RARA-AVIS: Trigger City by Sean Chercover

From: davezeltserman (Dave.Zeltserman@gmail.com)
Date: 01 Sep 2009

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    In a lot of ways this is a remarkable PI novel, and probably the closest I've read that had me thinking of Rockford. The author in the first pages lays out the indisputable facts of the murder that the PI is going to be investigating leaving no question as to who the murderer is. Very early on there's also no question as to the why of the murder, but by this time even though this is stylistically hardboiled PI, it has transitioned to mystery-thriller hybrid where the big question is how is the the PI going to keep himself and others alive. This is not a perfect book--the author uses that annoying song playlist that seems so in vogue today (although he does have a clever twist with it), and if you look at the somewhat rushed ending too hard you can poke a dozen holes into it. Still, though, I enjoyed this more than any other recent PI novel I've read in years, and Chercover is clearly a strong writer with a bright future. If you a fan of hardboiled PI, I strongly recommend this.

    --Dave



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