My Name Was Gerry Sass by Tiffany Hanssen

My Name was Gerry Sass, Tiffany Hanssen’s debut novel, is a small-time, small town American crime novel. This is not a criticism. It is just to set expectations around a book that centres around a fairly small-time criminal, his daughter and his friend – a priest with his own criminal connections.

My Name was Gerry Sass opens with the death of the title character. Gerry has caught the attention of the local sheriff and is trying to play him by pretending to offer information. Only word has got out that Sass is going to squeal, so a couple of guys come and kill him. The death is witnessed by local priest Father Dan and sets him off on his own journey of personal discovery. Gerry’s daughter, Early, wants revenge and takes her father’s beloved Mustang to hunt the killers down. The closer Early comes to doing the deed, the more she realises how much like her father she is. This is an aspect of the story that is also made clear by the chapters focussing on Gerry’s story, narrated from the point of view of Gerry’s spirit watching from purgatory.

My Name was Gerry Sass reads a bit like a Tarantino or Coen Brothers tale – set in small town America, with plenty of deliberate and accidental violence and featuring characters with not much power but lots of determination. There are car chases, accidental shootings, roadhouse encounters and a brush with the slightly bigger time. But this is all focussed on the low level and so is more than anything else a character study of three interesting individuals and how their circumstances change them. Overall, My Name was Gerry Sass is a fun and engaging if slight tale that is short enough not to outstay its welcome.

My Name was Gerry Sass by Tiffany Hanssen

7

7.0/10