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 NOIR
REUNION
(Actvie
Bladder) by Johnny Ostentatious. Fiction. Drama. 213 pages. Returning
home after twenty years, a group of friends reunite for one purpose; 4
million dollars. A married couple, an aging punk rocker, and a geek
computer millionaire meet in
Philadelphia
hoping to retrieve the cash they hid so long ago. However, hindering their
chance at the money is time, rocky relationships with each other, and an
asshole, disgraced cop intent on getting the money for himself.
Spanning
twenty years, Noir Reunion
begins in 2003, revisits 1983 with details of how these kids came across
the cash and why they hid it, and then back to 2003 for the reunion and
cash. The book flows very well and I like Ostentatious’ writing style.
In fact, I read his first book, Ian
Hahn: The Olfactory Empath (kind of a 1940’s private detective
suspense set in the present day) and forgot to review it, but I did dig
that book as well. Nick’s, the punker, story is funny and so not what
the reader is expecting. While I did enjoy the read, I did at times think
the author was trying a bit too hard to explain things, which momentarily
slows the otherwise quick pace of the story. I’d give an example, but I
am lazy and a lame reviewer. You’ll just trust have to trust me. I also
thought a certain aspect of the ending came way, I mean way, out of left
field and this fact disappointed me. However, the rest of the story
overcomes the few issues I had and I probably shouldn’t have brought
them up, but I am sitting in an airport and the guy next to me smells like
ass, so I am taking it out on Noir
Reunion. Fans of Charles Bukowski will double take at the brief
mention of a character named Henry Chinaski. My God, the smelly guy next
to me has brown turd looking stuff on this shirt. I am moving far away
from him. Noir Reunion is a good
character driven drama that’ll make you chuckle and wonder where the
story is going. – Denis Sheehan
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