Reviews
Black Shadows has been garnering some great reviews, from the mighty international publisher, Harpercollins, to a range of talented authors. Here are some of the things people are saying about Black Shadows.
Bestselling author, Debbie Mack, gives Black Shadows the thumbs up!
Hardboiled legend and bestselling author, Debbi Mack has recently posted this amazing review of Black Shadows on her blog, The Book Grrl!
The Hardboiled Detective is on the Case in 'Black Shadows' Review: BLACK SHADOWS (Wild Wolf Publishing 2011)
Author: Simon Swift
BLACK SHADOWS takes place back in a time when dames was dames and men wore fedoras. Detectives talked tough, threw punches and pounded the pavement looking for clues, solving crimes because when a detective gets killed it's bad for business and bad for detectives everywhere.
So, it takes place in New York City, circa 1940.
Private dick (aka, detective) Errol Black, aka, Eezy, is sitting in his office when the lovely Claudia comes in and hires him to follow her no-good fiance, George Ferriby, who she thinks is stepping out on her. Why, that awful man! But wait! Then, there's a redhead, and her name is Marlow. Hmm ... sound familiar? Anyhow, Marlow says she's Claudia's sister -- well, not really her blood sister, but her best friend in the whole world.
So ... whilst this is going on there are these other guys doing stuff. (BTW, do you like that word? Whilst? Because you're going to see it a lot. :)) In fact, there's a fat man known as the Coward. Or the Portly Gangster. Maybe. He has a kid with a gun working for him. And it seems a dame is associated with them. I won't say who. Does this sound at all familiar? They want to meet Black up in Woodstock. And hold a rock concert? Of course not. They want to find something. And it's not the Maltese Falcon, believe it or not.
And somehow this all relates to the murder of Dyke Spanner, Black's former partner at The Shadow Man Detective Agency which died with Terry Shadow (accidentally) in a Mob hit on Arthur Flegenheimer five years before.
Plus the Tong, aka, the Chinese mafia, are all mixed up in this, too.
Oh, did I mention the plot is a bit complex? Maybe you've already sussed that out.
Suffice it to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Simon Swift is a clever wordsmith. Thus, some of the book's familiar criminal scenarios read far better than they might in less capable hands. And the plot was a most meandering tangle of threads ... but it all works out somehow, right? :)
And, I might add that Swift can be awfully funny, too. However, even though you might get the idea that Black is like any old hardboiled PI, he isn't just Sam Spade, okay? He actually seems to have a heart, which makes him different and interesting. But he ain't mushy, either. You got that?
So, if you enjoy the old hardboiled detective novels, you're in for a real treat. Because this is a book that truly harkens back to a time when dames was dames and men wore fedoras and detectives were tough talkers. There's just one thing. There was no rock and roll in the 1940s. Oh, no!
The Hardboiled Detective is on the Case in 'Black Shadows' Review: BLACK SHADOWS (Wild Wolf Publishing 2011)
Author: Simon Swift
BLACK SHADOWS takes place back in a time when dames was dames and men wore fedoras. Detectives talked tough, threw punches and pounded the pavement looking for clues, solving crimes because when a detective gets killed it's bad for business and bad for detectives everywhere.
So, it takes place in New York City, circa 1940.
Private dick (aka, detective) Errol Black, aka, Eezy, is sitting in his office when the lovely Claudia comes in and hires him to follow her no-good fiance, George Ferriby, who she thinks is stepping out on her. Why, that awful man! But wait! Then, there's a redhead, and her name is Marlow. Hmm ... sound familiar? Anyhow, Marlow says she's Claudia's sister -- well, not really her blood sister, but her best friend in the whole world.
So ... whilst this is going on there are these other guys doing stuff. (BTW, do you like that word? Whilst? Because you're going to see it a lot. :)) In fact, there's a fat man known as the Coward. Or the Portly Gangster. Maybe. He has a kid with a gun working for him. And it seems a dame is associated with them. I won't say who. Does this sound at all familiar? They want to meet Black up in Woodstock. And hold a rock concert? Of course not. They want to find something. And it's not the Maltese Falcon, believe it or not.
And somehow this all relates to the murder of Dyke Spanner, Black's former partner at The Shadow Man Detective Agency which died with Terry Shadow (accidentally) in a Mob hit on Arthur Flegenheimer five years before.
Plus the Tong, aka, the Chinese mafia, are all mixed up in this, too.
Oh, did I mention the plot is a bit complex? Maybe you've already sussed that out.
