BOOK OF THE MONTH
for January
Jay Russell Celestial Dogs
Raven (Robinson Publishing) (1 85487 429 2) £5.99 Out on 15th January
Their bite is much worse than their bark....
Would anyone in their right minds believe a vicious, conniving pimp who says he's fallen in love with one of his girls and is worried about her disappearance? Perhaps not, but Marty Burns does. Marty, a down-on-his-luck PI and former Hollywood hearthrob does. He wants to, hope against hope, because it's hard to live with the cynicism and despair of life on the streets. Marty, for his own sake, wants to believe so he takes the job.
Perhaps he was conned, perhaps not, he'll never be sure, because next thing he knows, Long John is dead and the only clue that Marty has is the name `Celestial Dogs', a film company no one seems to know anything about.
Marty's search for the truth behind the disappearances of young prostitutes is a tale of horror that explores the depths of human depravity. His investigation leads him from the seedy streets of Los Angeles, onto the sets of movieland, uncovering secrets too terrible to imagine, scenes too painful to witness.
As a story, the crime and horror elements are intertwined with great skill. I have never read anything quite like it. The crimes could be real crimes, the depravity and degredation is human, the story could be true - you don't need any great leap of the imagination to believe this. It is a terrifying vision, yet one which is undeniably present. But the underlying force is supernatural, an age-old conflict between good and evil encapsulated in Japanese mythology.
Jay Russell has achieved something quite extraordinary - a unique combination of crime, horror and humour. The novel is full of laughs, mainly due to Marty's wry sense of humour. He's a wonderful character, with very few of the characteristics of the traditional detective. The genre is definitely hard-boiled, but Russell has lifted the traditional male PI into a new realm of possibilities. He's no womaniser (although he's had his moments!), nor is he a loner. He teams up with Rosa Mendez, a beautiful intelligent and tough woman who runs the local stop-in centre for prostitutes wanting to get off the streets. He does, of course drink, but sees this as more or less compulsory given his occupation. "After all, who'd want to hire a private investigator who wasn't hard drinking?"
The book is shocking. Shocking in the horrors uncovered, shocking in the violence and shocking in the language used. But then tales such as these are not made for comfort.
Celestial Dogs is one of those books you can't bear to put down but don't want to end. I absolutely loved it. If you take my advice and get hold of it, be warned - challenging boundaries and assumptions is the name of the game. If you're easily offended or want an easy read don't bother. But if you can take the pace and like your humour sharp and black, you're in for a treat. All I want to know now is - when's Marty coming back? (E.A.L.)
Why not take a look at our interview with Jay in which he considers Violence, Censorship and the influence of Popular Culture.