Devil’s Night

Happy Halloween!

Preceding this Devil’s Night, I had a full day off and caught up on a lot of reading. It was a relief to get these three off the TBR list. All were good in their own respective ways.

Blood Sugar 3 stars

“A” for effort on the language, which is written in the slang of what Daniel Kraus thinks is a modern day teenager. I found it too distracting. But much like Nico Walker’s Cherry, when I was able to get used to it, I found a deeply enjoyable story with some genuinely laugh out loud moments and heartbreak. Sort of a mutant version of Stranger Things. It’s one I might want to revisit some day now that I know what I’m getting into. An unusual entry into Hard Case Crime but a decent one all the same.

 

The Crow 4 stars

I saw the movie and have now read the book. An entertaining tale, different from the movie in its own right. Too sullen at times and less self-aware than the screen adaptation but also closer to the grief expressed. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Like a superhero story set in Frank Miller’s Sin City. Also, the noirish artwork rocks. One of the best drawn comics I’ve ever read.

 

The Transgressors 4 stars

The dregs of Jim Thompson’s catalog have produced mostly duds. This is one of the few exceptions and while it’s not an undiscovered classic, it’s a fun, streamlined crime story in its own right. Set in Thompson’s familiar rural Texas, it involves criminals and aspiring criminals trying to leap on the backs of others in order to improve their station in life. Not one of his best but again, considering how many bad ones I’ve read from him this year, it’s much better than most.