The Slanted Gutter
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- Create Date：2021-04-06 11:51:18
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：S. Craig Zahler
- ISBN：1947879278
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Summary
Take a roller coaster ride through the gutter in this gripping pull-no-punches thriller from S。 Craig Zahler
He knows what you'll do - including what you'll sacrifice for protection。
Darren Tasking is an entrepreneur whose business is people， and when it comes to people he specializes in risk， pleasure， and fear。
He knows what will break you - before you even feel a second of pain。
Tasking has everything and everyone， in his orbit， under control。 If there's something he wants he will alter your life， elaborately and maliciously， until you yield to his wishes。
He knows what makes the Machos tick - and how to keep them in the dark。
The police tried to keep Tasking down with their macho modus operandi， sent him away long ago， but they couldn't keep him incarcerated forever。 Now he's older， uncommonly careful， and keeps the machos oblivious to his enterprises。 But when he meets a dancer named Erin Green at the Cherry Red strip club everything changes。
He knows the streets of Great Crown， Florida can only be dominated by the remorseless insights of a relentless slick like him。
The brothels and gambling parlors secreted behind iron doors keep the slick autonomous and successful， but Erin proves to be the variable that could put him on a collision course with unrepentant sadists， machos， and a trap created by the slick's own extortionist machinations。
The Slanted Gutter is a devastating character study painted with the darkest shades of noir， penned by a hand as unflinching as Tasking's steely-eyed pursuit of his large dollar goal， as unforgiving on the reader as those who seek retribution against the slick for his nocturnal misdeeds。
Step into this gutter at your own risk。
He knows what you'll do - including what you'll sacrifice for protection。
Darren Tasking is an entrepreneur whose business is people， and when it comes to people he specializes in risk， pleasure， and fear。
He knows what will break you - before you even feel a second of pain。
Tasking has everything and everyone， in his orbit， under control。 If there's something he wants he will alter your life， elaborately and maliciously， until you yield to his wishes。
He knows what makes the Machos tick - and how to keep them in the dark。
The police tried to keep Tasking down with their macho modus operandi， sent him away long ago， but they couldn't keep him incarcerated forever。 Now he's older， uncommonly careful， and keeps the machos oblivious to his enterprises。 But when he meets a dancer named Erin Green at the Cherry Red strip club everything changes。
He knows the streets of Great Crown， Florida can only be dominated by the remorseless insights of a relentless slick like him。
The brothels and gambling parlors secreted behind iron doors keep the slick autonomous and successful， but Erin proves to be the variable that could put him on a collision course with unrepentant sadists， machos， and a trap created by the slick's own extortionist machinations。
The Slanted Gutter is a devastating character study painted with the darkest shades of noir， penned by a hand as unflinching as Tasking's steely-eyed pursuit of his large dollar goal， as unforgiving on the reader as those who seek retribution against the slick for his nocturnal misdeeds。
Step into this gutter at your own risk。
Reviews
Jeremy Myck
，
Wow！ Was expecting something great and got much more。 Everything you would expect from Zahler， it was terrific。
Sam Quixote
，
Darren “Task” Tasking aka “the slick” （get used to this nonsense - EVERYONE’S got multiple names in this baby！） is a pimp of a brothel who tricks his sex workers into working for him。 But when he recruits Erin Greene， aka “the butterfly”， her complicated life complicates his life and soon shit starts falling right into the gutter - the SLANTED gutter （aka S。 Craig Zahler’s latest novel）！ I don’t mean （business on north ganson street） to come off as too snarky on this one because I quite liked th Darren “Task” Tasking aka “the slick” （get used to this nonsense - EVERYONE’S got multiple names in this baby！） is a pimp of a brothel who tricks his sex workers into working for him。 But when he recruits Erin Greene， aka “the butterfly”， her complicated life complicates his life and soon shit starts falling right into the gutter - the SLANTED gutter （aka S。 Craig Zahler’s latest novel）！ I don’t mean （business on north ganson street） to come off as too snarky on this one because I quite liked the novel。 BUT， holy satanic cowbells， does Zahler need an editor to rein in his literary diarrhea - The Slanted Gutter did not need to be over 400 pages long。 The “story” is essentially the day-to-day of a gangster scumbag and the people in his orbit。 Not a whole helluva lot happens。 It boils down to Task plotting against a couple of hookers and a loan shark called Chester Fredericks， aka “the redneck”， and then later getting into some more shenanigans with Chester as things go “to Alaska” in a spectacularly gruesome finale。 