Jochem Vandersteen

This is considerably better than the first Vandersteen Noah Milano story I read. A brutal killer has been released from prison after 20 years and hires Milano to protect him in a meeting with the parents of his victim. That scene is very well done. The aftermath, however, is a bit paint by numbers, with Vandersteen doing a few too many obvious insertions of his favorite beer and rock bands. He also doesn't quite have the hardboiled voice down quite pat. But he's learning.

The Death Business is a short novella by Jochem Vandersteen features Noah Milano, security specialist. Back in the day he did some bad things thanks to being raised in a family that was a major player in organized crime, but these days he is trying to do better. His best friend, the stunningly beautiful Minnie, works at the Medical Examiner’s office and she wants and needs Noah's help.

Back in college Minnie had a roommate by the name of Carol Dickinson. They were very close back in the show more day. As often happens, they had pretty much lost touch in recent years. Carol recently died of a heroin overdose in the bathroom stall of a local Hollywood club. While a fellow colleague in the office thinks the death is nothing more than the typical junkie death, Minnie is sure Carol never used drugs and would not have risked her soaring career as an entertainment journalist. When Noah points out as gently as he can that maybe she changed, Minnie explains that even if that were true, she was left handed and would not have shot herself up in the left arm.

While Minnie is absolutely sure it was murder and wants his help, investigation isn't what Noah usually does. He considers himself as a security specialist move along the line of threat assessment and bodyguard type stuff. But, he has been solving murderers as Minnie reminds him and he owes her for more than he can say. Noah would do just about anything for her and pretty sure he is getting the details and considering how to proceed.

Noah undertakes an odyssey through the club scene with occasional forays into his criminal contacts to find out what story Carol was working on and who wanted her dead. She had a reputation for getting the story. As Noah digs into the story she may have been working on it becomes clear that Noah is going to need help and his own fast reflexes to stay alive if he hopes to catch those responsible.

The editor of the very good The Shamus Sampler author Jochem Vandersteen hits all the right notes with his primary character Noah Milano. Reminiscent of classic pulp fiction as numerous others note in the blurbs in the front of the book, the storyline features plenty of babes, broads, guns, violence, and the occasional flash of sarcastic humor. Along the way the truth slowly comes out as Noah works from person to person getting answers often with a great degree of difficulty. A fun read that roars at a fast clip, The Death Business: A Noah Milano Novella is full of rich characters, action, and plenty of clues that lead the reader through a very enjoyable and very complicated case.

The Death Business: A Noah Milano Novella
Jochem Vandersteen
http://www.sonsofspade.blogspot.com
Sons of Spade
ASIN: B00I7QW66U
February 2014
E-Book
74 Pages (estimated)
$2.99

Material supplied by the author in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2014 show less

Mike Dalmas left Special Forces and came back home to spend time with his family. Things didn’t go as planned. These days he works for his father-in-law’s car dealership selling cars. That is when he isn’t doing the occasional black bag job for the Bay City Police Department. Sometimes they need a fixer or troubleshooter to clean up a problem and they have the leverage on Mike Dalmas to get the job done.

One such problem has arisen and Carver has come to the dealership to give him his show more latest assignment. A week ago two officers arrested a known gangbanger. During the arrest things went very badly for one Lex Marcus and his days of being a bad guy are permanently over. The cops thought they had covered up things, but the incident was videotaped. Now somebody wants four hundred thousand dollars or they will release the tape. The cops know who sent the blackmail threat and have traced it back. The cops want Mike Dalmas to visit the blackmailer and get all the copies of the video while making sure this will never be a problem again.

Considering the blackmail the cops are using again Dalmas there is a certain amount of irony in him being tasked to stop their blackmailer. As expected that mission is proves to be far more complicated than anyone involved wanted in Riot: A Mike Dalmas Short Story. A complicated and good tale marred several times by typos and missing words. Part of a series featuring Mike Dalmas, former Special Forces soldier, it is a good tale despite the aforementioned issues.

Riot: A Mike Dalmas Short Story
Jochem Vandersteen
http://www.sonsofspade.blogspot.com
Self-Published
January 2013
ASIN: B00AXDN6OQ
E-Book
$0.99
22 Pages

Purchased using funds in my Amazon Associate Account to read and review.

Kevin R Tipple ©2015
THE TELL (A Mystery Flash Story) http://kingsriverlife.com/08/08/the-tell-mystery-flash-fiction/
Reviews and More http://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/ show less

Howard Pratt would not stand out if you saw him on the street as he is just an average 36 year old guy. An average guy with hair a little too long and a scar at the corner of his mouth. An average guy who twenty some odd years ago killed another 16 year old boy after he tortured him. Pratt went to an adult facility, did his time, and since then has had a clean record.

Noah Milano, son of the most notorious crime boss in Los Angeles, is willing to consider being Pratt’s bodyguard while he is show more in town. That sort of thing is what Noah does these days as a security specialist. Pratt is supposed to meet with Brady’s parents in the office of psychologist Denny Sturgis. The meeting is supposed to help both sides heal at least somewhat, but Pratt knows many would like to see him dead including Brady’s parents, Martha and Frank Resnick. Milano agrees to be there as his bodyguard in in Redemption: A Noah Milano Novelette.

Also part of this e-book is an excerpt from Triage: A Thriller (Shell Series) as well as synopses for several other Noah Milano series books.

A good compact story, the novelette is very focused on the case with little of Milano’s personal life. While the results of the initial set up are predictable, the rest of the read is not as it blends action, detective work, and twists in a page turning story. Action and detective work at a fast pace was also present in The Death Business: A Noah Milano Novella though in that book readers do get a little more of the background of security specialist Noah Milano. Like that book this read is another good one for fans of hardboiled pulp style stories.

Redemption: A Noah Milano Novelette
Jochem Vandersteen
http://sonsofspade.blogspot.com/
Sons Of Spade Publishing
Self-Published
March 2012
ASIN: B007JFYFTG
E-Book
40 Pages
$0.99

Material purchased to read and review by way of funds in my Amazon Associate account.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015 show less