What do you think?
Rate this book
The Subtle Art of Brutality
The girl has gone missing. Again. But this time people are trying to kill her. Trying to burn down everything she has touched or left behind. The girl’s surrogate father feels responsible and to assuage his guilt, he hires Richard Dean Buckner, former Saint Ansgar homicide detective turned private eye to ferret her out.
Buckner was doing fine as a bare-knuckles detective for the PD until he was rendered “unserviceable” by a hit attempt. Early retirement doesn’t sit well with that type of man, half predator and half savior.
He takes the case, and from two ex-boyfriends who ruined their lives for the girl, her rapist dad, drug dealers she burned for thousands, an uncomfortable meeting at the local Incest Survivors group to whoever is setting fire to her life, Buckner is going to need all his guts, instinct and .44 Magnum to finish the job.
Because in Saint Ansgar, what doesn’t kill you only makes you wish it did.
*** Praise for The Subtle Art of Brutality ***
“Richard Dean Buckner is just the hero for our modern world: a righteous killer who can step outside convention and right the wrongs; and Sayles is just the writer to drive his story. This is how I like my fiction: unrelenting prose and kick-ass justice.”
—Joe Clifford, author of Lamentation
“The brutality is in the prose. Course and violent, Sayles writes like he is seeking vengeance against the world. It’s 21st century noir. Mickey Spillane on meth.”
—Tom Pitts, author of Knuckleball
“As subtle as brass knuckles to the face. Buckner is a classic and Sayles is one to watch.”
—Eric Beetner, author of Rumrunners and The Year I Died Seven Times
“…Richard Dean Buckner left me wanting more. He is a breath of fresh air in an antiques shop. A biker in a museum. A chaotic, reckless anomaly. You know I’m enjoying something when I deliberately slow down my reading pace to enjoy the novel longer. The Subtle Art of Brutality is a ridiculously strong first novel, starting the new darling of the P.I novels legacy.”
—Benoit Lelievre, blogger and reviewer at Dead End Follies
“Gut twisting detective fiction done the way it is supposed to be done. RDB makes Dirty Harry seem a little soft.”
—Todd Morr, author of Jesus Saves, Satan Invests
“The Subtle Art of Brutality is a nut busting slice of noir. All of the required hard-boiled elements are present and accounted for…”
—Chris Leek, author of Gospel of the Bulley
“The Subtle Art of Brutality is a testosterone-and-meth cocktail, a relentless blast of tough guy intensity. 21st-century hardboiled.”
—Warren Moore, author of Broken Glass Waltzes
Buckner was doing fine as a bare-knuckles detective for the PD until he was rendered “unserviceable” by a hit attempt. Early retirement doesn’t sit well with that type of man, half predator and half savior.
He takes the case, and from two ex-boyfriends who ruined their lives for the girl, her rapist dad, drug dealers she burned for thousands, an uncomfortable meeting at the local Incest Survivors group to whoever is setting fire to her life, Buckner is going to need all his guts, instinct and .44 Magnum to finish the job.
Because in Saint Ansgar, what doesn’t kill you only makes you wish it did.
*** Praise for The Subtle Art of Brutality ***
“Richard Dean Buckner is just the hero for our modern world: a righteous killer who can step outside convention and right the wrongs; and Sayles is just the writer to drive his story. This is how I like my fiction: unrelenting prose and kick-ass justice.”
—Joe Clifford, author of Lamentation
“The brutality is in the prose. Course and violent, Sayles writes like he is seeking vengeance against the world. It’s 21st century noir. Mickey Spillane on meth.”
—Tom Pitts, author of Knuckleball
“As subtle as brass knuckles to the face. Buckner is a classic and Sayles is one to watch.”
—Eric Beetner, author of Rumrunners and The Year I Died Seven Times
“…Richard Dean Buckner left me wanting more. He is a breath of fresh air in an antiques shop. A biker in a museum. A chaotic, reckless anomaly. You know I’m enjoying something when I deliberately slow down my reading pace to enjoy the novel longer. The Subtle Art of Brutality is a ridiculously strong first novel, starting the new darling of the P.I novels legacy.”
—Benoit Lelievre, blogger and reviewer at Dead End Follies
“Gut twisting detective fiction done the way it is supposed to be done. RDB makes Dirty Harry seem a little soft.”
—Todd Morr, author of Jesus Saves, Satan Invests
“The Subtle Art of Brutality is a nut busting slice of noir. All of the required hard-boiled elements are present and accounted for…”
—Chris Leek, author of Gospel of the Bulley
“The Subtle Art of Brutality is a testosterone-and-meth cocktail, a relentless blast of tough guy intensity. 21st-century hardboiled.”
