Snapshots by Paul D.Brazill

Paul D. Brazill is one of the most accomplished short story writers on the crime writing scene today. If short fiction were as popular as novels then I feel sure that he would be a household name. His wry observations on life are as accurate as a sniper’s bullet. His humour is as sharp as a butcher’s knife. His insight as deep as any philosopher’s. His tales are populated by drunks, drug addicts, ne’er-do-wells, hitmen and even werewolves. Musical references pepper these stories giving a satisfying grin to the music lovers among us.


This collection is called Snapshots and that is exactly what you get, glimpses into other lives. The author shines a light into the dark corners we dare not explore in reality. Here are some “Snapshots” from some of the stories:

FLASH A man surveys the Warsaw skyline from a glass lift.
FLASH an accountant looks up worriedly from a record store counter, his concern worn like a mantle.
FLASH A tattooed escaped convict beats a victim black and blue.
FLASH A stunningly beautiful woman slams a wedding ring down upon a bar top.
FLASH A man falls drunkenly into a fountain in Sol.
FLASH An old man clutches a bottle of whisky and bitterly considers what might have been.
FLASH A shabby Santa pees against a scraggy Christmas tree.
FLASH A girl with a scarred face and a club foot climbs a staircase with revolver in hand.
FLASH A woman and a man in a bar idly chat, flirting. One of them has murder in mind.
FLASH an angry man waves a shotgun around in a kebab house.
FLASH A man with a gold amulet in his hands looks over a grassy knoll with a knowing expression.
FLASH an ancient man with an evil expression grips a shredded teddy bear.
FLASH A man hides his former sins beneath a mask of respectability, unaware that his past is catching up with him.
FLASH A woman unknowingly posts an envelope that will seal the fate of another man.
FLASH A couple of idiots try to dispose of a body with hilarious consequences.

Snapshots is a great value collection with dark humour the order of the day. A highly recommended collection from the leader of the Brit Grit pack.

Genre:  Crime
Publisher:  Pulp Metal Fiction
Format:  E-Book Short Story Collection
Rating:  5/5

Drunk On The Moon (Story 8) - Blood And Alcohol by Frank Duffy

The eighth instalment of Drunk On The Moon - Blood and Alcohol comes from Frank Duffy. For those that have yet to come across this series of short stories they feature a private eye, Roman Dalton, who happens to be a werewolf. The genre has been dubbed werewolf noir by lovers of the series. Each story is written by a different author but all feature the hapless, if somewhat deadly, Roman Dalton as he is thrust from one dangerous adventure to another.

The diversity of authors has led to a wide range of exploits but all have been, for me, very enjoyable. Paul D. Brazill has picked his contributors with care. The authors have treated his creation with respect and kept the style and theme of the stories within the dark, gritty style of the original story.

What most impressed me about Frank Duffy’s interpretation is the life he breathes into the city. His descriptions really fire the imagination and you imagine yourself trudging alongside Roman and seeing the dangerous city through his eyes. Here is an example:

Men who dance on the decaying underbelly to the staccato beat of its nightly violence. Men like Roman Dalton.

The threat to Dalton in this instalment comes from a most unexpected source. The legend of Roman Dalton continues to grow in fever and intensity. A thoroughly enjoyable short story and a series I would recommend highly to lovers of dark fiction.

Genre:  Werewolf Noir!

Publisher:  Trestle Press
Format:  E-Book - Short Story
Price:  Amazon UK - £0.77, Amazon US - £1.18

13 Shots of Noir by Paul D. Brazill

Somewhere in a small dark room, possibly in an underground bunker, there is a man. This man studies, with an intelligent gaze, a bank of video screens. He sips slowly at polish vodka and watches. This man sees all human life. He sees parading before him a cast of serial killers, priests, kids with dogs, old curmudgeons and hen pecked husbands. When he’s done observing human life on special monitors he also sees vampires and werewolves. Occasionally he’ll push a button or scribble a line of text and like a master puppeteer he makes them all dance to his tune. He takes in all he sees and then drinks more vodka. When he has computed the results a little ticker tape spews from a console before him. He looks briefly at this and frowns unhappily.  He then turns it upside down, smiles and burns it with a zippo lighter. He switches off the screens and begins to write.

13 Shots of noir is a tonic akin to Lilly the pink's medicinal compound. If you are suffering from S.A.D you'll be G.L.A.D you downloaded this dark and witty chucklefest. Paul D. Brazill masters irony and makes telling a clever tale look easy. His use of misdirection is employed elegantly in one tail in particular. Paul has all the tools of the master storyteller at his disposal and he is not afraid to use them. You’ll find a bit of everything here including werewolf noir in the sublime Drunk On The Moon. A story that has spawned a hugely successful series. You’ll find the straw that broke the camels back in first story The Tut. A tale for all the married fellows out there.

