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Torment
Expecting to hold onto her was like trying to keep water in the palm of your hand.
In the guise of a tough, noir detective novel, TORMENT, the sixth in Brett Wallach's Phil Allman, P.I. series, is actually a poetic, romantic elegy on obsessive love. The street-smart humor, and colorful cast of characters that have been staples of the series remain, but the sad cloud of unrequited love hangs over everything.
Philadelphia Detective Allman's ex-wife, the young and beautiful Marci Downes, has been murdered, and Phil is arrested for the crime, and is under suspicion for killing several others who got close to her. Phil's depression over losing Marci, and its resulting memory lapses, have Phil doubting his own innocence. The mystery will keep you guessing until the very end.
In the guise of a tough, noir detective novel, TORMENT, the sixth in Brett Wallach's Phil Allman, P.I. series, is actually a poetic, romantic elegy on obsessive love. The street-smart humor, and colorful cast of characters that have been staples of the series remain, but the sad cloud of unrequited love hangs over everything.
Philadelphia Detective Allman's ex-wife, the young and beautiful Marci Downes, has been murdered, and Phil is arrested for the crime, and is under suspicion for killing several others who got close to her. Phil's depression over losing Marci, and its resulting memory lapses, have Phil doubting his own innocence. The mystery will keep you guessing until the very end.
76 pages, ebook
Published August 24, 2018
About the author
Brett Wallach
18 books18 followersMy name is Brett Wallach, and I'm a father of two daughters from the Philadelphia area. The protagonist in my Phil Allman, P.I. series of mysteries is a misanthropic, sentimental, bitter, funny, romantic, lustful, tough, sometimes amoral, slightly (?) insane divorced father of two daughters from Philadelphia. Any resemblance to myself is highly coincidental. I've tried to create a character who often says and does the wrong things, after reading so many books in this genre where the main character, despite quirks, is usually unrealistically virtuous. Think Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver, only funnier. My favorite authors are John Steinbeck, Graham Greene, Raymond Chandler, Elmore Leonard, Dennis Lehane, and many others. I have no delusions that my novels are on that level, but as my reviews (please see them on Goodreads) show, most people seem to find them entertaining. After my former publisher recently went out of business, I decided to self-publish, and my six books (so far) in the series (Jesse Garon, And I Love Her, Young Blood, Freeze Out, Susceptible, and Torment) are all available on Amazon, and candid, objective reviews are always welcome. My seventh book, The Last MAN On Earth, is a sci-fi/social and sexual satire, and I hope you like that as well. My email address is wallachbrett@aol.com, and feedback is welcome.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 4, 2018
Amazing book! From the very start it captivates you. I literally could not stop reading, I HAD to find out how it ends. Another excellently written plot twist! Brett Wallach's books never disappoint!
October 19, 2018
Nice little detective novel, a little suspense throughout the book. Faced with spending life in prison, Phil must save his own innocence by finding the murderer who possibly framed him.
The guy was married to a serious beautiful very young lady. She was murdered and the police believe it was him. He was arrested and now out on bail. He is an investigator and is doing his own investigation trying to find the murderer and clear his name.
So far, he has interviewed a girl that was close to his wife, possibly the girl played around with his wife but he would not know what their relationship was about till later when he was facing his innocence or guilt by the law. As sure as it could happen there are a couple extra murders following the death of his wife, is he the murderer?
An unexpected twist, he meets his nemesis, a pretty high school girl in the gym. She makes his life miserable piling one more deterrent to fight with. Is she up to something? Eventually as fate would have it, when meeting the murderer, he finds who really did it, but he gets the final revenge. This story is written like a narrator is telling the story in a movie from the 1950’s, I picture as if I were watching a movie the way things are worded. I give the writer credit for telling the story as the way life really is today. He highlights what reality is with women, young women and how older men really think, we do not like to admit it but we are just men, we really do think alike, young women are great to look at and better to kiss. A good book for us older guys and all you younger women who are not afraid to admit you like living on the edge.
The guy was married to a serious beautiful very young lady. She was murdered and the police believe it was him. He was arrested and now out on bail. He is an investigator and is doing his own investigation trying to find the murderer and clear his name.
So far, he has interviewed a girl that was close to his wife, possibly the girl played around with his wife but he would not know what their relationship was about till later when he was facing his innocence or guilt by the law. As sure as it could happen there are a couple extra murders following the death of his wife, is he the murderer?
