Just finished my first James Crumley novel and holy smokes - this book hits like a whiskey neat at 3am. CW Sughrue might be my new favorite dysfunctional detective.

The plot starts simple - find a drunk author - then spirals into this wild cross-country chase for a girl missing 10 years. What makes it special isn't the mystery itself, but how Crumley writes these broken characters you can't look away from.

Fair warning: This ain't cozy mystery territory. We're talking graphic violence, drug use, and enough booze to float a battleship. But man, the writing crackles with energy. Some sentences read like poetry, others punch you in the gut.

I'll admit I struggled at times with Sughrue's constant drinking (how is this man functional?) but the payoff was worth it. That ending? Didn't see it coming.

If you like your detectives hardboiled and your stories messy, do yourself a favor and pick this up. Just maybe keep some coffee handy to balance all the fictional whiskey.