Category Archives: Noir-esque fiction

California Rain – Frank McAdams

Posted on November 20, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Set against the backdrop of 1950s America, California Rain delivers a gripping noir thriller that blends the intrigue of political scandal, the fight for justice, along with the glamour of old Hollywood. With an evocative sense … Continue reading →

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Rose Royal: A Love Story- Nicolas Mathieu (Translated from the French by Sam Taylor)

Posted on March 10, 2022 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “Looking back over all those men, all those failed relationships, she came to one conclusion. She should never have loved them as much as she                      … Continue reading →

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Paris Noir: The Suburbs: Akashic Noir Series – Hervé Delouche (Editor)

Posted on March 5, 2022 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “Where was French romanticism? The opulence of the West? I found Paris—Pantin, really—very different from what I had imagined. I found Pantin ugly…”. An Albanian national flees his country in fear for his life and … Continue reading →

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The Dark Remains – William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin

Posted on September 9, 2021 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) October 1972, Glasgow –Detective constable Jack Laidlaw is reassigned to the Glasgow crime squad. Though he has a sixth sense on what is happening on the streets, the higher ups feel he needs “handling”, as he … Continue reading →

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The Underbelly (Outspoken Authors Book 3)- Gary Phillips

Posted on August 10, 2021 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) Mulgrew Magrady, an often-times homeless Viet Nam veteran is trying to get his life back on track. Though he is eight months sober, he is still suffering from his earlier impulsive actions. He abandoned responsibility for … Continue reading →

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No Room at the Morgue – Jean-Patrick Manchette, Translated by Alyson Waters

Posted on December 10, 2020 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) “They’re going to lock me up. I’m the perfect fall girl. My fingerprints are everywhere, even on the knife that belongs to me, and I got blood all over me.” Maybe another reason that this femme-fatale, … Continue reading →

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Nairobi Noir (Akashic Noir Series) – edited by Peter Kimani

Posted on June 22, 2020 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) > “In this concrete jungle, the hunters and herders live on. As do the hunted…” This summarizes the essence of Nairobi Noir, a collection of fourteen stories released early this year from the Akashic Noir Series. … Continue reading →

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Berkeley Noir (Akashic Noir Series) edited by Jerry Thompson and Owen Hill

Posted on May 12, 2020 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) “I arrived in Berkeley, back in 1991. A Berkeley that seemed to be still living off the fumes of the late sixties, which were fumes so strong you might just want to breathe them in all … Continue reading →

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Fatal Beauty (A Cleve Hawkins Detective Novel) – R.C. Hartson

Posted on April 2, 2020 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) A serial killer is terrorizing Chicago, and the victims are young women. However, when private investigator Cleve Hawkins’ new client wants him to locate her sister, he initially thinks that she just doesn’t want to be … Continue reading →

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To Hell with Johnny Manic -Andrew Diamond

Posted on February 23, 2020 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) “I’d still have to be Manis in name. I had his license, his passport, and his spotless record with the law. Manis was employable. Tom Gantry, the fugitive embezzler who’d violated parole in Illinois, was not.” … Continue reading →

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