All Due Respect 2020 by Chris Rhatigan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


An entertaining collection of dark crime fiction with one outstanding story, "49,000 Ways to Die" by Tom Leins (pronounced lines, according to a YouTube clip). It's way over-the-top, outrageous and funny. Check out this lede: "The meaty motherfucker with the leprous complexion is taking his Doberman for a shit on the grass when I hit him." I knew I was in for a wild ride and wasn't disappointed. It's the definitive hardboiled voice I've been searching for.

Honorable mentions to Stephen D. Rogers ("Mad Dog"), Preston Lang ("The Woman from Florence") and Jay Butkowski ("What's One More?").

And, yes, I'm getting more Leins, who has a whole slew of short noirs with tantalizing titles like Skull Meat, Boneyard Dogs, Slug Bait, Spine Farm and The Good Book: Fairy Tales for Hard Men. Can't wait!



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