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Detective Van H. Avram receives a call from Mina Camilla. Keeping it vague, Mina claims that "her man," Hugh Jorgen, stole from her and she wants Van to investigate. Initially hesitant to take the job, Van thinks differently when a woman—"a skinny blonde thing"—is found dead outside his apartment door. She is the first of many "skinny blonde things" as Van searches for an archaic crucifix amid a mixed realm of vampires, devil worshippers, and fallen angels—all centered on creation stories with an apocalyptic edge. Multi-award winning author Mark Lingane adds a fresh spin to the supernatural in the first book of the Para-noir-mal Detectives series.
Lingane introduces his new series with a full line up of colorful and complex characters. Featuring Van Avram, Lingane's first person narrative portrays a quasi-unstable gumshoe who has a quick affection for drink and women. Yet Van's persona appears polished compared to everyone else living within his dystopian environment. Among Lingane's cast—to name just a few—is a salacious lineup of ladies—Mina, Laura, and even Angelina, and antagonists, Levi and Phoenix. Lingane's cast is only one of many complexities that reflect his style of storytelling, which is set to a fast-paced plot superbly punctuated with dark comedy. Great "complex" examples are found in his consistent use of red herrings—up to the close of the book—and a flurry of un-clichéd scenes. Creating balance to a rather ominous backdrop, Lingane does a stellar job weaving in hilarious dialogue scenes, such as Van's middle initial. Replete with seemingly interminable twists and turns as well as a startling ending, Sucker is—as Lingane aptly states from his website—"Detective Noir. Dieselpunk. Vampires. Biblical stories. Dark comedy. What are you waiting for?" This book is highly recommended for paranormal aficionados!
RECOMMENDED by the US Review