Little Faith

This - third in the Dan Reles detective series - is every bit as gripping and entertaining as its predecessors. If anything, Reles's ever-more-cynical views on life and crime-fighting give this book even more of a sadly and wistfully satisfying perspective. The story, again, involves government and Big Business corruption at its most hideous, but the most compelling aspects of the book are the searing human tragedies - the individual characters whose hopeless and wretched lives are touchingly and believably depicted by Simon. A gem of a book.

I was born and raised in Austin. How cool is it to have a fictional account my hometown,(home neighborhood for that matter) from my teens and up. WOW. Thanks. Well written, smart, exciting thriller. I'm telling my friends about it...and can't wait for book four!

"Little Faith" is set in 1995 Austin, Texas, seven years after the 1988 time period of Michael Simon's first hard-boiled crime novel "Dirty Sally" and four years after the 1991 setting of his second novel "Body Scissors." "Little Faith" contains new characters as well as the continuing central character and others who survived the first two books. It's a great read on its own, although for maximum enjoyment I would recommend reading the three books in time sequence beginning with Dirty Sally. The protagonist of Little Faith is again Dan Reles, the Austin police detective and transplanted New Yorker who battles his own corrosive cynicism and damaged psyche along with the criminals he pursues. Murderers, incestuous relatives, pornographers, loan sharks, and faux-religious power mongers are all in a day's work for detective Reles. One reservation: I felt uncomfortable with the author's heavy-handed treatment of the fictional (and un-named) state governor, whose characterization struck me as a transparently disdainful portrait of the real-life Texas governor of that period. No doubt some readers' reactions will be more akin to glee; nonetheless, I think it is distracting and doesn't serve the story well. Austinites will feel very much at home as they visualize Reles' travels around town. Those not familiar with Austin likey will pass over most of the geographics, with no loss of essential detail. Everyone will appreciate Simon's storytelling prowess, his gritty and epigrammatic narrative style, believable and well-constructed dialogue, and his spot-on depiction of the more reprehensible aspects of human nature. I certainly did.

The theme of "little faith' in TX and national poltiics is fun, disturbing and timely. I enjoy getting to know Simon's Austin Police Department and his other recurring characters. Simon's mysteries improves with each new novel. The plots get tighter and faster and there are always surprises as the pages turn. I like Reles -- he's a good person but he's not the very nicest guy -- kinda like real life. I can't wait for the next one!

Michael Simon has done it again.With Dirty Sally i thought he was the new James Ellroy,with Body Scissors he confirmed it and now with Little Faith he's surpassed him. Dan Reles,his been through the ringer anti-hero,is up to his neck again in murder and corruption and more murder.After reading this in 3 nights flat i felt i needed a steam clean its so gritty. If you like Ellroy read Simon,if you like Don Winslow read Simon,in fact READ SIMON NOW!