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MARRY, BANG, KILL
For a guy who mugs people for their laptops, Tommy Marlo isn't such a bad guy. He can't help trying to make the people he meets -- even those he mugs -- feel better about their situation. Unfortunately for Tommy, he rips off the daughter of a psychotic, high-ranking member of a notorious motorcycle gang. Even worse, the laptop that he pilfered contains proof of a few gruesome murders and the location of a huge stash of money. Flat broke and marked for death, his only shot at surviving is to rob the motorcycle gang, use the cash to get out of town, and hide out on the small island where his mother now lives.
What follows is a revisionist crime thriller, a page-turning hybrid of literary and genre fiction for fans of Elmore Leonard or Patrick deWitt. But Battershill writes with a voice all his own. Deftly combining crackling dialogue with biting wit, MARRY, BANG, KILL hums with the thrill of chaos as Tommy runs to a quiet island to escape a swelling cast of characters who are trying to arrest, rob, kill, or save him. The island won't be quiet for long.
What follows is a revisionist crime thriller, a page-turning hybrid of literary and genre fiction for fans of Elmore Leonard or Patrick deWitt. But Battershill writes with a voice all his own. Deftly combining crackling dialogue with biting wit, MARRY, BANG, KILL hums with the thrill of chaos as Tommy runs to a quiet island to escape a swelling cast of characters who are trying to arrest, rob, kill, or save him. The island won't be quiet for long.
324 pages, Paperback
First published March 6, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 7, 2018
They were playing a get-to-know-you game.
“Marry, bang, kill: a tree, the word free, the number three.”
She responded almost before he was finished with the last vowel.
I loved Andrew Battershill's first novel, Pillow – its surrealistic violence, evocative metaphors, and engaging language – and was delighted to see that he had written another book; was delighted that it was apparently another violent crime story. But while Marry, Bang, Kill does revisit the same sort of criminal underworld as Battershill's first effort, it does so in much more straightforward language. I appreciate that Pillow probably appealed to a very niche audience, appreciate that Battershill was probably trying to find a wider audience with this book, but my own tastes lie within the niche and this read seemed fairly ordinary to me. I'd still happily pick up anything Battershill comes out with next.
As Marry, Bang, Kill begins, we meet Tommy Marlo: a mugger with a conscience; someone who relieves people of their laptops with a hunting knife held to their throats, but also someone who needs to take off his strong prescription glasses first so he can't see his victims' faces and their fear. When Tommy discovers that the latest laptop he has jacked belongs to the leader of the country's most violent motorcycle gang, he eventually decides to leave Vancouver and hide out on one of the nearby Gulf Islands. Perspective shifts between five main characters' points-of-view, and as their stories intersect, there's an inevitability to how the plot unfolds; as though everyone's fates were sealed the moment Tommy chose this one laptop to steal. This feeling of inevitability – of not quite being in control of one's own fate – is repeated throughout the story, starting with Tommy's own thoughts:
Tommy didn't know exactly how making a life-changing decision felt. Like everyone else, Tommy had made such decisions every second he'd been awake as an adult. Like everyone else, Tommy's life was nothing more than a careless, arbitrary stream of mortal micro-choices. Regardless, Tommy would afterwards remember ripping off the club not as a choice at all but rather as a series of stunning realizations, a short, slick conveyor belt of epiphany.
Greta is a stone cold hitman that the bikers send after Tommy:
If she needed someone dead, she killed them. Ever since Karen had showed her the ropes and referred her to Sergei and she'd shot that defenceless teen who'd ratted to the cops, Greta had stopped knowing or caring about struggle. There was no struggle, just different stages of a plan, spiderwebs of coincidence branching off life's neat flow chart.
Glass Jar is Quadra Island's local meth cook, smalltime criminal, and loose associate of the gang:
He did it in the same way he did many things, thoughtlessly and fully assured, something unspoken and unspeakable pulling his head along, the rest of him only following. If at the end of the trip he'd ended up helping her take out the garbage and making best friends, or killed her and stolen her jewellery and microwave, he would have felt equally that it wasn't what he'd been planning to do.
