“I figured he just thought it was bad luck to kill somebody this close to Christmas.”

This one is about an armored-car robbery. The details of the story are interspersed with lyrics from Christmas songs, which is kind of fun! And for a while, the story is told out of order chronologically, which is a bit of a challenge, and then it smooths out. It starts with the night before the robbery, and ends ten hours and fifty minutes after the robbery. Well, and there's a wraparound couple of paragraphs that honestly don't add much to the story at all. It's an entertaining read, though I didn't like the ending at all.

“Luck’s a chance, but trouble’s sure.” ( )

"Easy Death" by Daniel Boyd is the latest masterpiece from Hard Case Crime. It is an in-depth look at a single armored-car robbery and, by in-depth, I mean that the author takes you painstakingly through the robbery and the chase that follows step by step and minute by minute. It's an old style used by some authors in the fifties and sixties - entitling each chapter with the time of the events, but few have done so with this much success.

It's five days before Christmas in 1951 and the snow has been coming down. It's colder than anything and not a place or time for a car to breakdown. Seems like it would also be the strangest time to attempt a getaway. But, in the snowy woods, a perfectly crafted robbery is carried out with every detail thought out in advance. What could possibly go wrong?

Boyd tells his story from a number of points of view and the result is that the reader is treated to realistic dialogue from the armored car guards, the robbers, the law enforcement officers giving chase, and others. Everyone is making smalltalk about the holidays and where they'll go and what they'll do.

Throw in some of the damnedest characters you've ever met and you have a story. How about a woman park ranger with the kindest heart and the shape of Paul Bunyan, the chief of park rangers who enjoys hunting and torturing animals, inveterate gamblers, lumberjacks, racist surgeons, and guys hoping to finally score big so they can go and settle down.

The book flows with a perfect cadence and there isn't really a word out of place. There's plenty of action out in the snowy woods from gunplay to firefights to dismemberment. But, you honestly believe the bad guys when they say they'd rather not kill anyone.

The story is not all seriousness though and it is, at times, quite a comic caper. All in all, it is a terrific story that is a lot of fun to read. ( )

Quick, entertaining read. Lots of twists and turns, double-crosses, and surprises throughout. Recommended for pulp and noir fans. ( )