Graphic Novel Review: The Chill by Jason Starr & Mick Bertilorenzi

The Chill is far and away the best of what Vertigo Crime has put out thus far. Yes, I’m still pretty fucking pissed that The Chill - like Dark Entries before it - is supernatural instead of straight-up crime like I’d envisioned for such an imprint, but there’s no getting around how much fun this shit is. Besides, as a fervent fan of Jason Starr’s nasty brand of noir, it’s pretty exciting to see him take a stab at not only comics, but horror as well. Wait a second…he hasn’t done a proper cop novel yet either, has he? Make that three firsts, then. Jesus.

NYPD detective Pavano is looking for a serial killer. Witnesses say it’s a woman, but they all have differing opinions on what exactly she looks like. They all agree that she’s the most gorgeous woman they’ve ever seen. And oh yeah – in addition to the victims being all kinds of cut up and fucked up, their also frozen, in the middle of a sweltering NYC summer, that is.

Boston drunk bastard cop Martin Cleary catches the story on TV, thinks he knows what’s up. Runs down to New York, starts talking about an old girlfriend from his younger days who made him literally freeze when he was fucking her. Mentions some shit about Druid sacrifice rituals and immortality and other wild shit. Pavano blows him off, but when the body count starts picking up and murders get more gruesome, Cleary starts looking saner every minute.


Like any Starr fan would expect, The Chill is packed with violence, suspense, NYC shit, and bottleservice-y bar scene douchebags. Artist Mick Bertlorenzi has a blast depicting all the sex and violence this story has to offer, every scene tight and viscerally exciting. And the Druid murderess Arlana’s ability to shape shift into any man’s specific dream woman make this a story that could only be properly told as a graphic novel.

But what I especially like about The Chill is just how gleefully fucking nasty it is. Damn near every dude that Arlana seduces is an absolute creep and you couldn’t give a shit if his cock gets frozen inside of her. Just grotesque fucking douchebags. And then there’s Starr’s approach to Pavano’s investigation, where he’s basically a clueless asshole instead of the brilliant detective a lesser book would have settled for. And the delightfully sick denouement…and the fucking amazingly gross priest gag…

 Okay, that’s enough of that. If I talk about this shit any more I’m gonna get all spoilery on your ass. Like I said up top, this shit is supernatural as hell, but undoubtedly noir. It also makes sense for this series in that it’s perfect for a one-shot, one-sitting arc whereas it would probably have gotten annoying as a six issue run or if they had tried to expand it into a Vertigo-proper series. So while I wish there was a hard-bound imprint of Vertigo “Supernatural” Crime to differentiate this stuff from my personal vision for Vertigo Crime, I think I’ll just be thankful shit this dark and gross is released at all.



Originally Published by Nerd of Noir February 20, 2010

Book Review: Doubleback by Libby Fischer Hellman

Ellie Foreman, single mother of 18-year-old Rachel and an independent commercial video producer and the protagonist in one of the fine mysteries series by Libby Fischer Hellmann, returns in this novel in which she is reunited with another series protag of this author, Georgia Davis, Chicago p.i.

When eight-year-old Molly Messenger is kidnapped, her mother seeks help from her neighbor, who in turn turns to her friend Ellie, who has some experience in these matters, and then to Georgia, an ex-cop. Almost incredibly, the child is released three days later, unharmed [other than being wholly traumatized].

The bizarre set of circumstances raises many questions in the minds of Ellie and Georgia, among them the position of the police department, which has marked the case closed, "no statements, no photos, no comment." The child's mother, Chris Messenger, is the recently promoted director of a local bank. There is friction between her and her ex-husband, each of whom is now involved in new romantic attachments. And when Chris' boss dies days later, in an apparent car accident, things get even murkier.

There are several threads to the plot, all of which are tied up adroitly before the end of the book, and include ethanol production, government contractors, and smuggling [both drugs and humans], and the investigative trail stretches from northern Wisconsin to an Arizona border town, holding the reader's attention all the way. Another enjoyable entry in the dual series.