One thing you will learn， whether this is your first experience with him or your nth， is that Zahler is a storyteller who will not be rushed。 He will take his damn time telling you what happened， however unremarkable it all adds up to be， and， while you’re waiting for that， he will describe every single movement his characters make， every thought they have， as well as every item in every room they’re in， and every scrap of clothing they’re wearing。 Nothing is taken as a given - if there’s a waste bin in the room， even if it’s irrelevant， he’s mentioning it， and the colour of it， and anything it contains。 You can’t just assume that a character， upon waking up， will do a bunch of tedious things before getting into the car and carrying on with the story - he has to walk you through it， step by step， so you know EXACTLY what they’re doing， whether or not that’s relevant too （so many protein bars。。。）。 Yeah - it’s not surprising that the end product is a flabby 400+ pages if that’s your approach！ This style goes from frustrating to gross towards the end where one character is being tortured by another and you have to read every horrendous thing that character does to the other。 It’s a bit too much and makes me wonder why Zahler needs to be so graphic - I guess to make the violence seem more real to the reader？ The characters are really well-written - Task， Erin and Chester are all distinct and memorable， unlike the story - and that’s no small thing， so zudos Mr Kahler。 But that effect wasn’t achieved through telling me what type of footwear they were wearing or what jaunty outfit they had on！ The staggering and persistent verbosity was my biggest gripe about the novel because， in between all the mundanity， the various episodes were actually quite entertaining。 How Task gets the first two butterflies to work for him were both imaginative and surprising。 The best was how badly Task messes with Chester， both times。 It’s clever， it’s funny， it’s totally unpredictable and insane - it’s kind of like a real-life Tom and Jerry cartoon but definitely not for kids！ That business with the Mexican lowlifes interfering with Task and Task finding a husband for the old Chinese dumpling chef felt like unnecessary additions to an already questionably lengthy narrative。 I love Zahler’s movies， which is what he’s probably best known for， but， like this book， his last one， Dragged Across Concrete， also needed heavy editing （there’s a lot of sandwich eating in The Slanted Gutter too）。 That’s the problem with great creators getting success - they have more power in saying what gets cut， they’re often not the best judges， and they’re usually convinced it’s all gravy （aka the Tarantino effect）。 I’m glad I read it， both as a fan of Zahler’s and a fan of fun Elmore Leonard-esque crime fiction。 The Chester sections alone are worth it， just because he’s such a wonderful shitheel and I loved seeing things going so badly for him， but there’s a lot of original， entertaining stuff here too。 Still， it felt oddly insubstantial for the page count and I was left wondering what the point of it all was。 A modern-day， smaller-scale retelling of the Hatfield and McCoy feud？ It’s easy to put down because the pacing is practically non-existent and anything resembling a plot took a walk before the first page， but so long as you have the patience to settle in for the long haul， there’s enough here to make The Slanted Gutter just about worth the effort。 For all that， Zahler remains a unique talent。 。。。more
Jeremy
，
This is just an excellent book， but that’s come to be expected from S。 Craig Zahler。 I’ve personally loved everything I’ve seen or read from him。 It is simply impossible to predict where his books will go， and this is no exception， there are plenty of twists and turns （there’s a major twist towards the end of the book that really affected me）。 Of course， as this is a Zahler book， it is NOT to be read by anyone who is in anyway squeamish or sensitive to brutal violence。
Brendan C
，
Zahler seems to be getting more mean spirited with each subsequent book he writes， not a bad thing but boy The Slanted Gutter gets dark。I felt a little disjunction in the last 10% of so， some stories stopped early while others took over， it doesn’t matter though because Zahler can still tell a good yarn。 Memorable characters， fun dialogue all misleading you to thinking they’re safe。 This hits you like a sledgehammer when it needs to。
Steven Montano
，
S。 Craig Zahler is a talented writer。 His work is also sadistic， cruel， and relentlessly， unapologetically misogynistic。 Not sure if I'll be reading too much more of his material。 S。 Craig Zahler is a talented writer。 His work is also sadistic， cruel， and relentlessly， unapologetically misogynistic。 Not sure if I'll be reading too much more of his material。 。。。more
Stephen
，
