Review: Expletive Deleted

This collection of short crime-fiction is themed around profanity, but could equally be themed upon morality. Many of the stories reminded me of the dark tales from the1950’s EC Comics ‘Shock Suspense Stories’ that I devoured as a youth. The interesting aspect is that we have a mix of award-winning names from the top of the genre blended with some newer, but [on paper], equally powerful names of the future. Sex and morality is the name of the game here; no more so than in the shockingly amusing opener from Laura Lippman ‘A Good ++++ Spoiled’, where a middle-aged man takes up golf to cover up his marital infidelity but finds himself trapped between his wife and mistress. The resolution is as amoral as is its shocking - but very funny with the wit of the gallows. This story could easily have been adapted by William Gaines for EC. Jason Starr’s ‘Lucky Bastard’ follows Lippman’s mould and again a loser finds himself trapped in an extortion racket which has a sweet resolution [behind a corkscrew twist]. Existential angles come >from Ken Bruen’s cautionary tale of love and hate ‘Spit’ as well as the riveting but deeply disturbing ‘Hungarian Lessons’ by Olen Steinhauer. I should warn you that many of the tales, such as Steinhauer’s modern fable are troubling; many contain a cruel streak that shows people at their worst. But hey, this is a crime- fiction collection for ++++’s sake. Base motivations such as sex bring these facets of the human condition to the surface and Jordan’s collection exemplifies the consequences of such raw emotions. This collection is prefaced by an introduction from Mark Billingham who rightly explains that Expletive Deleted - is not for the faint of heart. But I would add that it does contain some gems that are perhaps more literary than one would expect form the collections title, such as Kevin Wignall’s ‘The Preacher’ - a low-key look at the banality of crime between generations of criminals, while John Rickards presents a real contrast with his heart-breaking tale of love and loss in Africa entitled ‘Twenty Dollar Future’. As an editor, Jordan manages to fuse the profane with the sentimental, and in so doing pulls off a remarkably thought- provoking collection that will linger longer in the mind than the expletives that pepper these tales. Highly recommended.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Ali Karim - RAM

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Book Review: Expletive Deleted