The Devil Raises His Own

Flavia Purcell knew her time in Wichita was up shortly after she connected a baseball bat with her abusive spouse’s head in self-defense. The ensuing scandal cost Flavia her job. Her grandfather, Bill Ogden, lived in Los Angeles and made a comfortable living as a photographer, so Flavia decided to reconnect and learn a new profession.

The year is 1916 and the film industry is in its infancy. Slapstick silent movies reign at the box office, directed by men like George Buntnagel and featuring talented but vainglorious Tommy Gill. Meanwhile, filmmaker Grady makes movies featuring lewd and lascivious acts meant for adult entertainment. When George and his wife Irene discover Grady’s work, a joint enterprise operating sub rosa is developed. Whereas many of LA’s residents work legitimate jobs, Ezra will kill for his money with no qualms. Los Angeles may be large but circumstances will bring these characters close soon enough.

The men and women who reside in the world created by Scott Phillips (The Ice Harvest) are a mixed bag of good, venal, and amoral. Scott Phillips’ literary strength resides in generating sympathy for each character’s narrative and their direction. Phillips has written an edgy, thrilling, and humor-tinged noir that doesn’t disappoint.