Jailbait Justice, by Danny Hogan

... and speaking of the End of the World...

There's something awful alluring about the post-Apocalyptic novel, isn't there? It's a great tradition, and one that opens up to all kinds of possibilites, serious and comic.

Danny Hogan's third novel, Jailbait Justice, takes place in such a world, populated with gunslingers, mutants, roving bandits and general ne'er-do-wells in a decidedly Old West-style.

Strutting through this world is Jezebel St. Ettienne, a misfit in a world of misfits, her only friend Comeuppance, the big-ass .44 she wears at her hip.

Against her better judgement (which is not that reliable anyway) Jezebel agrees to act as bodyguard for young, lady-like Alice on the dangerous journey from Austin to Houston, a perilous undertaking wrought with danger and weirdness at every turn. Waiting at the end of the journey: revenge against the powerful fella who killed Alice's family, and lots and lots of money.

Jailbait Justice is paced crazy-fast, the characters are all straight-out bizarro, and there's not a boring moment. But the real strength of the novel is Jezebel herself-- Hogan could easily have made her a more typical "hot chick with a gun", but instead he chose to make her a short, "curvy", foul-mouthed little roustabout with a green-double mohawk and a mouthful of chew. Jezebel has a strong sense of justice which seems inherent in her, but at the same time she won't hesitate to unload a few rounds from Comeuppance into your belly if the fancy strikes her. She's an all-around engaging heroine, and one I sincerely hope Hogan brings back in a sequel.

Lest you think I'm just gushing, I will point out that some of the editing is a bit loose, especially toward the end. Misspellings, typoes, what-not. I reckon that's just part of the deal with Kindle sometimes, though. It didn't effect my enjoyment of the novel.

At .99 cents on the Kindle, I almost feel like I should send the author a few bucks to make up the difference, for all the fun I got out of the book.

Okay, no, I'm not going to send Hogan money. But I am going to BEG for more Jezebel...