Review of Tower; Ken Bruen, Reed Farrel Coleman
Dual Narratives That Make One Compelling Crime Story
Nov 14, 2009
Tower was jointly written by award-winning masters of noir, Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman (who also writes under the name Tony Spinosa). The authors create two memorable characters in Tower and tell each of their stories, one at a time. The beauty of this approach is that, although the reader sees quite a bit from one character's perspective, there's a whole lot of story left to be revealed from the other's.
The Set-up
Nick and Todd have been life-long friends. They fall into a life of crime, working for an Irish mob boss named Boyle – a Bible-reading gangster whose sidekick Griffin gives new meaning to the word "sociopath."
The story starts (after the prologue, that is) in Nick's perspective. He's a guy filled with rage and bad family history (particularly with his father), who comes off as something of a criminal "wannabe." He and Todd (the seemingly more self-assured of the two) run into a bit of trouble trying to pull a job for Boyle. And Boyle puts Nick to a kind of test – one involving Todd. Meanwhile, Nick gets involved with a woman and wants to make the relationship work. But Boyle's test is putting him under pressure. And Todd has some surprises for him, as well.
Things that come out during Nick's part of the story are further explored from Todd's perspective. And (true to form for both authors) the whole picture ain't so pretty.
Skillful Revelations and Terse Prose
Part of what makes this story work so well is the skillful revelation of bits of information at the proper time and from the appropriate character. Even though the same scenario is recounted twice, the second telling gives a fresh perspective. One that's as suspenseful for what you already know will happen, as it is for what you don't.
The characters end up taking very different paths that run parallel throughout most of the story, which explores their friendship, life choices and how those choices test their loyalties. Not to mention fate, which plays a major part in this tale.
The writing is terse. So terse you run across many a sentence that simply drops the subject and starts with a verb. Prose that blends eloquence and grit, such as, "Hit my brain like the A train, hard and cold . . . ," for instance. The dialogue rings true to the ear and the story is told with such economical precision, it packs a wallop for a slim volume of less than 200 pages.
The book is also interspersed with quotations, from sources that run the gamut from Italian proverbs and popular song lyrics to poets like Sylvia Plath and classic authors like Raymond Chandler. (Along with a smattering of excerpts from contemporary mid-list crime authors that could be viewed from a more cynical perspective as a subtle form of product placements.)
A Haunting Finish
Revealing too much about the plot risks revealing spoilers. Suffice it to say, that both narratives combine seamlessly into a haunting finish that you can see coming only because the story is being told in retrospect – by yet a third party.
And it takes a while, but the reason for the title eventually becomes clear.
Tower Busted Flush Press (September 2009), ISBN: 978-1-9354-1507-7
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