Where It Hurts is a dark, brooding, private detective novel. Its perpetual gloom deepens the atmosphere and generates an unnerving angst in the narrative that is both alluring and repulsive. Reed Farrel Coleman’s Long Island is far from the coastal tourist towns, and is as deadly and bleak as any impoverished urban area. Gus is bitter, doomed, and appealing, working-class tough, and intelligent. This is the first in a planned series and it is not for the faint of heart, but if hardboiled noir appeals, it will not disappoint.