I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
Bronze Goldberg is a down-on-his-luck private eye working the streets of D.C. Tailing cheating spouses is his bread and butter. His new assignment, tailing a gorgeous femme fatale, should be no different from all the other cases, until the man who hired him, an up-and-coming congressman and the woman's husband, is murdered in broad daylight. Now Bronze is in the crosshairs of the assassin, and his nosey landlady.
The story is told from different viewpoints and varying time frames, which come together nicely to reveal how Bronze's past frames his current predicament. While the book isn't a quick, light read, it is worth the time and effort to connect the apparent random pieces of information together to the climaxing solution.

Blood and Mascara by author Colin Krainin is a noir novel that takes place in the 90s and the character is centered around a character who goes by the nickname Bronze that he was tagged with after winning an Olympic bronze medal in Judo competition in his younger days, but he has fallen on hard times as a private investigator since his days of recognition as a star investigative reporter who put himself at risk to succeed at getting inside information to expose those involved in his articles.

Bronze has acquired a reputation as a womanizer and alcoholic who has relied on his good looks and charm to get by in life, although he is an enigma to any who know him and who he really is and what his early life was like that has made him closed off from the friends and women who love him in spite of (or because of) his shortcomings.

Iris is the neighbor of the building that Bronze lives in and being directly below him imagines what he’s doing in her obsessive fixation on and attraction to him that she hides to him and all others.

Esther is a woman from his past that we learn more about throughout the book and how they were involved in the past.

Roth is a cop who is investigating the death of a politician named Billy Kopes who was involved with Carolyn, wife of a powerful man named Roger Haake and he enlists (or coerces) into aiding in the investigation.

Several of the characters that are already or become part of the personal life of Bronze become part of the investigation he’s taken on, and he struggles to draw lines between his personal involvement with them and his professional conduct.

Author Krainin writes a novel that has a noir feel to it and involves interesting characters and especially the lead character that keeps an interest level throughout the early part of the book that is slowly evolving into action that makes the story succeed at maintaining an interest into the investigation and the life of Bronze.

4 stars, and short of 5 due to the lengthy lead up to the action remainder of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this early review copy. This book took me a while to get into. The writing kept drawing me in and out and I couldn't connect with any of the characters because of the way this book deals with flashbacks.

I really didn't like any of the characters and the plot didn't draw me in enough.

I think this book has potential but it was not for me!

This one just didn’t do it for me. From the beginning I wasn't really sure where the book was going and it don't ever really suck me all the way in

Book review! 📚📚
Book - Blood and Mascara
Author - Colin Krainin

What do you do when you're cruising at sea and the weather is terrible? 🚢🌧️ Well read a book, of course ! 😊📖❤️

Bronze is a deeply troubled PI who's been hired by Carolyn's husband to watch her, as he suspects her of cheating. When her lover and then her husband are killed, Bronze takes Carolyn on the run as it seems she might be next. He starts to fall for her and is drawn into a murder mystery where a number of people are killed and corrupt forces are at play. His neighbour, who's secretly in love with him is desperate to help him solve the mystery. Bronze is a likeable but down on his luck character with a good heart and conscience who is deeply troubled by his past.

I very much enjoyed this book which reminded me of detective noir stories of the past, despite being set in modern day. It's written in multiple timelines with multiple points of view which can be difficult to follow at times, but this is not a story you can read quickly - its one you need to mull over to really absorb the atmosphere and feel of the book. It's a little graphic at times with its description of certain scenes and I found it a tiny bit slow in the beginning but it's definitely worth persisting with. A fabulous read which blends old school style with a modern day setting.
Thanks to Netgalley for my chance to read and review this book!

First of all, one of the coolest covers I've seen on a book in awhile.

Second, great dark atmosphere to this one.

(I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

I was not able to get into this book. There was a lot of jumping around and I could not follow it. The author was trying to be clever in how he wrote the story, but I found his writing style difficult to read.

I did not finish the book because I could not connect with it. I tried, got about half way through and am now giving up. It is a great title and interesting premise, I wish I could have enjoyed it.

This book!
The harsh staccato of prose, the paragraphs are sharp and leap off the page.
This is my favourite style of writing...so noir..so elegantly descriptive!
Bronze has a backstory. We are slowly given glimpses into his darkness, the tragedy he experienced which colours everything in his life since.
Guilt, shame, fear.
The mystery of this tale goes far deeper than the 4 deaths we see on the page. Political intrigue and corruption is rampant.
The author keeps us turning pages. Chapters end in cliffhangers...chapter 25! What did Iris find...what did she see?
I don't know but I want to! but we turn the page and it's not her turn, so we keep turning the pages till we get back to her POV and we have answers!
So well done.