Mike is a rookie RCMP member, wanting to make a name for himself on this small spit of rainforest where nothing much happens:
Mike drove home barefoot but proud of himself, proud of the chances he was starting to take, the things he was starting to realize. He was giving in to the fluidity of the situation, and he was doing all he could: taking away a little bit of ground at a time.
But while all of these characters seem to be drifting towards their destinies, Mousey is a retired (dirty) Chicago detective whose life experience gives him a larger perspective; he can see (and set) the chess pieces in motion:
Mousey enjoyed the familiar, cracky-paranoid buzz of thinking, of focusing wholly on just the facts that came from short, terrifying seconds, the facts that came from quick decisions that nobody really felt they'd made.
Late in the story, Tommy realises, “Most of the things that had ever happened to, or near, or because of him had been, at least at some point, pure coincidences.” To get to this point, Battershill moves an engaging plot through interesting intersections – no “coincidence” felt like a cheat – and along the way, there are some dark laughs and some lovely nature writing about Quadra Island; I was never bored. If I thought that Pillow had a Pulp Fiction vibe, Marry, Bang, Kill is more Get Shorty: a good story, but not extraordinary.
May 13, 2018
Definitely a different type of crime thriller. If Hunter S. Thompson were to write a crime novel (which he cannot since he is deceased), this would be it, complete with over the top drug usage, low lives, a female hitman and philosophical ramblings. A refreshing change of pace, and one worth putting on your to-be-read list for 2018.
November 16, 2021
While not quite as good as his debut novel, "Pillow", "Marry, Bang, Kill" is a very good book the whole bittersweet time you read it.
Pretty much everyone but Greta gets their comeuppance, but even her ending is vague enough to know it isn't good.
I have no idea if Battershill plans on making more novels, but as I've now read both of his existing books, I would love to read more. His writing is always so flowing, and his characters actually felt like real, flawed, shitty and caring people.
Pretty much everyone but Greta gets their comeuppance, but even her ending is vague enough to know it isn't good.
I have no idea if Battershill plans on making more novels, but as I've now read both of his existing books, I would love to read more. His writing is always so flowing, and his characters actually felt like real, flawed, shitty and caring people.
May 7, 2019
Marry, Bang, Kill follows Alan Mouse––Mousey to his “friends”––a retired cop living on Quadra Island, a quiet place just off the coast of Vancouver Island. When he crosses paths with Tommy Marlo, a small time mugger who stole a laptop loaded with incriminating photos along with a hundred grand from a dangerous biker gang, he decides to help Tommy escape probable torture and dismemberment. With a cast of shady characters hot on Tommy’s trail––an ambitious rogue cop, a dangerous contract killer, a sadistic biker, and even Mousey’s drug dealer looking to score a piece of the action––Mousey knows full well the risk, but hopes that doing this can help redeem him for all the terrible things he did in his former life in Chicago.
Now, had you read any other synopsis of Marry, Bang, Kill before this one, you probably would be led to believe that Tommy’s the main character, and that most of the story centres around him trying to find a way to steal from the biker gang that’s out to kill him. But that honestly gets wrapped up almost immediately, and Tommy then disappears from the pages for several chapters to make way for the actual story that apparently didn’t deserve a mention. And I’ve gone on and on and on about how crucial it is to get this right so you don’t set readers up for unreasonable expectations. Similarly, reading about this being described as a “revisionist crime thriller,” I was hopeful that I would be in for a gritty, atmospheric treat along the lines of Andrew Sullivan or Kevin Hardcastle with their contemporary noir, but found myself again disappointed when Battershill’s writing put me more in mind of Terry Fallis or Andy Weir with his general goofiness and lack of subtlety. (I mean, it could have been worse. I could have been anticipating something akin to Patrick de Witt as it promised on the back of my copy.)