An unexpected twist, he meets his nemesis, a pretty high school girl in the gym. She makes his life miserable piling one more deterrent to fight with. Is she up to something? Eventually as fate would have it, when meeting the murderer, he finds who really did it, but he gets the final revenge. This story is written like a narrator is telling the story in a movie from the 1950’s, I picture as if I were watching a movie the way things are worded. I give the writer credit for telling the story as the way life really is today. He highlights what reality is with women, young women and how older men really think, we do not like to admit it but we are just men, we really do think alike, young women are great to look at and better to kiss. A good book for us older guys and all you younger women who are not afraid to admit you like living on the edge.
October 16, 2018
A HARD-BOILED DETECTIVE GETS CRACKED
Life is simple in the black and white world of private detective Phil Allman. Rock songs are good, bullies are bad, love is right, blackmail is wrong, very young women are attractive, females over thirty not so much. Unfortunately, the steadfast structure of his world collapses when his teen-queen ex-wife Marci Downes turns up dead, and he’s the Philadelphia police department’s primary suspect.
In this sixth book in the Phil Allman series, published in ebook form this year by SynergEbooks (www.synergebooks.com), Allman sets out to rescue himself. He’s no idiot; he hires the best attorney in the region to help, then proceeds to ignore the expert’s advice. He interviews a series of Marci’s close friends, and almost every person in the sequence subsequently is murdered.
Proving you can’t teach an old dog or dick new tricks, Phil takes up with another teen sex kitten to fill his lonely hours. As he approaches a resolution of the mystery, she shows her claws and attempts to blackmail him.
Several quirks in the plot deserve careful review. The first is mention in some places of the protagonist’s confusion about whether he’s blacked out or lost track of reality and somehow is responsible for the killings. The second is the grand finale, which also leaves open the question of just who is the villain in this book. Intriguing ideas for the reader to consider.
In the hard-boiled tradition, brusque, frank and raunchy Allman captures the dilemma of an aging proletariat faced with a problem he can’t solve with fists or phrases. But maybe a gun? Torment presents a view of a portion of the American male population with a hero who can’t quite figure out the rules of the game but somehow manages to win anyway.
Life is simple in the black and white world of private detective Phil Allman. Rock songs are good, bullies are bad, love is right, blackmail is wrong, very young women are attractive, females over thirty not so much. Unfortunately, the steadfast structure of his world collapses when his teen-queen ex-wife Marci Downes turns up dead, and he’s the Philadelphia police department’s primary suspect.
In this sixth book in the Phil Allman series, published in ebook form this year by SynergEbooks (www.synergebooks.com), Allman sets out to rescue himself. He’s no idiot; he hires the best attorney in the region to help, then proceeds to ignore the expert’s advice. He interviews a series of Marci’s close friends, and almost every person in the sequence subsequently is murdered.
Proving you can’t teach an old dog or dick new tricks, Phil takes up with another teen sex kitten to fill his lonely hours. As he approaches a resolution of the mystery, she shows her claws and attempts to blackmail him.
Several quirks in the plot deserve careful review. The first is mention in some places of the protagonist’s confusion about whether he’s blacked out or lost track of reality and somehow is responsible for the killings. The second is the grand finale, which also leaves open the question of just who is the villain in this book. Intriguing ideas for the reader to consider.
In the hard-boiled tradition, brusque, frank and raunchy Allman captures the dilemma of an aging proletariat faced with a problem he can’t solve with fists or phrases. But maybe a gun? Torment presents a view of a portion of the American male population with a hero who can’t quite figure out the rules of the game but somehow manages to win anyway.
September 17, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. It was written in a style reminiscent of the crime stories of the 40’s and 50’s. It would make a great screenplay for film noir. The anti-hero is constantly placing himself in problematic situations and the plot thickens with the turn of each page. Offering full disclosure, I was given a complimentary copy of the book. It in no way influenced my review.
August 29, 2018
I found this book very readable and fun. I especially appreciated the references to popular music, which were humorous and added character. The reader has a love/hate relationship with the main character, considering he is of questionable morals. But eventually we buy into the fact that he lives by his own moral compass and start to root for him. I recommend this book for a quick enjoyable read.
January 9, 2019
I think one of the most challenging genres for writing is detective fiction. Writing a good book off this kind means it should be memorable by its plot; therefore it requires a combination of abilities and techniques that not every writer possesses, and because of this, most of the books published are somewhat banal on the plot level. And while I have not been reading detective novels for a long time, a week ago I came across with this book by Brett Wallach.
