Review: atmospheric, memorable film noir-style suspense
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 10, 2012
When you read as much as I do, you tend to get just a little bit jaded. After a while, everything begins to look and sound pretty much alike, plots run together, characters wear each others' faces; it's like a production line of mediocrity, and many books get picked up only to be discarded only a few pages into the plot. Every once in a while, however, this sea of dross parts, and I find gold. This is what happened the moment I picked up "Whistle Pass" by KevaD."Whistle Pass" is a film noir-style suspense which is perfectly in tune with its historical period. It is gritty, somewhat bleak, and violent, with an undercurrent of darkness and a whisper of the Cold War. Unlike film noir, however, this does have a bit of romance and an optimistic ending. I also feel that the cover of the book does a good job of capturing the essence, or the emotion, of the story with its sepia tone, mysterious edge, and slight hint of darkness.Mr. Kentner's writing style is wonderfully descriptive, yet not in a flowery sense. He captures his characters and his setting concisely, giving his readers a setting that simply exudes 1955 and the attitudes, behaviors and products of that time. From unfiltered Lucky Strikes to the death of James Dean to the small-minded bigotry and homophobia that ran rampant during the period, the detail that fills the pages of this novel brings the story into sharp and realistic focus.Although it contains romantic elements, "Whistle Pass" is definitely not a romance. The plot is driven by suspense, and it contains an edge of tension that will feed your imagination and keep you riveted to the pages.From the very first page, the first paragraph, I knew I was going to love this book. "Whistle Pass" stands out among its literary brethren; it is well-written, atmospheric, and memorable, and it is definitely going on my keeper shelf. Whether or not you are a reader of GLBT fiction, if you enjoy mystery and suspense and a bit of film noir, this is a book I think you will enjoy.