Paperback: THE VOICES IN MY HEAD by Charlie Stella

 Paperback: THE VOICES IN MY HEAD by Charlie Stella, 2021, 9781951473501.

The great crime novelist Charlie Stella writes a "fictional memoir" from pre-birth to, I don't know, 2018-ish?

Stella had a rotten dad. Stella had a caring mother. The rotten dad's sleazy behavior messed up the entire family. He was frequently out every night with girlfriends and not trying too hard to hide it. He uses a family mob connection to run a private department store of stolen merchandise in the basement of the family home. That family home breaks apart when Dad has an affair with a relative's wife. (Yech. What the hell is wrong with you?)  Dad claims poverty and screws over his ex-wife and children but getting out of paying any decent maintenance or child support. Dad is an awful father. Charlie just wants approval, acceptance, love, etc. All the things every child needs. Charlie gets into frequent fights. Charlie ends up going to a mental hospital a couple times. Charlie's sister craves paternal approval as well, instead of starting fights she takes on the Dad's behavior of belittling and Charlie.

Anyhoo. Charlie keeps on trucking and gets to reading. Charlie makes poor romantic decisions. Charlie makes more poor romantic decisions. Charlie sleeps around with party people. Charlie gets into loansharking and bookmaking and makes a ton of money that goes to supporting his gambling habit, his mother, his children, his ex-wives. 

I'm not going to attempt any literary interpretations or psychological analyses except to say Stella opens up a lot. I presume making it 'fictional' is a way to focus on his memory and emotions rather than fact check everything. 

Paperback: DIRT BAGS by Eryk Pruitt

 Paperback: DIRT BAGS by Eryk Pruitt, 2014 (original) 2025 (reprint by Rock and a Hard Place Press), 9798999100016.

The back cover description says the book is not a feel good story. 

Short: Three dirtbags get involved in murder-for-hire and murder-for-fun. 

Long: Dirtbag Restauranter wants his ex-wife murdered. He hires the husband of his mistress to do the job. Husband brings along Dirtbag Pal in a drive from North Carolina to Dallas, TX.

Murder ensues. Spree killing ensues. Cops are flummoxed. 

A fun book.

Short Stories DETROIT IS OUR BEAT by Loren D. Estleman

 Short Stories DETROIT IS OUR BEAT by Loren D. Estleman, 2015, 9781440588457.

Police goon squad in WW2 Detroit. Estleman's introduction about life in Detroit in the 1940s was interesting. How does he balance modern sentiment presenting accurate characters when the cops were violent, racist, misogynistic and more in the 1940s. He also provides a big ass bibliography - an impressive list for any fiction title.

Anyhoo Short stories about a group of four Police Detectives of the Racket Squad. The police department is severely undermanned with Officers joining the service and other able bodied men in the production plants. The Racket Squad are restricted from joining up after being labeled essential. Or, as long as they don't upset their commanders enough to send them to the Navy. 

Actually, the four of them seem to figure that military sign-up is inevitable. They are just doing their jobs arresting black marketeers and hitting protestors with clubs until then.