compassion.  And he’s done so with honesty.  He won’t be winning any fans in the prissy, woke brigades, but I’m taking an educated guess that he won’t lose sleep over that.  There are plenty of us who want to read books with balls, and Davies delivers.  No spoilers from me, ever, but I did not see the end coming.
I think this is his debut offering and what a hell of a start.  As one hopes for with indie authors, Davies gives us a truly authentic voice with a no-holds barred approach with his tight, sharp prose.  I will be waiting for more.  Take a bow, Mr Davies!
Cheers, ABP

Book Review - "Dark Bloom" by Molly Macabre

24/2/2025

Dark Bloom
Molly Macabre

I do like the occasional post-apocalyptic yarn in amongst my more usual reading fare, although this was my first foray into that sub-genre which included zombies.  Macabre’s book came highly recommended from other indie authors I know, so I grabbed myself a copy.  And I was delighted that I took the leap.
In keeping with the best of the post-apocalyptic stories, Macabre does a great job at painting a picture of human nature reduced to its basest desires, selfish desperation being the driving force in most cases.
Her two main characters, coming together through brutal circumstances early in the tale, are well-drawn with loads of insight into their back stories, replete with abuse and loss, and the emotions and motivations that drive them forward.  These are two seriously damaged souls whose previous experiences, ironically, make them better able to survive the ravaged world they are left in.  I found myself drawn to both of them, barracking for them as the story moved along.
This is Macabre’s debut novel and, in my opinion, she is off to a solid start.  Another worthy new addition to the ranks of indie authors.  Well done, Ms Macabre.  I’ll be back for more from you.  Even if there are zombies! LOL.
Cheers, ABP

Book Review - "Sledge vs. The Labyrinth", by Nick Horvath

23/2/2025

Sledge vs. The Labyrinth

Nick Horvath

What a gloriously brutal adventure ride I found with this this novel.  The action is full on and non-stop, and did I mention brutal?  Prepare for a serious adrenalin overdose.  This is indie writing at its best, and Horvath’s authentic voice and superb, tight prose style are welcome additions to the growing ranks of fine indie authors.  It is so refreshing.  None of that vanilla mainstream publishing house tripe between these covers, and no pandering to the woeful woke brigades.
Underlying Horvath’s excellent writing, the plot is carefully woven with the main man, Sledge, trawling through the sewers of the dark web, as he is drawn into a nightmare labyrinth.  It’s certainly a story for our times.  In the tradition of the best action heroes, Sledge is as hard as nails, but driven by an ethical centre and we get insights to his emotions.  He is a flawed hero character perfectly drawn.  He’s the sort of guy I’d love to have a beer with, but I would not want to get on his wrong side, not ever.  Read the book to see what happens to those who do.
I loved this book from start to finish, and for a debut novel it is simply sensational.  I will be joining the growing legion of fans eagerly awaiting Horvath’s next instalment.  Bravo, Mr Horvath, keep up the great work.  And a hearty welcome to the indie author scene, great to have you on board, brother!

Cheers, ABP

Liberal democracy dying - from the bottom up. NSW removes Orwell from schools.

12/12/2024

Let's face it, liberal democracy as we know it is a small, albeit still powerful, player in the world - so much non-democracy out there. If we don't educate our young people to think about freedom of expression, then we as liberal democrats can kiss our free societies goodbye. There are tyrants aplenty out there just waiting to devour our corpses - China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, multifarious Islamic terrorist groups and pseudo-states, and the list goes on.
Today's news that the NSW Education Department is removing George Orwell's 1984 from high school reading lists is appalling. However, it's not remotely surprising. The woke/socialist agenda that has infected our Western societies like a cancer is a clever and cunning virus. Whilst the woke brigade uses Orwell as a how-to guidebook for the removal of freedom of expression and thought, and they have learned Orwell's lessons well, they of course cannot tolerate young people being educated in the real lessons Orwell had to offer - the warning, now all-too starkly clear, about how freedom ends.
Orwell's 1984 should be compulsory reading for all older high school students in our democracies.
We must keep the freedom discussion alive.

Cheers, ABP.

Cops Writing Crime - 2 new members

7/1/2024

Another 2 colleagues (1 American and 1 British) join The Squad today, bringing its numbers to 429.

That's 429 cops and ex-cops (and other law enforcement types, plus some PIs) who have taken to writing crime fiction. You won't get more realistic crime tales than those from this Squad!

We have joining us today:
1. Tim O'Rourke who served with the police in the UK, although I'm not sure which Force.
2. Aaron Philip Clark who served with the LAPD in the US.

