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storyman's review
4.0
A really good bunch of short stories, starting strongly with In the Kitchen with Johnny Albino and ending bizarrely with Zinger. ITKW Johnny Albino is a beautiful piece of noir about a single mother trying to make enough to make ends meet with a dodgy betting syndicate, all hampered by her useless man. Loved its setting and her trials, fearing for that one misstep to screw it all up.
I like R Narvaez's snappy writing, all lean, but filling. There's a couple of stories I didn't love (but didn't hate either): I thought GhostD a little undercooked, and Rough Night in Toronto felt a little comic-booky for my taste. But they are the only missteps (for me).
The title story grabs you and makes you wonder if criminals can ever escape their pasts and instincts, and Watching the Iguanas is a classic bit of Sci-Fi noir.
The story which beats all, though, is Ibarra Goes Down, an hilarious story of double-crosses and a certain kind of sex addiction. Loved that filth.
Overall, a great bunch of shorts. Now interested in the author's next work.
I like R Narvaez's snappy writing, all lean, but filling. There's a couple of stories I didn't love (but didn't hate either): I thought GhostD a little undercooked, and Rough Night in Toronto felt a little comic-booky for my taste. But they are the only missteps (for me).
The title story grabs you and makes you wonder if criminals can ever escape their pasts and instincts, and Watching the Iguanas is a classic bit of Sci-Fi noir.
The story which beats all, though, is Ibarra Goes Down, an hilarious story of double-crosses and a certain kind of sex addiction. Loved that filth.
Overall, a great bunch of shorts. Now interested in the author's next work.
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