The Ballad of the Kid is a very touching short tale that I enjoyed possibly even as much as Drunk On The Moon. Paul if you are reading this please make The Ballad Of The Kid into a novella or something. An incredibly powerful and emotional story. To me anyway.

The Friend Catcher had one of the best opening lines I’ve read in a very long time. A tale I greatly enjoyed and that craftily brought home a more powerful message than you might at first realise.

The pun Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder alone makes this collection worth buying. Paul’s work is always enjoyable and always a pleasurable read. There are even now folk on my morning bus that won’t sit near me for fear of small sudden explosions of random laughter as I read a kindle app on my phone and make them jump. Thank you Mr Brazill I now have plenty of space on the bus.

In my reviews I often make a big deal about Paul’s humour. However, there is much more to his stories than humour. PDB is not above a bit of crafty social commentary, why not discover that for yourselves whilst playing a Judas Priest record backwards?  13 Shots of Noir is a collection I am more than happy to give five enthusiastic stars to.

Download 13 Shots of Noir HERE

Drunk On The Moon Volume 6 - Silver Tears by John Donald Carlucci

One of the things I am enjoying the most about the Drunk On The Moon series is the fresh perspective each author brings to each new instalment. Carlucci's interpretation is an action packed tale that barely leaves the reader time to breathe before we are plunged with Roman into each gripping scene.

Other writers for the series will have to go a long way to beat the opening line that I won't spoil for you here. Carlucci's hooks you faster than a politician fills up his expense account.

There is some excellent descriptive writing:
It felt like a mini sun had exploded in my chest and I was ready to combust in the flames.

The author provides us with a believable and credible reason for Roman's excess drinking. Regular readers of this blog will know I am a fan of this fantastic series. Carlucci has added another cracking instalment with style, flair and a little humour. We also see the introduction of another character in the form of a back street surgeon. As the series progresses we start to see Paul D. Brazill’s fantastic creation in fantastic high definition technicolor. Another must read short story.

Download SIlver Tears HERE

Drunk On The Moon (Vol. 5) - Getting High On Daisy by Richard Godwin

Roman Dalton wakes in a flat with no memory of how he got there. Ton Ton Macoute's men are after him and millionaire Harry Nero is engaged in kidnapping and zombification. All Roman knows is he has to find Daisy before it's too late. The only problem is, he can't remember who Daisy is.

In this the fifth instalment of Paul D. Brazill's Drunk On The Moon series Richard Godwin explores the wild, feral, sexual side of Roman. We percieve, at times, Roman for the first time more as wolf than human. With strong sexual language throughout it's not one for a pensioners book club. However, as ever Godwin's writing is a powerful and descriptive metaphorical cudgel to the head. It’s hard to pick stand out language in this fabulously descriptive short story but here are a few lines that stood out for me:

He looked at the early diners, their grey faces a pattern of weakness.

He envies him for a moment wonders what such continuity must feel like, and remembers he is what this savagery has made him.

The silver light streams across the waxed immaculate bodies of Fords.

He uses deliciously erotic language at times and whilst some (not me) might find it a tad strong it does add a kind of realism. I’d imagine that anyone who has enjoyed the tone of the rest of this series will get where Richard is coming from and enjoy it as much as I did. Wolves are after all wild and primal animals. We have discovered that werewolves too feel not only the call of hot tasty flesh but also the call of their loins.

Richard also deftly fills in some of Roman’s back story adding more flesh to the bones of this already fascinating world.

This is the second darkly erotic short story of Richard's that I have read. His blend of intelligent meaty descriptive writing is a joy to read and a great addition to Paul D. Brazil's Drunk On The Moon Series.

Insatiable (Drunk On The Moon) by B.R. Stateham

In B R Stateham's Insatiable, PI Roman Dalton gets a request from an old friend to help him solve a murder. A murder so horrible, so brutal, it had to be caused by a werewolf! Dalton is approaching his 'change' and at the same time trying to solve a vicious crime. How does he stop himself from leaping onto his friend, when the time comes, and making his old buddy an evening snack? How does he find and remove from the city a werewolf who happens to be much older, and far stronger, than he is--and not create a panic among all the potential meal tickets walking around? Find out in Drunk On The Moon Four: Insatiable by BR Stateham based on characters created by Paul D Brazill.

For the first time in this series a writer concentrates on the feelings Roman has in the run up to a full moon. The author explores the nature of the changes using strong descriptive writing that really gets you into Roman’s head. We also get a more solid sense that Roman might actually be a good and talented PI who knows his job.  In short a more serious story but with, as you would expect for this series, a few laughs along the way.  There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. I was left with the satisfying feeling you get when you have really enjoyed a good story well told.