4 out of 5

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Without realizing ‘Bust’ was part of a series, I’d read a later entry and was okay on it.  I thought it was a bit mean-spirited, but worth some chuckles.  (…I didn’t get it.)  I read another Jason Starr book (Fake I.D.) and was not keen on it, since no one in the book was likable and it seemed like a quest to see how degrading all could get before things wrapped up, like a noir torture porn.  (The jury’s still out on whether or not I got it.)  So I wasn’t sure how to feel about starting ‘Bust.’  I mean, I was going to read it cover to cover, but would there be a book here for me to enjoy, and if so, would my bias prevent me from admitting it?

Thankfully, a good book is a good book.  ‘Bust’ even comes close to great… although once you catch on that nothing is gonna’ go right for anyone, you can start sniffing around for how Bruen and Starr are going to twist one character’s positive thoughts into something for another character to disparage, and there’s something sort of… iffy about including quotes of your own writing, or of your friends writing, as chapter headers.  So the “new school” of noir gets quoted: Dominic Stansberry, Duane Swierczynski, alongside Bruen and Starr’s quotes from other books…  Cool shoutout, just a little insular, and seeing the book’s author’s names there is a good way to break any intention of immersion.

However, that being said, what I was missing from the later entry in this series is here: namely, a proper introduction to our principles, Max and Angela.  As well as the other characters ruined in their wake: Bobby Rosa, ‘Popeye’, Detective Simmons.  These aren’t kind introductions, but that’s exactly what makes the humor work: we get to see some logical workings behind these characters’ decisions, and thus we can actually see this nonsense unfold in reality (because people – myself included, as always – are that dumb and self-deluded) instead of just chortling at patsies lined up for us.

And make no mistake – I laughed.  There are some hilarious passages and juxtapositions in here, stumbled across organically within conversations and thoughts.  At times, Starr and Bruen reach a bit too much for that one final jab (especially at Max), but otherwise its a rapid-fire flow of words you’re jibing with and then suddenly shaking your head at, and then smiling to yourself on the train, holding in a snicker.

What’s cool is that there’s definitely a story here – Max and Angela are having an affair; Angela sets Max up with a ‘pro’ to kill Max’s wife… except the ‘pro’ is Angela’s boyfriend, and the intention is to bilk Max outta’ his money after the deed is done – and what knocks into Hard Case territory (or making it a genre book) – though here its played for a Coen Brothers comedic effect – is how it all goes wrong, and how it was all wrong from the start because everyone convinces everyone else they know what they’re doing even though no one really does.  Things don’t so much spiral out as play out, and that’s satisfying as well: this could only end fucked up, so its good that Bruen and Starr don’t toss too much into the pot.

So ‘Bust’ was a nice surprise.  Yeah, its crude and lewd and no one has a truthful or kind word to say to anyone, but its pitched at just the right level that we can continue reading about these foibles without feeling too dirty or dumb ourselves.