—Warren Moore, author of Broken Glass Waltzes
398 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 28, 2012
10 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Read
September 18, 2014THE SUBTLE ART OF BRUTALITY reads a bit like Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder meets Richard Stark's (Donald Westlake's) Parker, with a dash of the literary stylings of Will Christopher Baer (KISS ME, JUDAS) tossed in for good measure. (I sensed the Baer influence early on, and Sayles confirmed it in his Afterword.) All of which is a good thing indeed for this reader, and I enjoyed this debut novel quite a bit--the story moved quickly; the characters (especially the protagonist) were well-sketched and "archetypal" without being cliche; and there were some nice surprises along the way. (The surprises included details such as the fictional large city of St. Ansgar and an illegal hallucinogenic drug, which gave the story a very slight science fiction feel; I'm not sure why that made the story better, but it did, perhaps a bit like what Michael Chabon was doing in THE YIDDISH POLICEMAN'S UNION.)
Unfortunately, what this small press novel also demonstrated was how important a good editor can be. There were distracting typos on nearly every page, and the prose could have used a good polishing. The style is quite energetic, with a strong voice (that really carries the day), but the book reads a little like a draft manuscript. I believe it would also have benefitted from being about 50 pages shorter--the conclusion takes too long to unfold.
That said, THE SUBTLE ART a great, stylish hardboiled read (another good comparison might be Dan Simmons' "Kurtz" series, also a great homage to Stark's Parker that manages to be more than just homage), and I think a major publisher could do a lot worse than scooping this one up and getting it to a broader audience.
Unfortunately, what this small press novel also demonstrated was how important a good editor can be. There were distracting typos on nearly every page, and the prose could have used a good polishing. The style is quite energetic, with a strong voice (that really carries the day), but the book reads a little like a draft manuscript. I believe it would also have benefitted from being about 50 pages shorter--the conclusion takes too long to unfold.
That said, THE SUBTLE ART a great, stylish hardboiled read (another good comparison might be Dan Simmons' "Kurtz" series, also a great homage to Stark's Parker that manages to be more than just homage), and I think a major publisher could do a lot worse than scooping this one up and getting it to a broader audience.
July 26, 2013
I see Richard Dean Buckner a bit like Matthew Scudder meets Raylan Givens meets Burt Reynolds, if you understand what I mean. He is by far the most interesting character in THE SUBTLE ART OF BRUTALITY, but Ryan Sayles seems to understand thats and coats the narrative in vignettes and memories of Buckner's greatest hits, for our reading pleasure.
While it was another detective-working-a-missing-person's-case story, it was told in a truly original, enthralling voice and featured a complex, byzantine mystery that was great fun to solve. I tip my hat to Mr. Sayles, it was the best novel I've read in a couple of months and I read a lot.
While it was another detective-working-a-missing-person's-case story, it was told in a truly original, enthralling voice and featured a complex, byzantine mystery that was great fun to solve. I tip my hat to Mr. Sayles, it was the best novel I've read in a couple of months and I read a lot.
July 31, 2013
Another winner from Snubnose Press. This was one of the best pieces of Noir I have read in a LONG time. Totally original and unusual. I don't want to say too much other than get it and read it now. The mystery slowly unfolds, and grabs a hold of you and will not let go. It is a long book, but I never wanted it to end. I hope that there will be another book featuring the awesome RDB. Definitely one of the best characters I have come across in all of my reading. Highly recommended.
September 9, 2020
At first it was interesting, however over time the "brutality" of the main character took on a life of its own without being well-connected back into the main narrative. If a very rough and tumble detective story is your goal, then this book fits that need well. My preference would be to pickup another Jack Reacher novel by Lee Childs, as the action or "brutality" ties better back into the main narrative.
March 18, 2018
Great stuff! No PC SJW nonsense, just good old school gritty storytelling. Keep it coming.
July 10, 2019
A real quick read of a down and dirty noir. Loathsome characters and surprising twists throughout.
February 5, 2021
True grit
Gritty and real . . . sometimes uncomfortably so. No-holds-barred doesn’t even begin to describe it. Loved the narrative style.
Gritty and real . . . sometimes uncomfortably so. No-holds-barred doesn’t even begin to describe it. Loved the narrative style.
December 20, 2015
Absolutely loved this book. Surprise ending is always a plus for me. Yes, there was violence. I welcomed it. Nothing like having the perfect protagonist beat the shit out of bad guys for you. I loved the dialogue. The amount of acid in each smartass comeback was perfect. Was Richard Buckner perfect? Hell no. Was he a gentleman? Hell no. I loved him. He was a great guy to get the job done. I highly recommend this novel and I look forward to searching for Ryan Sayles' other short stories. In fact I think there is a second Richard Dean Buckner novel being released soon. So, keep your eye open for this gem.
December 11, 2012
Just finished this book. Highly unusual and very original. The main character isn't exactly likable or unlikeable, just -- very interesting. I've never met anyone like him in real life or in print. He is a man who somehow has the ability to act out on his most extreme violent impulses and come out okay time and time again while also never really doing the wrong thing. Fascinating book. Another highlight is Sayles ability to paint pictures, especially pictures of people and places at their worst. I like that.
December 28, 2013
Brilliant. An absolute stunner of a read -- one of the finest novels I read this year. Would love to read more from thus author, perhaps a sequel!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews