The Last Deep Breath - Tom Piccirilli

Grey, Pax, and Ellie are three people who were once in an abusive foster home together, and because of that experience they consider themselves siblings even though they're not related by blood. Pax makes a career out of the Army. Grey joins the Army, too, but it doesn't work out for him. Ellie, well, she winds up on the worst career path of all, and eventually it lands her at the door of Grey's New York City apartment with a knife in her side after ten years of him not seeing her. He takes care of her, but before he can find out what happened to her, she disappears again, setting him off on a cross-country quest to find her and discover who's responsible for hurting her.

Since I recently picked up several e-books by Tom Piccirilli, I decided it made sense to go ahead and read some of them. THE LAST DEEP BREATH is a noir novella from a couple of years ago, and as usual, it's really, really good. Grey is a compelling protagonist (I'm not sure you could call him a hero, although he does some heroic things), the pace is unrelenting, and the writing is the sort of taut, evocative prose that's perfect for a bleak yarn like this one. I really like the title, too, which just seems to sum up the story's noir sensibilities. Piccirilli adds a little black humor to the mix here and there, too, especially in his portrayal of the movie business when Grey winds up in Hollywood.

As most of you no doubt already know, Tom had cancer surgery not long ago and faces a mountain of medical bills. You can help with that by buying his books and/or donating directly to the fundraiser that's been established for him, which runs through the end of this month. It's an excellent cause, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Every Shallow Cut - Tom Piccirilli

The plot of Tom Piccirilli’s short novel EVERY SHALLOW CUT is fairly simple: A failed writer, with his marriage broken up and his house lost to foreclosure, sets out to drive across country with his few possessions and his English bulldog Churchill to visit his brother, his agent, and an old friend.


Oh, and he has a gun, too, to go along with his despair.


If you’re a writer, this is one of the truest books you’ll ever read. I’ve been in many of the same places where Piccirilli’s unnamed narrator finds himself, and I’ve thought many of the same thoughts that go through his head. I’ve been luckier in many respects than this poor guy, but a lot of the feelings are the same and I suspect that’s true of most writers. EVERY SHALLOW CUT is one of those rare books that’s so good it hurts.


And that’s all I have to say about it except that you should read it, whether you’re a writer or not. But if you’re a writer, you really should.

Cast in Dark Waters - Ed Gorman and Tom Piccirilli

How long has it been since you read a good, old-fashioned, swashbuckling pirate yarn? Well, neighbor, that’s too long, as they used to say on the Wolf Brand Chili commercials. What you need to do is read CAST IN DARK WATERS by Ed Gorman and Tom Piccirilli, which is a pirate yarn . . . and more.


Gorman and Piccirilli have come up with a fine protagonist in the young woman known as Crimson, a beautiful, redheaded female pirate in the Caribbean sometime in the late 17th or early 18th century. She’s hired by a tobacco planter from Virginia and the man’s wife to retrieve the couple’s daughter, who has run off with a pirate who makes his headquarters on an island that’s supposed to be cursed.


Because this is as much a horror tale as it is a pirate story, you know things aren’t going to go particularly well on this mission, and sure enough, they don’t. But there’s plenty of pulpish goodness along the way, including swordfights. You know I love me some swordfights.


Gorman and Piccirilli have done a great job on this novella, which was originally published as a limited edition hardcover. I missed out on that edition and have wanted to read it ever since, so as soon as it became available as a very affordable e-book, I grabbed a copy. It’s available at all the usual outlets, including the publisher’s website, and if you enjoy high adventure yarns with more than a touch of creepiness and some fine characters, I highly recommend CAST IN DARK WATERS.