It's been a couple of years since I read Nisbet's amazing Lethal Injection and at some point I need to get back to reading more from this under-rated author.
In total he has written around a dozen novels including the intriguingly titled The Octopus on My Head and last year's Snitch World.
His website is here, and in addition to his writing he also designs and manufactures furniture to house electronics and sound systems. If you happen to live in the San Francisco area and need such things.
Two recent additions to the library are Old and Cold and A Moment of Doubt, which I will enjoy at some point in the future. I think I regard my books and library as akin to a wine cellar. I like stocking it up with all types of different vintages, enjoying the fact that I have them available to pick up and look at and examine, but I don't want to drink them all at once.
Old and Cold
The new noir tour de force by the riveting Jim Nisbet.
What's a guy to do, when he lives under a bridge and has an unshakeable thirst
for martinis? kill for cash. so goes the logic at the heart of Old and Cold,
leading to a spree of hits that are sometimes perfectly executed, sometimes
messy, set against the backdrop of San Francisco's beaches, bars, and murky
darkened streets. told at breakneck speed in a bravura voice, this novel is Jim
Nisbet's finest work yet, reminiscent of Jim Thompson at his best and Tarantino
at his most irreverent. a tough and tender love letter to a city's underbelly,
this is a shockingly funny tale of suspense that won't let you go.
Ken Bruen pontificates – “Nobody has Nisbet’s distinctive
style, humor and sheer craft...One of the finest masters of noir.”
The streets of San Francisco ooze with danger, sex, poets,
and technology in this hard-boiled mystery, creating a story that is at turns
hilarious, thrilling, and obscene. Set in the 1980s, this is the tale of an
idealistic and angst-ridden writer who struggles with day-to-day
responsibilities such as paying his rent on time. Exploring ways to
exploit technology, the writer flirts with hacking, while dealing with a world
of bars, bordellos, and the AIDS virus. When the writer learns the passwords to
the inner workings of the publishing industry's digital realm, he finds himself
facing dangers from unexpected places.Another plus point is he can usually be relied upon to get the job done in less than 200 pages. Not one from the school of writing that subscribes to the dictum........"Why settle for one word, when you can use fifty?"
For those who enjoy fantastic cover art here's the unforgettable Lethal Injection.
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| Read back in the days before I reviewed. |
Col - That is a very impressive cover! Thanks for sharing about NIsbet, an author who hadn't been on my radar before. I may have to give him a go next time I'm ready for some noir.
ReplyDeleteThanks Margot. The prose does it justice as well. Recognising the fact that you're never going to read everything you want to, I would recommend trying at least one of his if time allows.
DeleteComparing books to a vintage wine, how cute. You almost make me want to go back to reading paper books. *Almost.*I have suspicious about Bruen's blurbs - that he reads them and loves their work or blurbs them because he likes the author (rarely seen but it happens). But then you can extrapolate to every author out there!
ReplyDeleteI must commend you in that you do find and read authors who are below the radar. You've spotlighted again an author I've never heard of before now and his books sound very interesting.
Keishon, I'm kind of curious too re his blurbs. I don't doubt he reads them all, but I do wonder then where he gets the time to write. I think I saw somewhere many years ago that he reads about 300 books a year or something. Whatever he does, he ought to pen one on time-management, I'd buy it because he does a better job than me. Maybe he's a zombie and never sleeps?
DeleteI am usually a bit cynical about blurbs, though that doesn't stop me using them. James Ellroy, I think used to claim never to read anyone else's books and now every other thing I pick-up has his name on it! The big sock-puppet thing put me off last year, with Stephen Leather and the fake review fiasco.
I really loved Lethal Injection and if you wanna try one, I'd give that a shot.
I'm slowly converting to e-books, but do have a fondness for old paperback,s (and new ones still) - probably my age!
Ramble/rant over........
Col, I do love your comparison of your vast store of books to a wine cellar. I have not heard of Nisbet and I think he may be too dark and gritty, but I may have to reconsider with the San Franciso connection.
ReplyDeleteTracy, I hoped the San Francisco mention got your attention. Maybe Glen could proof read it first? Possibly a bit too dark..... plenty of other bay authors around though,
DeleteI think Lethal Injection was one of the book titles that first made me accuse you of making them up. You'll be *astonished* to hear that I haven't read it yet, and even more surprised to hear that I'm not moving on to these ones. HOWEVER, I would say that the covers are great, and the titles..... intriguing.....
ReplyDeleteYep, that's the one.... I included it so it stayed firmly on your radar, perhaps a futile effort on my behalf! Perhaps a glowing review may swing it for you....ok maybe not
DeleteI don't care for hard boiled but I do love his covers!
ReplyDeletePeggy Ann, no problem. The artwork is great, but if it's not your thing....
DeleteCol, since I read just about every kind of fiction I'll be on the lookout for hardboiled fiction of Jim Nesbit as well. "Lethal Injection" particularly sounds good. I look forward to your reviews of these two novels.
ReplyDeletePrashant, thanks. Hopefully you get to try Lethal Injection or something else by him this year. I'm unsure as yet when I will read these ones, but by the middle of the year, with a bit of luck.
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