Venice Beach is a three square mile piece of Los Angeles that is home to the terminally hip. Ty Malone is an entrepreneur whose business interests tie him closely to the community and its population of street entertainers, ageing bohemians and grifters. A brutal murder on the beach catches his attention and he soon finds a pattern of criminal activity that centers around two Latvian thugs. The police are overwhelmed so Ty, with the help of his “associates” take up the task of protecting their neighborhood. No stranger to skirting the law, Ty pursues the Latvians through the High Fashion industry to the sweatshops operating below the radar.
KILL THE LIGHTS is somewhat different from the usual Los Angeles mystery. With most of the action taking place on Venice Beach, the plot unfolds in bright sunlight and beachfront houses rather than side streets and film noir landscapes. Ty’s character is laid back and hip, talking his way out of danger rather than throwing a punch. The plot is complex, involving several crimes and double crosses, yet the action sustains itself until all parts are brought together. There are places where the story line wanders into some extraneous territory, such as the hunt for Ty’s parents that does not add anything to the story. In addition, there seems to be a plethora of “mafias”, including Latvian, Russian, Italian and Irish. The Latvian criminals are well drawn, as is their wave of criminal activity but the balkanization of the gangs detracts somewhat from the action. These, however, are minor flaws in an overall good book. The greatest strength of this book is the author’s ability to deliver a True Detective type of plot with the ease and grace of a convertible ride down the Pacific Coast Highway.
KILL THE LIGHTS combines the lives of the glitterati with the street entertainers and petty criminals on the boardwalk. The result is a riveting mystery with characters as vibrant as their funky surroundings.
Reviewed by Ed Bennett for IndieReader.