But I get the feeling that this type of thing was part of the end goal, that Marry, Bang, Kill is largely an exercise of subverting reader expectations, whether it comes to something enjoyable or not by the end. Battershill doesn’t always describe people the first time we meet them, occasionally completely ruining immersion when he finally does so by throwing something jarring in there, like suddenly letting us know that Tommy was black though I previously saw him in my mind as some scummy white guy. As well, some things that feel done for the sake of uniqueness hurt the perceived realism, chief of which being the main antagonist, the contract killer, being portrayed almost like a basic bitch––something I didn’t buy a hardened killer being. Top it off with that same character treating us to girly talk with her girly friend at a time when we should be approaching an exciting climax, and I’m left with the impression that an author doing something different doesn’t necessarily equate with better.
So, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Marry, Bang, Kill, but perhaps it’s better if you come at it with more reasonable expectations––or happen to be fans of Terry Fallis or Andy Weir.
Now, had you read any other synopsis of Marry, Bang, Kill before this one, you probably would be led to believe that Tommy’s the main character, and that most of the story centres around him trying to find a way to steal from the biker gang that’s out to kill him. But that honestly gets wrapped up almost immediately, and Tommy then disappears from the pages for several chapters to make way for the actual story that apparently didn’t deserve a mention. And I’ve gone on and on and on about how crucial it is to get this right so you don’t set readers up for unreasonable expectations. Similarly, reading about this being described as a “revisionist crime thriller,” I was hopeful that I would be in for a gritty, atmospheric treat along the lines of Andrew Sullivan or Kevin Hardcastle with their contemporary noir, but found myself again disappointed when Battershill’s writing put me more in mind of Terry Fallis or Andy Weir with his general goofiness and lack of subtlety. (I mean, it could have been worse. I could have been anticipating something akin to Patrick de Witt as it promised on the back of my copy.)
But I get the feeling that this type of thing was part of the end goal, that Marry, Bang, Kill is largely an exercise of subverting reader expectations, whether it comes to something enjoyable or not by the end. Battershill doesn’t always describe people the first time we meet them, occasionally completely ruining immersion when he finally does so by throwing something jarring in there, like suddenly letting us know that Tommy was black though I previously saw him in my mind as some scummy white guy. As well, some things that feel done for the sake of uniqueness hurt the perceived realism, chief of which being the main antagonist, the contract killer, being portrayed almost like a basic bitch––something I didn’t buy a hardened killer being. Top it off with that same character treating us to girly talk with her girly friend at a time when we should be approaching an exciting climax, and I’m left with the impression that an author doing something different doesn’t necessarily equate with better.
So, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Marry, Bang, Kill, but perhaps it’s better if you come at it with more reasonable expectations––or happen to be fans of Terry Fallis or Andy Weir.
March 20, 2018
If you liked We'll All Be Burnt in Our Beds Some Night, you’ll like Marry, Bang, Kill. And it will be easier to read. ;) Rough, crude, and containing some of the most unique lines of dialogue I have read in a long time. I remember after Margaret Atwood wrote Scribbler Moon, she said that in 100 years people will need “a paleo-anthropologist to translate some of it for them” due to how much language changes. Andrew Battershill locks into today’s idiolects and capitalizes on them, making it fun and current and loud in so many good ways. I love being able to read a book and know exactly who to recommend it to. I have a few friends who will really enjoy this mafia-esque sophomoric work from an exciting young Canadian writer.
