This was a short, fun read! Maybe too short! Loved the idea of a Shortcut Man, and thought it was well executed! Good action, gritty and fast paced! ( )

Shortcut Man by P.G. Sturgis is like a breath of fresh air. Sturgis takes his story of Dick Henry, a man who can cut through the red tape of his employers and make a quick study of bothersome people, and tells it without a useless word. The crisp prose and clean writing will make you smile. The writing reminded me of Dashiell Hammett or more recently Lawrence Block with maybe a splash of James Ellroy.

This is gritty noir with a lot of sex and some violence but Dick Henry is a very likeable character. He is less than perfect but seems to try to do the right thing while being employed by some shady people. When P.G. Sturgis takes Dick Henry to his past, he does it with a flourish and the back stories are as interesting as the action that takes place. It takes a very talented author to be able to tell back stories without getting bogged down in the details and interrupting the action. I liked this quality in Shortcut Man.

For a first time novelist, I think Sturgis has hit a homerun with Shortcut Man. This is a very colorful portrayal of a man who makes a very good living in an unconventional way. The story takes place in Hollywood and the surrounding area and draws it into the action describing the places in a way that shows Dick Henry lives there.

This is a fast read but satisfying in a complete way that many novels can't compete with. The characters are built up, the action is compelling, the story is entertaining, and the setting is all wrapped up in the novel making it a complete and engaging novel with no downfalls. I recommend this novel, especially if you like gritty noir. I don't read much of it but with this book it doesn't matter, the writing it really good. I can imagine someone like Quentin Tarantino turning it into a cool movie. ( )

From Poisoned Pen:
Dick Henry is a “shortcut man,” who is hired to spy on an LA producer’s wife, only to find himself in hot water. Booklist writes, “Whether he’s hired by a landlord coping with a deadbeat tenant or a woman whose widowed father is being bilked by a pen pal, Henry is there with a smile, a fist, a solution—and no annoying paperwork. His simple approach gets complicated, however, when the client is a porn producer who wants to know if his gorgeous young wife is cheating. It turns out that Henry already knows the wife, biblically, but by another name. Henry’s fix only works until the client decides he wants more information, and soon the Shortcut Man is navigating an unpredictable series of detours in an effort to keep himself—and his love life—alive. This fast and funny debut paints a wickedly comic portrait of L.A. in all its sprawling seediness—just don’t peek at the ending.” This FMC Pick will shake some of you up. The language and sex are often over the top, but the writing is wonderful and it’s a classic story. ( )