Jeff Johnson (1)

4.5 stars!

From Jeff Johnson, a man who is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, comes this noir-ish tale of theft, ball bearings, tattoo shops and gentrification. I loved it!

Set in Portland, Oregon, (with some forays down to the California coast), the city itself became a character. Old Town, one of the holdouts from the gentrification going on all around, was vividly drawn. A neighborhood with lots of rain and dilapidated buildings, but also with residents who, (with the proper motivation), will help protect their own.

Darby owns a tattoo shop, Lucky Supreme, and a few years back some of his old flash was stolen. (This is the name for the designs that hang on the wall in tattoo shops, some of which is valuable now.) Darby has had the word out about it, and he finally gets a lead as to where the stolen flash is located. As Darby heads to the California coast to get his flash back, he meets up with characters I won't soon forget-some enemies and some friends, but all compelling. Darby himself is somewhat of an enigma.

" I found myself smiling at the quantity of the madness I carried around inside me. "

That's all I'll say about the plot, except for 2 more things: food and humor. All of Jeff's books feature at least one character who cooks, and man, the food always sounds delicious. Lastly, his books feature a black sense of humor that always works for me and this book was no different.

"Hurl crazy hookers at the enemy at every opportunity. Sun Tzu said that, didn't he?"

I swore to myself that I wouldn't start any more books that were part of a series, but with Jeff Johnson, I could not resist. This is an engaging tale full of captivating characters, a protagonist you can root for, (even though he's not the typical hero type), and a city where it is nearly always raining, but whose residents have a spirit that rises above. Lucky Supreme is a fun book with often sharp insights into human behavior and I give it my highest recommendation!

Available here on April 11th: Lucky Supreme: A Novel of Many Crimes (A Darby Holland Crime Novel)

*Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the free E-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*… (más)

Sometimes I like to request an Advance Review Copy based on the strength of the book description alone. Everything Under the Moon: A Novel captured my interest when the synopsis mentioned a serial killer werewolf. Yeah... so like Dexter, but a werewolf, I thought. Well, yes and no.

Gelsen Verber, (not really his name), is a fascinating character. A human/werewolf hybrid who knows nothing about where he originally came from and is suffering from PTSD from WWII. He can also cook a mean green chili stew, (and tacos!), and he likes to read. He ingests massive amounts of drugs and alcohol trying to stomp out the more wolfish effects of his nature and he also likes to prey upon society's undesirables. He's good at it.

Gelsen finds himself mixed up with Salt Street, a type of data mining company that knows his true nature and tries to bend him to their will. As you might have guessed, he's having none of it. Here's where things get difficult to describe: Gelsen is like no other werewolf that I've read about-except perhaps Michael Gallatin from Robert McCammon's The Wolf's Hour. Where Gallatin was a handsome, MacGyver-type spy in WII, Gelsen is a handsome, stylishly dressed, MacGyver/James Bond type in today's world. He's always prepared for any eventuality and if things get tough-he'll just rip you apart. Done deal.

This novel was fast paced, populated with an entertaining cast of characters, (Izelle, I'm looking at you, girl.. er boy er...?), all of them fully fleshed out and three dimensional. At times I felt like the plot was a flash flood and I was struggling to keep my head above water as the current carried me towards the denouement. And then, BAM! straight into the wall of a dam. There I struggled,with my mouth hanging open like a fool, trying not to drown.

In case you can't tell, I loved this book! Here you will discover completely unique characters; some drunk, some high, some master chefs and werewolves, but ALL entertaining. Here you will find a story that wants to bury you in its darkness at times, while at other times making you laugh so hard you can barely breathe. Here you will find an ending that takes that breath away AGAIN.

I highly recommend Everything Under the Moon to fans of horror, especially those who like their darkness peppered with humor and occasional poignancy. Oh! Also recommended to those who enjoy lots of bloody, gory, werewolf action!

Come on, you know want some.

*Thank you to Edelweiss and to Soft Skull Press for the ARC I received in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*… (más)