Hot Toasty Rag
Review of 'Gray Matter'
In the second Thomas Prescott detective novel, the locale is changed from Maine to Seattle. It’s still cold, but instead of snow, there’s fog; and instead of a creepy serial killer, there’s one unsolved murder. If you loved the humor and writing style of the first book, Unforeseen, but didn’t really like the gruesome murder descriptions, you’ll love Gray Matter. There’s also a very sweet side story that takes readers back to the WWII era for a star-crossed romance.
Personally, I love Nick Pirog’s writing style. I find myself laughing out loud during every page. But if you’re not expecting it and you’ve accidentally stumbled upon Gray Matter before Unforeseen (as I did), you’re going to have to be prepared for his sense of humor. The first-person narration from the endlessly sarcastic protagonist is a bit jaded, and yet intimate. “There were three open seats and I took one with my back to the center of the room. The secretary with the lazy eye was actually the secretary without a chin. There was no definitive spot where her neck ended and her face began. So you had Chinless, then you had Stutter, Third-Person Paul, Wig Lady, Manic Depressive Asian, Hook Arm, Adult Braces, and 80s Tuxedo.”
Then again, you’ll find passages that aren’t in danger of getting the author banned from politically correct society. Pirog’s writing is extremely clear and descriptive. His character is immature, but he also acts on risky hunches that prove to be quite intelligent. Often, I was so absorbed in the character and style, I forgot that he was a former cop trying to solve a murder!
“He took a step past the aquarium, stopped like he’d been hit with an arrow in the chest, and gazed in my direction. He grabbed a cocktail napkin from the bar, dabbed it in his scotch, and cleaned the smudges on the glass.”
If these two excerpts have made you laugh, go out and buy a bundle of Nick Pirog books. I have the complete set of both the Thomas Prescott and Henry Bins series. They’re absorbing and light, and they always make me laugh.
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Reviews with images
Awful Story
This is another in an ever growing list of terrible fiction mysteries. The twist with this one? - the main character is a comedic genius, at least according to the author.The main character is like Fletch, except not quite as amusing and a lot more violent. Of course, the fella is a giant god of a man that is irresistible to the ladies and the greatest detective this side of the moon.Tons of unbelievable occurrences such as a phone call from an old man (which the main character didn’t know) wherein he orders a list of things needed. Then the main character…just does it? This is followed by a series of him shoving his nose into an investigation simply because he’s bored or something?The main character (Thomas Prescott) is a smug, exhausting, jackass who the author (Nick Pirog) felt was worthy of writing about.I couldn’t wait for the story to end and the convoluted way each twist was forced upon the audience. I guess fiction just isn’t my thing. There is hardly a variety in protagonists anymore.
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Top reviews from other countries
Anurag
Sly self-deprecating humor is always the best part
Reviewed in India on November 25, 2021Amazon Customer
Best book I have read In some while.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 25, 2020
Pierre Bougie
My second "coup de coeur" for Nick Pirog!
Reviewed in Canada on May 31, 2014