Brutal & brilliant
SETH by JB Morris is the ultimate in hard-boiled crime fiction, for a number of reasons.
Firstly, there's the eponymous protagonist himself, Seth. If you're going to name your book after one of its characters, you've got to make sure said character is worthy of the honour. Thankfully, the hero of this story doesn't let us down. Seth is a living, breathing, law-enforcement machine. Due to his decorated military past, he has the edge over all but the most capable of his enemies. It would be easy to turn such a man into a walking cliché, the sort we've seen a million times before. However, Seth has a heart. He doesn't drop his guard for many, but he is more human than most action heroes, and his characterisation is inspired.
Secondly, I loved the author's writing style. Sentences are short, fired at us like bullets from Seth's gun. The vocabulary is spare yet functional - it gets the job done with minimum fuss. There are no wasted words, and this gives the narrative power. Dialogue is punchy and has a realness seldom found in debut novels. Every page crackles with energy and urgency, as if violence could erupt at any moment.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is the story itself. Style and characters are crucial, but without a winning plot, a novel will fail. That's decidedly not the case with SETH. Morris paces the narrative superbly, introducing ingenious twists and turns at just the right time.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys gritty, gripping fiction.