This one just didn’t do it for me. From the beginning I wasn't really sure where the book was going and it don't ever really suck me all the way in

Book review! 📚📚
Book - Blood and Mascara
Author - Colin Krainin

What do you do when you're cruising at sea and the weather is terrible? 🚢🌧️ Well read a book, of course ! 😊📖❤️

Bronze is a deeply troubled PI who's been hired by Carolyn's husband to watch her, as he suspects her of cheating. When her lover and then her husband are killed, Bronze takes Carolyn on the run as it seems she might be next. He starts to fall for her and is drawn into a murder mystery where a number of people are killed and corrupt forces are at play. His neighbour, who's secretly in love with him is desperate to help him solve the mystery. Bronze is a likeable but down on his luck character with a good heart and conscience who is deeply troubled by his past.

I very much enjoyed this book which reminded me of detective noir stories of the past, despite being set in modern day. It's written in multiple timelines with multiple points of view which can be difficult to follow at times, but this is not a story you can read quickly - its one you need to mull over to really absorb the atmosphere and feel of the book. It's a little graphic at times with its description of certain scenes and I found it a tiny bit slow in the beginning but it's definitely worth persisting with. A fabulous read which blends old school style with a modern day setting.
Thanks to Netgalley for my chance to read and review this book!

First of all, one of the coolest covers I've seen on a book in awhile.

Second, great dark atmosphere to this one.

(I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

I was not able to get into this book. There was a lot of jumping around and I could not follow it. The author was trying to be clever in how he wrote the story, but I found his writing style difficult to read.

I did not finish the book because I could not connect with it. I tried, got about half way through and am now giving up. It is a great title and interesting premise, I wish I could have enjoyed it.

This book!
The harsh staccato of prose, the paragraphs are sharp and leap off the page.
This is my favourite style of writing...so noir..so elegantly descriptive!
Bronze has a backstory. We are slowly given glimpses into his darkness, the tragedy he experienced which colours everything in his life since.
Guilt, shame, fear.
The mystery of this tale goes far deeper than the 4 deaths we see on the page. Political intrigue and corruption is rampant.
The author keeps us turning pages. Chapters end in cliffhangers...chapter 25! What did Iris find...what did she see?
I don't know but I want to! but we turn the page and it's not her turn, so we keep turning the pages till we get back to her POV and we have answers!
So well done.

I am grateful to the Author #colinkrainin #NetGalley and #Pulplit for the opportunity to read this #ARC

just didn't grab me. Too much bouncing from character to character. And each character had their own flashback history. Not my cup of tea

Taking place in Washington, DC in the late 90's Private Detective Bronze Goldberg gets entangled in the murder of an up and coming politician and unwittingly becomes a target himself. Bronze is such a complex character, soft inside but with hard edges. You might just fall a little in love with him the same way Iris Margolen his landlady does. Does she somehow hold the key to this mystery? I was so impressed by the quality of the writing and the depth of the characters from an author I did not know. A little brutal in places but an excellent read for those who like a good thriller.
Thanks to #NetGalley#BloodAndMascara#PulpitBooks for the EARC

Down and out PI "Bronze" Goldberg needs to solve a murder. This is not a simple case as he will have to navigate politics in D.C. He finds himself attracted to the murder victim's wife and his landlord Iris. Through flashbacks, we learn why Bronze is jaded and what events have truly shaped his life. His landlord also has an interesting backstory. Diving into both Bronze and Iris's histories slows the pace of the book to a near crawl. Action is sporadic and after reading a bit of backstory, you find yourself having to remember what happened and why we are here. I am not a fan of this type of back-and-forth when it causes the reader to lose focus.

The ending is satisfying, all questions are answered and no strings are left. I wish this same story could be related in a simpler form. As a reader, I would find myself losing focus. When I did, it became difficult to want to dive back in. While this certainly wasn't the book for me, people who enjoy detective/PI stories with a noir ambiance will enjoy reading this book.

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Let me start off by saying that this book isn't something I would usually read. Sure, I like mystery and suspense but I usually go for more fiction, while this is set in a realistic world like ours in the past. It took a minute to get into the story but when you start to understand and connect the pieces, it makes the whole story and characters quite fascinating and fun to read. The reason why my review is only three stars though, is because in the easiest way possible to explain, the book is written like that of an older story you were forced to read as a child, like Lord of the Flies. The story was very good, don't get me wrong! But, the wording was very complex and kind of hard to understand sometimes. There would be points in the story where I would have to stop and look back at old highlights and pages just to comprehend exactly what the character was thinking. Otherwise, while complicated to understand, the characters were adorable, I loved each and every one of them including the villain (who I will not spoil)!

A political thriller about a family patriarch who has several people killed so the truth won't come about a young woman he raped and killed.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. The writing style just wasn't for me and I couldn't get very far in the book. May work for others.

I am trying this year to open my genres up a bit and this was my first gritty-noir-esque type of book. Unfortunately it wasn't quite for me but I can understand the overall appeal. The character development was great and the writing itself was good, I just was not that engaged. I think also the first part of the book was at a slower pace than what I am used to so I found myself not reaching to pick it up. I would say it is a 2.75 stars rounded to a 3.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my opinion.

Ok. CNF. Could not finish.

