Tongue Planted Firmly In Cheek

When asked about the incongruous dark humor evident in 'Pulp Fiction', Quentin Tarantino compared the film to a Charles Willeford novel.

That comparison is apt.

This first in the 'Hoke Mosely' series drips with sardonic wit while dealing with strangely engrossing violent criminal scenarios. The hard-bitten detective investigates the murder of a Hare-Krishna impostor (robbing tourists by taking advantage of Florida Law that allows legalized begging) who dies after a simple mugging. Willeford further explores a strange domestic relationship between an oddly matter-of-fact prostitute (who turns out to be the victim's sister) and the violent ex-con who did the killing. The end result is a fairly straightforward crime drama that is unchallenging.. but loaded with intriguing coincidence, amusing, and all about the fascinating characters/dismal setting, anyway.

The performance from Stephen Bowlby of this unusual novel is solidly professional. Yes, he reads too slowly (setting playback at 1.15X is necessary for the optimal experience), but his diction, timbre, cadence, and tone are creditable.
When factoring in reasonably good voice-acting (including cartoonish accents but a most enjoyable portrayal of a character with a broken jaw), the narration is "above-average".

Altogether, this is a notably "noir" Crime novel with truly "quirky" elements. The resultant book is quite unique - and merits 9 stars out of 10. I am grateful for the inclusion of the recording with my Audible subscription.. and if you can likewise get it as a 'Plus' option, it's definitely worth a download (the weirdly upbeat "all about the atmosphere" approach might grab you). Passing is reasonable if they ask for a Credit, but it grabbed me enough to go on to Book Two in the series.

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