Review: Old-School Hard-Boiled Cool
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 20, 2012
I'm going to look for more Ed Noon books, I think.  This is the real deal, the world-weary, street-wise private eye who's seen it all and lost all his illusions, but not his personal code.  It's a cliche now, but it was fresh when this book first hit the shelves, and it shows.The book suffers a bit from its age.  Mostly I like the old-fashioned style, and the cars with running boards, and the endless smoking.  There's a reflexive racism that rubbed me the wrong way, though I understand it's a reflection of the times.  And I got tired of hearing about what freaks the really tall characters are (they're no taller than I am, in fact).Overall it's a satisfying, intriguing mystery wrapped in lean, gritty, hard-boiled prose.  It's not for everyone.  Try a page, and either you're hooked or you're put off.  Me, I was hooked instantly.  It's a terrific book.