Now... what can I tell you about this book?
I would begin by saying that if the author had turned to me to edit his book, I would have refused. But not because the book is not good, on the contrary, because this book is just as perfect as it is. It is a detective novel that gives the reader extra excitement that associated with rich characters full of lust and energy and a complex plot regarding its developmental ability. The book takes you to the world of a private detective who has to deal with severe accusations that he deals with at the same time personal loss experienced. Ostensibly, I can think of at least three books that have the same plot and even one more film. But here it is, Brett Wallach with a great talent takes this common thing and turns it into a unique scheme that throws you in every possible direction. You try to guess what will happen next and do not succeed. You are drawn to the plot and can not let go of the reading. It is a unique experience, which, as I mentioned earlier, I have hardly been able to find in books of this kind.
The only thing that bothered me a little about the book (yet is less related to the writer but more to me) is the fact that I read it in English which is not my mother tongue, so I sometimes missed the pearls of the language that is so unique to the writer. On the other hand, I must warn you now - there are words that I understood and felt a bit uncomfortable with (although in the plot they are necessary).
All in all, five stars to this brilliant book.
Now... what can I tell you about this book?
I would begin by saying that if the author had turned to me to edit his book, I would have refused. But not because the book is not good, on the contrary, because this book is just as perfect as it is. It is a detective novel that gives the reader extra excitement that associated with rich characters full of lust and energy and a complex plot regarding its developmental ability. The book takes you to the world of a private detective who has to deal with severe accusations that he deals with at the same time personal loss experienced. Ostensibly, I can think of at least three books that have the same plot and even one more film. But here it is, Brett Wallach with a great talent takes this common thing and turns it into a unique scheme that throws you in every possible direction. You try to guess what will happen next and do not succeed. You are drawn to the plot and can not let go of the reading. It is a unique experience, which, as I mentioned earlier, I have hardly been able to find in books of this kind.
The only thing that bothered me a little about the book (yet is less related to the writer but more to me) is the fact that I read it in English which is not my mother tongue, so I sometimes missed the pearls of the language that is so unique to the writer. On the other hand, I must warn you now - there are words that I understood and felt a bit uncomfortable with (although in the plot they are necessary).
All in all, five stars to this brilliant book.
July 30, 2019
In Torment, author Brett Wallach offers readers the quintessential anti-hero, the sort of damaged, sometimes morally questionable persona that so many readers and viewers of television and film find irresistible. In the spirit of pop culture darlings such as Tony Soprano, Walter White, Nucky Thompson and Marty Byrde, Wallach’s Phil Allman is reminiscent of the archetypal fractured hero all of us love to hate. He is multifaceted, imbued with a complexity that is remarkably real and frighteningly reminiscent of the struggle that so many of us endure in many ways. The true mark of a compelling character resides in the reader’s ability to root for him and a favorable outcome (no spoilers here) despite reviling much of what this individual says and does. The trope of “man falsely accused” is also employed artfully in this well-written, suspenseful tale. This is an enjoyable read.
October 17, 2018
This is the first Philip Allman PI novel that I've read. From the get-go, it's fast paced and the writing is as in-your-face as it can get. Brett Wallach's writing style reminded me of Raymond Chandler's (though I've only read one of the latter's tales: Red Wind).
The plot follows private detective Philip Allman's investigation into his ex-wife, Marci Downes', murder. To a potential reader, the aforementioned description might make the work come across as clichéd. But with polished character development, cleverly-crafted dialogues, and an ever tension-building narrative, Torment is not just another detective novel.
What I liked most was the makeup of our protagonist. He breaks the fourth wall many times in the story and this was an aspect that I haven't encountered before in a piece of literature. The supporting individuals are also creatively-designed such as Dan Lee (an Asian American who struggles to speak American English),the snooty lawyer Norm Simon (who is undoubtedly inspired by Jonnie Cochran, and ironically Cochran's mentioned in the book itself), the naughty English professor Lee Cohen, and others. This story is more character-orientated than drama-driven, although there is no shortage of drama in it.
What was most refreshing about Torment was its hardboiled take on the detective genre. Due to the modernity of the 21st century, a majority of the latest entries in crime fiction are relying on technology to move their plots forward. But not here as there's a lot of old-school beat-'em-ups, classic investigative techniques, offensive verbal exchanges, etc. As I mentioned before, Wallach's mode of expression will lead you to reminiscing the golden days of crime fiction where the respective tales featured antiheroic sleuths.
