Like most soldiers, Declan Colette lost his fair share in the war—in his case a sailor, drowned off Iwo Jima. Since then he’s been scratching out a living as a cut-rate PI, drinking too much, and flirting with danger. Then a girl arranges to consult him, only to be murdered en route, and the cops tag Colette as their prime suspect. To save his neck he’ll need to find the real killer, a quest that pits him against a rival detective firm, a dangerously rich family, and a desperate foe whose murdering ways started back during the war.Could this be the case he’s been waiting for? Catching the killer could make his reputation. Failing, could cost him his life.
Either way: win-win."
Cheap as Beasts by Jon Wilson is a noir, murder mystery book that is a quick, complex and entertaining read!
The novels' protag is a man named Declan Colette, who is almost hired by a rich brother and sister to prove that their step-mother killed their father...but before anything can come of that, another person in their family is murdered & Colette is hired by the brother, a man named Morgan.
The mystery of the novel is almost like a game of whodunit, which introduces the reader to a series of very interesting and sometimes, slightly suspicious characters. Even characters who are only around for a few pages make an impact and add layers to other characters and the novel's main mystery.
What I liked most about the novel was Colette himself, because the man is damaged and it is obvious in is demeanor, but its not cliche or overbearing - he isn't whinny or melodramatic, but he is believably dark, brooding and often, sharply sarcastic.
Colette is gay, but the romantic aspect of the novel is not front and center and though I would have loved more of a romance edge to the story, the fact that there isn't one, at least not exactly, is extremely powerful and dark and lends itself for their being a continuation to the story...Which I really hope there will be!
Def check it out!
- A
