30 Apr 2019

PIGEON-BLOOD RED & THE LAST STRAW.

Today I bring you not one but two books; the first two instalments in the Pigeon-Blood Red series by ED DUNCAN. Please click on the book titles for the synopsis.



Jerry got out of the car, closed the door and stretched.
- First Sentence; Part One: Chapter 1, PIGEON-BLOOD RED

She shrugged. "It was easier to see from your vantage point that it was from mine. He swept me off my feet, and when someone does that ... well ... you float about ten feet off the ground. And you don't see what's going on straight in front of you. Or if you do, you know you can make it right if you try hard enough. Maybe you can sometimes, but most of the time you can't, no matter how hard you try.
- Memorable Moment; Page 74, Pigeon-Blood Red

Perry Brumfeld unzipped his pants as he entered the bedroom and strode confidently toward the queen size bed.
- First Sentence; Chapter One: THE LAST STRAW

Rio was no dummy and as an adolescent he'd been a voracious, though secret, reader. His aiming the beam of the flashlight at Perry's eyes reminded him of the insane narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart, who in a dark room painstakingly opened a tiny crevice in a lantern so that a single ray of light fell upon his victim's "vulture eye". The thought amused Rico and he smiled to himself. 
- Memorable Moment; Page 51, The Last Straw


SOURCE ... Both books were received with thanks from Kelsey of book Publicity Services.

READ FOR A CHALLENGE? ... No.


MY THOUGHTS ...  Tales of a dark murky underworld populated by some what I guess you'd call anti heroes. Men that share a somewhat grudging respect of each other; Richard 'Rico' Sanders a gangster with a moral code, Paul Elliot his polar opposite ... or is he? At times I really wasn't so sure.

Though I really liked the protagonists in these books (the first two in what I believe to be a trilogy) I didn't necessarily connect with them and thus whilst on the one hand I didn't care one iota what became of them on the other hand, rather bizarrely I know, I found myself what I can only describe as rooting for them.

Gangster style thrillers that had what I felt to be a refreshingly 'old-fashioned' feel to them. Decently paced, gritty (at times more gritty than I was comfortable with; be warned The Last Straw begins with an attempted rape and the graphic account of a woman being badly beaten) and action packed from the off. Perhaps too action pact too soon, reading Pigeon-Blood Red felt like I'd walked right into a sequel rather than the beginnings of something.

Enjoying the first instalment and, to me the stronger of the two novels, liking the second as I did arguably books that tick all (or at least most of) the right boxes so to speak, its just that in an over crowded market I didn't think them exceptional. Though that said I'm looking forward to the third with some optimism.

13 comments:

Kelly said...

Gansters, like spies, are a breed I normally prefer in film form... so I'm not sure if these really appeal to me or not. I really enjoyed both of the memorable moments you shared, though.

Kelly said...

... and that should have been "Gangsters". 🙄

Brian Joseph said...

Really great review. I have not read s lot of gangster books but these sound good. I like the reference to Poe.

nightwingsraven said...

Tracy,
I am not at all sure if I would
appreciate these books. But thank
you for your excellent review.
Raven

Lauren said...

That's good you're curious enough to want to read the third book; hopefully it will be a good one!

-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net

sherry fundin said...

some great covers. makes me want to read them. glad you enjoyed pigeon blood and look forward to your next review.
sherry @ fundinmental

Sophia Rose said...

An old feel... that sounds appealing. Glad you were able to root for them even if you felt no personal connection.

bermudaonion said...

I'm not sure these are for me but they must be pretty good if you're interested in the third one.

Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer said...

You've got me curious. What a shame the second book wasn't as strong.

Literary Feline said...

I do not read a lot of gangster books, but these do sound interesting. I am glad you liked them, Tracy. That is always a good sign!

Felicity Grace Terry said...

Thank you all for your comments.

Yes, Sherry I thought the covers interesting. Fairly simple on the face of it but looked at a bit closer and they really spoke to me.

Can I just clarify I actually thought the second book the stronger of the two despite the graphic start. I'm hopeful the third will be even better.

Suko said...

Tracy, I hope the third book is the best one yet for you. I don't read many (any?) gangster stories but these sound worthwhile. Terrific review!

carol said...

I'm not much for gritty these days, but I love the covers.