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Ex-cop Joe Riley is on the trail of the assassin who murdered his old bookie and ruined his career as a homicide detective. He finds out the killer is a professional by the name of Lily Marsden and vows to find her, bring her back to Chicago, and get his name cleared. But it's not that easy a task. Lily's latest kill was a Las Vegas player, and his death brought down a lot of heat on her. From the two eccentric (read rich) brothers of the recently departed, to the unhappy hotel owner where the murder occurred, to the crooked lawyer who gives Lily her shooting orders, all are gunning for Lily because of her latest hit and Joe has to try to keep out of their bullets' way. But Joe has made a few enemies of his own. Two violent, but clueless, gamblers want the money back that Joe won from them, and after he bests them a few times, giving out broken noses and broken arms as favors, they want their winnings back with his death. Steve Brewer, the author of BULLETS is a columnist and has written another series of books. His chapters are fast and short. His characters are cartoonish and-one dimensional savage people who become victim to their own violence - and I think the readers are supposed to find it funny. Everyone is a despicable character, but you're supposed to root for the good-looking ones and hoot with laughter as the ugly people are maimed and killed. There's a lot of forced slapstick as bullets rip, noses are broken, and people are tortured with their nipples in pliers and the reader is supposed to find it funny. But I didn't. As one of the characters is a doppelganger for Curley Joe of The Three Stooges fame, this book might be a tribute to their form of violent slapstick. Unfortunately, that's not my cup of tea, especially when I'm reading a mystery. It took me weeks to work my way through this story -- I'd read a chapter and put it down out of disgust. I read two other books while trying to get through this one. When I finally finished, I found I resented the time I spent reading BULLETS. If you like fast reading, of little weight, no character development, mindless violence in a completely forgettable book, BULLETS is for you. If you care about a good read, spending time with a well-written and interesting story, violence that that rings true and people with a clue as to morality and right and wrong - then steer far from this book.
Reviewed by Sharon Katz, December 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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