Review: Book Noir
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 7, 2013
Reading this book is like watching a 1950's B&W; film noir classic. Yes, that is exactly what the author was trying for - even down to the scenes of a down-and-out PI in the shadows of a seedy office illuminated only by the blinking light coming in through the window from a nearby neon sign.Unlike other books that try to set the mood with corny dialogue, this book paints film noir word pictures. The dialogue is not corny. Even the retired fighter turned PI works, corny as it sounds.  As with film noir, the central themes of the book are cynicism, irony, and moral ambiguity. The characters are interesting - from the tarnished hero to the uber-villain who loves kids and cats. The hero and villain are destined to become friends because they are so much alike. Two sides of the same coin.The hero is a hard drinking, tough guy but also a pussy cat as is the villain. The language is clean in the same way a 1950's movie dialogue is clean, and the sex scenes are subdued as in the old movies. There is violence, but not of the gratuitous Quentin Tarantino type.The editing is poor, and almost tempted me to cut back one star. But what the hell - I enjoyed the book despite the poor editing.Some might argue that this book was intended as satire. I guess you can read it either straight or as satire depending on whether or not you like Hollywood film noir classics such as "The Big Sleep" and "Asphalt Jungle."