I am grateful to the Author #colinkrainin #NetGalley and #Pulplit for the opportunity to read this #ARC

just didn't grab me. Too much bouncing from character to character. And each character had their own flashback history. Not my cup of tea

Taking place in Washington, DC in the late 90's Private Detective Bronze Goldberg gets entangled in the murder of an up and coming politician and unwittingly becomes a target himself. Bronze is such a complex character, soft inside but with hard edges. You might just fall a little in love with him the same way Iris Margolen his landlady does. Does she somehow hold the key to this mystery? I was so impressed by the quality of the writing and the depth of the characters from an author I did not know. A little brutal in places but an excellent read for those who like a good thriller.
Thanks to #NetGalley#BloodAndMascara#PulpitBooks for the EARC

Down and out PI "Bronze" Goldberg needs to solve a murder. This is not a simple case as he will have to navigate politics in D.C. He finds himself attracted to the murder victim's wife and his landlord Iris. Through flashbacks, we learn why Bronze is jaded and what events have truly shaped his life. His landlord also has an interesting backstory. Diving into both Bronze and Iris's histories slows the pace of the book to a near crawl. Action is sporadic and after reading a bit of backstory, you find yourself having to remember what happened and why we are here. I am not a fan of this type of back-and-forth when it causes the reader to lose focus.

The ending is satisfying, all questions are answered and no strings are left. I wish this same story could be related in a simpler form. As a reader, I would find myself losing focus. When I did, it became difficult to want to dive back in. While this certainly wasn't the book for me, people who enjoy detective/PI stories with a noir ambiance will enjoy reading this book.

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Let me start off by saying that this book isn't something I would usually read. Sure, I like mystery and suspense but I usually go for more fiction, while this is set in a realistic world like ours in the past. It took a minute to get into the story but when you start to understand and connect the pieces, it makes the whole story and characters quite fascinating and fun to read. The reason why my review is only three stars though, is because in the easiest way possible to explain, the book is written like that of an older story you were forced to read as a child, like Lord of the Flies. The story was very good, don't get me wrong! But, the wording was very complex and kind of hard to understand sometimes. There would be points in the story where I would have to stop and look back at old highlights and pages just to comprehend exactly what the character was thinking. Otherwise, while complicated to understand, the characters were adorable, I loved each and every one of them including the villain (who I will not spoil)!

A political thriller about a family patriarch who has several people killed so the truth won't come about a young woman he raped and killed.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. The writing style just wasn't for me and I couldn't get very far in the book. May work for others.

I am trying this year to open my genres up a bit and this was my first gritty-noir-esque type of book. Unfortunately it wasn't quite for me but I can understand the overall appeal. The character development was great and the writing itself was good, I just was not that engaged. I think also the first part of the book was at a slower pace than what I am used to so I found myself not reaching to pick it up. I would say it is a 2.75 stars rounded to a 3.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my opinion.

Ok. CNF. Could not finish.

I made it to 60% and could not read any more. The characters blend together and I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Maybe the ‘classic noir detective mystery’ is not my genre.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

This book really sucked.me into it's unlikely world of noir in the 90's. It really had a Pulp Fiction-y vibe for me, and it was so good!

The MC Bronze was so flawed, but was so earnestly trying to do and be good that you could help but root for him. He was a multi-faceted character that I enjoyed reading. We see the story through his eyes, for the most part, and the plot unfolds slowly at first, but then picks up steam as.the assassination attempts increase and the bodies start piling up.

I admit to having to really stop often and keep the many characters straight, especially as past events and relationships were revealed. Otherwise, the action was intense, the details gruesome, and the hero reluctantly likeable. I really hope to see more of Bronze in future books.

This novel can definitely be categorized as a classic noir detective story, and I can personally add that it has a really cinematic quality. In particular, I had some spy story vibes like James Bond's, and it may also resemble a political thriller in a way. Initially, I found the narrative style somewhat pretentious, but as I kept reading, I realized it was deliberate in shaping the character of Bronze and it is also useful to create the noir atmosphere. When you start following Iris, a romance author who is Bronze's landlord, the narrative style shifts, enabling the author to provide distinct and powerful voices for the main characters. Both share the habit of getting lost in their thoughts, which I find fascinating but not always functional to maintaining the narration fluent. The reader is able to acknowledge that the author is good at writing, but the story has to go on a little bit faster in my opinion in a mystery novel (or is it a psychological thriller after all?). The plot is intriguing, even if a little confusing, particularly considering the political aspects, but with a satisfying conclusion and well-executed touch of romance. In my final assessment, I believe this novel has significant potential that could have been more effectively realized by cutting certain parts of the narration.

Unfortunately for me, this book was an absolute drag. Between the constant POV swapping and the "deep" meandering this was very tough for me to get through.

The premise was great, the thought of a more modern classic noir mystery was SO enticing. I would be interested in keeping up with this author to see how/if their writing style develops.

I had to DNF at 29%. I just was not able to get into this. Not only was it confusing (there's multiple POVs AND timelines), but yawn-inducing as well. Without fail, I would fall asleep reading this book. Every single time! I absolutely love murder mysteries and so thought I would give a noir style story. Sadly I did not end up liking it. Or maybe it's not noir that I don't like, but the way the author wrote it here. It's such a shame because I was really looking forward to it, but it unfortunately I'm not the audience this story is for.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pulp Lit for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.