Suffice it to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Simon Swift is a clever wordsmith. Thus, some of the book's familiar criminal scenarios read far better than they might in less capable hands. And the plot was a most meandering tangle of threads ... but it all works out somehow, right? :)
And, I might add that Swift can be awfully funny, too. However, even though you might get the idea that Black is like any old hardboiled PI, he isn't just Sam Spade, okay? He actually seems to have a heart, which makes him different and interesting. But he ain't mushy, either. You got that?
So, if you enjoy the old hardboiled detective novels, you're in for a real treat. Because this is a book that truly harkens back to a time when dames was dames and men wore fedoras and detectives were tough talkers. There's just one thing. There was no rock and roll in the 1940s. Oh, no!
Jake Barton, bestselling crime author of Burn Baby Burn...
Black Shadows
is Raymond Chandler or James Ellroy reinvented for the 21st century. There’s a
real authenticity about the period; the setting – New York in the 1940s - the
characters – all coming together in a detective story that really hits the
heights.
From the dramatic opening onwards, the reader is hooked. It’s a proven formula: a wisecracking detective, exotic female characters and shady gangsters, but here everything works so well. The sense of pace is perfectly judged, the short, snappy sentences adding to the excitement. Simon Swift is a clever, inventive writer with the ability to take the detective story to new heights.
The acknowledged masters of the genre: Chandler, Hammett and their ilk are long gone. Make way for a new star in their firmament, Simon Swift, and his exceptional novel, Black Shadows.
Jake Barton.
From the dramatic opening onwards, the reader is hooked. It’s a proven formula: a wisecracking detective, exotic female characters and shady gangsters, but here everything works so well. The sense of pace is perfectly judged, the short, snappy sentences adding to the excitement. Simon Swift is a clever, inventive writer with the ability to take the detective story to new heights.
The acknowledged masters of the genre: Chandler, Hammett and their ilk are long gone. Make way for a new star in their firmament, Simon Swift, and his exceptional novel, Black Shadows.
Jake Barton.
5 stars from the amazing Soooz Burke!
Move over Raymond Chandler, there's a new kid in town, and he's good...damned good.
I have always loved Chandler's work and usually find myself comparing anything in the same genre to him.Well guess who has a new benchmark?
I am still smiling at the pristine and rapid fire dialogue. 1940's USA and it's all there...the attitude, the sights, smells, sounds of that time and place are alive and well and living on these pages, luring you in and holding you captive.
I dare you not to smile at the verbal exchanges. The pacing is as perfect as it gets, author Simon Swift doesn't rush you through, he uses his unique style to edge you into that marvelous state of "I must know more!"
Don't misunderstand, the characterizations lose nothing in this pace. They are rich and intensely visual.
I am putting this on my list of best books for 2011.
Do yourselves a favor...read it.
I have always loved Chandler's work and usually find myself comparing anything in the same genre to him.Well guess who has a new benchmark?
I am still smiling at the pristine and rapid fire dialogue. 1940's USA and it's all there...the attitude, the sights, smells, sounds of that time and place are alive and well and living on these pages, luring you in and holding you captive.
I dare you not to smile at the verbal exchanges. The pacing is as perfect as it gets, author Simon Swift doesn't rush you through, he uses his unique style to edge you into that marvelous state of "I must know more!"
Don't misunderstand, the characterizations lose nothing in this pace. They are rich and intensely visual.
I am putting this on my list of best books for 2011.
Do yourselves a favor...read it.
Gnostalgia Book Review of Black Shadows compares it to great Erle Stanley Gardner!
Black Shadows
by Simon Swift
Wild Wolf Publishing
( 4 stars out of 5 )
“Black Shadows” is a fun fast paced detective story. It has that film noir feel to it. The dialogue is spot on with the time period of the 30′s and 40′s.
The opening scene starts with a bang or should I say a gangland style shootout. Errol Christopher Black survives, but a fellow detective Terry Shadow is slain in the hail of bullets. A decade later, Black takes on what he believes to be a routine case and finds himself entangled with mobsters.
As you might expect from a detective story, there are plenty of twists. The setting is great and I enjoyed much of the smart dialogue. You can’t help but think of some of the old classic PI movies. This book is in the tradition of Dashiell Hammett, Jonathan Latimer, and Erle Stanley Gardner.
Good story, I recommend it. I give it 4 stars out of 5.
by Simon Swift
Wild Wolf Publishing
( 4 stars out of 5 )
“Black Shadows” is a fun fast paced detective story. It has that film noir feel to it. The dialogue is spot on with the time period of the 30′s and 40′s.
The opening scene starts with a bang or should I say a gangland style shootout. Errol Christopher Black survives, but a fellow detective Terry Shadow is slain in the hail of bullets. A decade later, Black takes on what he believes to be a routine case and finds himself entangled with mobsters.
