David Lapham is best known for the ongoing Stray Bullets, which I haven't read, but I just finished this one which was originally published as a 9 issue mini-series. The cover states that it is "A Harrowing Tale of Love and Murder", which is a pretty accurate description. It's the story of jazz pianist and general all-round relative sleaze Steven Russell, and his attempts to get something halfway decent out of a series of very bad situations. I say "relative sleaze" because in this noir world of con artists, the filthy rich, private eyes, gangsters and convicts, Russell is as close to a good guy as you're going to get. It starts with the suicide of Russell's wife Eve, who's hung herself from a big ceiling fan in their expensive home. She's from a rich family, and they don't think much of Steven, even less so now that they can blame him for her death. Steven reunites with an old girlfriend, and things basically spiral out of control. It's brilliant stuff, with a storyline that is full of violence, but pretty free of cliches. Recommended.
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