LONDON BOULEVARD (Ken Bruen) - January 12/13

I decided to read this simply because of my pathological need to read books before seeing the movies, so I wasn't expecting much. But Bruen's impressively terse, clipped style hooked me right away and I enjoyed the book much more than I anticipated. The central character is remarkably compelling and a total badass, and I'm disappointed to learn that there are no further novels in which he's featured. It's a quick, entertaining read and the ending ("the butler did it") is pretty much perfect. Good stuff. ***1/2 out of ****