April MysteryKIT- Noir and Hard-boiled

April is looking grim because we're reading noir and hard-boiled mystery and crime.
Becoming popular in the 1940's after WWII, the noir is noted for disillusioned characters and unhappy endings. Hard-boiled is recognized by tough characters, urban settings, fast dialogue that often uses slang, and more graphic violence and sex than the average mystery.
Look for classic authors such as Dashiell Hammet, Raymond Chandler, Jim Thompson and Dorothy B. Hughes. Modern authors include James Ellroy, Megan Abbott and Daniel Woodrell.

Here are some lists to help you choose:
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/tip-sheet/article/861...

https://www.bookscrolling.com/the-best-noir-books-of-all-time/

https://www.listchallenges.com/hard-boiled-100-great-crime-detective-noir-novels

Starred!

I think I will probably read Soho Noir, an omnibus of novellas by T. S. Hunter set in 1980s Soho.

I'll be reading The Darkness Icelandic Noir.

Love the graphic! This will be a tough one for me, as I don't read noir, but will try to find something.

I'm in! Love me some noir. Not sure yet what I'll be reading.

I'm in! I'll read something by Hughes, maybe 'In a Lonely Place.' I have some books by her but have never read any!

>2 fuzzi: Great!

>3 Robertgreaves: Looking forward to your review. Very cool cover.

>4 majkia: That looks good!

>5 LadyoftheLodge: How could I resist Bogart reading Chandler? I hope you find the right book. If you look through the lists in >1 mstrust: you might find something you already have, and some that your library definitely has.

>6 Crazymamie: Hooray, me too! I have a stack of unread that fits this.

>7 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hi, Larry! Oooh, you're in for something special, In A Lonely Place is a favorite of mine.

I believe I'll start with Farewell, My Lovely. I can't believe I haven't read it yet.

I thought I had taken some BBs from Kay for some of those "city" noir books, but I must have just thought they sounded interesting because they're not on my BB list. So - I'm going to go over to her thread and root through her books to look for something.

I would really like to try Megan Abbott. Can anyone weigh in on best place to start that would satsify this KIT? Thanks.

Well, it's going to have to be Ride the Pink Horse since I can't find Lonely Place.

>10 beebeereads: I highly recommend Queenpin. If that is unavailable, I also enjoyed The Song is You, and Bury Me Deep.

Noir and Hard Boiled are two of my favorite genres! I have Black Alibi by Cornel Woolrich set aside, and hopefully I will be able to fit more in - maybe a John A MacDonald or a Mickey Spillane.

I started early by reading The Moving Target, by Ross Macdonald. I might pick up The Way Some People Die next month as well.

>9 dudes22: I don't know who Kay is, but if she's into this theme, invite her over.

>10 beebeereads: >12 lsh63: Yes, all these titles are great, and I'd add in Die A Little. My first Abbott was Queenpin.

>11 SomeGuyInVirginia: Really hid it from yourself, huh?

>13 DeltaQueen50: Judy! Love Woolrich, but I've yet to read MacDonald.

>14 rabbitprincess: Good to see you, Princess!

>12 lsh63: >15 mstrust: Thank you!

This is a trickier one for me, but I'll see what options I might have! I will likely find something.

No really a noir fan, but my friend in DC is an avid fan. Will look to her for a book!

ETA...she got back to me. I'm going to read The Maltese Falcon. Then next time we see each other we are going to watch the movie--win-win!

>16 beebeereads: Absolutely!

>17 LibraryCin: I hope you find one and come tell us!

>18 Tess_W: That's a great one, both book and movie!

There's a lot of Scandi Noir out there. Some of it not all that bloody. Scottish Noir, Icelandic Noir and even some Danish Noir.

If you would like short stories rather than novels, there is always the Akashic Noir series.

>21 Robertgreaves: - I think those are the ones I was thinking of.

I'm thinking I will read something ScandiNoir.

