NICK KOLAKOWSKI - LOVE & BULLETS: MEGABOMB EDITION (2021)

Synopsis/blurb ....

Bill is a conman with a taste for high-end cars, beautiful suits, and top-shelf liquor. But he’s getting tired of the cons he needs to maintain that lifestyle—and he’s sick of the violence that’s sometimes part of the job.

Bill’s girlfriend Fiona doesn’t have a problem with violence, though. She’ll crush anyone who stands in her way—and some days, it seems like the whole world wants a piece of her. She loves Bill, but she’s tired of cleaning up after him.

When Bill decides to “borrow” a couple million from one of New York City’s most vicious gangs and flee for the tropics, it puts their relationship to the test—and while they’re working out their issues, they’ll also need to fend off crooked cops, dimwitted bouncers, and an irate assassin in the midst of the world’s weirdest midlife crisis.

“Love & Bullets” is the story of a 21st century Bonnie & Clyde, a wisecracking duo who’ll blast their way from Brooklyn to Cuba and back in order to stay alive. It’s a wild ride.

6 word review - wacky, wild and loads of fun! 

Love & Bullets is a re-working of three previously published novellas featuring Bill and Fiona. I read these a few years and enjoyed them - Main Bad Guy, Slaughterhouse Blues and A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps. As such lots of this book was familiar to me, though it was read just long enough ago for the memory banks to have failed enough for this rendering to feel fresh and energetic.

What I like about Kolakowski's work is the fact that all his characters, main and secondary operate outside of the conventional norms of society. They're crims or at the very least, wannabees. Each character was entertaining and good company for however long they stuck around the course of the action. 

The main protagonists are Bill and Fiona. Bill is rash and impulsive and gets the ball rolling by stealing from his boss. Fiona, a little bit miffed by Bill running out on her, is sent by the boss to kill Bill and return the money. She has other ideas and while their relationship is a work in progress, it's a love that can endure, assuming it survives a legion of bad guys head-hunting them.

Plenty of action, thrills, laughs and mayhem. Multiple settings. Satisfying outcome. Bang up entertainment. My kind of book(s).

4.5 from 5

Nick Kolakowski's Boise Longpig Hunting Club has also been enjoyed. I need to get to others from him that sit on the pile - Maxine Unleashes Doomsday and Rattlesnake Rodeo.

Read - November, 2021

Published - 2021

Page count - 442

Source - review copy from author

Format - ePUB read on laptop