Title: A Good Rush of Blood
Author: Matt Phillips
Publisher: Run Amok Crime
Pages: 312
My GoodReads Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Good Rush of Blood was exactly that. It felt as
if I was shadowing Creeley, not just reading.
At 39, Creeley Nash, unwed and poor, is a drug
runner. She is lonely and faces nothingness in her life. As a 14-year-old, she
ran away from her home in Palm Springs 26 years ago. Running away from her
mother, Blossom, a prostitute who had no love to give her daughter.
When Animal, her handler, sends her on a run to
Palm Springs, Creeley goes unwillingly. In Palm Springs, she learns that her
mother has been imprisoned for life for having killed a 17-year-old boy, Levi
Mackey. Blossom says, she didn’t kill him and Creeley believes her. So begins
her effort to find the real killer and exonerate her mother.
Meanwhile, Animal is threatening her to bring back
his stash and the money she’s collected for him. When she refuses, he sends
goons to ‘take care’ of her. Also, it becomes increasingly clear that there’s a
huge coverup, at a high level, behind keeping Blossom in jail.
How’s a girl supposed to go about getting her
mother exonerated in the face of such huge challenges? Will Creeley succeed in
her goal? Will she make peace with her mother?
It’s amazing how Creeley picks up her own tribe, particularly
when her own mother isn’t much of a real mother to her. The members of this
tribe are a host of interesting characters, Amber, a queer librarian with a
mohawk; a Kimmie, a gay man who befriends Creeley; Monty, a corrupt cop, and
Paul, an old friend who’s now a violent criminal.
The writing was potent and urgent. It kept me on
edge throughout. The style of the writing, described as neo-noir, revels in the
sleazy and shady side of life, where dark tendencies might find comfort. You
get the dreary sense that any wins in this world are hard won, and Creeley will
always be looking over her shoulder, never at peace.
The focus of the book is the murder and Creeley’s
investigation to find the real killer.
We find ourselves sympathizing with Creeley, even though
she is a drug runner, part of a crime syndicate, and her choices and actions
destroy innocent lives. The action is so continuous and intense that we aren’t
afforded any time to philosophize about the wrongness of what Creeley does for
a living.
The lines between good and bad, right and wrong are
blurred here. So we have Animal, the wannabe drug kingpin, making sure that
Creeley is safe and not subject to any sexual harassment, not out of concern
for her but because she’s the best drug runner he’s had.
We learn more about Creeley’s life through the
flashbacks, aptly titled History Lessons, that the author shares with us.
The only characters I felt for, besides Creeley,
were Ross, Paul, Amber, Levi and Kimmie, perhaps because they showed us their
weaknesses and vulnerabilities. I didn’t care much for Blossom.
(I read this book on NetGalley.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley.)
No comments:
Post a Comment