FIND HIM by Jake Hinkson

While not the hard-hitting gut-punch noirs that I’ve come to enjoy from the author (like The Posthumous Man, No Tomorrow, or his recent Dry County) this new Hinkson novel is still a solid thriller in the vein of The Big Ugly, and it also might be his most accessible book with arguably his most likable characters. 

The strength here is in how enjoyable it is to follow our protagonist Lily Stevens, a devout and pregnant "one-ness" Pentecostal teenager who bravely steps outside of her sheltered life to go full amateur dick and  track down her missing baby daddy. Even if you can’t relate to her background and religion, it’s hard not to get swept up by her determination and zeal. Allan is also another great character, a kind man with a  fondness for Reba McEntire, and a sense of morality that he can’t shake, no matter how much it might get him in trouble. These two together make for satisfying companions in this read and it's another great entry into Jake Hinkson’s bibliography! 

GRADE: B+

DRY COUNTY by Jake Hinkson

"We all had our chance to do the right thing, and none of us took it."

Any new release by Jake Hinkson is a day one purchase and read for me. I'm a huge fan of his dark noirs that tell tales of complicated losers trying their best to dig themselves out of trouble and making a terrible job of it. While it might lack the manic energy of his earlier books, Dry County might be his most widely accessible book. But he never strays away from his usual tackling of taboo material. In this new novel, he brings together several members of a small Arkansas town, as they collide with each other in the wake of a respected local preacher's decision to pay off his former gay lover in exchange for silence.

There are no good guys or bad guys here as Hinkson passes no judgment on any of the players. Although there's a constant theme in his work critiquing the dangers and hypocrisies of religion, here it's done with a maturity where he just lets the characters loose with all their flaws and without commentary. And I as a reader was riveted as usual watching them desperately dig themselves deeper into their respective holes. Great, constantly entertaining work as usual.

"I'm drowning, and drowning men don't call out for God. They gasp for air."

GRADE: A-

THE DEEPENING SHADE: NEW AND COLLECTED STORIES by Jake Hinkson

I've really enjoyed almost every book that Jake Hinkson has written and this collection of short and flash fiction is no exception. It exhibits all of the elements that Hinkson's fans have come to expect: classic noir material, assured and succinct writing, examinations of the dark side of religion, and flawed characters who aren't heroes but yet demand our attention and our empathy. The best stories in the collection, like "The Theologians," is classic Hinkson, combining all of these elements into a great tale. It also features another Hinkson trait, a knack for engaging dialogue. Other great stories in the collection are "The Serpent Box," an atmospheric revenge story about a family of Pentecostal snake handlers, "Casual Encounters," about an on-a-whim Craigslist ad that leads to destruction, and "Night Terrors," about a man who, after waking up to his one-night-stand shrieking in her sleep, begins to regret his night of passion, but when the morning comes, he will surely regret it even more.

This was published by All Due Respect, a publisher who's books I've been recently discovering and who specializes in material that I definitely gravitate towards: "low-life literature," in their words! I'll be exploring more of their books soon.

GRADE: B+

THE BIG UGLY by Jake Hinkson

The Big Ugly is more of a hard-boiled mystery than the all-out dark noir in Hinkson's other work. But that's not a bad thing at all. This novel sports the most sympathetic and likable character in all of his work, even if she's not the most fascinating. Ellie Bennett is a recently released ex-convict and former correctional officer who has just been released from prison for beating up one of her inmates. Once she gets out and is in need of a job, she tries her hand at a little detecting after she's approached with the task of tracking down a fellow parolee that every shady character in the city seems to want to find. Now that I think about it while writing this, the book reminds me a lot of Walter Mosley's great Devil In A Blue Dress, in regards to plot and structure.

