Book Review: Gun Monkeys

Reviewed By: Dusty Rhoades - RAM

Gun Monkeys     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Victor Gischler
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Hard Boiled   Noir

You just can't get good help these days, even when the job is
something simple like whacking a midlevel hood named Rollo Kramer.
Given his druthers, chief gun monkey Charlie Swift would never have
picked the inept Blade Sanchez to accompany him on the job. But
Charlie's boss Stan told Charlie to take Blade along as a favor to
Miami crimeboss Beggar Johnson, and since Charlie owes Stan for
"every nickel hidden in [Charlie's safe deposit box", Charlie
doesn't see that he has much of a choice.

So begins "Gun Monkeys", Victor Gischler's instant noir classic from Uglytown Press. Charlie's day starts off bad and gets steadily worse as someone decides to make a move on the aging Stan's territory, a business decision that involves whacking most of Charlie's crew. The only bright spot in the day is Charlie's budding relationship with Rollo's widow Marcie. The widow Kramer is a tough, foxy redhead with an eye for Charlie and a talent for taxidermy. The latter trait has the fortunate effect of making her less squeamish around dead bodies, which is a good thing, considering.

Charlie's attempts to find out what happened to Stan, even the score, and incidentally take care of his Mom and his kid brother, make for a great read. If you're a fan of the dark humor of "The Sopranos" or the tough talk of Richard Stark's "Parker" books, you'll love "Gun Monkeys."

Dusty Rhoades - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Dusty Rhoades - RAM