A World the Color of Salt

I lucked into finding a copy of A World of Color and Salt by Noreen Ayres and found it to be a real corker of a mystery. It's fast-paced, gritty (at times), sexy, funny, and a solid read. The main character, Smokey Brandon, is an ex-stripper and ex-cop turned forensic specialist, and as bizarre as that sounds...it works! I'm looking forward to tracking down the rest of the series.

Ayres' crime fiction is hard-hitting and visceral, and has nothing in common with Milquetoast mystery style, and should not be reviewed as such. Ms. Ayres has received glowing accolades from professional reviewers for years now, but if your tastes run to MY DOG SPOT look elsewhere. Some of us like a realistic depiction of crime detection such as on the television series NYPD Blue and some of us like tea-room cozies like Murder She Wrote. The two should not be confused. Ayres writes hardboiled fiction without apology. Her characters are so richly developed we may be spooked by their presence, unnerved in the recognition that such people do exist in the world. Her main sleuth, Smokey Brandon, is a crime-lab worker who once worked as a Las Vegas stripper (hm-m, seems the TV show CSI thought that was a good invention, since their main investigator has a similar background). Smokey is smart though low-key, serious yet with a high dose of bittersweet humor. Her take on the world may be seen as the female version of the world-weary, old-time P.I., but her compassion leads to the offering helping hands to the poor while still proffering violent ends to miscreants. What's so wrong with that? If you can get your hands on any of Ayres' books, count yourself lucky. She hasn't been seen in the bookstores lately, but I hope that will change, and soon.R.G. Roy Fleming

Ayres' crime fiction is hard-hitting and visceral. It has nothing to do with Agatha Christie style, which another reviewer here on this page seems to be comparing it to. Ms. Ayres has received glowing accolades from professional reviewers for years now, but if your tastes run to MY DOG SPOT look elsewhere. Some of us like a realistic depiction of crime detection such as on the television series NYPD Blue and some of us like tea-room cozies like Murder She Wrote. The two should not be confused. Ayres writes hardboiled fiction without apology. Her characters are so richly developed we may be spooked by their presence, unnerved in the recognition that such people do exist in the world. Her main sleuth, Smokey Brandon, is a crime-lab worker who once worked as a Las Vegas stripper (hm-m, seems the TV show CSI thought that was a good invention, since their main investigator has a similar background). Smokey is smart though low-key, serious yet with a high dose of bittersweet humor. Her take on the world may be seen as the female version of the world-weary, old-time P.I., but her compassion leads to the offering helping hands to the poor while still proffering violent ends to miscreants. What's so wrong with that? If you can get your hands on any of Ayres' books, count yourself lucky. She hasn't been seen in the bookstores lately, but I hope that's about to change.R.G. Roy Fleming