Review: Solid Crime Noir Showcase
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 2, 2013
This is the first novel of Jude Hardin's that I've read, and it's actually a prequel to his debut thriller,Pocket-47, featuring PI Nicholas Colt. It's an indie-published novel and a quick read at 183 pages - perfect for an ebook, imo - while serving as a good introduction to Hardin's 4 other books in the Colt series.A bit of history: After Pocket 47, Hardin contracted with Amazon's imprint, Thomas and Mercer, for a series of thrillers. I believe two of these have already been released. At any rate, Hardin decided to self-publish "Colt" and wrote it/published it within three months.Although we typical readers may think that's fast, it translates to less than 1000 words a day, which takes an hour or so of writing. (So far, this review is nearing 150 words, fyi.) Of course, it's not easy to fill the screen with a well-written tale, and Hardin's skill is on display here.He's a solid story teller; Colt is fast-paced and has the requisite crime noir elements including an antihero PI, a sideline love affair, a cast of shady characters, some twists and turns in the plot that, while not overly 'ah ha!' worthy, kept me engaged and entertained. The opening hook/mystery worked well, but I didn't quite buy into Colt's immediate love-affair with the bartender he'd just met. The finish was fine, if a bit reserved; plus there were some loose ends that I wanted tied up (but maybe that love/hate relationship with the motorcycle gang is a recurring element in future stories?).Overall, however, I enjoyed this book. It's an adult read - a few vulgarities, though not overly gruesome or gratuitous - but a mature teen could probably handle it. It was definitely good enough for me to want to follow it up with another Nicholas Colt thriller in the future.