Mark Timlin is a British author best known for his series of novels featuring Nick Sharman, a former Metropolitan Police officer who takes up the profession of private investigator in South London. He is also a renowned book reviewer and literary commentator. His most recent work is REAP THE WHIRLWIND. In his early years he did various jobs including work as a member of the road crew for THE WHO, including working backstage at Woodstock in the 1960s on the lighting cranes
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James Lee Burke and Dave Robicheaux are back, and that’s always a time for celebration to their fans. This time we’re back in the late nineties when the world was young, and anything was possible, so settle in for the usual booze and blues infused poetical prose from N’awlins, as Dave and his wingman Cletus Purcell go head to head with two bent coppers posing as PI’s, until they end up stuffed in a barrel with their extremities chain-sawed off - (The coppers that is).
Next, our valiant heroes get involved in the music business, where men are men and women are often just chattels. This does not go down well with Dave and Clete as you might imagine, and heads will roll.
If that’s not enough, the Bobbsey twins, as they are known, go up against neo-Nazis, which bodes ill for the Fuhrer’s friends, and there’s white slavers, drug dealers, more bad cops, gangsters and yet more gangsters, and worse still, one particular gangster’s wife. All in all, trouble by the gallon, pouring on our hero’s heads like gasoline when they prayed for cool clear water. But it doesn’t end there, and there’s no spoilers here, half way through the book it goes really weird, surreal in fact, and that’s all I’m prepared to add, except that the grand finale is just that-grand.
Burke writes with the language and attitude of a man who likes a drink of hard alcohol, or used to, but still tastes the dregs of the last glass on his tongue. He also shows impeccable musical taste, name checking Larry Finnegan, Dale and Grace and the Chordettes, singers and acts mostly forgotten, except by collectors of scratchy old 45s.
Don’t miss this one whatever you do.
