Recall Night by Alan Baxter

I’ve gotten into Alan Baxter’s work over the last couple of years, and have enjoyed the hell out of it, comparing him at one stage as a successor to some guy named Clive Barker. He writes in the same vein – (relatively) everyday folk caught in bizarre situations. I read the first book in the series – Manifest Recall (review here) almost three years ago, and it was a melting pot of awesome. Thanks to Grey Matter Press for the ARC. All my opinions are my own and all that jazz.

Disclaimer – I read this in August, so forgive me if I’m a little hazy on some of the details.

So, what’s it all about?

Eli Carver is back, and up to his neck in shit yet again. This time, after hiding out in Canada for a couple of years, he gets the all-clear to return to the US. He’s hardly across the border when he rescues a professional gambler from some interested cops and ends up providing protection for her from some gangsters. Of course, said gangsters happen to be embroiled in a gang war, and Eli gets caught in the middle. Lucky he’s not only a badass but has the “support” of the ghosts of his victims past along for the ride (and comedy value).

Is it any good?

It wasn’t as good as Manifest Recall, but in the sense that finding $950 is not as good as finding $1000. Part of this is due to the biggest selling points of book one aren’t fresh – his apparent psychotic break, who his prisoner is, the posse of ghosts – this time around. One new thing I liked a lot is Eli’s attempts to change his ways. In Canada, he discovered The Book of the Five Rings (worth a read, I checked it out afterwards), which inspires Eli to adopt the way of the samurai, hence his offering protection. This guides his journey this time and curbs his willingness to kill, which is problematic when being attacked almost incessantly by mobsters. This is a short book, and you’ll likely read it in a day or two, no doubt helped along by the manic pacing and the cracking story.  

Verdict

Can we have book three already? Paging Alan Baxter.

Format: E-Book

Obtained from: Publisher

Print length: 162 pages (pb)

Publisher: Grey Matter Press

ISBN: 9781950569052