Book – River City Blues (2016)

River City Blues by Ward Howarth (2016) – World War II veteran Bennie Sherwood comes home to Richmond after a tour of duty that took him to the grim fighting on Guadalcanal.  Following in his father’s footsteps, he joins the Richmond Police Department.  He’s also trying to solve the mystery of the old man’s murder.  The search will take him deep into the war-time underworld of the capital city, where the answers to his questions may rest.  He will have to fight criminals, dirty cops and his own personal demons to find them.

In his first novel, Ward Howarth creates a compelling noir tale of war, crime, deceit, and pain.  Detective Sergeant Sherwood tries to solve all the issues of his life while fighting what today is recognized as PTSD.  In the time and place of “River City Blues”, it’s something he will have to fight alone.

The story that rises out of that darkness is an amazing bit of story weaving by Howarth.  He creates a complex web of crime and official corruption that tangles his hero at every opportunity.  It leaves Bennie balancing on a knife’s edge between redemption and destruction.  The storytelling is tight and carries you along without a pause.

There was virtually nothing to disturb the reader’s flow of the story, except for a couple of odd word usages here and there.  The recurring one was the use of “Ms.” for unmarried female characters.  While that abbreviation is discussed prior to World War I, it doesn’t seem to really become popular until the 1970s.  Every time I saw it I wondered if he was looking for the colloquial “Miz”, which would have fit better in the time and place of the story.  That’s really the biggest complaint I had, which is quite the compliment for a first novel.

I’ve seen several comments asking if there is a sequel planned.  No word on that, but count me in as one who would enjoy more. (Just got word from the author, he is working on a sequel)

Why You Will Like It – A tightly woven, noir thriller that will keep you reading long into the night.  Well told story that is virtually note perfect.

Rating – **** Recommended