River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey

I know I'm coming late to the American Hippo party but better late than never! 

River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey a neo-western that pulls no punches, by way of an imagined American alt-history romp where Hippos have been introduced into domestication [ Think Hippo-farms or ranches] It's a very clever twist on what could have been, based on an actual attempt to pass a bill in the US Senate to import hippos for meat. The story follows the capers [ Oh despite so many tedious reminders, I just cannot think myself to call that an "operation" all aboveboard! Come on. ] of a group of determined men and women, out to ensure that a lake full of feral wild hippos can be herded out into the wilds, clearing up the Lake for safer commercial uses. The only issue may be, that the man who claims to have gotten this "legitimate" job order from the Feds, maybe holding out on a dirty secret, a deeply nursed personal vendetta. And little matter that the dangerous man who runs a gambling operation with floating casinos on that lake, considers the feral to be his personal assistants in removing any trouble-makers on the casinos. 

So British man, Winslow Houndstooth is determined to make his fortune one way or the other. After having watched his dream ranch go up in smoke in an ill-fated accident, Winslow thinks clearing out Lake Harriet of the feral hippos in the cleverest manner possible, will earn him enough to retire to the countryside, sip sweet tea with his new found muse [oddly named Hero, they of the indeterminate gender!] and watch the fireflies come out. Popping an ivory-handled knife into this rose-colored dream of his are a few of his old friends or allies, he needs to gather along the way. He brings together this motley crew, something like the Ocean's Eleven by way of inclusive diversity: Each an expert in their own areas [ includes a Frenchwoman who is a con artist extraordinaire, a latino assassin, a demolitions expert and the only non-diversity factor of the group, a blonde man with a wispy moustache, known to be the fastest gun in that area] 

But the unruly man-eating Hippos may prove to be the least of their troubles. Backstabbing conspiracies run amok. Old feuds crop up, casual greed and violence rears its ugly head higher than the feral hippos. The floating casinos become a hothouse of action, thrills and as the intended caper goes wildly off-course. 

Sarah Gailey's debut is a wonderful mix of clever dialogues, deft cinematic action pieces and immersive atmosphere, building on that wonderfully original premise. The pacing is right on the nose, given that it's a novella-length narrative. But this is possibly my biggest grouch against the book as well. Despite one of the most interesting ensemble in an alt-history fantasy setting, I couldn't get myself to like even one of them. As all of them are short-changed with respect to their on-book duration of their characters. I would have LOVED to get know Archie, the con-artist who loves her suits as much as her skirts. And so with Ardelia, the heavily pregnant assassin with her mysterious motives. The reason as to why Winslow actually brings these particular bunch of people for this mission still remains unclear. I mean, if the intent was to blow up the Gate and let the feral Hippos out, then perhaps just the demolition expert and one trained Hopper should have done the trick, right? 
Anyways - since River of Teeth is first of a duology, I guess questions still will abound. Hopefully a Taste of Marrow will provide the right answers. For a novella, this one packs a wallop with fun dialogues and cinematic violence. Worth a read for sure!