
One of the back cover blurbs describes Stella’s writing as a mix of Elmore Leonard and George V Higgins. It’s a high compliment, and though not unwarranted, I think does Stella a bit of a disservice for he has a style all of his own: multiple intersecting narratives, a couple of dozen lead characters, tightly written prose and crisp, punchy dialogue, plenty of action, and a plot that rattles along like a runaway train. It’s fair to say that there is a heck of a lot going on in the 250 pages of Rough Riders. It’s a testimony to Stella’s writing that despite the somewhat convoluted plot that the whole thing hangs together well and that I never got lost across the various narratives and characters. Indeed, where the story excels is with respect to the characters and their interchanges. Stella populates the story with a whole variety of low-level criminals, cops, and civilians, each one vividly portrayed. My only critique really is that it was a little too condensed; kind of like a six part series crammed into a movie format. And while I sometimes conclude reviews by saying the book would make a good film, this one would make a terrific TV serial.
2 comments:
You make an interesting observation about the episodic nature of the writing, a pitfall that many contemporary writers fall into because of their clear but excessive fondness for film/TV. I guess I'm an old fashioned reader who prefers sustained rather than episodic narratives. Thanks for sharing your POV. You've reminded me why I sometimes loose patience with a lot of contemporary fiction. BTW, changing the subject, Merry Christmas from Crime Classics!
Very good indeed.
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