The Color of Blood

This is the second installment of the Ed Loy series - Ed is a Dublin PI, transplanted to LA and now back in Ireland. He's hired to find the daughter - who may or may not be involved in the world of pornography - of a somewhat reputable family and very quickly finds himself thrashing around in a family closet full of skeletons. The Color of Blood is a roller coaster ride from start to finish - murders, fires, sex, kidnappings - poor Ed doesn't sleep, rarely eats and is fueled by alcohol. A lot of spaghetti is thrown at the wall and though some of it sticks this reads like a Raymond Chandler meets Hunter S. Thompson meets Emeril hybrid - Plot development is accomplished by simply "Kicking it up a notch" with one spectacular event/revelation after another. So although this book is entertaining, at times it borders on incoherent with far too many twists and turns, red herrings, shootings, beatings and characters, leaving this reader sometimes confused and often incredulous.