The Hard Way (Jack Reacher) by Lee Child

Jack Reacher is not officially PI but as he himself states in this novel is an unofficial one.
In this thriller he’s hired to track down the kidnapped wife of a private mercenary organisation’s owner. During this quest he teams up with an attractive and relatively older woman, an ex-FBI agent and PI. It might not be a surprise he ends up sleeping with her as he does with most female leads in the series, especially if they’re FBI.
Soon Reacher discovers things are not what they seem which takes him to the English countryside where he battles the bad guys. Must’ve been nice for UK writer Child to base a story in his native country for once.
Overall it’s an okay entry in the series. Reacher is busy being the ultimate Reacher again (being sexy, ruthless and being able to tell time without a clock). There seems to be less violence then we’re used to (except for the last chapters) but still it’s a very entertaining read.

New PI novels this week!

Coming out this week are:

The Priest (Jack Taylor) by Ken Bruen- the 1st USA editionby the Irish writer who's almost a living legend among the crime fiction lovers already. Fresh out of the loony bin Jack Taylor takes on 3 case among which one involving a child-molesting priest.

Magic City (Thorn) by James W. Hall - Tough guy and bum Thorn, follows his girlfriend to Miami, where he gets involved in a cause revolving around and old photgraph taking during the Cassius Clay vs. Sonny Liston boxing championship.

Magic City: A Novel

The Wrong Kind of Blood by Declan Hughes

The Wrong Kind of Blood by Declan Hughes

This is a fairly standard PI novel featuring an emotionally scarred ex-cop. What makes it a bit different is the fact that it's situated in Ireland. Old friend Linda Dawson hires Edward Loy to track down her missing husband. He get caught up in way too many subplots with too many bland characters (cops, mobsters, rich folks with evil intentions) for me to truly enjoy the story.

Loy isn't a very interesting character and hasn't got much personality-wise to set him apart from say Lew Archer. He does have all traits we look for in a PI, being tough, persistent and smart.

There's some nice action scenes and descriptions of Dublin and it follows the numbers enough to please most PI-fans. However, it didn't leave me anxiously awaiting the next Loy-mystery.

Mission Road by Rick Riordan

Mission Road by Rick Riordan

This entry in the Tres Navarre series is the one where the series definitely grows up. The first steps towards adulthood were already visible in Southtown with its multiple viewpoints and bigger emphasis on the psychology of the characters but here Rick Riordan takes the darkness and ‘meatiness’ of the series even further. In that way it reminded me of Robert Crais’ L.A. Requiem and Dennis Lehane’s Gone Baby Gone.

Tres’ pal / sidekick Ralph is suspected of shooting his wife, Anna and on the run from the law. Soon Tres joins him, helping him in stay out of the hands of the cops as well as with proving his innocence. The story shows the life of Anna’s mother, a female cop just like her and the relationship she had with her partner. It shows the influences of violence in the lives of the offspring of the crime boss White.

Characters like Ralph and White’s daughter might seem larger-than-life at first glance but they show a remarkable humanity and reality as the novel progresses. Yeah, it can be dark and heavy stuff but Rick always manages to keep the action going and makes the darkness bearable with Tres’ trademark sense of humor. It makes the novel enjoyable both for casual readers, looking for something to read waiting for the newest Spenser as well as the serious crime reader.

John March short story

Peter Spiegelman has written his first John March short story, This Year's Model which promises a look into the Wall Street P.I.'s past. It's available from Amazon.com as part of their Amazon Shorts program and just in time to promote the 3rd John March novel, Red Cat.

The Devil's Right Hand by J.D. Rhoades

The Devil's Right Hand by J.D. Rhoades

In this first novel featuring Desert Storm veteran Jack Keller we are treated to an almost pulpish tough guy who gets himself beaten-up and shot at during his chase for two bank-robbing cousins.
These cousins killed the son of a gangster who is now chasing them to get his revenge.
Aiding Jack are his boss and a female cop.
The story is fast-paced, Jack a cool hero and his boss an interesting sidekick kind of character. Both have been scared mentally and / or physically by tragic events in their pasts. Not only makes this the characters more likable but it also adds an extra level of darkness to the story.
Highly recommended for everyone who likes their P.I novels to be high on the action and low on the mystery.

Welcome to the Sons of Spade

Welcome to my blog. This blog has been created to spotlight what I call the Sons of (Sam) Spade...There are a number of blogs and sites out there paying attention to different hardboiled books and genres. The difference between those blogs and mine is that I will be focusing on private eyes (official and unofficial). I will post reviews of books, sites and novels in that genre, publish short stories and promote them. So, if you have written a book / short stories featuring a professional tough guy, let me know at jvdsteen@hotmail.com.