I read a lot—to the point that it likely isn’t healthy。 Part of the reason for this is because my job requires that I read—but mostly I read a ton because I learned that reading helps me control my ADD and associated symptoms。 Anyway， when you read as much as I do， you find that you end up digesting a lot of garbage。 Some books and authors are obviously worse than others。 However， I wouldn’t keep reading as much as I do if there weren’t some diamonds buried in the trash。 When I do discover a new I read a lot—to the point that it likely isn’t healthy。 Part of the reason for this is because my job requires that I read—but mostly I read a ton because I learned that reading helps me control my ADD and associated symptoms。 Anyway， when you read as much as I do， you find that you end up digesting a lot of garbage。 Some books and authors are obviously worse than others。 However， I wouldn’t keep reading as much as I do if there weren’t some diamonds buried in the trash。 When I do discover a new author I like， I literally feel like I did as a kid on Christmas morning。 Craig Zahler is one of those authors。 He is a genius—really。 His level of creativity blows me away。 Reading Slanted Gutter is akin to smoking a bag of Harlem-sourced PCP and visiting an abandoned funhouse （in the best of ways）。 And I can do this sitting in my living room。。。no 16$ toll to drive to Harlem。 No chance for arrest or giving beat bags。 And no need to find a vacant funhouse。。。I’m really interested to see where Craig’s career will bring him。 Every new piece of art that he shares with us brings him one step closer to worldwide popularity and mainstream acceptance—for better or worse。 Either way， I’m right there with him on his journey because I don’t have a choice—I was hooked from the first page of Wraiths of the Broken Land。。。and I wouldn’t have it any other way。I recommend Slanted Gutter to one and all。 Actually， I recommend anything he has worked on—if you have not read one of his books， or seen a film with a screenplay written by him， you are missing out。 You could definitely do worse。。。。。much worse。 。。。more
Liam Green
，
A real shame to see Zahler thrash about in noir waters and have no idea what to do in them。 As Clint Eastwood said， a man's got to know his limitations。 Apparently lurid Jim Thompson-esque noir is one of Zahler's。 Which seems odd， given that his two crime films （DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE and BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99） explore similar material with pathos and human intensity amid all the carnage。 No， THE SLANTED GUTTER has him telling the story of Darren Tasking， a ludicrously named pimp with delusion A real shame to see Zahler thrash about in noir waters and have no idea what to do in them。 As Clint Eastwood said， a man's got to know his limitations。 Apparently lurid Jim Thompson-esque noir is one of Zahler's。 Which seems odd， given that his two crime films （DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE and BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99） explore similar material with pathos and human intensity amid all the carnage。 No， THE SLANTED GUTTER has him telling the story of Darren Tasking， a ludicrously named pimp with delusions of grandeur。 Nothing is appealing about this guy， but worse， almost nothing about him is interesting except for the ornate nature of his schemes。 And those grow tiresome quickly。 When the story briefly tries to show a human side of him， it just doesn't work， in no small part due to cartoonishly puerile sex scenes。 （Noir traffics in sex and arguably needs it， but if I never have to read another sex scene by Zahler it'll be too soon。 At least if the next one is in a movie other artists will be involved in its creation。） When Tasking's undoing comes， you don't give a shit。 And this is a story by the guy who made you understand the motivations of a raging bigot in CONCRETE。 Zahler is talented， which makes the failure more frustrating。2 stars， really more like 1。5; mostly for the chutzpah that motivated an attempt to write like Jim Thompson （or Stokoe， depending on how you look at it） in 2020 and for the moments of snappy dialogue。 Zahler will probably be best off sticking to script prose for the foreseeable。 。。。more
Vince
，
Another zahler classic。 If you’re a fan of his other work you will enjoy this。 A slow build up with an over the top ending。 Can’t wait for the next one。
Scotty Bryant
，
Another incredible novel by S。 Criag Zahler; it's a testament to his ability as a storyteller that he makes one care for such morally flawed and sometimes downright terrible people and it is most evident in The Slanted Gutter。 It has all of the classic Zahler quirks while still staying fresh and rewarding。 There were points that genuinely disturbed me but it never felt over the top or unearned。 This is by far his most dense piece and I would compare it most to his film Dragged Across Concrete as Another incredible novel by S。 Criag Zahler; it's a testament to his ability as a storyteller that he makes one care for such morally flawed and sometimes downright terrible people and it is most evident in The Slanted Gutter。 It has all of the classic Zahler quirks while still staying fresh and rewarding。 There were points that genuinely disturbed me but it never felt over the top or unearned。 This is by far his most dense piece and I would compare it most to his film Dragged Across Concrete as both take their time just observing the characters。 I was completely immersed in the story and I could not put it down。 I highly recommend it to any Zahler fan！ 。。。more
