Chris Leek
Independent Reviewer
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Paul D.
Brazill is no stranger to the Gutter and his weekly take on the British crime
scene has become required reading for those who want the latest news on hard-boiled
happenings from this side of the pond. So I thought it was high time we checked
out some of Paul’s own Brit Grit and warmed up the winter with a little Death on a Hot Afternoon.
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This is the
second novelette (that word is really too twee for a noir book) to feature the exploits of
jaded newspaper hack, Luke Case. He first appeared in the Warsaw based, Red Esperanto and if you have read that razor
sharp tale it will come as no surprise to hear that this hard drinking journo is
once again soaked in booze and up to his neck in something seedy.
Having
escaped the snows and gangsters of Poland, Luke is now propping up the
backstreet bars of Madrid and scratching his living from the lower end publications
of the Spanish Press. Luke shares an apartment with another freelancer, Nathan
Jones and its Nathan’s past that is about to catch up with both of them in the seductive shape of mysterious torch singer, Lena.
Death on a
Hot Afternoon is a good old fashioned revenge story with its roots firmly planted in
classic noir. Luke Case could have lived in 1940’s Chicago instead of modern
day Madrid and been equally at home. So could the delectable Lena who is the embodiment
of all things femme fatale, right down to her fuck-me-pumps and red nail
polish.
The sultry heat
of a Spanish summer is vividly captured in a narrative rich with pop culture
and Paul’s wonderfully laid back, laconic style. I could have happily spent more
time in the company of these characters and would have loved something a little
longer, but like I keep telling my wife, size isn’t everything. In my book quality
trumps quantity every time and Death on a
Hot Afternoon has that in spades.
