Noir: A Novel - The Library of the Uncommons

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published April 16, 2018 by William Morrow & Company, William Morrow.

ISBN:: 978-0-06-243397-8

(1 review)

It’s not every afternoon that an enigmatic, comely blonde named Stilton (like the cheese) walks into the scruffy gin joint where Sammy "Two Toes" Tiffin tends bar. It’s love at first sight, but before Sammy can make his move, an Air Force general named Remy arrives with some urgent business. ’Cause when you need something done, Sammy is the guy to go to; he’s got the connections on the street.

Meanwhile, a suspicious flying object has been spotted up the Pacific coast near Mount Rainier, followed by a mysterious plane crash in a distant patch of desert in New Mexico that goes by the name Roswell. But that's nothing compared to the real weirdness happening on the streets of the City by the Bay.

3 editions

Matthew Royal reviewed Noir: A Novel by Christopher Moore (Noir Chronicles #1)

Review of 'Noir' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

The plot is comfortably predictable from the very beginning of the story, and would make great B-grade SciFi movie for a Friday night in, except that the kind of character development you need to fall in love with a book like this takes a backseat to sometimes overly clever observational narration.

Loved the local San Francisco period color. The afterword went into more detail on Moore's process of picking a year, doing quite a bit of detailed research, then spinning a yarn around fixed points like cafes and theaters and people who actually existed. It explains the lack of character development, because the process is more like spinning cotton candy filler around a central metal pin than following typical storytelling patterns. The end is in mind from the beginning, and the enjoyment is in how he tells the story.