Saturday, May 30, 2009

Gutted (Gus Dury) by Tony Black


Black is back! As the writer of my favorite debut novel of 2008 I was of course very eager to read his second novel. Tony delivers the goods once again.
Gus Dury, the unofficial Scottish PI stumbles on a pair of dog torturers and gets into a fight with them. This action draws him into a complicated investigation and antagonizes both cops and robbers
Gus is again a very pissed-off character, angry at almost everything and always nearly drunk. He's dark, almost suicidal and full of problems and insecurities. We discover more about his relationship with his ex-wife Debs and a dark secret they share.
Tony Black shows how he's still the leading man in the stream of Ken Bruen's followers, serving up a hardboiled tale in which the protagonist is just as important as the crimes. Don't read this one if you're a bit too depressed though, it might just sent you over the edge. Tony's prose is that engaging and he will totally draw you into the dark mind of Gus Dury for sure.