Blood & Sawdust

Blood & Sawdust by Jason Ridler

Blood & Sawdust follows the life of Malcolm Modris Tanner, a street-smart 14 year old with a smart mouth and an almost magnetic connection to trouble. Malcolm hasn’t had an easy life. At a carnival as a young child he witnessed the murder of his mother and since then he has had to grow up quickly under the abusive strain of his older brother, Robert, who nurses a drug addiction. Malcolm intends to use the money earned by betting on illegal fights to find their mother’s killer and avenge her death, that is, if he can earn enough and keep it from disappearing into Robert’s next fix. 

Blood & Sawdust also follows the life of an unassuming circuit player, known previously as Stretch Armstrong and currently as Milkwood, who gets paid to act as a punching bag. His real name is Francis Milkwood Mace, son of a famous wrestler who earns no respect in the brutal circuit. However, Milkwood has a secret to hide, one that keeps the money pouring in and the blood flowing. Only it’s not always his blood and people are starting to notice that he can heal much faster than he should.

Malcolm leaves his hometown of Troy, New York for a Fringe Tourney being held in Canada hoping to win big seeing as he’s developed a knack for picking out winning circuit players. However, he can’t shake the habit of always secretly betting on the underdog with his own hidden stack of cash. When Malcolm and Milkwood’s lives intertwine their problems are exacerbated tenfold. Malcolm ends up on the wrong side of Judge Sayers, his finger-eating dog Samson and his equally ill-tempered daughters who also share their father’s lust for blood. Not only do both Malcolm and Milkwood attract countless meatheads with bulging muscles, but suddenly a new danger arrives in killer heels driving a silver corvette. Malcolm has caught the eye of Lash, a beautiful woman with inhuman charms, and the ability to get what she wants whenever she wants it no matter who has to die in the process. When Malcolm learns that Lash and Milkwood have a secretly bitter history together he has to decide whose side he’s on. This becomes increasingly difficult when Lash offers him a way to get the Judge off of his back and take down his mother’s murderer all at once and not a moment too soon.

Just when Malcolm believes he’s on the road to freedom, a familiar dark figure stained with brown tobacco resurfaces. His mother’s killer has returned, but this time the tobacco-chewing fiend has a new target…Malcolm.

This novel is not for those who like slow beginnings, and honestly who does? Right from the start you’re thrown into a world of harsh realities seen through the eyes of a kid who has been forced to adapt or die. You can almost see the steam rising from the dark streets and smell the sweat rolling off of the brutal characters Malcolm encounters. This world is all engulfing and easy to fall into but not a place you would want to stay and rest. This story is told from two separate perspectives, which fill you in on the back-story and internal monologue of both main characters simultaneously so you never miss a snide remark or suspicion as it floats through our two protagonists’ minds.

Starting off I was prepared for the cringe-inducing gore, what I wasn’t prepared for was the heartfelt storyline. I love a novel with an enticing plot and this one doesn’t disappoint. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing even remotely sappy about this book. This modern world is unsympathetic and you won’t find any handouts here but there is a certain level of compassion that keeps a steady pace throughout the storyline and keeps your humanity firmly grounded. I love the idea that in a harsh town pity, sympathy and concern still exist even if they’re the rarest forms of emotion available. You find yourself cheering on the main character, Malcolm, even when you disagree with his choices. You want him to come out on top for everything that he’s been through and rooting for the underdog has never paid off more.