Dave Zeltserman lightens up a bit with his fifth novel, BAD KARMA. It’s the second in his Bill Shannon series, so if you have not read BAD THOUGHTS, don’t pick up BAD KARMA until you do, since events of that story play heavily into this one.
For those expecting more of the hard-boiled, noir number of his recent PARIAH, sorry. The Shannon series is more a breather from his bleak tales of ex-cons, but one that keeps readers glued to the pages, with enough tension and mystery to keep them going until the end. Zeltserman throws his personality into these characters, with his love for all things Boston Red Sox and more than a few references to the Three Stooges.
Private investigator Bill Shannon is now living in Colorado with his ex-wife, Susan. He’s hired by a property owner to look into the murder of two of his tenants, because the mother of one of the victims is threatening to sue. To say the mother is white trash is about as obvious that thinking a fight might break out on an episode of JERRY SPRINGER. The case is no simple task for Shannon, since he can’t even get into the crime scene until three months after the fact, and the cops still have no solid leads.
That leads into Shannon taking on another case of sorts, from a frustrated mother whose daughter is mixed up with a bizarre cult that operates out of a yoga studio. As he pokes his nose into the operation, he steps on a few toes — the type of toes with very thick Russian accents.
Even though this is not SMALL CRIMES part two, don’t let that dissuade you from checking out the Shannon series. It might have its flights into the metaphysical world, but it’s still top-notch P.I. reading. Even for Yankee fans. —Bruce Grossman
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR:
• PARIAH by Dave Zeltserman
• SMALL CRIMES by Dave Zeltserman
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