One little scrutiny… there is a circle on the front cover, suspiciously big enough for a sticker of literary awards recognition. What a perfect coincidence should this book receive accolades… ANYWAY, I roll my eyes at this if the thinking behind the design is indeed what I imagine it is. I hope it gets a sticker there! (I think it is supposed to be a "bullet hole")
One little scrutiny… there is a circle on the front cover, suspiciously big enough for a sticker of literary awards recognition. What a perfect coincidence should this book receive accolades… ANYWAY, I roll my eyes at this if the thinking behind the design is indeed what I imagine it is. I hope it gets a sticker there! (I think it is supposed to be a "bullet hole")
February 5, 2018
Hilarious, Humane, totally neurotic novel by a young Vancouver Literary rockstar in my eyes. He writes with such skill that you would honestly think it’s his 10th novel. It’s Elmore Leonard meets Patrick DeWitt style of visualizing. Thrills and chaotic chills with powerful immersive storytelling.
June 12, 2023
Jazz- Bit strange, but decent
“Marry, Bang, Kill” by Andrew Battershill details the consequences that pursue Tommy Marlo after he steals a laptop from the daughter of the head of a big-time motorcycle gang in British Columbia. After using the laptop to take more from the gang and realizing he’s in quite a lot of danger, he runs away to Quadra Island, off the coast of British Columbia, to visit his mom before trying his luck living further north. Unbeknownst to him, he is followed.
This is a book that shows multiple viewpoints. Tommy, our titular protagonist, doesn't actually make up a large portion of the book's perspective. Other important characters we see through the eyes of are Mouse, a retired corrupt cop, Mike, a rather dense cop, Glass Jar, Mouse’s drug dealer and fervent hater of hit show Breaking Bad, and Greta, the hitman hired by the motorcycle gang to hunt Tommy down. The use of multiple perspectives is something that may need to be carefully written; though the reader would get to see the thoughts of several people rather than one, they therefore might not be as invested in their lives. With hostility between some of the characters as a plot point, however, that feels slightly more intentional.
The main strength of this book would likely involve the aforementioned characters. Their motivations and thought processes are consistent and work with their personalities, and it is their relationships with each other that the book seems to invest in the most. Their dialogue is sometimes a bit strange— quite random and involving topics that often don’t have much to do with anything— but though that is a departure from other books, perhaps that is closer in tone to conversations in real life. If not, it could also be explained by the fact that half of the characters are probably on drugs at all times.
The main weakness, I feel, would be that the plot leaves a few things left unfinished. At the end of the book, there are several unresolved issues (skip the parentheses if you want to avoid spoilers, but as an example, the motorcycle gang threatened to shoot up the island if Tommy wasn’t returned within a certain timeframe, which was then not elaborated on at the end). Though some stories work well when left open-ended, it is tricky to do so in a way that won’t be just a bit unsatisfying. It is also somewhat chaotic and random in general, which I suppose could be a positive for some readers and a negative for others depending on what they want out of a story. Additionally, the beginning is rather slow, which might discourage possible readers.
All in all, with alright character consistency but a moderately uncertain plot, I rate “Marry, Bang, Kill” with 3 out of 5 stars.
I recommend this book.
“Marry, Bang, Kill” by Andrew Battershill details the consequences that pursue Tommy Marlo after he steals a laptop from the daughter of the head of a big-time motorcycle gang in British Columbia. After using the laptop to take more from the gang and realizing he’s in quite a lot of danger, he runs away to Quadra Island, off the coast of British Columbia, to visit his mom before trying his luck living further north. Unbeknownst to him, he is followed.
This is a book that shows multiple viewpoints. Tommy, our titular protagonist, doesn't actually make up a large portion of the book's perspective. Other important characters we see through the eyes of are Mouse, a retired corrupt cop, Mike, a rather dense cop, Glass Jar, Mouse’s drug dealer and fervent hater of hit show Breaking Bad, and Greta, the hitman hired by the motorcycle gang to hunt Tommy down. The use of multiple perspectives is something that may need to be carefully written; though the reader would get to see the thoughts of several people rather than one, they therefore might not be as invested in their lives. With hostility between some of the characters as a plot point, however, that feels slightly more intentional.