However, this yarn is not without its flaws. The whodunit factor is ultra-predictable as I found out the identity of the killer before the narrative reached its midpoint. Also, Philip Allman's first-person perspective got on my nerves a lot as he seemed to repeat his thoughts until the point that his reasoning became tedious to read about. There were also some plotholes but the overall quality of the storytelling outweighed its demerits.
All in all, Torment is a must-read for thriller enthusiasts, though it might not please fans of other genres due to its by-the-numbers structure. I'm looking forward to reading other installments in this series.
You can read a copy of this review here: http://literaryretreat.com/torment-20...
The plot follows private detective Philip Allman's investigation into his ex-wife, Marci Downes', murder. To a potential reader, the aforementioned description might make the work come across as clichéd. But with polished character development, cleverly-crafted dialogues, and an ever tension-building narrative, Torment is not just another detective novel.
What I liked most was the makeup of our protagonist. He breaks the fourth wall many times in the story and this was an aspect that I haven't encountered before in a piece of literature. The supporting individuals are also creatively-designed such as Dan Lee (an Asian American who struggles to speak American English),the snooty lawyer Norm Simon (who is undoubtedly inspired by Jonnie Cochran, and ironically Cochran's mentioned in the book itself), the naughty English professor Lee Cohen, and others. This story is more character-orientated than drama-driven, although there is no shortage of drama in it.
What was most refreshing about Torment was its hardboiled take on the detective genre. Due to the modernity of the 21st century, a majority of the latest entries in crime fiction are relying on technology to move their plots forward. But not here as there's a lot of old-school beat-'em-ups, classic investigative techniques, offensive verbal exchanges, etc. As I mentioned before, Wallach's mode of expression will lead you to reminiscing the golden days of crime fiction where the respective tales featured antiheroic sleuths.
However, this yarn is not without its flaws. The whodunit factor is ultra-predictable as I found out the identity of the killer before the narrative reached its midpoint. Also, Philip Allman's first-person perspective got on my nerves a lot as he seemed to repeat his thoughts until the point that his reasoning became tedious to read about. There were also some plotholes but the overall quality of the storytelling outweighed its demerits.
All in all, Torment is a must-read for thriller enthusiasts, though it might not please fans of other genres due to its by-the-numbers structure. I'm looking forward to reading other installments in this series.
You can read a copy of this review here: http://literaryretreat.com/torment-20...
November 30, 2018
They Don't Make Anti-Heroes like Phil Allman anymore.
PI Phil Allman reminds me of anti-heroes of yesteryear like Dirty Harry or Rick from Casablanca.
In today's PC culture, Allman is truly a "Neanderthal" just as author Brett Wallach describes him in the novel. This is what makes TORMENT such a fun book to read. In some ways, this reminds me of the perfect film noir like Double Indemnity, The Maltese Falcon or Body Heat. There is a classic femme fatale character who is not to be trusted.
There is a strong element of the innocent man falsely accused who must prove to a corrupt society
that he is innocent of murder. A tall order when no one can be trusted and no one believes you.
The author has chosen the perfect point of view for the narrator for a hard-boiled detective tale.
Filled with lies, suspense, criminals and law enforcement wearing the same faces and a desperate struggle against time, Detective Allman has his hands full.
Fortunately, this is the kind of character who bends the rules to strike back when everyone is
coming at him from all sides.
You don't blindside a guy like Phil Allman because they don't make them like him anymore.
PI Phil Allman reminds me of anti-heroes of yesteryear like Dirty Harry or Rick from Casablanca.
In today's PC culture, Allman is truly a "Neanderthal" just as author Brett Wallach describes him in the novel. This is what makes TORMENT such a fun book to read. In some ways, this reminds me of the perfect film noir like Double Indemnity, The Maltese Falcon or Body Heat. There is a classic femme fatale character who is not to be trusted.
There is a strong element of the innocent man falsely accused who must prove to a corrupt society
that he is innocent of murder. A tall order when no one can be trusted and no one believes you.
The author has chosen the perfect point of view for the narrator for a hard-boiled detective tale.
Filled with lies, suspense, criminals and law enforcement wearing the same faces and a desperate struggle against time, Detective Allman has his hands full.
Fortunately, this is the kind of character who bends the rules to strike back when everyone is
coming at him from all sides.
You don't blindside a guy like Phil Allman because they don't make them like him anymore.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews