A master of working-class noir returns with this stunning tale of one man's struggle against fate and circumstance in an America that’s left him behind. In a bleak Rust-Belt town, tavern owner Denis Carroll is just trying to hold on, doing whatever it takes to keep a roof over his family’s heads — legal or not. After four years in stir, Denis’ brother and business partner Vince is back in town. In the words of one reviewer, "Vince's return to town sets in motion a chain of events that involve old family grudges, financial shakedowns, and, soon, a rising body count." Like all classic noirs, the more the Carrols try to dig themselves out of the hole they’ve gotten themselves into, the worse things get. In this darkly humorous, gritty, small-town noir everyone has something to hide and nothing is as it seems.
PRAISE FOR A TASTE OF SHOTGUN
One of Crime Fiction Lover's Hot Summer Reads (2018)
"Classic noir! A Taste of Shotgun features craven characters creating carnage and feckless fuckwits failing and flaming out fantastically. Fuck yeah." -- Jedidiah Ayres, author of Peckerwood, Fierce Bitches
"Orlet's setting in a small American town is spot-on. Even the two-bit crooks and hoodlums are just that, small-time. They fly below the police's radar with their penny-ante drug deals and as long as they don't get blatant with their activity or start beating people, their criminal lives go on. Orlet's "A Taste of Shotgun" is a great view of small-time crime and its working-class in America roots as people struggle to keep a roof over their heads and feed their families." -- David Nemeth, Unlawful Acts
“Often very funny, and true to the “noir” tradition in that its central characters are terminal screw-ups who get themselves deeper and deeper into horrible fixes. The more they try to dig themselves out, the worse it gets.” Rory Costello, Hard Sentences: Crime Fiction Inspired by Alcatraz
“White trash noir at its finest. Dirt balls, criminals, and other assorted living train wrecks doing crazy stupid things, and it is funny as well. What is there not to love? I look forward to other titles by this author.” Paul McBride, Book Reviewer
A master of small-town noir, Chris Orlet is the author of the novels So Many Things to Bury (Down & Out Books), A Taste of Shotgun (Down & Out Books), In The Pines (New Pulp Press) and a contributor to Dirty Boulevard: Stories Inspired by the Songs of Lou Reed (Down & Out Books). He was born and raised in Belleville, Illinois.
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING “Finally a worthy successor to James Crumley and Newton Thornburg and Kem Nunn, the 1970’s godfathers of true noir’s long-needed rev…
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