Brutally funny

You have to have a certain sense of humor to enjoy our newest book from the red-hot publisher Hard Case Crime. Think of a book loaded with strong language, gratuitous sex and graphic violence. Now ratchet it up a notch, and you will have Slide, by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr. The fact that everything is just slightly over the top, and the cast of characters are all such complete losers, is what makes this book so darkly funny. The basic plot thread is a standard double- and triple-crossing drug deal, and each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the characters. Some of the plot elements in each chapter overlap, and it's interesting to see the different perspectives of each person involved. The characters themselves are wonderful: narcissistic and delusional, they have a completely whacked idea of their own importance and their own level of success. These people are perennial optimists, even if that sense of optimism is usually chemically-induced. The book is set in New York and Dublin, and Bruen brings the Irish brooding while Starr supplies the American gang violence. The body count is reminiscent of Hamlet, but the plot twists are more like a Coen brothers movie. Not for the squeamish, the sensitive or the literal, this book would be great for fans of Elmore Leonard and Quentin Tarantino.