In March of 2007 I had a chance to ask Donna Moore what she was working on after her debut Go To Helena Handbasket, here’s what she had to say:
“Currently a humourous (hopefully) caper set in my home city of Glasgow. I have a short story in the anthology of Geezer Noir DAMN NEAR DEAD featuring the same characters – two elderly ex-hookers turned con artists (since hooking is no longer an option).”
Three years later she makes good on her promise and brings us Old Dogs.
I would go so far as to say she has taken a page out of the Elmore Leonard playbook here with regards to her characters and their dialog. The wide cast of characters are quirky and eccentric. They are not just a collection of traits though and they prove to have more depth than at first would seem and often show great humanity beyond the readers initial impression of them. This isn’t to suggest that you’ll like everyone of them but even the most annoying of characters (**cough cough drives a Porsche cough cough **) are thoroughly enjoyable.
Donna Moore has a strong ear for dialog that reads naturally, realistically and pushes the story along in an organic way. The dialog also provides for us the very best character development. We get to know these character through their own words and actions instead of just being told.
Old Dogs is maybe a little less manic then Go To Helena Handbasket but only just, it is certainly less self-reflexive and more focused. The commentary on genre is a little more subtle this time around. The one trait that Donna’ Moore’s work shares is that it is funny as hell. From the situations, to the characters to what they say and how they interact you will laugh. Old Dogs is one of the more enjoyable, sheer delightful and funniest books I’ve read this year.
“Old Dogs is one of the more enjoyable, sheer delightful and funniest books I’ve read this year.” Well said. That goes for me, too.