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♠
“Look, we're sorry about your friend. We promise not to be bad boys anymore.” He glanced at his friends in the corner. “But really, considering the fact that our families practically own this town and your family aspires to the level of white trash, you should be happy that you're not dead or in jail, understand?”
-- Zero to the Bone by Robert Eversz
The last third was one of the fastest, most heartrending reads Monk has enjoyed. He was actually a little disappointed with the book at first, as it seemed to move rather slowly, especially for a story about roofies and sadomasochistic snuff films. One was afraid that Mr. Eversz would not be able to deliver on that kind of material, as he is decidedly feminist, which can be seen for instance in the way that he substitutes the term "wife-beater t-shirt" with "boy-beater t-shirt." After all, what sets the Nina Zero books off is his deft and delicate touch with his woman protagonist, particularly as she is set in the noirish landscape of big city crime and depravity.
So, the book began slow, but it was like a roller coaster's beginning ascent, up and up ever so slowly, and then suddenly crashing down like a heart attack. Though, if one were not already a Nina Zero fan, the reader might have given up on this book and hence the series if this were his first one. The emotional investment that Monk put in with the Digging James Dean book is what may have kept him interested and gave the ending much of its power. It may be that one already has to care about the characters to stick with the story in this book. But what a pay-off!
In spite of Eversz's soft touch with the kinky, criminal sex, he really came through and put the dark in noir crime fiction by the book's end. The ending was such a gut shot that one wonders if the series will continue, and how could he continue to build on it. In the meantime, Monk will content himself with reading the earlier books in the series. Nina is worth getting to know. And Eversz is worth the read.
xXx
“Look, we're sorry about your friend. We promise not to be bad boys anymore.” He glanced at his friends in the corner. “But really, considering the fact that our families practically own this town and your family aspires to the level of white trash, you should be happy that you're not dead or in jail, understand?”
-- Zero to the Bone by Robert Eversz
The last third was one of the fastest, most heartrending reads Monk has enjoyed. He was actually a little disappointed with the book at first, as it seemed to move rather slowly, especially for a story about roofies and sadomasochistic snuff films. One was afraid that Mr. Eversz would not be able to deliver on that kind of material, as he is decidedly feminist, which can be seen for instance in the way that he substitutes the term "wife-beater t-shirt" with "boy-beater t-shirt." After all, what sets the Nina Zero books off is his deft and delicate touch with his woman protagonist, particularly as she is set in the noirish landscape of big city crime and depravity.
So, the book began slow, but it was like a roller coaster's beginning ascent, up and up ever so slowly, and then suddenly crashing down like a heart attack. Though, if one were not already a Nina Zero fan, the reader might have given up on this book and hence the series if this were his first one. The emotional investment that Monk put in with the Digging James Dean book is what may have kept him interested and gave the ending much of its power. It may be that one already has to care about the characters to stick with the story in this book. But what a pay-off!
In spite of Eversz's soft touch with the kinky, criminal sex, he really came through and put the dark in noir crime fiction by the book's end. The ending was such a gut shot that one wonders if the series will continue, and how could he continue to build on it. In the meantime, Monk will content himself with reading the earlier books in the series. Nina is worth getting to know. And Eversz is worth the read.
