Thomas Pluck

This one came close to being my book of the year. If you like Elmore Leonard, Ken Bruen, or the like, this one will bring you great pleasure. The plot is both simple and complex. Jay has just been released from prison after 20 plus years for the murder of the town bully when he was 15. Where things get complex is in the backstory and what led to that murder on that fateful day.

True to noir tradition, there's a dame that owns his heart, loyal friends, and bad guys that wish him ill will. He show more must rely on his wits in order to find a way to navigate his way to some semblance of a better life.

If I have a criticism, it's with the editors. Things go on just a little too long and the number of beatings and crimes makes it harder and harder to suspend disbelief. A certain weariness begins to set in. Luckily the crisp writing and a satisfying ending prevent things from sliding into the tank.

I look forward to reading more from Thomas Pluck and you should get on board quickly as well. show less

“Hoods, Hot Rods, And Hellcats” is a superb anthology. Not a clunker in this bunch of stories. The goal of this collection was to cut beneath the fabric of the fifties culture and portray the greasers, hotrodders, skanks, crooks, losers, and twists that were out looking for some excitement. Given the authors in this collection, you would bet that it would be good, but you wouldn’t think it would be this good.This is one of those books that, once you pop it open, you wonder why you let show more it linger on your bookshelf for so long without reading it. Yeah, it’s that good. show less

An entertaining and very readable collection of two fisted tales. A couple of them felt like they might benefit from being stretched out a little, but Pluck is a strong writer who creates wonderfully real characters and there wasn't a story in the collection that I didn't enjoy.

I was looking forward to reading this book of short stories but found it disappointing.
From the first page I could not help but notice that there were a liberal amount of metaphors &
similes scattered throughout the stories. Some were quite good & added flavor to the stories
while others left me wondering. The one I liked best of all was "cinders weaving thru the air like
drunken fireflies."
The stories covered a wide range of subjects,most being action packed with an abundance of
violence. show more Several times I could not understand the terminology or slang used (eg 6 feet under God;
when I offered her the shake; I'd have done the Dutch years ago, to mention just a few) but put that down
to American terminology that suited the characters & the story line.
One story that I could not read, & which I tried several times to read , was "Six Feet Under God." I found
It just did not make any sense to me. Was the main character high on drugs & booze & trying to find out
who killed God ... I just didn't get it.
However on a more positive note, I enjoyed the final story with the unusual name "Kamikaze Death
Burgers at the Ghost Town Cafe." It was a longer story than the others which, I felt, gave time for the
characters & the story line to develop, giving it more substance than some of the previous stories.

All in all, the tales of crime & suspense were not the type of stories that I enjoy but others may. show less