King of Swords

by: Nick Stone

Published by: Harper Collins

Reviewed by Mark Owen

King of Swords reads like a friendly Quentin Tarantino movie script. If you want mystery and action with an ample splattering of gore, this book is for you.

Nick Stone’s novel, which clocks in at just over 550 pages in hardback form, is firmly implanted in the upper echelon of detective dramas making up quality crime fiction. It grabs you quickly early on and holds your attention through to the climax scenes.

The characters are very believable. Max Mingus is a mainstay in Stone’s stories. He’s a grizzled veteran on a case he doesn’t really need and doesn’t really want. With his partner, Joe Liston, he follows a trail of bodies and colorful criminal characters around the greater Miami area, visiting some intriguing locales. When the first corpse is found in a strangely mutilated state, the plot spins into the realm of black magic.

The reader is compelled to ask who is killing these people like this and why, and this is a good thing. There are false trails and side plots that lead the detectives astray, but they eventually come back with a vengeance to the main trail. There is also some gut-splitting humor scattered about, as Mingus and Liston banter endlessly.

I feel compelled to mention what I consider a minor weakness. With Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Vegas, Miami and New York airing reruns on TV non-stop, I found the autopsy scenes in the book tiresome. I know they need to be there to uncover some nebulous clues, but I wish there was another way. Detectives need breadcrumbs to keep their investigations rolling forward, and make no mistake–this story rolls.

Stone’s King of Swords is a winner in many ways.

Armchair Interviews agrees.

Author’s Web site: http://www.NickStone.co.uk