Reprinted from our Spring 1985 magazine
by Armistead Mauplin
Publisher: Transworld Digital; New Ed edition (13 Mar. 2012)
The city referred to is San Francisco, and this book does have an awful lot of Bay City chic about it. The first third is a series of short stories; some sections are very short. So many characters are introduced that is difficult to keep track.
But the author shows his art, as in guile, by pulling these zany yarns into a ‘whodunnit’ with ghoulish undertones, that keeps the reader interested for the greater part of the novel. The sub-plots go off in the near foreground, like a particularly colourful fireworks display.
The ending is over-neat though there are a number of loose ends, possibly deliberate to hand a sequel on. This is the liveliest boot I have read for a very long time, and I’d recommend.
Amazon LInk to buy
Community Journalist
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