What You Break (Gus Murphy) by Reed Farrel Coleman

Anyone who was worried when the Moe Prager series came to an end can stop worrying now for sure. The first one in the new Gus Murphy series wasn't just a lucky strike.  The second one is just as good.
Former Suffolk county cop Gus is hired to investigate why the adopted daughter of a wealthy businessman, uncovering a dark past. Meanwhile, he also gets involved with the dark past of his friend Slava, having to face a dangerous Russian mercenary. Gus' relationship with his ex-wife has some important developments as well his relationship with his new girlfriend deepens.
The writing is as solid as ever. There's enough investigating going on, the characters are lively, their dark pasts interesting. There's also a fair bit of action, more than in the Prager books.
This is really shaping up to be a solid new series, a hardboiled story that has firm roots in the pulp tradition but adds a haunting dark poetic style to it.

Favorite Sons of 2016

Favorite Sons of 2016

This hasn't been my most active year as a writer or a reviewer, personal issues and work as well as my gig as rock journalist taking up a lot of my time. Still, I read some good stuff this year and here are my favorite PI reads of the year...


BEST PI NOVEL: An Empty Hell (Jackson Donne / Matt Herrick) by Dave White
BEST DEBUT: TThe Red Storm (William Fletcher) by Grant Bywaters
BEST NEW PI: Gus Murphy (in Where It Hurts) by Reed Farrel Coleman
BEST ACTION SCENES: The Second Life of Nick Mason (Nick Mason) by Steve Hamilton

Where It Hurts (Gus Murphy) by Reed Farrel Coleman

Gus Murphy used to be a cop. When his son dies he loses his marriage, his house and his job. Now he works as a driver for a hotel and works as a bouncer. When an ex-con contacts him, asking him to look into the death of his son reluctantly agrees. He tries to give meaning to the loss of his son through this investigation, but it leads him into a very dangerous search for valuable goods.
Reed has written some really good books, like the Moe Prager series and the latest Jesse Stone novels. This one might be his best one yet, though. The mix of character study and development with a classic hardboiled PI story is so incredibly well-balanced it's hard to put down the book.
Sometimes the words on the pages just tear into your heart, making you feel the pain of Gus Murphy so vividly it... hurts. If you have kids it will hit you even harder.
Gus is so tough, but also so very human that in my eyes he could be the standard the next few PI characters will try to follow.
An amazing new series.