Lenny

Lenny is the second B R Stateham novel I have read and this one inhabits a very different world from the previous noir thriller, Dark Retribution. Now we are transported to rural Texas, a stiflingly hot land of dusty rough track roads and long running family feuds. I was impressed with Stateham's affinity for his Texas locale. He really brought small town Ballard to life so I could envisage the place and people as they appear to Lenny after his long absence from his hometown, Ballard.

Lenny himself is intriguing because he is quite introverted for what essentially is an action character. As readers we are given privileged access to his thoughts and opinions, but I didn't feel I ever got as insightful an impression of him as I did for other characters around him such as the indomitable Sheriff Greene or Lenny's wonderfully stubborn grandmother, Evita. I criticised Stateham's portrayal of women in Dark Retribution, so I was pleased to encounter much more realistic women here in Texas, Evita and Winona being my favourites.

Lenny (the story rather than the character) does suffer from the trope of everything seeming only to kick off once the hero makes his arrival in town. I could understand Vernon's thinking that life could be much quieter again if Lenny (the character) just upped and left! Stateham keeps up a good pace so even accounting for Lenny's continued musing over his family's past, this book felt like an exciting read with several unexpected outcomes to tense scenes.

I believe that Lenny is intended to be the first of a series and, while the narrative arc is nicely wrapped up to make this a satisfying standalone novel, Stateham has also left sufficient threads to be picked up in future tales. I like the idea of his transposing elements of noir thriller writing, which I tend to associate more with urban settings, to this rural Texas locale. The contrasts work well and Stateham's understanding of these people authentically roots his tale.