Génial ! Noir c'est noir ! ( )

Ever have one of those days where you have no idea how you ended up in the middle of a huge mess but there you were. And it keeps getting worse? That is what happens in this book. It is a somewhat interesting read. I picked it up because it starts in Little Rock, AR and I'm from AR. I could imagine these things happening to someone, well, not really, but in a story at least, but overall, there were no redeeming characters in the book. Everyone was seriously flawed or did terrible things. I really wanted to like the book, but alas, the best I can say is the book is OK. I hate the ending though. It just... stops. I wouldn't read it again, nor would I recommend it to friends. ( )

Things often don’t go as planned. Elliot Stilling had planned out his suicide and it should have worked. As far as he is concerned as this novella from author Jake Hinkson opens, it is exceedingly unfortunate that he didn’t stay dead. He had been dead for about three minutes when the emergency room staff at a hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas screwed up everything and brought him back to life.

The only thing he really remembers is seeing a black star tattooed on the wrist of a nurse with beautiful blue eyes. That same nurse by the name of Felicia Vogan shows up in his room hours later. Not only did she make an impression on Stilling as he lay dying, the former reverend made quite an impression on her. They have some sort of connection that will draw them together in ways neither saw coming in this intense noir style novella.

Considering that this read comes from the publisher “Beat To A Pulp” one already knows before starting the book that it will be dark, twisted, and feature multiple murders as well as at least one other major crime of some type. The Posthumous Man features all of that and more as well as a consideration of theology and the state of the world and the people in it. It is also an intensely good read.

The Posthumous Man
Jake Hinkson
http://thenighteditor.blogspot.com/
Beat To A Pulp
http://www.beattoapulp.com/
December 20, 2012
ASIN: B00ARL5MBY
E-Book (also available in print)
190 Pages (estimated)
$0.99

Material was picked up last month during publisher’s free read promotion.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2014 ( )

Elliot Spilling wakes up in a hospital to discover he succeeded in killing himself. Well, for three minutes anyway. A chance encounter with a nurse leads to Elliot injecting himself into a plan to steal millions in drugs from a hospital shipment. Will Elliot and his new found associates reap the rewards of a successful plan or will everything come crashing down around them?

Having just finished Jake Hinkson’s first novel, Hell on Church Street, I was hungry for more. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to wait. For a criminally low price, Hinkson’s follow-up The Posthumous Man is available as an e-book on the Kindle Store. Coming in at a brisk 148 pages, Hinkson takes us to a small town in Arkansas shortly before a gang of wannabe heisters steal a load of Oxy to earn a cool two million dollars. Comprised of a bankrupt businessman, a cop and his twin brother, a nurse and a man recovering from a failed suicide attempt, there’s no way the plan can fail!

In an attempt to avoid spoilers – and believe me, with the way this novel turns out, the less you know the better – I’ll leave it at that. Hinkson uses his talent for creating likable scumbag characters by throwing out this rag-tag collection of losers you can’t help but root for. Even when everything is falling apart, you’ll still pulling for a victory.

Just like with Hell on Church Street, the violence is swift and coarse. There’s no sugar coating anything here – Hinkson rips open a wound and forces you to look at it. It’s good to know that after reading crime fiction for all these years, there are still authors out there that can shock me with a certain way of writing brutality.

If you’re looking for a rapid read that’s hard to put down, look no further than Hinkson’s The Posthumous Man.

Cross Posted @ Every Read Thing

I interviewed Jake! ( )