Sunday, October 19, 2008

Trigger City (Ray Dudgeon) by Sean Chercover

Sean Chercover's Big City, Bad Blood was my favorite debut of 2007 and this one's a good contender for my favorite PI novel of the year!

Sean marriages the classic Chandler-feel with a modern day setting with great skill. Ray Dudgeon is hired by retired Colonel Isaac Richmond to find out the truth about the seemingly senseless murder of his daughter, Joan. Joan's killer committed suicide after his violent act. Ray discovers, through the killer's widow that there could be some interesting motives behind the murder. Drawn into the world of private military companies, Chinese student movements and political prisoners this novels travels on totally different roads then Chercover's debut but with the same quality.

Ray still suffers from the torture he was subjected to in Big City, Bad Blood which show the way this series will stand out from the rest. Here events have lasting consequences, and Ray is more than an archetype. His emotions and longing for his ex-girlfriend are described in such a moving way that you really feel for him and the fact you care for him makes the dangers he faces all the more exciting.

With Trigger City Sean Chercover takes the best of those that came before him and shows those that come after him what can be done with the genre in the future.

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