Customer Reviews

More Sinned Against

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Okay Dave you got me. Old fashioned PI stories hit me hard. The stories in More Sinned Against are as old fashioned as they come. Hard as nails and shining with comeuppances these stories are throwbacks. They are where all the supermarket, wire rack bestselling guys were . . . back when they had heat and fire and knew, by god, how to write. I defy you to read Closure without feeling like you've been hit between the eyes with a three pound sledge. I've already picked up When One Man Dies and I'll get the other two soon.

Dude, Dave White's stories drag the PI story kicking and screaming into the 21st century, and then while it's still on the ground, he kicks it a lot.

Read why this guy went from cult e-zine fave to a mainstream success. Buy the hell out of MORE SINNED AGAINST, please.

Over the last few years of reading almost nothing but mysteries, I've gotten burnt out on P.I. stories. It's to the point where I pretty much don't read them. There are a few exceptions, two that pop to mind are Loren D. Estleman and Dave White.

Dave White's two Jackson Donne novels, WHEN ONE MAN DIES and THE EVIL THAT MEN DO, are both excellent and his short stories are just as good (one, "Closure," even won a Derringer Award.)

Buy this collection and you'll see how good P.I. stories can be.

As a small selection of previously uncollected stories from a writer I hadn't read before this was brilliant. I like a good old fashioned PI story & these fit the bill perfectly. Great to read between novels, dirt cheap on Kindle & definitely the sort of thing I wouldn't ordinarily have shelled out paperback prices for & that would have been my loss. Already whetted my appetite for the two previously published Jackson Donne novels.

See also Nigel Birds 'Dirty Old Town' & Chris F Holms '8 Pounds' as examples of great Kindle collections that shine.

Even those readers who haven't read Dave White's two excellent Jackson Donne novels (When One Man Dies and The Evil That Men Do) will find this collection of Donne stories highly enjoyable. We are treated to a lot of Donne's backstory including his relationship with his partner and his girlfriend and his reaction to 911. White really makes Brunswick, NJ come alive. Five stars!

The first work I read by Dave White was his story in the `Terminal Damage' anthology. That's a brilliantly constructed piece about a young man who has lost his grip. It was so good that I had to get hold of `More Sinned Against' as soon as it came out.

Here I found a very different voice.

I met Jackson Donne, a Private Detective in the classic mould who has a strong enough profile to make him stand out from the rest.

This is a series of tales that are beautifully self-contained. There's enough tension, pathos and character in each one to make them the perfect read for fans of the detective genre.

It's extremely satisfying, also, to have complete stories that can be read in one sitting, reminding me of Block's Hit Man in that respect. Nourishing tales in manageable bites, it's just the kind of thing Kindle was invented for.

Jackson (and I feel I know him well enough now to use his first name) is just the kind of man I'd want batting on my team. A+

Dave White's got seven very satisfying Jackson Donne stories in his new collection from Needle Publishing.

White reminds me a lot of Robert B. Parker. Both have a gift for dialogue and write with effortless confidence. Both possess a strong sense of setting--White's New Jersey and Parker's Boston. Both have created a memorable, likable, and flawed private investigator. One significant difference between Spenser and Donne is that Donne is still figuring out how to be a PI, which lends itself to different and more realistic conflicts.

In a recent post at Paul Brazill's blog, White said he's more interested in the PI character than in whodunit puzzles. Instead, White constructs plots that force Donne to make difficult choices and split his loyalties. The results are natural, engaging plots that are driven by the characters.

We see Donne evolve in this collection, as the first five stories are in chronological order with the last two filling in Donne's backstory. In fact, this read more like a novel for me. Although there wasn't a single arc running through the stories, I was interested to find out would happen with Donne, which kept the pages turning.

Every story in here is rock solid. I think Closure is a good representation of White's work. In this story, Donne agrees to provide protection for a man who is trying to get information about his wife who died in 9-11. The case takes an unexpected turn and Donne is forced to act. This story won a Derringer and for good reason. It feels complete.

Dave White has done it again. He has a great way of twisting a plot and keeping you on the edge. Highly recommended.