Review: Brit Grit!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 11, 2011
Nigel Bird screamed onto the crime scene with his story "Beat on the Brat," winner of last year's Watery Grave International competition. And with good reason. It's a sharply written tale about the cost of loyalty.One of my favorites here is "Back to Black." This nuanced short takes the reader to the back alleys of Tranent and gets inside the mind of a child molester who has returned to his hometown. Bird's gift for creating complex, sympathetic characters is on display here."Dance with Me" was a nice surprise toward the end. A punchy, very funny piece about a bounty hunter and a criminal linked together by handcuffs at JFK.This is Bird's second expertly crafted collection of gritty crime stories this year. I'm sure we'll be seeing more from him in the future.