Our Squad now consists of:

290 American, 71 British, 18 Australian, 18 Canadian, 5 French,
4 New Zealander, 3 Finnish, 2 Dutch, 2 Swedish,
2 Irish, 1 Bahamian, 1 Norwegian, 1 Danish
1 Italian, 1 Czech, 1 Russian, 1 Hungarian,
1 Spaniard, 1 Pakistani, 1 Chinese, 1 Brazilian, 1 Indian,
2 "International" (listed as this due to current serving officer requirements)

I'll keep adding more as I come across them, and if you know of any others please feel free to drop me a line.

Check out The Squad:
Also: Cops Writing Crime

And please remember, my list is only for CRIME FICTION - not all the true crime and/or memoir writing by cops and ex-cops that's out there (as good as so much of that is).

Cheers,
ABP

I have a story published in "Pulp Modern" - it's been a desired goal for a long time.

7/11/2023

I do love writing my short stories, and seeing them published in anthology magazines is a buzz beyond description.
"Pulp Modern" is an anthology magazine I've been reading with rapture for years now. The editor, Alec Cizak, curates a publication that both garners great authors and stories as well as standing firm in supporting freedom of expression. Whilst I've loved reading "Pulp Modern" over the years, I've hankered for a berth in its line-up.
Et voilà! My story, "Beelzebub's Bird" appears in this special issue volume. The story has a horror twist with a distinctly Aussie backdrop, so not my usual hard-boiled crime stuff.
I was invited to do a story version of a short film, "Cocky", with the screenplay written by Aaron McJames and Darren Casey. It was an incredibly fun project, and I do hope you like the end result.
Let's put it this way...the next time you see a sulphur-crested cockatoo, it'll have you thinking!
Cheers,
ABP

WE WILL REMEMBER

29/9/2023

29 September - Australian Police Remembrance Day
For those of us who have served out on the front line of policing, we know the risks, the dangers, and the personal costs. We also know all too well how thankless the job often is. Tragically, too many of our colleagues have made the ultimate sacrifice in their dedication to serving and protecting their community. You were brave and you were heroic, and you gave your lives for the community. You deserve honour and remembrance.
WE WILL REMEMBER.

COPS WRITING CRIME - 3 new members for The Squad

3/7/2023

Another 3 colleagues (2 American and 1 British) join The Squad today, bringing its numbers to 427.

That's 427 cops and ex-cops (and other law enforcement types, plus some PIs) who have taken to writing crime fiction. You won't get more realistic crime tales than those from this Squad!

We have joining us today:
1. Chris LeGrow who served with the Omaha PD in Nebraska.
2. Steve Barnbrook who served with the West Midlands Police in the UK.
3. Don Deputy who served with the Lawrence PD in Indiana.

Our Squad now consists of:

289 American, 70 British, 18 Australian, 18 Canadian, 5 French,
4 New Zealander, 3 Finnish, 2 Dutch, 2 Swedish,
2 Irish, 1 Bahamian, 1 Norwegian, 1 Danish
1 Italian, 1 Czech, 1 Russian, 1 Hungarian,
1 Spaniard, 1 Pakistani, 1 Chinese, 1 Brazilian, 1 Indian,
2 "International" (listed as this due to current serving officer requirements)

I'll keep adding more as I come across them, and if you know of any others please feel free to drop me a line.

Check out The Squad:
Also: Cops Writing Crime

And please remember, my list is only for CRIME FICTION - not all the true crime and/or memoir writing by cops and ex-cops that's out there (as good as so much of that is).

Cheers,
ABP

Book Review - "Scratching the Flint" by Vern Smith

27/6/2023

Time to get back into some book reviews and here's a hell of a place to start! This is a truly superb crime read from a Canadian indie author I've recently discovered.
This cornucopia of corruption and conflicted characters Canadian-style paints a gritty and uncomfortable picture of Toronto and its underbelly, but it would be equally accurate of any Western metropolis. Smith lays bare the insidious and layered hypocrisy of respectable officialdom, and society more broadly, with graphic realism, bursts of humour, and a refreshingly complete absence of any polite façade. What a sweet departure from the sanitized, timid, and vanilla volumes of mediocrity that permeate so much modern fiction. Smith conjures up a cast of memorable characters, all flawed and many despicable, but all drawn with vivid detail and humanness to deftly expose the brutal, seedy nature and cost of organized crime and corruption. As in life, everyone’s in the mix, hand-in-hand waiting for the payoffs: politicians, police, lawyers, journalists, and criminals. And the police personalities and dialogue are bang on, amongst the very best I’ve read from an author who hasn’t actually served in law enforcement. Bravo, Mr Smith, for a hell of a ride.
Cheers,
ABP