I made it to 60% and could not read any more. The characters blend together and I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Maybe the ‘classic noir detective mystery’ is not my genre.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

This book really sucked.me into it's unlikely world of noir in the 90's. It really had a Pulp Fiction-y vibe for me, and it was so good!

The MC Bronze was so flawed, but was so earnestly trying to do and be good that you could help but root for him. He was a multi-faceted character that I enjoyed reading. We see the story through his eyes, for the most part, and the plot unfolds slowly at first, but then picks up steam as.the assassination attempts increase and the bodies start piling up.

I admit to having to really stop often and keep the many characters straight, especially as past events and relationships were revealed. Otherwise, the action was intense, the details gruesome, and the hero reluctantly likeable. I really hope to see more of Bronze in future books.

This novel can definitely be categorized as a classic noir detective story, and I can personally add that it has a really cinematic quality. In particular, I had some spy story vibes like James Bond's, and it may also resemble a political thriller in a way. Initially, I found the narrative style somewhat pretentious, but as I kept reading, I realized it was deliberate in shaping the character of Bronze and it is also useful to create the noir atmosphere. When you start following Iris, a romance author who is Bronze's landlord, the narrative style shifts, enabling the author to provide distinct and powerful voices for the main characters. Both share the habit of getting lost in their thoughts, which I find fascinating but not always functional to maintaining the narration fluent. The reader is able to acknowledge that the author is good at writing, but the story has to go on a little bit faster in my opinion in a mystery novel (or is it a psychological thriller after all?). The plot is intriguing, even if a little confusing, particularly considering the political aspects, but with a satisfying conclusion and well-executed touch of romance. In my final assessment, I believe this novel has significant potential that could have been more effectively realized by cutting certain parts of the narration.

Unfortunately for me, this book was an absolute drag. Between the constant POV swapping and the "deep" meandering this was very tough for me to get through.

The premise was great, the thought of a more modern classic noir mystery was SO enticing. I would be interested in keeping up with this author to see how/if their writing style develops.

I had to DNF at 29%. I just was not able to get into this. Not only was it confusing (there's multiple POVs AND timelines), but yawn-inducing as well. Without fail, I would fall asleep reading this book. Every single time! I absolutely love murder mysteries and so thought I would give a noir style story. Sadly I did not end up liking it. Or maybe it's not noir that I don't like, but the way the author wrote it here. It's such a shame because I was really looking forward to it, but it unfortunately I'm not the audience this story is for.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pulp Lit for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Neither good nor bad. It took me a long time to get into the story and by the time I did, I wasn’t all that connected with the characters. The writing was a little too flowery and dense for how I like my mysteries.

2.5 rounding down

A Deep, Dark, Fatalistic Mystery That Will Keep You Knee-Deep in Murder

Calvin "Bronze" Goldberg is in a quandary. A congressman who was a shoo-in for re-election was found floating in the river. And while a gunshot wound to his head was the cause of death and accompanying rigor mortis, what was the motive? An eerie theory assembles like a fog in the night. The apparition in Bronze’s head whispers that a certain series of photos—photos that catch a cheating wife in the act of straycation—is connected to the homicide. The private eye resists, not wanting to believe all arrows point in one direction and follow a synchronized series of steps. But the emergence of a hitman puts the premonition’s contention back into play. The PI is now certain that there is only one motive for all the mayhem. One motive that is causing the serial killer to continue a bloodbath with impunity. While the investigator would love to know the answer as to what the motive is, there is a more central question that takes precedence, and it’s whether Bronze will be next.

WOO HOO! I took this joy ride and enjoyed every inch of the journey. Thoroughly entertaining, I found the characters to be unique and provocative, and the inclusion of backstories helping in understanding two of the key players that much more. The history lesson definitely explained some of the peculiar actions taken by Bronze and Iris, a woman who is mad crushing all over her favorite tenant throughout the entirety of this compelling story.

In many ways, BLOOD and MASCARA is a paean to old school hard-as-nails detective stories. It brought me back to watching movies in black and white and keeping track of the outfits worn by the femme fatale, the women the investigators always seem to fall for. Of course, this mood and atmosphere matching the classics is all due to the excellence of author Colin Krainin. I hereby pronounce him a wordsmith capable of using a sublime passage’s flow of words to take advantage of the rise and fall of human nature. All I can think is that his writing muse (that resides deep within him) called out as he was poised to write the first page and shouted: “Details! Give me details!” And at the sound of the starter’s gun … he was off! And so are we … exploring tunnels, and alleyways, and discovering what makes individuals turn their back on who they love in lieu of nearly getting their heads blown off trying to solve cases.

So if mystery is your thing, and private investigators running amok in trying to protect a woman caught up in web of lies beyond her reach, this might be for you. The writing is superb and niftily constructed paragraphs abound much like candlelit cities after dark. It all leads to a crash-bang of an ending where action rules and the exhaustive chase leaves you breathless.

Five stars for BLOOD AND MASCARA by word sensei Colin Krainin. And a big thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me an ARC copy.

This is an old gumshoe style of detective novel set in DC area in the late 1990s. A senator is dead. Bronze, a former reporter who is now working as a private detective becomes involved trying to find out who wanted him dead and why. There is so much background that I was lost as to actual plot of the story. I struggle with this one so much that I almost abandoned it many times because it was just too slow. This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review