A Real Piece of Work by Chris Orcutt

It just goes to prove what I have always said, there really are good Indie novels out there. A Real Piece of Work was recommended to me and I am so glad it was. Available from the Amazon Kindle store, this is the first in the series about private investigator Dakota Stevens. It is written in the first person in the style of Raymond Chandler and indeed the narrator alludes to the detectives of old but there is nothing old-fashioned or derivative. The story is very much a twenty first century take on the genre. Dakota Stevens and his beautiful Russian associate Svetlana Krush are asked to investigate the disappearance of a painting. The case takes them into the murky business of stolen art and of course into dangers they had not expected. Dakota is impetuous and passionate, whilst Svetlana has a brilliant analytical mind and is entirely logical. It makes for great chemistry between them and plenty of humourous moments. The story moves along beautifully and the ending is unexpected and satisfying. I loved the narrator's witty asides as the plot's twists and turns. Highly recommended.