Destroy All Monsters: A Reckless Book

September 27, 2021
Still up for a fight, Brubaker and Phillips’s Ethan Reckless is feeling his age in the slow-burning third entry of their Los Angeles noir series. It’s 1988, three years following Friend of the Devil, and Ethan is barely pretending to be a private investigator. But he does pick up a case, and it’s a doozie. Hired by a Black city councilmember to look into a scuzzy and rich white developer, Ethan is pleased to be sticking it to the Man. But the mystery plot ends up feeling like background as Ethan traps himself in pained nostalgia. Worried he is losing Anna—his trusty punk assistant and only friend, finally given her due in a touching origin story—Ethan loses himself in weed, old movies, and memories: “after a while, even remembering seemed pointless.” Moody washed-out art recalls the cinematic oddities that Ethan and Anna watch in their old movie house headquarters. Private-eye tropes like decadent upper-crust parties and corrupt cops abound, while sudden action scenes cut through Ethan’s hazy, guilt-ridden flashback narration, such as when he smashed a drug pusher’s face with a skateboard. It all feels less like a self-contained story than a prelude for a dark implosion heading Ethan’s way. Series fans will ride along in anticipation.

Starred review from October 1, 2021

The third installment in Brubaker's Southern California-set noir series (following Friend of the Devil) opens in 1988. Unlicensed investigator/troublemaker Ethan Reckless is estranged from his assistant Anna (both are white) because of his vocal disapproval of Anna's latest boyfriend. When a local white politician approaches Ethan for help taking down a business tycoon who habitually preys upon Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs, Ethan accepts the job, in the hope that ruining such a vile figure will bring him and punky, idealistic Anna together again. Ethan and Anna soon uncover a web of corruption involving blackmail, bribery, and an underground brothel. Ethan advises his client to notify the FBI; when the politician instead takes drastic action, Ethan and Anna find themselves targeted by vicious enemies. VERDICT Phillips imbues the sun-drenched splendor of Southern California with a nostalgic mournfulness perfectly keyed to Brubaker's script. Focusing on the fragile bond between Ethan and Anna exposes new depths in both of the characters, while building to a wrenchingly emotional climax.

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