FICTION

Blood Standard

by Laird Barron
Putnam. (Isaiah Coleridge, Bk. 1). May 2018. 336p. ISBN 9780735212879. $26; ebk. ISBN 9780735212886. MYS
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Isaiah Coleridge is a mob enforcer stationed in Alaska and has seen and done it all. One day, he disobeys orders by forcibly ending the money-making scheme of a made man. The mob has two options: to put a bullet behind Coleridge's ear or grant him exile. Owing to Isaiah's long-standing service, his boss spares his life as long as he stays under the radar and out of trouble. Isaiah relocates to upstate New York, seeking a new quiet life on a farm. But when a teenage girl disappears, Isaiah must dive back into the underworld that he had been warned to avoid.
VERDICT Three-time Shirley Jackson Award-winning horror author Barron (Swift to Chase) delivers a fine first entry in the noir genre. Fans of James Ellroy will appreciate Barron's hard-boiled prose. Readers of John D. MacDonald will enjoy the plot's twists and turns. [See Prepub Alert, 11/13/17.]
Reviewed by Russell Michalak, Goldey-Beacom Coll. Lib., Wilmington, DE , Apr 06, 2018
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