Her Name Is Violence (Hard
Core Noir)
By Matt Madigan
ISBN #978-1491261675
246 Pages
Price $10.37
Rating 5-Stars
“A Tale From The Dark Side!”
Sirens and bells are in the distance and somewhere the
odd gunshot calls out. These are just the familiar sounds of the city. It’s the
mid 1930’s, and the city is dealing with rioters demanding a Right To Work, and
while the police and city authorities are concerned over this disruption, in
the dark side of town more evil takes place behind closed doors that only men
with money can see.
When a rich man comes up missing, his wife calls in
the King Robinson Detective Agency; one of the largest agencies of its kind,
and who only caters to the rich. They will investigate, and keep their findings
between the client and themselves. They will use torture, intimidation, and
illegal incarceration, or whatever means are necessary to discover clues. Their
head detective is Reid Hollow, a veteran Marine from WWI, now closing in on 40,
who may have brought things home with him from the war. He’s their best man,
and the one who gets results. He doesn’t mind torturing, or even killing to get
the information he needs. Perhaps the killing is even a sexual release,
something he experienced back in the war. When he finds the missing man’s car,
with the body of a young girl in the trunk, he knows this is going to be an
evil case that will require his special abilities.
The author shows the seamy side of life, one that is
all too real, and how it impacts those less able to protect themselves – our
very children. While the town worries about the rioters - and there is
starvation and no work - the hidden evil is even worse. It’s shortly after the
Wall Street Crash of ’29, and Depression has settled over America putting
people in soup lines. Although the author never truly sets a date, or names the
town for that matter, he does drop hints that pin point both place and time.
The Shadow and Romance of Helen Trent are on the airways, along with Big Band
music. Clark Gable had starred in “It Happened One Night” just a couple years
previous (1934). Reid is reading a pulp magazine, DOUBLE ACTION GANG, with a
Cowboy and G-Man on the cover, while waiting in a room (I just saw that cover a
while back too). The town was harder to name, as I was torn between
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York; however, the many times “the Island” is
mentioned makes me think of Manhattan Island. I knew it wasn’t California,
Chicago, or Florida. But in truth, this story could take place anywhere, during
any time period. Veterans are on the street with mental problems, while
others come home with anger and turn to crime; it happens after every war, and
Reid Hollow encounters them as he searches for the evil men behind the outrage.
This novel was a page-turner, and you wanted Reid to find the perpetrators, no
matter who he had to torture or kill. Highly recommended, but be prepared for
the violence.
Tom Johnson
Detective Mystery Stories
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