Evangeline Jennings

The combination of cars and girls makes absolute sense to me. Include them in a series of noir styled, dark and pointed short stories, and CARS & GIRLS from the Pankhurst Collective was both unexpected and an absolute pleasure to read.

Whilst the central theme of cars and girls carries through each of the stories in the collection, they are a varied bunch, in setting, style and resolution. The exciting thing though is that no punches are pulled. This is a dark and frequently violent collection, full of explicit sex and gun battles putting the central female characters in the sorts of roles normally allocated to men. And doing it seamlessly.

Given that each story has it's own particular flavour and style, there are some aspects (other than the darkness and the violence) that hold throughout. Each story is fast-paced, strong, gritty and in your face. That's not to say that anything is particularly gratuitous, it's finely balanced noir. There's tension and pace in most of them, and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, although to be fair, the first story, 500, is of a slightly less frenetic pace, and perhaps a little more predictable than what's to come.

The collection is made up of 500 by Zoë Spencer, Road Runner by Tee Tyson, Barracuda by Madeline Harvey and Crown Victoria by Evangeline Jennings.

CARS & GIRLS definitely isn't a book for fans of traditional women protagonists. You get the distinct feeling the only use that any of these women would have for a teapot couldn't be discussed in polite society. It is, however, one for readers interested in something different, smart, stylish, and undeniably very clever.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-cars-girls-zo%C3%AB-spencer-tee-ty...… (más)

I don't even know where to start with this review other than to say I loved every word of this book.

This volume of four brutal short stories depict a wide range of heroines: a monied Brit finishing off a deranged family acquaintance; a Nebraskan ex-con with a seriously effed up childhood and an equally serious grudge; an Arkansas waitress determined to protect her sister from the violence of the local boys; and a Southern hitwoman on the run with a minxy Miami bombshell.

I can't recall reading a book with this level of twisted moodiness, unabashed violence, and evocative ambiance featuring dangerous heroines in the lead (usually it's men who get this kind of fun!). Megan Abbott comes close, but I find her fiction is more homage-y of classic pulp and noir, while this collection leans toward Drive and Quentin Tarantino's films.

Each story has a different flavor, but the writing is fast, punchy, gritty, wild. The reader is immediately plunged into the action, no preamble, and I was literally breathless at the end of each story. The book is full of fabulous lines, evocative and pretty and wrong -- Crossing the lobby, heels clicking against the tiles like an angry Geiger counter, something out of place catches my eyes. (from 'Crown Victoria' by Evangeline Jennings, p131) -- and despite their violence, I loved every single one of our heroines. (But I'm a sucker for a good anti-hero.)

Highly, highly recommended -- this is a favorite of 2013 -- this book is great for dirty, diverting evenings or weekends. If you like gritty, gruesome, and gorgeous, get this collection. Pankearst is new to me but I'm hooked; there's a sequel to this volume in the works and I can.not.wait.… (más)