BOOK REVIEW - Outside the Law

Outside the Law

Phillip Thompson

Brash Books, 250pp.

I’m always on the lookout for new crime and mystery writers. Phillip Thompson is hardly new. He has half a dozen mystery novels to his credit plus other published work, but he was new to me. As a fellow mystery author, I know the hustle it takes to get work noticed in a crowded market.

Outside the Law is a gritty crime novel, set in small-town Mississippi. The perspective rotates through various key players, each take their cue from the chapter titles: Colt (the sheriff), Hack (the killer), the steady deputy, the rogue federal agent. Aside from the tired trope of naming heroes after gun brands, the story settles into the hot, humid pace of the Deep South. At first Thompson’s languid prose evokes Faulkner comparisons, as the author paints a picture of people and place that only a native could conjure. I half expected Raylan Givens to show up. Then the action picks up. The story quickens. Chapters fly by.

The plot follows a well-trodden path: loser drug dealers, an unstoppable hitman sent by the out-of-town syndicate to sort things out the hard way. Colt has a past, an attitude and a temper as hair trigger as his draw. You just know these two are going to mix it up in the final pages.

It’s a fun and engaging read. I enjoyed that it’s set in an often-overlooked part of the country. It gives the story a fresh atmosphere, distinct from the countless L.A. based works out there. I’d recommend it. I’m looking forward to picking up the next in the series.