I have more options than I thought, but the two that I know would definitely fit are not available to me via the library. :-(

However, other options:
The Boy Who Followed Ripley / Patricia Highsmith
Deal Breaker / Harlan Coben
Rapture in Death / J.D. Robb
Career of Evil / Robert Galbraith

I'm planning to read Velvet was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

Lots of good options being mentioned here. I know I'll end up with some BBs.

I finished The Scarlet Imperial by Dorothy B. Hughes. This is not my usual kind of mystery novel, since I don't read noir/hardboiled, but I enjoyed it once I got used to the writing style. It sure kept me reading, and I never saw the twist at the end coming! Our library has a bunch of Dorothy B. Hughes on hoopla and Libby, so I will probably read some more of them. Thank you, mstrust, for finding me a new kind of read!

I just realized that Ian Rankin is noir, so I'll be reading Exit Music.

>27 LadyoftheLodge: I'm so happy to introduce you to Hughes, she's really great. Her most popular book by far is In A Lonely Place, so you have that to look forward to. And you've introduced me to The Scarlet Imperial, which I'll put on my WL. Yours is the first review of it that I've seen.

I'm a few chapters into Farewell, My Lovely. Love the style and language, and I happened to watch the movie version of it recently, Murder, My Sweet.

I am reading Budapest Noir for this challenge.

I read The Getaway, which left me scratching my head a little bit. I hope to get to the Drowning Pool, but I'm sure I have other books that will fit this challenge.

I find that I've often re-read a paragraph in Thompson's books with a "Did I just read that right?!" His ability to surprise or shock is remarkable.

COMPLETED Soho Noir by T. S. Hunter

My review:
A collection of six novellas set in 1980s Soho, each sharing a title with a hit song from the period or the previous decade.

Pros:
The mysteries were fairly straightforward but still kept the reader's attention.
The story title/song title gimmick provides a clue to where the reader's focus should be without giving too much away.
The setting felt authentic enough to make me wonder if it was part of the author's lived experience.
I liked the fact that although the two detectives were both gay and were flatmates they were not a couple and each had their own love life.

Cons:
The prose was a bit clunky, particularly in expository parts.
Some repetition from story to story so perhaps a compilation was not the best way to read them.
The corrupt, homophobic cop was a bit of a pantomime villain and although it is implied in the last story that he gets his comeuppance, we don't actually get to see it so presumably he could still appear in any future stories.

Would I read any future stories by this author? Definitely.

I just finished a very dark and gritty book entitled, Where All Light Tends To Go by David Joy. This book has earned the label of "red-neck noir" and was a very good read.

I finished Noir, a novel by Christopher Moore. Really good.

>35 marell: Ooooh, I might add that one to the tbr! I like Christopher Moore!

>31 lsh63: >32 mstrust: I read The Getaway a few years ago and the transition from crime thriller to absolute nightmare still shocks and frightens me. I think it's one of the most important novels I've ever read in my life. I hope, but I can't be sure of course, that Thompson will be read a thousand years from now. I really think he's that good. But I'll be dead so I won't care. Or will I?

Rendezvous in Black by Cornell Woolrich is a very good noir suspense story.

>37 SomeGuyInVirginia: Maybe you'll be a head in a jar giving out book recommendations. That got darker than you expected, didn't it?

>38 NinieB: Great novel!

I've read Farewell, My Lovely. Four and a half stars. So hardboiled, a fast-paced and crazy story that travels all over L.A. My review is on the book page.

Exit Music by Ian Rankin
The last Rebus book? As we know now, years after this was published, Rebus did not ride off into the sunset. This was a typical Rebus case except Siobhan was leading the investigation. Too bad Rebus wasn't successful in putting Big Ger Cafferty safely behind bars a long time ago. Siobhan's retirement gift to Rebus was an iPod filled with music, for the man whose taste in music either influenced his fans or confirmed their good taste. And then, when everything is done and the party is over, an astonishing conclusion!

