Dark, bleak, really a bizarre story line. The millennial language used in the writing style was not for me

This is a well-constructed and complex story, but it was not all that enjoyable and for the most part the characters were unlikable. Following two loners both looking for the same man wasn't nearly as much fun as I wanted it to be.  The novel had its moments of insight and intrigue, but overall it was too dark and depressing.

This book wasn’t for me. I decided not to review it on my site or any of the major retailers/Goodreads.

With both cunning and humor, this book is one for those that love dark humor and those that love thrillers. The writing pairs well with the story, making it a fairly fast-paced read. However, even if the writing wasn't fast-paced, you'd find yourself zooming through it anyway, just to reach the end.

4.5★
“. . . scorning your neighbour is like scorning your waiter: it’s gruesome to imagine the ways they might exact their revenge.

. . . I’m just more comfortable being someone else. I don’t get panic attacks when I’m being someone else.”

Jason is an odd duck, or a “hikikomori dingus” as he refers to himself. He’s a reclusive loner, not given to stashing guns or planning anarchy – just prefers his work-at-home world of “research” on the internet. Actual people are likely to make him uncomfortable.

We meet him in various guises with many different names, and I’ll stick to Jason for simplicity’s sake. He’s a kind of private investigator doing background checks for job applications. I mean back, back, BACK background. Like all the questionable jokes you might have shared and then deleted when you were cleaning up your Facebook account. Office party photos, you get the idea.

If you ever posted it, he will find it. Everything that gets uploaded goes to someone’s computer somewhere - there is no magic, password-protected “cloud” in the heavens. It may get erased (depending on whose server it is and how attentive they are), but even then, this guy could probably find it. He burns any aggressive energy in online games, but we see only enough of that to know that world exists. We aren’t dragged there.

Hacking doesn’t make him nervous. But sharing pizza with the girl across the hall does, which is where the scorning your waiter thought above came from.

And yet, he puts himself in the most terrifying (to me) situations! With a pen, he draws a tattoo of black teeth to match the prison tattoo of a guy he's meeting. Then when he runs into the guy later, he has to hide his now naked, unblemished hand. The guy is a powder keg, which makes it a nervous moment.

He poses as all kinds of people (insurance salesmen, tradesman with a clipboard, lawyer), and walks up to strange front doors to pass himself off with believable stories then races home to register a new internet domain if he’s had to make up a fake email address on the spur of the moment, and he’s in constant threat of being discovered by one of these people when he’s being someone else. GASP!

But that’s the secret. He IS someone else. And he’s fast on his feet mentally (and occasionally physically when necessary).

In court, he doesn’t have the luxury of hiding, and that is truly awful for him.

“Every bone shakes with an ancient kind of muscle memory. When the world confirms how worthless you are it hollows you out. Like after the panic attack in court yesterday. It hollows you out and if you’re hollow then nothing even matters.”

Lovett doesn’t labour this point too much – just enough that we’re aware how fragile Jason’s stability is. But he seems to manage following up on a crime pretty well, all things considered. And, oh yes, it’s Melbourne in the winter and he is cold. I mean COLD. All the time. It’s almost like reading a story that takes place in the Canadian winter, but without the snow. He is almost never without jacket, hat and gloves, but then again . . . that’s a popular way to hide “undercover”.

He meets another girl who is connected somehow to a suspect in the old murder case he’s investigating, and then we’re not sure she’s who she’s supposed to be. Nor are we sure about the man he approaches who was the detective in that case who is the man Jason was originally looking for who he thinks might be his father.

Yes, it gets confusing, and meanwhile, his narration is occasionally, very abruptly, interrupted (in italics, so we understand) by sudden memories of his mother dying in hospital recently. He can’t help them popping into his consciousness, these conversations, his sensations in the hospital room, his attachment to her, and why he started looking for his father. He really hasn’t recovered from the loss.

Other than the cold, (and occasional terror!), part of the atmosphere is the overpowering smells of the detective’s house in which he has chain-smoked forever or the kitchen in which a suspect has piled dishes. Jason is also sensitive to smells and smoke. He’s sensitive to a lot of things. On his way to an aged care facility which has lovely ads about its location in the beautiful hills, he thinks:

“Out the window the trees block whatever hilltop view this facility is supposed to command, reinforcing my suspicion that putting an aged care home in the Dandenongs is motivated less by the ‘stunning and gorgeous surrounds’ than by the positioning of its guests as far from Melbourne as their families’ consciences permit.”

He is a wonderful character. Panicky sometimes, allergic, sensitive, but he’s also smart, funny, and completely sane. I’m sorry I haven’t given a better sense of his warmth and humour.

The plot is convoluted and clever, but if I could follow it, anybody could. And it’s worth following. Many thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for the review copy from which I’ve quoted. Great to find another talented Aussie writer!

This was a different read for me but enjoyable. The basis of the book is the main character who uses the internet to find "dirt" on people for different reasons. The books holds one interest and will have you guessing to the end. I will be looking for more of ths author to read. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publsher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest reveiw.