As you might expect from a detective story, there are plenty of twists. The setting is great and I enjoyed much of the smart dialogue. You can’t help but think of some of the old classic PI movies. This book is in the tradition of Dashiell Hammett, Jonathan Latimer, and Erle Stanley Gardner.
Good story, I recommend it. I give it 4 stars out of 5.
Catherine Chisnall, author of Surfacing and Descending
Christmas Book recommendations- part Deux! Black Shadows Another book has caught my eye: Black Shadows by Simon Swift.
A crime thriller for Christmas to tease your powers of deduction and transport you into the past.
Synopsis:
Black Shadows is a crime novel blending fact and fiction. New Jersey 1935: rookie private detective, Errol Black, gets mixed up in the killing of Dutch Schultz. Ten years later, a young lady hires Black for a seemingly routine surveillance job. When one-time partner, Dyke Spanner is shot to death, Black is drawn into a violent and bloody quest for a priceless diamond.
"The strength of the writing led me to imagine that I was entering into a 1940’s movie with Humphrey Bogart in the wings.
I also firmly believe that with the right exposure, there is potential here for a film.
Many times during reading BLACK SHADOWS I was convinced that I had all the answers, only to be completely wrong footed by the superb, imaginative writing of Simon Swift," says Teresa Geering, author of 'The Eye of Erasmus'.
"Excellent read. One of the best detective stories I've read. Great characters and a very good plot. The pace is fast and really holds your interest. This one is well worth reading. I highly recommend it," says John Harold McCoy, author of 'Bramwell Valley'.
What I think is:
If you fancy being drawn into the world of film noir, slick private eyes and femme fatales, this is the book for you. Here's lookin at you, kid.
A crime thriller for Christmas to tease your powers of deduction and transport you into the past.
Synopsis:
Black Shadows is a crime novel blending fact and fiction. New Jersey 1935: rookie private detective, Errol Black, gets mixed up in the killing of Dutch Schultz. Ten years later, a young lady hires Black for a seemingly routine surveillance job. When one-time partner, Dyke Spanner is shot to death, Black is drawn into a violent and bloody quest for a priceless diamond.
"The strength of the writing led me to imagine that I was entering into a 1940’s movie with Humphrey Bogart in the wings.
I also firmly believe that with the right exposure, there is potential here for a film.
Many times during reading BLACK SHADOWS I was convinced that I had all the answers, only to be completely wrong footed by the superb, imaginative writing of Simon Swift," says Teresa Geering, author of 'The Eye of Erasmus'.
"Excellent read. One of the best detective stories I've read. Great characters and a very good plot. The pace is fast and really holds your interest. This one is well worth reading. I highly recommend it," says John Harold McCoy, author of 'Bramwell Valley'.
What I think is:
If you fancy being drawn into the world of film noir, slick private eyes and femme fatales, this is the book for you. Here's lookin at you, kid.
Teresa Geering, author of The Eye of Erasmus
BLACK SHADOWS I have just finished reading this thrilling book by Simon Swift, and below is my review.
BLACK SHADOWS REVIEW SIMON SWIFT
Black Shadows is not a book I would normally choose to read, but I’m so glad the opportunity was given to me.
We are introduced to the main character Errol Christopher Black, a rookie private detective as he tucks into a large bloody porterhouse steak. Detectives Terry Shadow and Dyke Spanner of the Shadow Man Detective Agency are helping him work his way through a now half empty bottle of claret.
The story unfolds in Newark New Jersey in 1935 where mobs rule, and we are witness to a typical shoot out of the time. As the table is upended to afford some form of protection from the flying bullets, they realise that they are not the intended targets but Terry Shadow meets his untimely end with two clean bullets to the head.
Ten years down the line we find Errol Christopher Black with a new partner, Hermeez Wentz and now based in Manhattan at the Black and Wentz Detective Agency along with his very obliging secretary Ava Jameson.
Errol seems happy to take on run of the mill cases and his new client Claudia seems to fit into that category. She tells of a straying fiancé George, along with the discovery of a lipstick and pair of lacy panties which don’t belong to her.
As he takes on what he considers to be a routine surveillance case, Errol is unexpectedly drawn back once more to the mobsters and gangs of that time.
His one time partner Dyke Spanner is shot to death and Errol finds himself on the trail of a blue diamond coveted by hoodlums and beautiful women alike.
The story unfolds with many twists and turns, whilst the reader is witness to the beautiful women that Errol chooses to bed, in his quest for the diamond and the elusive George. Murder is not a rare occurrence either. To state more would give away too much of the plot.