Loved this one, but it would have been sad if Rankin hadn't resurrected Rebus.

I have finished Still midnight which is tagged tartan noir. Lots of swearwords, yes, but otherwise not really noir, at least to me.

I do a lot of cocktail recipes on my Category thread, so I'm sharing a Chandler related recipe.
In The Long Goodbye, Chandler had Marlowe drinking Gimlets, which usually calls for fresh lime juice, but Chandler preferred Rose's instead.



Chandler's Gimlet

2 oz gin
1 oz Rose's Lime Juice

Add ingredients to an ice-filled mixing glass and stir well. Strain into a chilled gimlet glass and garnish with lime.

Ugh, you know it's been more than 2 years since I've been inside a bar? Sometimes when I'm home and it's just me and my memories, I fall from my stool and pick up scuzzy guys hanging around by the cigarette machine.

>43 SomeGuyInVirginia: 😂

>43 SomeGuyInVirginia: You don't need to live on memories. Go to a bar, fall off a stool, find scuzzy guys. Good luck finding a cigarette machine though.

Another attempt with tartan noir is Knots and crosses which I liked better.

>42 mstrust: You picked one of my fave drinks! Not all bartenders know how to make them well though. They are better with a muddled lime. Cheers!

Gimlets should be more widely known because it's a classic that really tastes good. I think a lot of bartenders don't know the classics. I ordered a Tom Collins once and was presented with a light brown drink.

>48 mstrust: when I was finally legal I tried a number of different mixed drinks. Tom Collins and Beefeater & tonic were my favorites. I never liked the sweet concoctions.

>49 fuzzi: My drink of choice when I was finally legal was Scarlett O'Hara. This was a nice "lady's drink." Few bartenders know how to make this one and often do not have the right ingredients. We also enjoyed Sloe Gin Fizz, another one unfamiliar to many bartenders. (Do they still make sloe gin?) Check out these two drinks!

>45 mstrust: You are 100% correct! If I ever use that joke in the future I'm going to change cigarette machines to pay phones. Even the most disreputable bar, or the most reputable, still have pay phones, somewhere.

When I became of legal age, 18 with a dubious fake ID but a charming smile, I kept it simple with shots and beer backs. But if the bar had a patio or any kind of outdoor area there was really only one drink - gin and tonic. Oh baby, why you so good to me?

>49 fuzzi: My beginner drink was 7&7. At the racetrack.
>50 LadyoftheLodge: I have a recipe for the Scarlett O'Hara! And a Rhett Butler too!
>51 SomeGuyInVirginia: Gin & tonics go down easy, especially in the summer. Quick tip: use half the lime in a G&T, other half in a lime tart. That's Summer.
If I ever use that joke in the future I'm going to change cigarette machines to pay phones. I say cut out the middle man and just lean directly on the scuzzy guy.

Our May topic is Detectives in Translation. The thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/341209

The Stone Monkey / Jeffery Deaver
4 stars

When a ship full of Chinese illegal immigrants comes close to shore in the U.S., the Coast Guard heads out to meet them. But the “snakehead” (nicknamed “the Ghost”) -- the guy they paid to get them to the U.S. -- locks everyone (including the captain and crew) except his assistant below deck, and blows up the ship! A few people manage to escape, but it seems the Ghost won’t stop until he kills them all.

I thought this was really good. The story was told from multiple points of view, including Amelia Sachs, the Ghost, a Chinese cop that came on the boat and managed to escape the blast, and two families that also escaped the ship. It’s darker than I usually like (although some darker ones I do like – and this was one of them). I don’t see that this is tagged noir or hard-boiled, but it seemed pretty gritty and dark to me. There was a good twist in this one. Have to admit, I’m not a big fan of Lincoln and Amelia’s relationship, though.

And a direct link to the wiki:
https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/MysteryKIT_2022#April:_Noir.2FHard_Boile...

>50 LadyoftheLodge: my husband liked a drink made with sloe gin, Southern Comfort, vodka, and orange juice. I will not repeat its name here in polite company...

