Supermax

The pulp crime genre is one of my favourite because it pushes the envelope of what is acceptable in crime. It can be a little too gory, a little too silly, a little too much, but that is what makes it so fun to read. There is a delicate balance between writing a thrilling action crime story that is full of moments that will make your mouth drop open, and something that is too out there. Ken Bruen and Jason Starr have produced a series of books starring Max and Angela, and the first three are gathered here. These authors push things about as far as they can go in the genre, and then perhaps a little more. 

Max Fisher is a successful businessman and a horrible human being. One of his favourite tasks is firing members of his staff, another is sleeping with his secretary Angela Petrakos, a fiery combination of Ireland and Greece. Max so wants to be with Angela that he will go as far as to hire a hitman to kill his wife. Said hitman, unbeknownst to Max, is the IRA adjacent boyfriend of Angela. The resulting mayhem will span several books, and end more than a few lives. 

Supermax is a collection of the first three stories in the ‘Max and Angela’ series devised by Bruen and Starr as a way for the two authors to work together in the pulp genre. The stories can be read separately but do act as a continuing story of the character’s lives. Bust is the tale that introduces us to the characters and is set in New York, Slide sees Angela start in Ireland and Max descend further in madness as he becomes a crack dealer, The Max sees Super M.A.X move to a nearby prison and Angela in Greece. However, no matter where they are in the world, both characters are drawn to trouble and each other. 

Having read plenty of pulp crime, Supermax is some of the most fun I have read in the genre. Yes, there is violence and plenty of grim moments, but it is so outrageous in places that you cannot help but enjoy it. Each story follows a similar format. Max and Angela have their own separate stories in which they meet a series of unsavoury characters. The two main protagonists act as constants, like cockroaches; they seem to survive whilst those around them die. 

The characters in all the books are mostly repugnant; we are introduced to them and all their foibles. There is an issue with each book trying to outdo the latter, especially in psychopaths. It was hard to imagine that someone could be more insane than the killers in book one, but the serial killer in book two does their best. 

Bruen and Starr are having a lot of fun with these books, perhaps a little too much fun. Especially in books two and three, some of the jokes get meta, blending the real world with the fictional one of Max and Angela. In these moments, the book takes you out of the story. The Get Off by Christa Faust has a similar anarchic and dangerous feel to Supermax, but whilst Faust’s story always keeps one foot in reality, Supermax goes a little too far and loses the reader. This makes it a fun read, but not something that I would consider must read pulp. I would read this series as comedic relief if you like your comedy dark and bloody.