Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Her Name Is Violence


Her Name Is Violence (Hard Core Noir)
By Matt Madigan
ISBN #978-1491261675
Past Midnight Publishing www.pastmidnightpublishing.com
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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