blafferty 's review for:

The Bricklayer by Noah Boyd
5.0

Everything I look for in a detective/cop mystery.

The story was cleverly put together but didn't feel like a stretch, the characters were believable without being typecast. Some might say it is the opposite of all those things, but the reason, in my opinion, is because it follows an age-old formula and has the feeling of a Maltese Falcon-type story. And it does it well.

The dialogue was witty without being forced, and for once we had a female co-lead who was strong without trying to prove it and feminine without being weak. The male lead is honorable but not stilted, macho without being an asshole, and anti-authority without coming off like a teenager.

Everything about the book works, and it works without you having to smooth over the self-conscious edges like in some books. It feels natural and the rhythm feels natural.