What follows this time around is a somewhat toned down Hinkson tale when compared to his past work but it's still just as confidently written, compelling, and as unflinching at its commentary of Christianity. He also makes Ellie Bennett instantly like-able, a woman in prison but guilty of nothing but making bad relationship decisions. Her dreams of working as a cop are ruined but I love how she latches on to psuedo-detective work as the next best thing. She's a little rough around the edges as a detective, but that's what makes the story interesting! This is another enjoyable piece of work by an author who is consistently rewarding. If you're a fan of great crime fiction, stop what you're doing and read this guy!

GRADE: B+

NO TOMORROW by Jake Hinkson

"A couple of dreams are all I have left. So dream a little, just for me."

Jake Hinkson is one of the only crime writers today that really nails the feel of old pulp fiction. His work feels perfect for a tiny paperback with some steamy cover art by Robert McGinnis or Robert E. Schulz and a little Gold Medal logo on the corner. This novel felt even more like an old Gold Medal pulp than his others I've read so far (haven't read The Big Ugly yet), possibly due to it's period setting.

The story takes place in 1947 and follows a woman named William "Billie" Dixon (she was given her father's name by her mother as a big fuck-you to the no-good bastard), who works for one of the Poverty Row B-movie studios in Hollywood, tasked with traveling to small country towns to peddle movie masterpieces like this one: 

It's pretty mind-numbing work but things get a bit more interesting when she rides into a tiny Ozark town and falls for the bored wife of the town's blind preacher. This can't end well, can it?

Something I really appreciated about this story was how Hinkson treated Billie's homosexuality. Similar books that take place in the 40's would have either handled it luridly, with pulpy, erotic overtones, or would have handled it with a precious, romantic touch, illustrating Billie's bravery and desire to follow her heart during a time of persecution. But Hinkson does neither. Instead, Billie just is who she is, a lover of women and a habitual heartbreaker, and Hinkson doesn't really dwell on it; that's not what the book is about. Also, I loved the characters of Lucy and Eustace, the brother/sister sheriff duo, Billie's relationship with them, and the subtle way that Hinkson develops it. The Lucy/Eustace/Billie relationship is one of my favorite aspect of all of Hinkson's work so far.

But, alas, this novel isn't as completely awesome as others by Hinkson. The first two-thirds of the novel were great and featured the same skilled writing I love from the author, but the final act suffers a bit from what I thought was a big drop in momentum. While I love where he ultimately takes Billie's character, there came a point where it seemed like I turned into just a patient observer as the story strolled along to an ending that I knew was coming but hoping that there might be some surprises along the way. And while the ending was fairly satisfying, the last act never matched the plot strength of the rest of the book. But hey, a less-than-stellar Hinkson book is still better than a lot of the stuff out there now. 

The novel is ultimately about the unrealistic, romantic expectations and ideals that we all have, but how those ideals come with a price and real life is never the fairy tale that we expect. It's also about how we tragically miss real, genuine opportunities in our lives because of these expectations. Don't make this one your first book by the author, but if you're a fan of his other work, it's a solid addition!

GRADE: B

SAINT HOMICIDE by Jake Hinkson

This is a quick-read novella from one of my new favorite authors, Jake Hinkson. It's about Daniel, an infamous prison inmate nicknamed "Saint Homicide" that is now presenting his confession of what

led him to this point and why he completely accepts his guilt. In the first two novels I've read by Hinkson, there are elements that show a fascination with the darker side of Christianity and all of its contradictions. Here, he confronts this darker side head-on in this portrait of quite a compelling character. 

Daniel is completely devout in his Christian beliefs, so devout he doesn't even relate to the extreme denominations. There was never a doubt for me that he was unwavering in his commitment that God had a plan for him and that's what makes him totally terrifying. But what also made him really fascinating was the fact that he is aware of the conflicting darkness and weaknesses within himself and struggles with it. I've always pondered on how tragic it must be for a man of such devout faith to also be a human being in this world all at the same time. And Hinkson's absolutely necessary use of first-person POV served to really thrust me into the mind of such a person. One thing I wished was for more of a sense of Daniel's prison life in the present day and the way his fellow inmates see him, just to get more of an idea of the way the outside world viewed him at this point. Hinkson is a completely underrated writer and I hope my reviews of his work helps to bring in more readers!

