James Borwick

Weed Killer replaces the Philip Marlowe-style tough-guy hero with Eric Nine, a civilized, self-doubting, therapy-going mensch, bright enough to squeeze out of a tight corner, but out of his depth when investigating a murder. Soft-boiled Eric is drop-kicked into a hard-boiled world of malleable cops, over-confident gangsters, rapacious businessmen, prim socialites, and the occasional haughty poodle. He is no Sam Spade, taking a steam bath and downing a fifth of bourbon before a long night tailing a suspect. Instead, Eric smokes half a joint and brings a book-on-tape to keep him company. And when it comes to swapping jaded repartee with a psychopathic interrogator armed with a syringe, he is more likely to panic, to lose his nerve and run his ass off when the bad guys have their backs turned.