Read this second novel in Ken Bruen's white trilogy while I
was up in Chicago. I read the first a couple years ago and
wasn't much impressed but I've been seeing a lot of positive
comments on his work and thought I'd give the second a
go.
There are moments of solid writing in this novel, notably in
the dialogue, but at the end of it and in the days after, it
has left a flat aftertaste. I've been trying hard to put my
finger on exactly why that is. I'm still bouncing it around,
but this is what I've come up with so far.
There are two problems that I can think of right now. First,
all the characters are essentially the same. They are
incredibly tough with a sarcastic and cynical sense of humor.
There are cracks in their armor through which glimpses of
compassion and vulnerability show through, and they all take
turns having breakdowns so that their comrades can help them
back on their feet.
The second problem is that the characters are as stupid as
they are tough. Brant is practically illiterate. Any
witticism aimed at him that requires an IQ greater than his
shoe size falls on a deaf ear. The only way he solves any
crime in the book is through snitches. Falls thinks she can
walk in without any backup and force a dangerous and violent
criminal to come down to the police station with her. And, of
course, the only way she found the guy is through a snitch.
No real detective work. The bad guys are even worse. The
Alien appears to think that he can assault Brant, with no
attempt to hide his identity, and walk away with no
consequences. Bill thinks he can betray a killer to the
police without any worry of the killer turning against him.
And all of this goes down with a detailed running commentary
and celebration of the UK way.
I'm not saying that the book totally sucked. Bruen is good at
juxtaposing toughness with sentiment and spiking it with
sharp humor. But for me it simply wasn't enough to overcome
its weaknesses.
miker
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