Pain Killers

by: Jerry Stahl

Published by: William Morrow (Harper Collins)

Reviewed by Heather Durow

Manny Rupert, an ex-cop and current addict, who is now in the private investigation business, comes home one evening to find strange photos on his dresser and an even stranger old man in his bedroom. Harry Zell gives him the most unusual assignment of his life–go undercover at San Quentin prison and identify a man claiming to be Dr. Josef Mengele, the Nazi Angel of Death. Unable to pass up the money, Manny takes the job and moves to his new home on the grounds of the prison, passing himself off as a drug counselor there to teach classes.

On his first night at Quentin, his ex-wife comes back into his life to make things even more complicated. Having met her in his previous life as a cop when she killed her first husband with a bowl of Lucky Charms laced with glass and Drano, it wasn’t surprising the find that she is mixed up in dangerous business that has ties to Manny’s assignment.

From on-site investigating to a side trip to LA, Manny discovers he is not the only one out to unveil the truth, and it leads to a fight for his life and the life of the woman he still loves.

Pain Killers delivers a dark and disturbingly witty ride. Stahl has a unique writing style that is not for the faint of heart. There are times when the suspension of disbelief is taken to the extreme and the flow of events is off kilter. Although thrilling at times, Pain Killers favors poetic justice to the anticipated climatic ending.

Definitely a twisted novel but one to see through to the end nonetheless.

Armchair Interviews agrees.

Author’s Web site: http://www.JerryStahl.com