[It should perhaps be noted that the book has been simultaneously released in trade paperback, ISBN #13-978-1-60648-053-3, $14.95]

Book Review: Winter of Secrets by Vicki Delany

Sex permeates this latest Molly Smith mystery. Several young university students from eastern Canada visit a B&B in Trafalgar, BC, during the Christmas Holidays for a skiing vacation. One couple spends a lot of time in bed, while two men root around the small town in chase of local girls to bed. When a car carrying the two crashes into the ice cold Kootenay River, an interesting case arises.

The driver has obviously drowned, but the passenger apparently had been dead for up to 24 hours when the crash occurred. The question, of course, is how and when he died and under what circumstances. It befalls Sgt. John Winters, with the assistance of now Constable Molly Smith (her probationary period has concluded), to unravel the mystery.

As with the two predecessors in the series, Secrets is a charming tale of a small resort town, with interesting characters. The descriptions of skiing on the slopes are detailed and authentic. While not necesarily a detailed police procedural, the story line moves forward logically and with interest, written with clarity and an eye to keeping the reader involved, and is recommended.

Book Review: The Bone Chamber by Robin Burcell

What's a girl to do? Slated to leave on a two-week vacation for a Thanksgiving vacation in San Francisco with her family, FBI forensic artist Sydney ("Sid") Fitzpatrick once again becomes involved in an operation in which she doesn't belong. Asked by her friend Tasha to undertake a portrait to identify a murder victim, instead of leaving, she finds herself in the midst of a black op by a secret government agency after learning of her friend's death in a "hit-and-run" accident.

Determined to find her friend's murderer, Syd finds herself flying to Rome, where she becomes involved in the operation. The initial victim was the daughter of the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. And subsequent events indicate a centuries-old conspiracy involving the Vatican, Knights Templar and Freemasons, as well as international hit men seeking an ancient map supposedly leading to either a hidden treasure or even the Biblical plagues brought forth upon Egypt by Moses. International bankers and government officials are also part of the conspiracy to dominate the world.

Written with a broad brush, Syd's travels take her to the catacombs of Milan in an effort to prevent the bad guys from obtaining the secret map to the Templar treasure. The fact that she is an FBI-trained forensic artist herself enables the author to provide authentic descriptions of the forensic aspects of the tale, and also permits her to chronicle the case with a high degree of realism. As the story progresses, the suspense builds exponentially.
Recommended.

Book Review: All The Colors of Darkness by Peter Robinson

The deaths about which much of the plot of Peter Robinson's newest Inspector Banks novel revolves occur just before the opening pages, when a particularly brutal murder is soon followed by the apparent suicide of the prime suspect. All the evidence points to that sequence of events, with none indicating the presence of any third person. The two men had been lovers, and the subsequent investigation turns up photos of the murder victim with another man, the conclusion being obvious: A 'simple case' of extreme jealousy, rage, and remorse. Banks remains unconvinced of that scenario, however, based solely on a nagging suspicion that there is more here than meets the eye; the discovery of a business card which had been in the possession of one of the dead men on which is printed a phone number which does not exist; the fact that so much effort is taken and pressure exerted to ensure that the case is closed and that no further investigation is undertaken; and the feeling that there is some kind of Othello analogy at play.

Othello is the current production of the amateur theater group performing at the Eastvale Theater, where the suicide victim worked. When Banks attends the play with his girlfriend, he describes it to her as being about 'jealousy, betrayal, envy, ambition, greed, lust, revenge . . . All the colors of darkness." Of the murder victim, he is told others only saw "a small part of him. The rest was shades of darkness, shadows, smoke and mirrors." And, as the end of the book nears, Banks perceives "all of it nothing but a distortion of the darkness he was beginning to believe lay at the center of everything."
On a lighter note, part of his investigation brings the DCI to the office of a pretty private investigator who, upon meeting Banks, exclaims with delight: "Are you Brian Banks' father?' This is a first for Banks, whose son is a guitar player in a rock band and apparently somewhat of a rock hero.
When DI Annie Cabbot says to her superior "We have to pursue the truth," she is told "Since when? That's a luxury we can ill afford." The novel deals with the unexpected and perhaps unintended consequences of lies told, or matters otherwise misconstrued. The author, celebrating the 22nd anniversary of the first Inspector Banks novel, never fails to deliver a book filled with gorgeous prose, and this one is, like the others, highly recommended.