"There’s no such thing as ‘out of character,’ Hank. There’s only realizing you don’t know someone as well as you thought you did. Including yourself.” [loc. 275]
I've very much enjoyed Brite's 'Liquor' series (Liquor, Prime, The Value of X, Second Line, Soul Kitchen) and, when looking for something with a similar feel to Hiaasen, this collection of Doc Brite stories -- featuring Brite's alter ego, the coroner of New Orleans -- attracted my attention.
Evidence suggests that I've already read most, if not all, of these stories in The Devil You Know, but none of them rang a bell. On the other hand, there've been a lot of books under the bridge in the last 14 years ...
The stories are varied in narrative viewpoint, theme (cannibalism, resurrection, a passage to Hell) and tone, but they share an interest in food and restaurants, and in the culture and ambience of New Orleans. 'Doc Brite' the character comes across as surprisingly prim and somewhat withdrawn, which makes the first-person narrations all the more interesting. I especially liked 'Marisol', a cheery tale of vengeance, and 'O Death Where is Thy Spatula', about paying the price: and experienced a wave of nostalgia for the Liquor books -- inexplicably unavailable in English-language ebook editions. Brite's writing here is atmospheric, lush without being overwritten, and with a calm dry wit that complements the extravagance of the plots.
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