My Thoughts on "Rat Town Blues: Slag Ferguson Book One...

As predicted, I enjoyed this book. It presented a (soon-to-be) down-on-his-luck protagonist who takes on cases but is not a licensed P.I. (yet). This appears to be a prequel or background novel.

All the hardboiled detective novel tropes are here, including the Femme Fatale, the Man Behind the Desk, and a conspiracy that corrupts all who get near it. Slag dives in, asking questions, annoying those in power, and getting beaten down by thugs for his trouble.

The mystery is solved, and there are hints at future cases as a legit P.I. as well as a possible romance.

I look forward to the next installment. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys hardboiled detective mysteries.