I've started The Darkness and am enjoying it very much.

A Stuart Kaminsky Rostnikov mystery is available today for $.99 USD:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/death-of-a-russian-priest-by-stuart-m-kaminsky?buy...

I highly recommend this series, which isn't as readily available as it should be.

Lots of great recommendations in this thread, for both books and drinks!

>50 LadyoftheLodge: >56 fuzzi: I discovered sloe gin recently. I was rewatching some of the Miss Marple mysteries featuring Geraldine McEwan and saw that Miss Marple is inordinately fond of damson gin, so I became curious about it. Unfortunately, I couldn't find damson gin locally, so I bought sloe gin, which is supposed to be fairly close. Our liquor store has only one brand of sloe gin, but my daughter is studying in England and brought me a different one on her last visit home. I discovered over the summer that sparkling white wine with a splash of sloe gin is delicious. :)

Back on the topic of books ... I decided to go with Scandi-noir and finished The Thirst, the 11th book in the Harry Hole series.

I read the novella The Postman Always Rings Twice, a classic of noir. Highly recommended.

I finished The Darkness by Ragnar Jonasson. Wow. Very Icelandic Noir.

I read Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia for this month's theme.

>60 NinieB: One of my favorites!

I enjoyed The Drowning Pool. I don't think I've seen the movie, though which is odd, because um Paul Newman.

Career of Evil / Robert Galbraith.
3.75 stars

When Robin, PI Cormorant Strike’s assistant, arrives at the office one day, there is a delivery for her. It’s a severed leg! When they look closer, they can see the name under the address label was originally addressed to Strike, so Strike comes up with a few people who have grudges against him and gives those names to the police, as he thinks they are going after him through Robin. Of course, Strike and Robin will investigate, as well, looking for where these men are now and if they might have had the opportunity to do this. Meanwhile, Robin and her fiancee are having problems, mostly because Matthew doesn’t like Robin’s job nor her perceived (by Matthew) “relationship” with Strike.

I found the first half a bit harder to follow, as there were a LOT of characters, so I found it a bit tricky to keep them and their stories/backgrounds and relationships to Strike straight. One of the relationships that did stick in my head was Strike’s stepfather. We learn about Strike’s childhood – his mother was murdered, and Strike believes it was his stepfather who did it. I was waffling between ok and good (3 and 3.5 stars) for the first half, but I thought it really picked up in the second half so I upped my rating because of that.

I haven't resumed reading Ross Macdonald yet for this challenge, but did discover that I have also not yet read The Barbarous Coast and The Doomsters, so still plenty more Lew Archer for me to enjoy.

I did read Red Harvest, by Dashiell Hammett, which is very hard-boiled indeed.

I did Icelandic noir with Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson.

Okay, I did a Jack Reacher novel. Sue me. No, it's not noir. It's not even noir adjacent. But it is a crime novel. And I did finish it so I'm counting it. The Midnight Line, by Lee Child. Don't know why but book touched on links don't work when I'm using my phone.

Well. Let's say you read it while chain smoking and drinking from the only clean glass left in the place, the local cops interested in having a chat, but you, by God, you finished that book...

The little sidestreet "upscale dive bar" we visited last week in our local downtown area fits the bill for this month's reading. Dark, small, lots of people, extensive drinks list, very cool tavern vibe.

I just finished Black Alibi by Cornell Woolrich and what a fun ride this book was. Probably more of a horror story than an actual mystery, this dark, atmospheric story has us wondering if a series of brutal killings is the work of an escaped jaguar or a two-legged killer.

>71 DeltaQueen50: I don't have that one but it sounds good. I'll have to find a copy.

I read a short story by Woolrich, Murder in Wax. Published in 1935, it's the story of Angel Face, whose husband left her for another woman only to be immediately arrested for the woman's murder. Angel Face believes he's being railroaded so she investigates the crime herself.