The strength of the writing led me to imagine that I was entering into a 1940’s movie with Humphrey Bogart in the wings.
I also firmly believe that with the right exposure, there is potential here for a film.
Many times during reading BLACK SHADOWS I was convinced that I had all the answers, only to be completely wrong footed by the superb, imaginative writing of Simon Swift.
T K Geering 10/10/2010
BLACK SHADOWS REVIEW SIMON SWIFT
Black Shadows is not a book I would normally choose to read, but I’m so glad the opportunity was given to me.
We are introduced to the main character Errol Christopher Black, a rookie private detective as he tucks into a large bloody porterhouse steak. Detectives Terry Shadow and Dyke Spanner of the Shadow Man Detective Agency are helping him work his way through a now half empty bottle of claret.
The story unfolds in Newark New Jersey in 1935 where mobs rule, and we are witness to a typical shoot out of the time. As the table is upended to afford some form of protection from the flying bullets, they realise that they are not the intended targets but Terry Shadow meets his untimely end with two clean bullets to the head.
Ten years down the line we find Errol Christopher Black with a new partner, Hermeez Wentz and now based in Manhattan at the Black and Wentz Detective Agency along with his very obliging secretary Ava Jameson.
Errol seems happy to take on run of the mill cases and his new client Claudia seems to fit into that category. She tells of a straying fiancé George, along with the discovery of a lipstick and pair of lacy panties which don’t belong to her.
As he takes on what he considers to be a routine surveillance case, Errol is unexpectedly drawn back once more to the mobsters and gangs of that time.
His one time partner Dyke Spanner is shot to death and Errol finds himself on the trail of a blue diamond coveted by hoodlums and beautiful women alike.
The story unfolds with many twists and turns, whilst the reader is witness to the beautiful women that Errol chooses to bed, in his quest for the diamond and the elusive George. Murder is not a rare occurrence either. To state more would give away too much of the plot.
The strength of the writing led me to imagine that I was entering into a 1940’s movie with Humphrey Bogart in the wings.
I also firmly believe that with the right exposure, there is potential here for a film.
Many times during reading BLACK SHADOWS I was convinced that I had all the answers, only to be completely wrong footed by the superb, imaginative writing of Simon Swift.
T K Geering 10/10/2010
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Publishing powerhouse Harper Collins loved Black Shadows. Here is their review...
Harper Collins...
BLACK SHADOWS is a tightly written piece of noir fiction, inviting obvious comparisons to Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. The story follows a private detective whose routine surveillance work soon spirals into a much larger case, involving the theft of a valuable jewel and the truth behind the death of his partner ten years before. When done right, this historical crime subgenre can transcend its traditional audience and appeal to all kinds of mystery readers.
In general, this is a very swift and compelling read. The pacing is taut, the dialogue snappy, and the action—especially in the explosive beginning—comes in short, quick bursts. The characters play nicely to type: the possibly morally suspect private investigator, the smoldering femme fatale, even the secretary with a heart of gold. The voice feels pitch perfect and draws the character smoothly back in time. It almost feels like the reader has stepped into a black and white movie from the 1940s.
BLACK SHADOWS is a tightly written piece of noir fiction, inviting obvious comparisons to Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. The story follows a private detective whose routine surveillance work soon spirals into a much larger case, involving the theft of a valuable jewel and the truth behind the death of his partner ten years before. When done right, this historical crime subgenre can transcend its traditional audience and appeal to all kinds of mystery readers.
In general, this is a very swift and compelling read. The pacing is taut, the dialogue snappy, and the action—especially in the explosive beginning—comes in short, quick bursts. The characters play nicely to type: the possibly morally suspect private investigator, the smoldering femme fatale, even the secretary with a heart of gold. The voice feels pitch perfect and draws the character smoothly back in time. It almost feels like the reader has stepped into a black and white movie from the 1940s.
Gerry McCullough, author of Belfast Girls
Since I love the Raymond Chandler / Bogart type of thriller, the opening chapter of Black Shadows had me hooked at once. The setting, the wisecracks, the gangster element, the upright but flawed detective falling for the beautiful woman - what's there not to like? I can say that the book fully lives up to its promise. Moving through the complex plot, guessing and second guessing, until the final twist after what I thought was the final twist, I enjoyed all this enormously. Errol is a very easy character to relate to. He comes to life from the first moment, and stays that way. The dialogue, of course, contributes greatly to this, the short sentences and chapters (at first, anyway!) force us to jump straight into the action, and new characters are added at just the right rate, not too many at once, so that we can follow who is who without confusion. This is a very successful book, very much my type of book, and it should be the first of a popular series, if everyone else sees it as I do. Congratulations, Simon!
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