The main strength of this book would likely involve the aforementioned characters. Their motivations and thought processes are consistent and work with their personalities, and it is their relationships with each other that the book seems to invest in the most. Their dialogue is sometimes a bit strange— quite random and involving topics that often don’t have much to do with anything— but though that is a departure from other books, perhaps that is closer in tone to conversations in real life. If not, it could also be explained by the fact that half of the characters are probably on drugs at all times.
The main weakness, I feel, would be that the plot leaves a few things left unfinished. At the end of the book, there are several unresolved issues (skip the parentheses if you want to avoid spoilers, but as an example, the motorcycle gang threatened to shoot up the island if Tommy wasn’t returned within a certain timeframe, which was then not elaborated on at the end). Though some stories work well when left open-ended, it is tricky to do so in a way that won’t be just a bit unsatisfying. It is also somewhat chaotic and random in general, which I suppose could be a positive for some readers and a negative for others depending on what they want out of a story. Additionally, the beginning is rather slow, which might discourage possible readers.
All in all, with alright character consistency but a moderately uncertain plot, I rate “Marry, Bang, Kill” with 3 out of 5 stars.
I recommend this book.
October 31, 2018
Mousey is just trying to live in his glass house on B.C.'s Quadra Island and not throw stones. But the retired corrupt cop is a magnet for trouble in this Canuck Noir second novel by Andrew Battershill, whose debut Pillow I very much enjoyed. Marry, Bang, Kill takes on multiple POVs as it relates the story of the various inhabitants of the secluded rainforest covered isle when big time crime comes to town. A great, fun read that takes hard boiled themes and tropes into the the 21st century. Plus there's a scene that's either an allusion to one of the greatest wilderness themed Canadian novels ever or a reference to a toilet paper commercial, I'm not sure.
July 9, 2023
'Mousey finally looked up from the money. He pointed at her. "What’s your favourite dinosaur?"
Grace smiled. "Just when I’m ready to treat you like the asshole you is, you pull me back."'
'As often happens when everyone has many important and sad and useful and loving things to say, Mousey, Grace, and Tommy rode in complete silence to the mouth of the Heriot Ridge hiking trail.'
Grace smiled. "Just when I’m ready to treat you like the asshole you is, you pull me back."'
'As often happens when everyone has many important and sad and useful and loving things to say, Mousey, Grace, and Tommy rode in complete silence to the mouth of the Heriot Ridge hiking trail.'
June 14, 2021
I enjoyed the hell out of this book.
I could not help but visualize it using The Beachcomber's colour pallet (and secretly think that the unnamed boat was really the Persephone).
Well plotted, interestingly broken characters and a whirlwind of a plot.
I could not help but visualize it using The Beachcomber's colour pallet (and secretly think that the unnamed boat was really the Persephone).
Well plotted, interestingly broken characters and a whirlwind of a plot.
February 26, 2022
Fun murder for hire book that ends a bit too ambiguously. I get the gist of it but I like things to be wrapped up without wondering. Also, I never want to get rabies.
2022 reading challenge-a book related to a game(marry, bang, kill)
2022 reading challenge-a book related to a game(marry, bang, kill)
May 25, 2024
A fun book to read if you are a fan of Guy Ritchie movies. Like his classic movies, this book has characters who you will root for even when they aren't following the law. The ending felt unfinished but overall I enjoyed the story immensely. A good piece of Canadian fiction worth checking out.
June 14, 2018
It started out so strong and had some amazing imagery, humour and turns of phrase to explain situations. Unfortunately, when the narratives started to interconnect, the plot and suspense weakened.
March 31, 2019
Enjoyable read. The ending is abrupt.
April 5, 2019
A fun read with Cdn places instead of the usual.
May 9, 2019
Read a few chapters but couldn't get into it. Decided it wasn't worth my while
May 18, 2019
Quirky, strange, and really quite fun. An unusual crime caper set in Victoria and Quadra Island, BC.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews