Jeremy P. Bushnell

In RELENTLESS MELT, by Jeremy P. Bushnell, we find Artie Quick, an eager young Bostonian who wants to learn everything they can about criminal investigation. In 1909, however, the only classes available in criminal studies are for men, so Artie dresses in a suit and begins a course where the teacher, who immediately can identify Artie's truth, is also impressed with Artie's attention to detail and keen observation skills. Artie, along with her close friend Theodore, discover rumors of disappearances and Artie is quick to start using her newly acquired knowledge. She and Theodore uncover a much larger conspiracy than they thought and the supernatural reality they find is shockingly scary. Artie and Theodore enlist some unlikely allies and try to end this otherworldly terror for good, but will they succeed?
Bushnell does a good job of taking the reader to 1909/1910 Boston by how clear the physical descriptions are and atmospheric tone is of the time. Artie is a fascinating character, she is trying to find out who she wants to be with not only the wardrobe changes, but in finding what inspires her. The things she is exposed to in the novel really change her and help her to grow as person and what she becomes in the end is so much more than what she was when the book began. The book slows down in the middle and the reader could begin to lose interest, but the end of the book, with a surprising supernatural twist, really takes the reader on a ride and leaves the door open for future books involving Artie.
RELENTLESS MELT is a really fun story the poses some interesting questions about loyalty, family and gender acceptance, I suggest that fans of period detectives novels, science fictions fans, and anyone wanting to read a well plotted, entertaining, and unpredictable book should pick this on up.
Thank you to Melville House Publishing, Jeremy P Bushnell, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!… (plus d'informations)

There are certain movies that one watches where the individual knows the movie isn't going to win an Academy Award anytime, has some plot issues, but is still a good movie because it is a lot of fun. The Insides by Jeremy P Bushnell is the book equivalent of that movie.

The story revolves around Ollie, who at 18 decided to start dabbling in magic, not stage magic, but actual real magic. It is several years later and Ollie has broken up with her husband, left behind her child, and now works at a meat factory where her co-worker can slice and carve up meat faster and better than she can. Since she knows magic, she knows the knife he has is magically infused and she wants it.

She is not the only one who wants it though.

Maja is a professional tracker. Guided by the Archive, Maja can find anything or any person in the world through a talent that she has. She has been hired to find the magical knife and retrieve it. She is accompanied by Pig, the son of the man who hired her. He is a hitman who is not afraid to kill and wears a pig mask when he does. He eats and survives mostly on candy and Maja cannot get a read on him. There is something different about Pig.

Maja and Ollie are not too different as we will find out later and throughout the story. They both have difficult parts of their lives. They both hold onto something. They both do what they do to get by. What will happen when these two women finally meet?

What will happen when both parties go after the same object? What is so special about this knife?

Overall, The Insides is a fun book. I picked it up one night and read it almost straight through. It is weird at times, funny at other times, and is ridiculous at other times. It is a good adventure that hits good high notes and has some tense moments. It isn't deep and it is entertaining.

Where The Insides hurts itself is in some of the scenes. The Insides refers to a magical realm that can be opened and creatures live in the midst of this realm trying to protect it. The Insides, unfortunately, will not come into play until the very end and shows up in a few scenes that seem out of place. It is a plot device that didn't seem to be needed as the story would have been fine without the realm and with magic just existing in the world.

The other problem, at least for me, was the reveal of what the knife was. I am not going to spoil it, but it just didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story. We are told what it is and I sat there saying to myself- what!?! Where did that come from? If it was introduced a bit or had a connection to our protagonist, I think it might have gone down smoother as a read.

I think this is a fun book though and I feel if someone reads it the ride will be fun. I have been telling people that if I had read this book on a plane, I might have had a different take away. I would read it on a weekend afternoon when one wants to just be entertained. This is what this book is, pure entertainment, which is not a bad thing.

I gave this one 3.5 stars.… (plus d'informations)

The Weirdness is a bit like a dark and grubby cousin of The Good Place TV series. It's quirky, funny, and its most surreal events are described in delightfully visual ways. Quite often the self-consciously smart writing intrudes into the dialogue, so there are moments you can feel the author at work instead of the characters speaking. But overall this is a fun read. The plot gathers pace and becomes genuinely page turning. After this, if the devil offered me coffee and a power point, I might be tempted too.… (plus d'informations)