Fast Check by David Losier – Book Review

The Fast Check is a new book written by Carlos Domingo. It was originally intended to be the final installment of his “Narcotics Anonymous” series, but it only ended up as a quick reference guide for those who might still be searching for the final destination of the first volume. This novel is intended to help readers cope with the trauma that drug abuse can bring to one’s life. The first three chapters are very focused on a young woman in her teens, Jessica, who is researching an article for her English class. It ends with her finding out that her father has just died in a car crash, and that her brother is on heroin.

Jessica’s sister, Maria, is also researching the same article, but instead of finding the required information she ends up getting a whole lot into her sister’s story that’s much more graphic than Jessica’s. A few pages later, Jessica finds out that her father was actually a police detective who specialized in solving white collar crimes, and that he had secretly stopped his job a while ago due to a case he’d been working on involving counterfeit money. As she reads about how much Maria knows, it becomes clear just why she’s been avoiding the phone calls from their landlord, and just where the relationship with her father has gone since he left.

The Fast Check Clozing the Negative Side features some excellent investigation techniques that stand out very well. Domingo includes a great deal of his personal experiences and observations in his stories, and he seems to get better at narrating the scenes as his stories progress. I found that the writing was strong, and there were no obvious jump cuts or overly fancy language. Still, I found myself not really liking most of the stories, and while I have not read any of Domingo’s books, this one did stick with me for a good long time. Recommended for people looking for a fast, loose read with lots of character building, and with some dark hints of possible parental betrayal.