Crime Fiction from Down Under: "Hell to Pay" by Garry Discher


Published 2014.

For me, one of the wonders of exceptionally wonderful writing is its ability to take something I’d would just steer clear of in real life, and transform it into something I can read with deep interest. This is even truer in Crime Fiction due to its sometimes graphic nature.

Before getting into the meat of it, yes, what I’ve just read was Crime Fiction and not Mainstream literature, in case you’re wondering:

“Kropp himself seated at a large table at the head of the room, trying for smiles and patience and genial common sense. But the crowd would not have logic or patience on its side, only heat and hurt. One by one they would stand, awkward men and women who’d felt fine and flashing moments before but now, in the spotlight, tripped over their words and lost the threads of their accusations. A disordered atmosphere, the crowd blurting accusations that trailed into nothing or were overheated or roamed off the point [ ].”

The rest of this review can be found on my blog. ( )

This is the weakest of the trilogy. The first one was so funny then the second was not bad but not as funny and this one was not funny at all. Everything that I really liked about the first book is just gone in this one. The funny conminterary about religion, superheros, and the why of the world is just tossed out the window. Instead we get Dues Ex in this one. Nothing is what the characters or we the readers thought it was. In the end God makes Chesney into a little god for reasons that I just do not get. Because God is all powerful in this world, he could have just remade the opening scene in the first book and everything would have been fixed. Instead we get Dues Ex'ed. I hate that so much. I still love the first book. It is still funny and interesting but the other two were just really disappointing to me.

I give this book a Three out of Five stars.

I found I did not enjoy reading this book as much as I did the first two. It's a bit darker, and has lost of lot of the unique humor that I liked about the start of this series. Chesney seems constantly confused while he blunders through his latest adventure -- he has strayed from the world of crime solving and ends up in a sort of duel with his nemesis from the first book, Nat Blowdell. They are eventually transported to a forgotten universe, another one of God's dead-ends.

A few other magical humans are introduced, Simon Magus and Barabbas, and both are seemingly pointless, flat characters. Simon has a personality, but doesn't really add to the story. Barabbas was intimidating for about two seconds before he was quietly relegated to the background and everyone forgot about him. Chesney and Melda's relationship is almost non-existent until they have a fight and then makeup with no explanation. I'd have to say the most interesting characters in this book were the demons, Xaphan and Adramalek, and they probably have the most character development as well.

The end wraps up rather quickly, with a final confrontation between God, Chesney and the devil, the two demons, as well as Melda, Simon, Nat and Barabbas, and Chesney's mother and her boyfriend. This last scene just had too many characters, and while God was explaining his reasoning behind the universe (via Xaphan) everyone else seemed to just stand quietly. The end felt rushed and several of the characters were sort of disposed of with vague scenarios.

Overall, I really enjoy this series because it's so unique. I just feel like the first two books are much stronger than the final. ( )

In this conclusion to Chesney Arnstruther's adventures, author Matthew Hughes take a more philosophical and darker turn to his tale of the autistic actuary turned crime fighter, who is added and abetted in his deeds of good by former Al Capone assistant-now-demon, Xaphan.

Hughes continues the concept God is writing a book and making up the plot as He goes. Along the way we are introduced to Biblical characters who have been written-out, and who have found themselves caught in an equivalent of a Groundhog's Day loop.

The humour that started with The Damned Busters diminishes greatly in this third book, and for some readers who are seeking a farcical romp may find this third instalment off-putting. For myself, I found the story quite intriguing, far more developed and rounded than the almost comic-book narrative of the first.

All things considered, a satisfying end to an intelligently written trilogy, from an author who deftly handles farce and wit. ( )