Review: Gumshoe at its best
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 9, 2012
In this book Simon Swift takes you back to the 50's and the era of the hardboiled gumshoe. The Gumshoe in question is Errol Black who has returned to the somewhat strange town of Casablanca to invesitigate his friends murder. This book is so well written that it had me completely immersed in and believing I was back in the 50's. I could picture everything as though I was right in the thick of the action. There is a cast of ever more eccentric characters, and yet each one of them seems exactly right for the time and for the story. The gangsters and the thugs were portrayed exactly right. The suspense in the book is high and keeps you guessing until the end. In fact, the ending took me completely by surprise, and I did not see it coming at all. At several points I thought I had worked things out but was completely wrong each time. The storyline moves along at a rapid pace, but somehow still manages to portray a time when things were more laid back. The book has everything, murder, mystery, friendship, thugs, gangsters, fights, drink and gambling.In the midst of this there is also a glimpse of honour amongst theives. Swift somehow manages to encompass it all.Anyone who likes a good PI book, in the style of the 50's authors will not be disappointed. I do have to add though that there is a strong adult theme in this book with a lot of adult content. This is not usually soemthing I would like in a book but it does fit well in this one due to the nature of the storyline. I would highly recommended this book but it is not for the easily offended.