A review by tombradleyjr
The Big O by Declan Burke
4.0
This novel bristles with stripped-down, sharp, muscular, just-the-facts-ma'am prose -- which is just fine by me.
Although I found the ultra-short, POV-driven, character-titled chapters confusing (to a point), the characters themselves came off as sympathetic and identifiable, with the possible exception of Rossi...and even he wasn't ALL bad; just human.
My one quibble is the parenthetical subtitle "a screwball noir," as I believe dubbing it "screwball" does it a disservice. It reads more like what Elmore Leonard (or even James Ellroy) would write if he were transplanted from Detroit to the Emerald Isle.
Nicely done. Now I need to read more of Declan Burke's work.
Although I found the ultra-short, POV-driven, character-titled chapters confusing (to a point), the characters themselves came off as sympathetic and identifiable, with the possible exception of Rossi...and even he wasn't ALL bad; just human.
My one quibble is the parenthetical subtitle "a screwball noir," as I believe dubbing it "screwball" does it a disservice. It reads more like what Elmore Leonard (or even James Ellroy) would write if he were transplanted from Detroit to the Emerald Isle.
Nicely done. Now I need to read more of Declan Burke's work.