I was very confused throughout this novella, which really is more of a long-ish short story than even really a novella.
It tries really hard to be Lovecraft Noir but it's just kind of a jumbled mess. There's no world building or background story so it's all very confusing and too much is unexplained.

This was not a bad book, but it was not exactly my cup of tea. Gritty and dark, for fans of Noir fiction, urban fantasy, and maybe Bentley Little.

**This book was reviewed for the Manhattan Book Review**

What do you get if you toss hard-boiled detective fiction, and lore of the Great Old Ones into a blender? The answer is Cassandra Khaw’s Lovecraftian noir Hammers on Bone. When John Persons is approached by a kid who wants to hire him to kill his stepfather, the PI is all set to turn him away. But when the kid says his stepdad is a monster and he and his little brother are dad if Persons doesn't help, a little voice inside says Persons should take notice. Digger deeper reveals some nasty truths about McKinsey, and a disease spreading inexorably through London. Can our hard-as-nails PI save these kids before it's too late?

Persons is a quintessential anti-hero, if ever I saw one. Far from being altruistic, he's in the game for the money. For, you see, Persons isn't quite like us. He may look human, but there is more monster than man. He doesn't think like a human, though he did a marvelous job of blending. He may be a monster, but there are worse things out there. Far worse.

Woven into this noir novella is a social commentary on domestic abuse and child abuse. It's a lesson that there are plenty of monsters wearing human skin that we need worry about in our own society, as well as a subtle chastisement. There are several times violence is displayed outright, and bystanders ignored it. Other times, Khaw shows just how cowed such abuse makes a person, making the abusee reluctant or unable to ask for help. If you see this kind of abuse around you, don’t turn away and ignore it. Help as much as you can. You may just be responsible for saving a life.

Ok, so, truth time- I had a straight up 'Gaaahhhh’ dancing around freaked out moment. There was some eye popping going on. Eye trauma freaks me the frick out! Perhaps a little too visceral with the description there. Missing one of my own eyes has heightened my sense of eye protectiveness.

I'm not usually a big noir fan. I prefer mysteries a lá Sherlock Holmes. I was hooked by the Lovecraftian aspect, for that I do love, and I found myself liking Persons more and more. This story is well-written; a novella trimmed and lean, without sacrificing storyline. This was my first experience with Khaw’s work, and I enjoyed it so much that I snagged a few of her other works. I look forward to the next in the 'Persons Non Grata’ series, even if accounts of eye trauma did freak me out a bit.

🎻🎻🎻🎻 Recommended for those who like sci-fi/fantasy, Lovecraftian lore, and hard-boiled detective fiction

This book is about John Persons, a private investigator that is hired by a young kid to kill his step-dad.
The plot of the novella was intriguing but I felt that something was missing. Not everything is explained in this book so, if you only like fully explained mysteries, this might not be for you.
I know there's a sequel coming so maybe some things will be cleared.
Still, the story-line moved fast and kept me reading.
The characters were interesting. It focused primarily on John Persons, the P. I. hired by the kid, Abel. I don't really know who was my favourite character because I felt like there wasn't much development.
Because I heard so much about this novella, I was expecting more.
Nonetheless, it was a quick and fun read and I enjoyed it for what it was.

Hammers on Bone, de Cassandra Khaw es una novela corta publicada en el sello Tor.com (2016) que mezcla el horror cósmico lovecraftiano con una ambientación y trama de novela negra. Sí, a todos nos habrá venido de pronto a la cabeza la serie True Detective (por lo menos su primera temporada), y algo de eso tiene, por lo menos en tono y atmósfera. Para mí son dos subgéneros que desde esa serie, parecen ir bastante de la mano, y varias obras en el catálogo de Valdemar lo demuestran. Creo que la estética noir y el horror cósmico beben de esas atmósferas cargadas y oscuras, claustrofóbicas, que a la vez recuerdan a terrores atávicos, ya sea por personas dementes, o por algo más.

Hammers on Bone está protagonizada por John Persons, un investigador privado y cazamonstruos, el cual recibe un contrato de un niño de diez años para que mate a su padre adoptivo, McKinsey. Segun Persons investiga, descubre que el padre adoptivo no es solo un maltratador, sin que tiene una infección alienígena que se esparce por todo Londres. Pero Persons también es un monstruo que proviene del espacio, por lo que la "lucha" parece estar equilibrada.

Cassandra Khaw is the future of Lovecraftian fiction. Hammers on Bone is raw, powerful, and above all else entertaining. A truly stunning work of fiction.

I should have read the description more closely for this one - I had no idea it would be a heavy 'private dick' noir sort of story. I was drawn in because of the cover; it reminded me of A Darker Shade of Magic, which I enjoyed. And the description was the interesting sort of strange that promised a story either too weird or just the right amount.

I think if this had been written with a more modern narrative, I would have been pulled in and intrigued. As it were, the pulp fiction narration turned me off - it's totally not my style. I could see this working for a particular kind of person though and them LOVING it. I just don't like that type of narrative and gave up early on because of it.

Classic pulp with the creepy weirdness of Lovecraft - an interesting combination for sure.