Tuesday 19 February 2013

Out There Bad by Josh Stallings




Beneath the wild heart of Moses McGuire there lurks a pussy cat. A hero, foolish knight in shining armour. A patsy with a fatal weakness. Josh Stallings has again delivered the goods in this the second novel featuring strip club bouncer Moses McGuire.

As with the first McGuire novel Beautiful, Naked and Dead I just couldn't put this book down. I have to be a little critical because BND was such a perfect work that I couldn't help but compare the two. There were a few editorial rough edges in Out There Bad that weren't present with BND. A recycled line from an old Lethal Weapon movie had me hoping that Stallings sense of irony was up and winking at me in the moment of delivery. I'd stake my bottom dollar on it.

Out There Bad is as bloody as BND and Stallings pulls no punches in delivering a very uncomfortable scene where Moses is forced to commit an unspeakable act. Stallings shows an admirable bravery in his writing and whilst he never preaches he does ask a few subtle questions of the reader. If you enjoyed the first Moses McGuire novel you will without doubt enjoy Out There Bad too.

Stallings introduces even more elements in this novel and we see Moses teaming up with the most unlikely of partners. We see Moses the unstoppable force battling the immovable object that is the Russian mafia. There is growth here as well as some sticking to the formula of the first novel. The saying if it ain't broke don't fix it applies here. It’s more of the same with a few risks taken but yet another entertaining five star read.

Genre: Crime / Gangster
Publisher: Heist Publishing
Format:E-Book & Paperback
Rating: 5/5

1 comment:

  1. Like I 've said about Moses before. Mcguire is the much darker flip side of Travis McGee, John D. Macdonald's immortal PI. The hope of McGee is there, but hope of the slimmest kind. The love is there, but love of only of the bleakest sort. Still there's something there that leaves you tirumphant; your sense of justice satisfied . . . in a tragic kind of way. Depressing? Oh HELL NO it's uplifting stuff. If you think that's crazy read the damn books. You'll see what I mean.

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