Let me begin by introducing the band. Jessie Sheen is 31, on guitar and lead vocals. Her elder sister, Brea, is 34 and plays drums. Completing the power trio is Florence ‘Flo’ Bella, also 31, bass and backing vocals. Across the USA, in countless bars and clubs, they’re known by a variety of names for their hard rockin’ sets: LA County Breakout, the Sweetcakes, and more. But we’re more interested in their side gig, for which there is only one name.
As the Bang-Bang Sisters, the women swap their guitar, bass and drums for sniper rifle, nunchucks and flick blades. An innate musical connection led to Flo joining the band, but tragedy made them sisters. Flo’s mother, Esther, was killed by a drunk driver in Reedsville, Alabama. A broken breathalyser meant Johnny Rudd never went to prison, and it was up to the band to see justice done.
Their first kill gave them satisfaction, and a taste for vengeance, and there was no shortage of righteous targets out there – drug dealers, sex offenders, the women could take their pick. And so that’s what they did. Connected to an anonymous server run by the Trace, an anonymous group of hackers who make it there business to discover the kind of digital evidence of crime the police aren’t equipped to detect, the women picked up gigs wherever their next contract was, playing a set then taking out the trash.
But life on the road is hard, as any musician can tell you. Juggle that with their vigilante work, and it’s no surprise the band needed a break. Well, Flo and Jessie did. It was different for Brea, always the most driven and intense of the three. Flo wants to spend some time reconnecting with her pregnant sister, Imani, and Jessie is just not sure how long she can keep doing this. Reluctantly, they agree to one last job before taking a break.
A serial killer known as the Wren has been murdering women all over the South, leaving feathers scattered over broken bodies and ominous haikus written in blood. The women have been itching to take down this misogynistic freak, and now their contact at the Trace, 9-$tar, believes they have his identity. If the band can get down to Reedsville, they have an exclusive window to kill him before any other vigilantes get a shot.
The author exploits this little crack in the band’s unity after they arrive in Reedsville. Their supposedly simple contract goes south quickly, the tables have been turned, and instead of being a team, it’s every woman for herself. The seeds of division thrown between the women bear fruit, with each blaming the others for the predicament they find themselves in. I won’t say too much about that as I’d like you to find out for yourselves, except to add that Reedsville is a classic viper’s nest of small-town corruption, and the stakes for Jessie, Flo and Brea couldn’t be higher.
As you might expect, The Bang-Bang Sisters is a high-octane, action-packed read. Frankly, the band are more interested in kicking ass than taking names. Strip away the high-concept plot and the violence, and the reason for the novel’s success becomes clear. Sisterhood, the importance of family, and the effects of trauma are all explored without slowing the story’s momentum, providing a depth that otherwise might have been missing amidst the pulpy, two-fisted action. Rio Youers, one of the good guys, avoids objectifying his characters in any way. He also teases the possibility of a sequel. Count me in.
The Bang-Bang Sisters are more Babes in Toyland than Blink-182, and you should make this action thriller your next summer read.
Also see Deep Down Dead by Steph Broadribb.
William Morrow
Print/Kindle
£8.99
CFL Rating: 5 Stars
