I
recently decided to reread a few books that I have previously enjoyed and see
how they held up to the passage of time. While there have been a few selections
that didn’t hold my attention the second time around, Piggyback by Tom Pitts
not only held up for a second reading, it probable grabbed me even more.
When
Paul trusts a couple of local girls to make a large delivery of pot for him, he
decides to put a little piggyback on the delivery, a shipment of cocaine. This
decision comes back to haunt him when the girls disappear from the grid and
leave Paul in debt to a dangerous drug dealer. With nowhere else to turn, Paul
seeks out Jimmy, a man who can get things done using words or violence. Jimmy
and Paul set out on a quest to find the missing goods in order to keep Paul
alive. But when the drug dealer decides that Jimmy is on the hook for the
missing drugs as well, a mission that started to help a friend, becomes a
journey to save his own life.
Pitts
starts this noirish tale with the pedal to the metal and never lets off the
gas. The story ratchets up the tension when Jimmy and Paul locate the
boyfriends of the missing girls and leverages their lives for clues to the
missing shipment. As the story jumps from narratives, the reader is always
looking for a small fix of the narrative they are leaving.
I
really loved the fact there is not one likable character in the whole mix. At
first I thought Jimmy seemed to be a quality guy who was just helping a friend,
but as the tale progresses, you see glimpses of Jimmy that prove he is a
heartless swine who fits into your classic noir character outline. He isn’t on
this quest in the name of friendship; it’s almost as if he is in this quest for
the thrill of the action and is willing to hurt everyone and anyone who gets in
his way.
Pitts
has a great knack for locating the people within the underbelly of society and
giving them a voice. The characters become alive with motivations, dialogue,
and an energy you can feel. Many people may prefer to look away from the types
of people who live within the world Pitts creates, but Pitts will make his
reader take notice of them.
This
book is a great read and I am really looking forward to Pitts’ upcoming
release, Static. As you join me in awaiting his new release, it would be wise
to stock up on some of his older releases to satisfy the jones for more Pitts.
Highly
Recommended.
Reviewed
by Derrick Horodyski.
