Title: The Dust Will AnswerAuthor: Richard Risemberg
Pages: 234
Publisher: Crow Tree
Review
Set in the 70’s Los Angeles, Richard Risemberg’s ‘The Dust Will Answer’ is a very interesting read. For one, the narrative is such that it is easy to visualize everything like in a movie. Secondly, much research has gone into writing it and this has made all the difference. The story has an authentic ring to it. The narration is smooth and enticing.
The story basically revolves around three characters – Lenny Strasser, Dave Larrabee and Kate. When his ex-girlfriend went missing, Dave approached Lenny for his assistance in retrieving her. Lenny is initially reluctant about this since Kate used to be his girlfriend. Having lived together for three years, Kate had one day picked up her things and walked away without so much of a backward glance. Naturally Lenny was hurt but he licked his wounds and set about with Dave to find her. He isn’t over his feelings for Kate even though she is self-centered and theatrical at her best.
Lenny has this nagging feeling that Kate doesn’t want to be found. He knows her all too well. But that doesn’t stop him from embarking on a quest that takes him and Dave into hobo jungles and punk squats by the LA River–and into an after-midnight darkness of moral ambiguity. The adventure changes Lenny’s life in ways he’d never dreamed of. He discovers that sometimes the only distance between two points is a very crooked line.
I feel the book would have done better provided the characters were more fleshed out. Even with all the ingredients, the book falls short in places of keeping the reader hooked for long. I’m sure this is a minor hitch for those who love reading suspense. Let this not deter you from enjoying L.A. of the yesteryear's. Get a copy and revel in the happenings of 1978 where the wave of gentrification has yet to break over downtown Los Angeles, and vast swathes of the warehouse district lie nearly abandoned next to the sterile trench of the city’s concrete-clad river.
About the author
Richard Risemberg was dragged to Los Angeles as a child, and has been working there in a number of vernacular occupations since his teens while writing poetry, articles, essays, and fiction, editing online 'zines, sneaking around with a camera trying to steal people's souls, and making a general nuisance of himself, which is his forte. He's survived long enough to become either a respected elder or a tedious old fart, depending on your point of view, and is still at it. It hasn't been easy for any of us.
Available in paperback at:
Available in e-book format at the following:
Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/DustWillAnswerB-N
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/523312
I'd like to thank author Richard Risemberg for letting me review his book. I do hope you end up liking the book when you read it. Thank you so much for stopping by, and happy reading!
