Review: #NOIR COLLECTION ~ AUTHENTIC L.A. by Awarded Paul D.Marks [C.M.Liebel Review]
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 18, 2014
Nostalgia oozes from the dark shadows to remind readers of the scripts as written for black and white noir movies. In his very first of five stories: L.A. LATE @ NIGHT: 5 Noir + Mystery Tales from the Dark Streets of Los Angeles, Author Paul D. Marks amuses by the use of stage directions in headings of this story. The style is called ‘modified screenplay format.’The 2013 SHAMUS AWARD winner for WHITE HEAT, from the Private Eye Writers of America, is not short on memory and his research is authentic Los Angeles where many of the oldest streets are memorials to the good ol’ days. He knows the city by name ~  El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula. He shares knowledge of actors and their roles of an era. The likes of William Holden might be on the set. He could be running through his lines in Billy Wilder’s famous movie ‘Sunset Boulevard.’ In fact, Marks mentions the movie and gives it weight in his story.All the story characters seem to be playing to the camera as celebrities. Attorney Cassie Rodriguez has just won her case giving her the limelight for newscasters. Her highly celebrated client film-producer Ronald Aberdeen has been found innocent at his murder trial.Cassie is a decent sort who believed that she had defended the case well and that the jury had done its job. Alone in the Café Noir, a bar away from the usual crowd, Cassie meets a decent detective. Larry Darrell doesn’t ‘hit’ on her, exactly, but over drinks their most candid beliefs about this trial surface in several discussions.Cassie has an AHA moment about her case in her sleep one night and wants some input. She trusts Larry with a personal secret, first, and waits for his reaction. It’s a high stake. He passes. Now she shares what she really needs to know. Powerful! Gutsy! This gives the murder mystery unbelievable class! Get ready for a surprise ending. Recommend this Five-Star book to all readers and, especially, to NOIR enthusiasts!  L.A. LATE @ NIGHT: 5 Noir + Mystery Tales from the Dark Streets of Los Angeles, Author Paul D. Marks.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ notation about the additional stories~~~~~~~~~The next four stories await readers with more of the same quality of Noir Mysteries. These are: ANGELS FLIGHT, 51-50, FREE FALL, and BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN. The Amazon site provides a Sample to browse book details for each of the five Paul D. Marks stories and high-profile reviewers’ comments. The book includes a WHITE HEAT novel excerpt.