Steve Ulfelder's Shotgun Lullaby, another Conway Sax mystery, is a dark, crafty noir with heart. Sax's estrangement from his son, and his subsequent kinship with a young fellow AA member who resembles him sets an emotional tone that draws the reader in. With enough twists to keep mystery lovers guessing, it's a thriller that shines with each new suspect's involvement and finishes with a rich, satisfying end. ( )

Conway Sax, a recovered alcoholic with a checkered past, is a man who pays for his sins one favor at a time. In Shotgun Lullaby, the third book in the series, the initial favor is squaring a small car loan debt for one Gus Biletnikov, a wiseass college boy who recently joined the Barnburners (think: Alcoholics Anonymous, but even more intense). After Sax erases the debt with his fists, he takes a keen interest in helping Gus stay sober and get back on his feet, for the young Biletnikov reminds Sax of his own estranged son. But the real problems start when Biletnikov falls off the wagon. First, someone guns down a kid staying in Biletnikov’s room at Almost Home, a halfway house for people fresh out of a rehab or jail. Figuring (correctly) that Biletnikov was the actual target, Sax vows to find out who is after Gus Biletnikov…and why. This leads to problems with the sordid cast of characters in Biletnikov’s orbit, which includes a gorgeous, but hatable step mother, a smooth-talking con man, a burnt-out drug dealer whose in love with Gus, and a father-son duo of gangsters. The plot in this one keeps you guessing until the very end.

But what makes this installment of the series stand out is the depths to which Sax is willing to go to redeem himself and, at least in part, to do penance for his past transgressions. Loyalty is not just a word with Conway Sax; it is a lifestyle. True, Sax has a black and white view of the world and is intensely loyal. He is also prone to fits of rage and violence, but he is not a violent or immoral man. Similar to the violence depicted in Breaking Bad, the violence in this novel is not gratuitous; every punch thrown, every gunshot fired, every life taken costs Sax something, and, by extension, costs the reader something. This, in a way, elevates this book (and the series) beyond the typical PI/mystery book genre, makes it social commentary…highly readable, extremely enjoyable commentary.

Bottom line, Conway Sax is a good man, and in today’s world where people’s loyalties and moral compasses change depending on self-interest and survival, there is something incredibly admirable about this character’s dedication to family and friends. Put another way, I not enjoy reading these books, I actually relate to Conway Sax. Perhaps it is my INTJ personality, but like Sax, I take my commitments seriously and never give myself a break. Neither does Sax. This makes him the most realistic fictional PI out there right now. This series is, in a word, revelatory. I hope to one day write something this good…and this relevant. ( )

Conway Sax helps Barnburners at all costs; that's what he does. Asked to watch out / mentor young, rich addict Gus Biletnikov, Sax gets embroiled in a twisted plot of love and deception, use and abuse. A roomie of Gus' gets murdered at the halfway house that Gus was living out, followed by Gus himself getting killed, puts a series of events in motion which include an ex-gangster's corrupt son, an ex-lover, a domineering father and an inadequate, yet sexual mother, and leads Conway on a mission to avenge Gus' death. Well-written, fast paced, intense read and vigilante justice, Shotgun Lullaby is a great novel in Steve Ulfelder's series. ( )

I love a good mystery/detective novel. Usually I devour them, racing from cover to cover. But, after reading Shotgun Lullaby I have to reevaluate what makes a truly good detective novel. This book made my previous detective reads comparable to prime time episodes of some tv network show and Ulfelder's work overshadowed them greatly. His characters were each immediately solid in voice, personality, and believability. The main character was like a rich blend of a classic film noir male and a modern multifaceted struggling male, as though the ideals of himself and the reality of himself were mashed together. The story unfolded more slowly than I am accustomed to but it did so more richly for that. I found the book difficult to pick up as often, but only because it required more than quick stolen reads. I found the ending quite satisfying in that it resembled a realistic outcome and didn't tie up too many loose ends with pretty bows, instead allowing the natural grit of the characters to linger. ( )

“Fresh Meat” by Neliza Drew for Criminal Element

The third Conway Sax novel by Steve Ulfelder opens with Conway beating down a guy over a lemon car sold to a new Barnburner, one Gus Biletnikov. In other words, Conway’s still acting as a half-assed investigator-slash-enforcer for the special group of AA members he credits with saving his life. And he’s still doing it with his perfect blend of heart, gruff, and bullheaded luck.

>A long time ago, after more tries than you could count, I finally put together some sobriety. A couple of months, my longest dry stretch since I was fourteen.

>It was awful. I didn’t know what I was doing. My knuckles were white, my teeth were ground to nubs, my nightmares lasted all day.

>It was slipping away, and I knew it. I was feeling shame already over the next backslide. Had a feeling it would be the last one, the one that carried me all the way down.

>And then I stumbled into a Barnburners meeting.

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