Black Teeth is a very dark, very Aussie and often very funny novel about two unusual loners. Jason Ginaff is a computer nerd who suffers anxiety and panic attacks, uses multiple names to hide his real identity and earns a living researching people on the internet, hunting out their dirty secrets for recruiting companies. Having lost his mother recently he wants to connect with the man he believes is his father, retired cop Glen Tyan, which is how he gets involved with Rudy Alamein and his quest for justice for his father, Piers Alamein. Piers is in jail for killing his wife, Rudy’s mother, when Rudy was a teenager. Now grown up bitter and twisted, Rudy is convinced that Glen set Piers up and he is now out to get revenge.

This unusual plot takes many a bend before the final scene unfolds. Neither Rudy nor Jason are likeable characters but by the end of the book the author has generated some sympathy and warmth for these two misfits. A very quirky and unpredictable read.

Unfortunately I really didn’t like this novel. While it was well written and was clearly developed I found the characters annoying and the very modern language style not to my taste. I’m sure this will appeal to a lot of younger readers but not to me. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

This book was actually pretty good until the last 15% or so when it feels like the author just slapped an ending onto the book. There were a lot of twists and turns throughout the book. The only real complaint with the main body of the book was that I found the main character slightly annoying but even that wasn't bad. I felt the plot was solid and you could tell that it was leading up to something big. Sadly, the ending didn't keep its end of the bargain. It felt like the author had taken months on the novel and then had to finish it in only one day. It lacked the depth that it had been built up for. For me, this ended up ruining the otherwise delightful experience.

This is bleak, dark and twisted Aussie noir located in Melbourne with a series of broken, flawed, and essentially unlikeable set of characters. What saves it are the unexpected moments of tenderness and connection, even if they are temporary in nature. Jason is your anxiety ridden, socially awkward, computer geek who trawls the internet for the real histories of people. He is employed to ensure that the CVs submitted for jobs are real and that there is nothing disturbing that might emerge from a potential employee. He is also not above deploying these skills to find out about his neighbours, friends and acquaintances. The death of his mother has left a gaping emotional need in him to locate his father, who he believes is retired cop, Glen Tyan, aka the polygraph, the man who knows when someone is lying or telling the truth.

Jason is expert in assuming a number of personas, as he negotiates the scenarios he finds himself in, partly so that he can become socially able by taking on the role of someone else, and hide his true self. His first meeting with Glen leaves a lot to be desired, although this does not dampen his feelings for and expectations of Glen. As Jason probes further, it transpires someone is stalking Glen with a view to killing him. Jason uncovers that it is Rudy Alamein, whose father has just died in prison, convicted of murdering his mother. Rudy wants revenge on Glen, certain that the cop framed his dad. Rudy wants to take out insurance that will pay out a huge sum of money for his only friend, Elizabeth Cannon, as he is certain he will die in the process of killing Glen. In a story where nothing is as it seems, and there are host of possible suspects for the murder of Cheryl Alamein, it becomes clear that the author has used the onion approach, as one layer is revealed, there are numerous others beneath.

This is a beautifully well plotted and multilayered story, even if I didn't always like it or the characters much. What I was spellbound by was the intricate creation and development of Rudy, who believed Elizabeth was his friend, but who was anything but. I loved the way Jason eventually connects with him, because the two of them have so much in common in their need for family and fathers in particular. If you are looking for a read with a range of broken characters, grifters, and a twisted mystery, then you will enjoy reading this. Many thanks to Text Publishing for an ARC

Thanks to NetGalley I was able to obtain an early release version of this book.

Wow.

When I'm in the market for fiction these days I often prefer a light mystery that takes my mind off the troubles of the world with which I'm professionally concerned. I was attracted to the book for this reason. I discovered it to be unlike anything I've previously encountered. Unlike some reviewers who were put off by the millennial references, I found the author's use of words engaging and educational (then again, as a middle school teacher I've discovered the power of occasionally dropping teenage slang deadpan: the kids are routinely both amused and appalled - score!). So, I enjoyed this foray into a world that is largely inaccessible to me, but mainstream for many younger folks today. Same for the Australian references/short-hand, which gave the book an alluring exoticism, even if slight (I'm from the States).

I gave the book five stars as an engaging diversion with unexpected literary dexterity and insight. The book shows psychological sophistication and communicates empathy for those impacted by inter-generational trauma. Zane Lovitt memorably plays out the aphorism that it's hard for a leopard to change its spots. This was an intellectually engaging, playful, clever, heart-felt, and poignantly paradoxical book. The book and its ending are staying with me.

Thank you Netgalley and Text Publishing Company for the eARC.
Despite the many excellent reviews, which made me wonder what I missed, I could not get into this book.
The writing style, the 'millennial' language and the slight distaste I felt towards the main characters made it difficult for me to keep reading and I gave up after the first half.

This is my first Aussie Noir, and, wow, I could not put it down. Told in the first person, for the most part, by millennial computer geek Jason, the prose is rife with slang singular to Australia and Jason’s generation. I found the author’s wonderful writing style enhanced by this--keeping in mind the original Noir authors pioneered the use of 1930s and 1940s slang in their dark stories, so this really worked for me. It’s a story of a weird kind of multigenerational revenge plot that keeps sucking Jason in, pitting him against criminal machinations past and present. I think he wanted to stop what was going to be happen, but can’t be sure—he’s the more honest of the group of morally decrepit folks, but what keeps him involved? A week later the story still resonates with me, and I’ve been recommending it to anyone who will listen. This is like nothing I’ve read before, and I can’t wait to go back and read the author's first book.