Review of Screwed by Eoin Colfer (Headline, 2013)

After years of working the doors of night clubs, ex-Sergeant Dan McEvoy is preparing to open his own in Cloisters, New Jersey.  Life is just about on an even keel.  He’s a delusional girlfriend who thinks he’s her long-lost husband, a lecherous best friend who practices backstreet plastic surgery, and a truce with Mike Madden, a local mobster, so long as Mike’s mother remains alive.  But then lightening strikes, Mrs Madden is toast and the local boss is back on the war path.  To help pay off his debt, McEvoy agrees to be the middle man between Madden and a Manhattan-based boss.  But before he can deliver the bearer bonds he’s picked up by two local cops who have other plans for him.  A few hours later and McEvoy is the target of two sets of mobsters, the police and his own family, and is a viral hit on a porn site.  It’s taking all skills as a veteran soldier and a lot of luck to stay alive, especially given his aversion to killing those who are trying to kill him.

Screwed is a screwball noir that rattles along a quick clip, with McEvoy pinging from one dose of slapstick violence and gallows humour to another.  Colfer has an engaging voice and the narrative is witty and sassy, with a number of laugh out loud moments.  As with all comic crime capers the plot is a little ridiculous and the characters lean towards caricature, but that’s a key part of what makes them work.  Colfer sets out a series of quirky plot strands then weaves together to form a story full of collisions and ricochets, whilst also filling in more of McEvoy’s family back story.  As I noted with respect to the first book, Plugged, McEvoy seemed a little out of key - he’s meant to be scarred with deep psychological flaws courtesy of an abusive family upbringing and his time as a peacekeeper in the Lebanon, but he seems way too together, clear thinking and assured in his own violent abilities to fit that mould.  Moreover, some of the humour seems a little forced at times.  Nevertheless, Screwed is good rollicking fun and an enjoyable second book in the series.

New Irish crime fiction releases

Over the past few days I've ordered three new Irish crime novels: Mark O'Sullivan's Crocodile Tears, Eoin Colfer's Screwed, and Alan Glynn's Graveland.  They're coming thick and fast at present, and if the initial reviews are anything to go by, they're all pretty damn good.   Also out this month is William Ryan's The Twelfth Department, which I've already read and reviewed.  Some good reading ahead, I sense.

Review of Plugged by Eoin Colfer (Headline, 2011)

Danny McEvoy is an ex-Irish Army sergeant that has served as a peacekeeper in Lebanon who, since leaving the army after a stint with psychiatrist due to his compulsion to embrace dangerous situations and protect people and a gambling addiction, has drifted through a series of doorman jobs. He now works the door at a seedy New Jersey casino owned by Victor Jones, a ruthless, callous boss. Danny looks after his fellow casino workers, worries about his hair loss, argues through the ceiling with his psychotic neighbour, and hangs around with dodgy doctor, Zeb Kronski, plastic surgeon to the desperate. His world is turned upside down over the course of twenty four hours. First, a smartarse lawyer licks his sometime-girlfriend, casino hostess, Connie, arguing licking is not touching. Then when he visits Zeb’s unofficial surgery it is in the process of being searched. Shortly after the right-hand man of an Irish mobster is dead and so is Connie. The police think that Danny killed Connie and Danny needs to find Zeb – who else is going to finish his hair transplant? Cue race against time and general confusion and mayhem.

I liked Plugged a lot. There’s plenty to like - a zip along plot; lots of action; plenty of twists and turns; some very funny scenes; a healthy dose of witty one liners; and a load of colourful characters. It reads like a movie script for a Jason Statham or Vin Diesel vehicle. In many ways, it kind of reminded me of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series and Chris Grabenstein’s John Ceepak series. And like the Plum and Ceepak novels, it’s set in New Jersey. After Florida, New Jersey is clearly the place for comic crime capers, especially those involving the Mob. Where I had some difficulties was with the main character, Danny McEvoy. McEvoy is clearly meant to be hiding from the past, drifting along in a dead end job, living in a crappy apartment below a psychotic neighbour, in a nothing town, with no love life beyond the occasional tumble with a hostess, and no friends beyond a very dodgy doctor. And yet Danny does not come across as being the kind of guy who has no friends, barely any love life, and puts up with living in a crappy unit with mad neighbours – he’s too together, too self-reflexive, too resourceful and too nice. Something didn’t quite add up, despite his history with an army therapist. Clearly as a comic crime caper the plot is hardly believable, and its choched full of larger-than-life characters and cliches, but there has to be some ring of truth. Danny's backstory in Lebanon has that, but not quite the frontstory. This is not a deal breaker, just a niggle; as noted above there is plenty to like about the book. Indeed, Plugged is a very assured move into adult crime fiction by an author who has sold a bazillion kids books and is recommended to all those who like their comic crime capers with a healthy dose of violence and mayhem.