GRADE: B+

THE POSTHUMOUS MAN by Jake Hinkson

"Without God, there's no wall between us and the dark."

I didn't think that the second novel that I read by Jake Hinkson could be better than his first slam-dunk, Hell On Church Street. I mean, I hoped that might be the case but I definitely had doubts. But then I got about a quarter of the way through this one and realized that, yep, somehow it's even better. Here, Hinkson crafts yet another politically-incorrect pot-boiler that you can't help but watch like a massive car wreck on the side of the road.

Elliot Stilling is a former Baptist preacher that kills himself only to be revived and brought back to life in the hospital by a pretty young nurse named Felicia. Now back in the land of the living and feeling a connection to Felicia, he gets roped into a heist she's involved in to steal a bunch of Oxy and make over $2 million. 

For the first time since the robbery had begun I felt a real, gut-level fear. Committing a crime, I'd discovered, wasn't that scary. Trying to get away with it, however, was terrifying.

I loved the idea of this man who is reluctantly given a second chance at life, feeling like he got brought back for a reason, and now feels compelled to live this new life he's been given, which just happens to be a criminal one. To me that concept was pretty fascinating. At it's core, the story is this existential portrait of a man reborn and ready to atone. But then on top of that, the story is impeccably paced, well-constructed, and wonderfully-written. This might be weird to say, but Hinkson's talent reminds me a lot of Quentin Tarantino. I'm not a Tarantino fanboy, but like him, Hinkson has this real knack of crafting these extended sequences that build so much inherent tension that they get difficult to bear but at the same time it's literally impossible to put the book down until the end of the chapter. There are scenes in this book that are just pitch perfect in their construction and filled with great dialogue. Anything involving Stan the Man, naked dead-body-disposal, or porn-addicted junkyard hillbillies! I swear, if I didn't have to deal with everyday life stuff, I could've finished this in one sitting. Now I'm even more excited to read Hinkson's other work and to see what he does next, because this book was awesome.

The only thing worse than being a monster is being a daily reminder that horrible things happen for no reason at all.

GRADE: A

HELL ON CHURCH STREET by Jake Hinkson

GRADE: A

If there wasn't suffering, men would feel no need to believe in God. The sick part is, if there is a God, he must have planned it that way.

I'd never heard of Jake Hinkson before but a friend on Goodreads recommended this book to me, showering it with praise. He has an identical taste in noir as I do and so I knew I had to read it! And now, after staying up in the wee hours of the morning to finish it, I have to agree with everyone else that's had the pleasure of reading it. It's irreverent, violent, depraved, gritty, manipulative, filthy, potentially offensive, and irresistible...everything that a proper, self-respecting noir fan looks for in a novel!

A drifter decides to rob the wrong fat man late one night and ends up bearing witness to the fat man's terrible story about what happened years ago when he was skinny and moved to Church Street in Little Rock, Arkansas to work as a youth minister, where he began to have eyes for the head priest's underage daughter.

In that instant, her face seemed to absorb all my sins. It was like looking in a mirror for the first time and discovering you're a monster.

What follows is noir of the pitch-black sort, which at times is just dripping with suspense and keeps you riveted. It's really impressive for a debut novel. The extended scene in the hospital was so tense I felt drained after reading it! But the novel is so much more than just suspense. In less than 200 pages, amidst all the craziness, Hinkson also manages a scathing exposé on the hypocrisy of organized religion. So if you're offended by stuff like this, maybe you should stay away. But if you're a thriller fan, a noir fan, or simply curious about what good pulp fiction really is, check out this little monster! I'll be reading more by Jake Hinkson soon!

"I'm going to have to hurt you. And since I'm not a sadist, I'll be angry with you for making me hurt you. That's just more weight for the soul to carry. So I'll torture you with the cold fury of a man who's been forced into it. Do you understand me?"