Gutshot Straight

by Lou Berney

[jamiereadthis]

Whoa, I really, really loved this. I wasn’t expecting to love it half so much! I was keeping my expectations low, figuring I’d get a few eyerolls out of the deal but still enjoy myself— both courtesy of the comparisons to Elmore Leonard. The whole time, though, there was a ridiculous grin on my face, wider with every page. I’ve decided that’s how I’m judging books right now. How many words they waste— this book, none— how many eyerolls I give— again, none (not even for the couple of convenient plot twists)— how much I grin— a lot, a lot— and how much joy and love and hope for humanity I have bubbling inside me when I’m done, hopefully also in proportion to how many crimes were committed.

I flew through this in two days, and I’ve got the next one in the mail already. I hope Berney writes a ton more. (This is his first? Holy shit.)

1. With the Armenian mob angle, I could almost squint and picture Elmore writing fanfic of my favorite arc[s] on The Shield.

2. I want the movie of this too, under the condition it’s cast well and Ted Griffin adapts the screenplay. His blurb was in the front of this, so I think he’d be up for working some of his Terriers/Ocean’s Eleven magic.

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Re-read September 2013: After Whiplash River, I had to go back and read this one. There were even more grins the second time around, knowing how well Whiplash builds on it, how much Shake and Gina grow for the next one yet remain so fundamentally themselves. I had forgotten too just how great the minor parts are, Ted Boxman and Vader and Jasper and Lucy and on and on. More Jasper, please. More Vader, more Lucy, more anyone. It’s delicious, how fleshed out this world is.

Still one of my favorites I’ve read all year.

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Re-read March 2015: These books should come with some kind of disclaimer like they put on cigarettes or hard liquor. Was going to sit down and read a couple chapters. Next thing I know, it’s 8:00 at night and I’m on the last page. And I’ve already read this thing three times.

The writing is so deceptively sharp, it gets better each time through, the more you know what’s coming. No wonder this one stays in rotation on my “always reading” shelf.