The year is 1975. Kyle Marshall needs a job. The ad said partner wanted, work nights, apply in person. Wolf DeVoon writes about life on life's terms, intimate tales of adventure and passion. The work is addressed to straight male readers in the tradition of Hammett and Chandler. Partners was inspired by the necessity of military and law enforcement bonding. When you have someone's back in combat, your life and his are merged.
This book will stay with you long after its ended The book is told through the eyes and mind of Kyle Marshall. First-person perspective is notoriously difficult to execute well but DeVoon excels at it. The style of narrative is skilfully written to portray the character of Kyle and his evolution as the story progresses. There are echoes of Raymond Chandler’s style in the narrative in the way Kyle describes his actions in a matter-of-fact manner in short sentences with added observations.
The complex psychology of comradeship between men in a time of war is thoroughly explored through a human lens that pulled me in and kept me reading to the bitter end. This ending left me reeling with emotion and stayed with me long after I’d finished the book. I found myself thinking of the characters whilst replaying the events of the book in my mind’s eye.
There are scenes of a sexual nature in this book, along with swearing and innuendo. These aren’t used for mere shock value, though. Instead they add value to the characters’ development and story. For example, the descriptions of Kyle and Karen’s lovemaking evolves from the classic “fade-to-black” to intimate detail the more Kyle allows Karen into his heart.
“Partners” perfectly encapsulates the Wisconsin of 1975. It therefore doesn’t attempt to either apologise for or defend the attitudes, prejudices and social “norms” of the time. Instead, it simply presents them as the back-drop they were without placing too much emphasis upon them or attempting to “white-wash” them. In other words, there feels to be a balanced approach to this aspect of the novel. Therefore, readers shouldn’t feel wary of reading this book simply due to the period in which it’s set.
I absolutely adore Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlow books, and would recommend “Partners” to anyone who relishes hard-boiled of the 1940s & ‘50s and/or gritty thrillers.
Full disclosure. My uncle wrote this book. Still it was a decent plot and kept me reading until the end. As someone who takes pleasure in what could be called classic novels, it's really weird seeing how family experiences get interwoven into an authors world. Anyways pretty good work.