Once I realized this was by the author of All of Us, I didn’t even read the plot description, just hit the request button. Which should tell you all you need to know about how much all of me loved All of Us. Alas, this wasn’t the sophomore effort one might have been hoping for.
The author, to her credit, tried something different, pivoting from the mental disorders that made her debut such a blast to the white trash noir, creating a moribund nowhere town with disappearing economy and rampant small time crime, where the protagonists (all different people this time and less fun for it) find themselves involved in some murder business. It begins with a single mom named Git who works almost twice the normal work week to get away from her white trash origins and give her and her young daughter a chance at a decent life. Git has a terrible taste in men, in fact she has all but swore off men, but every so often she gets too horny to bear, throws on $100 worth of lingerie (seriously, Git? What sort of a shopping decision is that for a woman on your budget?) and hits up a local bar to get laid. She tries to be selective, but once again fails, ending up with a guy so wrong that he literally ends up dead on the same night. Also, 18 grand worth of local crime family’s money he had with him disappears. So now not only are the cops involved, but also the scion of the crime family who has employed the guy is looking for the money too. The novel has three narrators, Git, Connor the criminal and Delia the cop. But it’ mainly Git and Delia show. Delia’s also a single mom. And a lesbian. And apparently a career driven masochist, because the smallness of the town and its denizens all by guarantees her no romantic life whatsoever. But Delia’s tough. And determined to solve the case. And Git’s tough and determined to get out alive. And Connor’s just fronting tough, because he has a loyal sidekick who does the heavy lifting for him. But really most everyone in this novel is some kind of tough, because that’s the kind of life there are leading. It’s the genre, you know, they are written that way. They are all kind of like battered pickup trucks of people. And so’s the town. Everyone’s just beaten down by life, weathered, downtrodden and desperate. But scrappy, very much so, admirably so, scrappy. So that’s essentially it. Not so much of a mystery, more of a crime drama, albeit with enough suspense and thrilleresque elements to qualify for the genre. Makes an overtly conscientious effort of having two mighty and righteous female characters. Reads easily and quickly, the author certainly does that right, establishes and maintains the immediacy of the narrative. But overall, it leaves something to be desired. Possibly because it’s just nowhere near as clever or original as the author’s first novel, it just pales in comparison. Without the comparison it’s a fine read, especially if white trash noir (if that is indeed a genre) is your thing. Sufficiently entertaining for the time it takes to get through. Thanks Netgalley.
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