sick like that
Library Journal: Sick Like That
Whether it is a sign of the times or just a plot device, mystery writers are showcasing how people can join forces to solve crimes and form relationships that go beyond the job. The individuals frequently differ from each other but find they can work well together in what becomes a familylike environment. Veronica Heley’s Bea Abbot (False Pretences) gathers a motley crew of various ages and backgrounds to solve whatever problems her clients want her to address, while two sets of odd couples—Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli’s Deputy Dolly and reporter Emily Kincaid (Dead Sleeping Shaman) and Norman Green’s PI Alessandra Martillo and receptionist Sarah Waters (Sick Like That)—team up to fight crime while building strong friendships.
Norman Green mentioned on Publishers Weekly
In Green’s strong follow-up to 2009’s The Last Gig, Alessandra “Al” Martillo, who works for PI Marty Stiles, is only too glad to turn routine work over while Marty’s in rehab, recovering from a gunshot wound, to new gal and fellow Brooklynite, Sarah Waters. While Sarah tries to locate the estranged stepson of a wealthy client, Al attempts to track Sarah’s ex-husband, Frank, who disappears after telling Sarah that his luck has changed thanks to a sweet new job that sounds too good to be true. Both cases morph in unexpected directions. Sarah must learn quickly if she’s to survive, and Al finds herself trading quips and blows with a variety of thugs and law enforcement officials, from NYPD detectives to unnamed and unidentified Feds. Clever plotting and solutions that require both clear thinking and fast action augment Green’s double dose of tough, resilient female characters.
New Mystery Reader Reviews Sick Like That
For a guy from Jersey, I seem to be able to get a pretty good Brooklyn voice in my written work, or so I’m told.
This is a take on the old-fashioned noir that will no doubt engage readers of every genre. His ability to recreate realistic Brooklynese dialogue, his depictions of the seedier sides of NYC and its outskirts, and his creation of two of the most kick-ass females to come along in fiction in awhile will have fans clamoring for more. And if you’re like me, you’ll be asking yourself, “Really, a man wrote this?” because Green is a man who seems to get the whole female psyche in a way that’s almost supernatural. If not for the crazy veer that results in a Bruce Willis type of movie ending, this book would be just about perfect. As it is, though, it’s close enough to make this one of the better reads this year.
Sick Like That Reviewed by Stephanie Padilla, New Mystery Reader
Murder By the Book review: OregonLive.com
I’d like to thank Barbara Tom, from the Oregonian, for her kind words about ‘Sick Like That’.
Norman Green is probably the best author you’ve never heard of. Until this book, his mystery novels have been stand-alones, not part of a series. How to classify his work? Noir-ish perhaps, with a big nod to redemption as a theme. It’s never too late in Green’s world for his characters to salvage some grace before they bite the big one.
You can read more on Murder By The Book Review: Norman Green’s Sick Like That [oregonlive.com]
Anxiety…
I have a new book coming out this week, ‘Sick Like That.’ It is a sequel to ‘The Last Gig’ and features many of the same characters, primarily Alessandra Martillo, a Puerto Rican street kid from the Brooklyn projects. In the first book she was doing grunt work for a sleazy ex-cop turned private investigator. In the new story she is forced out on her own, she has to step up and be the big dog. I had a great time writing the book. I enjoy spending time in Alessandra’s company, possibly because she shares many of my favorite character flaws, and if I can excuse them in myself, why not in her?
In any event, I ought to be excited.
Really.
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The Last Gig