Paul
，
Zahler creates a believable and sleazy criminal underworld with strangely likeable （in my opinion）， human characters who do some pretty despicable things。 As with his other novels， Zahler displays a mastery of suspense as well as very detailed violence that will definitely turn some readers off but is done so well。 If you like crime thrillers and/or stories about slick con men， check this one out！
Ben Brackett
，
What sets Zahler apart is how uncomfortable and not good about being a human being he can make me feel。 His characters aren't shady guys with hearts of gold that could have gone the other way with annoying inner monologues that try to make us feel good about them。 They are about hard， calculating people and what they will do to each other。 If you've read Zahler before and are concerned that he's showing restraint when you pick this up， don't worry， strong finish。 What sets Zahler apart is how uncomfortable and not good about being a human being he can make me feel。 His characters aren't shady guys with hearts of gold that could have gone the other way with annoying inner monologues that try to make us feel good about them。 They are about hard， calculating people and what they will do to each other。 If you've read Zahler before and are concerned that he's showing restraint when you pick this up， don't worry， strong finish。 。。。more
Adam Vine
，
It is my opinion that Mr。 Zahler's storytelling is masterful。 His ability to make one care about characters who should rightfully be considered despicable， and then force them on a downward spiral of increasingly terrifying and unimaginable conditions is an incredible trick of the ear。 This seems to be the consistent structure in all his stories， at least the novels I've read and the films I've watched， and 'The Slanted Gutter' is no different （the title referring to the inevitable downfall of b It is my opinion that Mr。 Zahler's storytelling is masterful。 His ability to make one care about characters who should rightfully be considered despicable， and then force them on a downward spiral of increasingly terrifying and unimaginable conditions is an incredible trick of the ear。 This seems to be the consistent structure in all his stories， at least the novels I've read and the films I've watched， and 'The Slanted Gutter' is no different （the title referring to the inevitable downfall of being "south，" or living a life of crime）。 Handsome entrepreneur （read: pimp） Darren "Task" Tasking runs a network of elite brothels in the hot and rainy mega-sprawl of Great Crown City， and is saving up for the day he can quit his criminal ways and escape to a life of early retirement down south of the border。 Task is not a moral man; he uses clever but often vile schemes to get what he wants， both from the women he manipulates into working for him as prostitutes and from anyone he views as a potential professional threat。 But Task is not without his limits。 He has never killed in the name of business， and he views his work only as a means to an end。 As soon as he meets his financial goal， he will get out。 But things begin to turn for Task when his hand is forced to seek the help of a criminal organization far more powerful than his own。。。Upon finishing 'The Slanted Gutter' - which， after I finally picked it up and got started， took about three days - I was left with two major impressions。 No one writes crime thrillers with more pathos and visceral detail than Mr。 Zahler。 Following that， nobody is better at humanizing characters who are， objectively， irredeemable villains the reader ought to hate。 But the only part of this story I hated was that it had to end。'The Slanted Gutter' is a horrific， mesmerizing joyride。 In my opinion it is Mr。 Zahler's best yet。（I received an advanced reading copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review。） 。。。more
Dean liapis
，
Classic Zahler， dialogue heavy with a twisting narrative that builds as the book progresses into an explosive but not over the top finale。 I dug it， but that's no surprise given that I am a fan of almost everything he's done。 Classic Zahler， dialogue heavy with a twisting narrative that builds as the book progresses into an explosive but not over the top finale。 I dug it， but that's no surprise given that I am a fan of almost everything he's done。 。。。more
Evans Light
，
Slanted Gutter is one brutal and bloody trip — no surprise when the man behind the wheel is perhaps the most audacious author writing today。 Hold on tight， because no matter how shocking you expect it to be， S。 Craig Zahler will leave you scarred and shaken at the end。 His best work yet。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Slanted Gutter
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Slanted Gutter&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Slanted Gutter&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0