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''Artichokes are gay and so are you.''
The VOD era has transformed the way Josie and I experienced our movie nights. If we don't go in with a certain film in mind, there's a chance we'll spend the evening watching trailers of mediocre productions and go to be without even seeing a full feature. It's retarded, but it's also profoundly satisfying to be able to have the big picture without having to commit to a rental. It's a bit how I felt reading All Due Respect Books's latest dual release TWO BULLETS SOLVE EVERYTHING, from editor-in-chief Chris Rhatigan and cult hardboiled talent Ryan Sayles. Short stories are novellas are the trailers of the literary business and All Due Respect Books has put out there quite a calling card for these two authors.
So, here's what you need to know about Ryan Sayles' DISCO RUMBLE FISH. It's a short novella featuring his trademark detective Richard Dean Buckner, star of one of my favourite hardboiled novel of this decade The Subtle Art of Brutality (temporarily unavailable) back when he was a policeman in the SWAT unit in the 1970s. It's a rather straightforward story about a SWAT takedown of a dangerous criminal, but I thought its main interest lied in drawing a narrative where the one we all affectionately call RDB's ideas of justice and retribution were actually a good fit for the system.
DISCO RUMBLE FISH portrays a world where faceless bureaucracy hadn't swallowed everything and where it was possible to fall off the grid in order to solve your issues the old fashioned way (also know as the RDB way). It's atmospheric and tense, it's a nice introduction to RDB if you didn't previously know him, but it's even a better complement to what you already know about him. If you like detective novels the Richard Dean Buckner series is fantastic and unique, and DISCO RUMBLE FISH is a nice addition.
''I thought you guys went way back, like high school.''
''We do, but he's never been the loyal type. He's weak - that's why this whole thing happened in the first place. I mean, what kind of man fucks a teenager for three years?''
Following DISCO RUMBLE FISH in TWO BULLETS SOLVE EVERYTHING is Chris Rhatigan's novella A PACK OF LIES. I'd lie if I said it wasn't a pleasant surprise. I wasn't previously familiar with Rhatigan's fiction and A PACK OF LIES, while not packing any major surprised (just like DISCO RUMBLE FISH), shows such a strong command of the classic noir tropes and a confident, booming voice that it was just a pleasure to read.
A PACK OF LIES is the story of Lionel Kaspar, a crooked journalist that blackmails people into not breaking their controversial stories, who gets backed into a corner when his own lies and deception explode to his face. It's got a strong David Goodis vibe to it. It's almost like someone would've found a long lost novella by the master of noir. Like I said, I'm not very familiar with Chris Rhatigan's fiction, but I could find nastier things to say about him than being the second coming of David Goodis, right?
Oh, and the ending of A PACK OF LIES is a thing of beauty. Rare are the endings that live up to their stories, but A PACK OF LIES does. It's one of the most beautiful, haunting endings I've read this year.
I really liked TWO BULLETS SOLVE EVERYTHING, even if it was over before it really started. I would've liked it to feature maybe five or six stories like DISCO RUMBLE FISH and A PACK OF LIES, a bit like UNCLE B' DRIVE-IN FICTION did a couple years ago. A short novella demands just enough commitment in order to read an author you don't already know. Books like TWO BULLETS SOLVE EVERYTHING offer you a lot of bang for your buck and can potentially broaden your horizon as a reader, like it did to me (I'm on to you, Rhatigan). I could give you every reason in the world why the two stories in TWO BULLETS SOLVE EVERYTHING stand out, but cheap crime fiction and new authors you should know about override just about anything. If you don't know who Ryan Sayles and Chris Rhatigan are, you're missing out and this is your chance to catch up.
Oh, and the ending of A PACK OF LIES is a thing of beauty. Rare are the endings that live up to their stories, but A PACK OF LIES does. It's one of the most beautiful, haunting endings I've read this year.
I really liked TWO BULLETS SOLVE EVERYTHING, even if it was over before it really started. I would've liked it to feature maybe five or six stories like DISCO RUMBLE FISH and A PACK OF LIES, a bit like UNCLE B' DRIVE-IN FICTION did a couple years ago. A short novella demands just enough commitment in order to read an author you don't already know. Books like TWO BULLETS SOLVE EVERYTHING offer you a lot of bang for your buck and can potentially broaden your horizon as a reader, like it did to me (I'm on to you, Rhatigan). I could give you every reason in the world why the two stories in TWO BULLETS SOLVE EVERYTHING stand out, but cheap crime fiction and new authors you should know about override just about anything. If you don't know who Ryan Sayles and Chris Rhatigan are, you're missing out and this is your chance to catch up.