REVIEW: THE JACKPORT KILLER: A VIRULENT NOIR – A KURT LOBO CASEFILE/ AUTHOR: KNEEL DOWNE / PUBLISHER: LULU.COM / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
“The floor’s covered in eyes…”
Once more unto the Blurb, my friends… Taking place twelve months before the events in Downe’s first self-published work, VirulentBlurb: Fractures, this is the first in a planned series of mini-adventures focusing on the popular wolf-spliced detective, Kurt Lobo. The character has always had the manner of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer crossed with Philip Marlowe, only with the features of a large, talking wolf.
Narrating the story into an audio journal, the tough talking (the language in this volume is particularly profane) cop investigates the return of a brutal serial killer who appears to be taunting him with tokens left at – or more precisely – in the crime scene. It’s no ordinary procedural narrative, which keeps the interest and certainly throws a curveball or two, but the story moves along at a swift pace and is thoroughly engrossing.
Written in Downe’s distinctive manner – as fiction born from Twitter – he has kept the staccato, segmented pace in the storytelling – and is assured and competent enough to allow a minimal amount of description to paint a vivid picture. There’s also a distinctive flow to the spacing of the text. It may look odd at first glance; but you begin to read the pauses as part of the rhythm of the piece.
New readers should have no problem becoming absorbed by the Blurb world, but to get the effect and enjoyment of the incidental characters, it’s preferable to have read them. Despite the unique style, it is very easy to read, and you will soon find yourself completely immersed into the bizarre, cyberpunk, dystopian world Downe has created, and find yourself wanting more.
You can buy The JackPort Killer: A Virulent Noir – A Kurt Lobo Casefile from Lulu.com, and find out more about the Blurb Universe at the VirulentBlurb website, and follow on Twitter.
