Dear Durwood (Third Chance Enterprises)

Dear Durwood is the second of a series of PI/mystery thrillers by Jeff Bond. Due out 15th June 2020, it's a compact and quick 175 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

I really loved the pulp cover (yes, even the faux distressing) and was hoping for a rollicking story. I wasn't disappointed. The protagonist is an altruistic son-of-a-coal-miner Don Quixote type knight errant with the role of Sancho taken up by his faithful hound Sue-Ann. 

Much of the situational tension is funny and happily the book doesn't take itself overly seriously. There's a lot of action, some romance, a fair bit of snappy dialogue, some off scene sex and a satisfying denouement. Although this is the second book in the series, it works quite well as a standalone, and in fact, I got a LOT more insight into Durwood's character and backstory which was missing from the first book (an ensemble trio of whom Durwood is one third).

Although set in the present day, the action and adventure hearken back to the days of the pulps like Creasey's Baron and Toff, and Gardner's A.A. Fair books (Donald Lam & Bertha Cool), with a tiny smidge of Billy Jack and a whiff of Hap & Leonard thrown in for good measure (much less active violence and much cleaner language than Lansdale's duo, though).

I really enjoyed it. Pure escapist over the top and well written. The author is a capable wordsmith. Bonus for this edition, a sneak peek at the first chapter of the next book: The Begonia Killer. I was unfamiliar with the author prior to reading and reviewing the first two books in the series, and I'm so glad I did. I will definitely keep an eye out for future work. 

Four and a half stars. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.