Hammers on Bone (Persons Non Grata, #1)

John Persons is a PI who gets hired by someone to kill their stepfather. That someone is a ten year old child. The stepfather is a monster...but as it turns out so is Persons.

I am not well versed in Lovecraftian horror. I know what it is but I'm no expert on the genre as I've only read a book or two here and there. This book fits that bill. Now here's where I am unsure of how I feel fully about this book....Lovecraftian horror, set in the early 2000s with a PI who speaks like he's a noir character straight of the 40s and he's the only one. That being said the story IS a good one albeit short. Roughly 100 pages. And Khaw seems to have the ability to pack a lot into a short story and have it all flow well.

A wonderful cross of noir and Cthulhu Mythos storytelling that never feels like parody.

4 stars I think. As in “I think I enjoyed this.” but I can't be totally sure. I was confused yet intrigued through most of the book but I do love the way it's written.

“Human anatomy surrenders to the pragmatism of combat. Muscles unbraid, sinews lengthen, even as veins become garrote and bones blade. In minutes, we're viscera commanded by will, flayed tissue, tendon, and teeth.”

I'm mean, what a way to write a book! It's Lovecraftian body horror mixed with film noir. So strange and yet so interesting.