Noir | Self-Publishing Review

My Key Fits Every Door by Dennis Louis Dyer

A sharp-tongued private eye is pulled into a spiral of chateau intrigue, hired muscle, and dangerous dames in My Key Fits Every Door by Dennis Louis Dyer, a classic, twist-filled PI thriller.

In this noir drama set in the 1940s, Taylor is the gruff and grumbling protagonist with a knack for getting in over his head, and falling into bed with mysterious women. The plot moves almost as fast as the whip-smart conversations and one-liners, while the hotel setting, where much of the action takes place, comes to life through subtle descriptions and immersive narration.

While there is something nostalgic […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-05-05T08:47:59+02:00May 4th, 2021|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Detective Fiction, Noir|

Review: Once A Man Indulges by Tony Kelsey

Wartime loyalty, dangerous dames, and mountain mobsters collide in Once a Man Indulges, a PI thriller from the meticulous pen of author Tony Kelsey.

This neo-noir tale is set in post-war 1949, when ongoing survival was far from promised, and the soldiers who had come back were often scarred in ways too complex to explain. An unexpected reunion with a past military mentor sends Harry Thorpe, rough-around-the-edges private detective, spiraling into the dark depths of Denver’s seediest realms, in this gritty blend of mystery and history.

Harry Thorpe is both original and familiar – a scarred protagonist with a […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-06-02T08:54:36+02:00April 1st, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Detective Fiction, Noir|

The Mob Zone by Joseph DeMatteo

A wise-guy wonderland of seedy deals, savage violence, and loyalty to the family, The Mob Zone by Joseph DeMatteo is a bold and entertaining collection of stories from the world of organized crime.

The three stories are unique in their own way, but fall in line with classic gangster narratives: untouchable tough guys with sharp comebacks and quick trigger fingers. These surprisingly complex, small-cast tales are driven by intense, multilayered dialogue – or other forms of communication, as in the case of the two mute assassins from “Driving in Silence,” one of the standouts in the collection. Perfectly polished for […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-12-08T07:13:50+02:00December 5th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Crime Fiction, Noir, Short Stories|

Review: The Last Train (Detective Hiroshi Series Book 1) by Michael Pronko

Hiroshi Shimizu could be mistaken for one of any number of the faceless salarymen in Tokyo. With a stable desk job and a wage that gives all the small luxuries one can expect to enjoy from it, he can swallow his past regrets and the warm hazy memories of not so long ago. But Hiroshi isn’t just any old desk jockey; he’s a detective, specializing in white-collar crime – a serious problem with the inhumanly-efficient paperwork fever dream of modern Tokyo. And things are about to get a lot more complicated.

When Hiroshi’s mentor calls in a favor in investigating […]

James Grimsby2019-02-11T08:40:32+02:00June 15th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Crime Fiction, Detective Fiction, Michael Pronko, Noir|

Review: The Ishtar Cup (The Bart Northcote Series #1) by Murray Lee Eiland Jr.

★★★★★

As far as private investigator novels go, there are certain expectations and traditional themes that seem to always pop up. There is usually a mysterious femme fatale, a gruff PI who marches to the beat of his own drum, and enough twists to keep a reader tearing through the pages.

In The Ishtar Cup, Book 1 of the Bart Northcote Series by Murray Lee Eiland Jr., some of these commonalities seem to appear almost instantly, but with a flavor all its own. While there is comfort in convention, this book also offers a different tone and a more […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-12-23T05:49:06+02:00April 4th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Crime Fiction, Detective Fiction, Noir|

Review: The Ring of Gallows by Gary Whorley

★★★★

Jake Achilles is an old-school cop: when sh*t hits the fan, he’ll shoot first and ask questions later, and he’ll break the law to protect it. When Jake and his partner, Kruger Odysseus, follow the cooling trail of a beguiling murder, they might just be digging too deep. As gangs form dangerous new alliances, mysterious happenings crop up all over the city, is the New York city of Elysium really all it seems to be, or is there something yet darker below the surface? What will happen when a jealous curse is foolishly let loose? The mystery of The […]

James Grimsby2019-01-22T15:35:52+02:00March 8th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Crime Fiction, Detective Fiction, Noir, Paranormal|

Review: Sleeping to Death by G. D. Baum ★★★★

Sleeping to Death, by G. D. Baum, is the second book in the Lock Tourmaline murder mystery series.

Lock Tourmaline is a New Jersey private investigator. Lock, a former cop, is working as a bodyguard for Korean druglords. Jason Heung, the brother of the head of the Korean organization, is murdered in prison. Susan Heung wants Lock to find out who murdered her brother since the authorities aren’t looking into his murder.

While trying to solve the mystery, Lock is also dealing with his ex-wife, who wants to buy DVDs that show her performing a sexual act with her […]

T B Markinson2017-03-24T11:03:48+02:00March 24th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Crime Fiction, Mystery, Noir|