Order FLAT WHITE here
* a recommendation by Rory Costello *
I was discussing the business of reading with an author-friend of mine a couple days ago and she raised an interesting point: a reader wants to establish a special, personal relationship to a novel. I believe this is very true and that the author's job is to make a reader feel special without deceiving him. Hardboiled detective novels are a dime a dozen, but those who give you a proper reason to read them are ultra-rare. FLAT WHITE, by Bob Truluck wasn't on my radar at all, but it landed on my desk with the highest recommendation. Let it be my turn to share the gospel and tell you this novel is not a waste of your time. It's an original and idiosyncratic tale about the cost of doing business.
Duncan Sloan, Bob Truluck recurrent loner P.I character, receives a phone call from a local police detective about a mysterious young woman, found dead in the trunk of a car. Sloan has ties to a local marijuana kingpin named Renaldo Alvarez, with whom he shares a tragic past, and detective Booker figures that Sloan is the key to a quick resolution to his case. Only problem is that once Sloan starts scratching the surface, he finds his friend's empire falling into pieces and the vultures hovering over him. Sloan might be a solipsist weirdo, but he's a resourceful man who can connect the dots together, no matter how much adversity it entails.
The cover of FLAT WHITE might seem odd to you, but let me assure you it's only the beginning with this novel. The colorful vernacular of Bob Truluck takes some getting used to, but it's one of the variables that makes this novel unique. What makes Duncan Sloan different from most fictional private detectives is that his primary quality is that he is a middle aged loner. He talks like a guy who's been alone for too long. It makes the plot sometimes difficult to follow because FLAT WHITE is narrated in the first person, but it gives Duncan Sloan a built-in flaw that doesn't need self-explanatory characterization. Sloan talks and acts like a lonely person and that makes him instantly likeable despite the fact that he is occasionally loopy and incoherent. It only makes him more charming.
Bob Truluck's clever P.I character is not the main reason why you should read FLAT WHITE though. In fact, it's the kind of detail only freaks like me obsess about. Read it because it's a terrific, fun novel first and foremost. It's about a crumbling marijuana empire and it's as messy and chaotic as you can imagine. Truluck writes dialogue like few others can, with a tremendous sense of pace and a sharp sense of humor. I would tell you the writing is Elmore Leonard'esque, but it would both be too vague and incorrect. Truluck has his very own style of writing, but his pacing and humor are more akin to Guy Ritchie's screenplays than Elmore Leonard. What makes FLAT WHITE a more special and intimate experience than Ritchie's movie is that Truluck can go from dramatic to flat out hilarious with a single conversation.
FLAT WHITE is a balls out, breakneck hardboiled detective novel about the meaning of loyalty, the American Dream gone wrong and the ruthlessness of the passage of time. It has a surprising amount of psychological depth for such a minimalist and idiosyncratic genre novel. I've had a blast reading it in two or three frenzied settings in vacation. I'm a bit of a detective novels freak and FLAT WHITE was every bit as satisfying and original as I could've hoped for. If, like me, you had no idea who Bob Truluck was before reading this, get on the bandwagon while it's still cool. One thing sure is that you're not done hearing about him on this blog.
The cover of FLAT WHITE might seem odd to you, but let me assure you it's only the beginning with this novel. The colorful vernacular of Bob Truluck takes some getting used to, but it's one of the variables that makes this novel unique. What makes Duncan Sloan different from most fictional private detectives is that his primary quality is that he is a middle aged loner. He talks like a guy who's been alone for too long. It makes the plot sometimes difficult to follow because FLAT WHITE is narrated in the first person, but it gives Duncan Sloan a built-in flaw that doesn't need self-explanatory characterization. Sloan talks and acts like a lonely person and that makes him instantly likeable despite the fact that he is occasionally loopy and incoherent. It only makes him more charming.
Bob Truluck's clever P.I character is not the main reason why you should read FLAT WHITE though. In fact, it's the kind of detail only freaks like me obsess about. Read it because it's a terrific, fun novel first and foremost. It's about a crumbling marijuana empire and it's as messy and chaotic as you can imagine. Truluck writes dialogue like few others can, with a tremendous sense of pace and a sharp sense of humor. I would tell you the writing is Elmore Leonard'esque, but it would both be too vague and incorrect. Truluck has his very own style of writing, but his pacing and humor are more akin to Guy Ritchie's screenplays than Elmore Leonard. What makes FLAT WHITE a more special and intimate experience than Ritchie's movie is that Truluck can go from dramatic to flat out hilarious with a single conversation.
FLAT WHITE is a balls out, breakneck hardboiled detective novel about the meaning of loyalty, the American Dream gone wrong and the ruthlessness of the passage of time. It has a surprising amount of psychological depth for such a minimalist and idiosyncratic genre novel. I've had a blast reading it in two or three frenzied settings in vacation. I'm a bit of a detective novels freak and FLAT WHITE was every bit as satisfying and original as I could've hoped for. If, like me, you had no idea who Bob Truluck was before reading this, get on the bandwagon while it's still cool. One thing sure is that you're not done hearing about him on this blog.
