Dispatches From Noir

Once upon a time, I dreamed of being an author. I thought I would write a great noir novel. That never happened, but I still admire the spare, descriptive prose and retro sensibilities of the hard-boiled detective.

I also see people every day. Sometimes I can't help but wonder what Chandler, Hammett, Leonard, Cain or even Fleming might have to say about them. So I take a stab at it. Here is the rogue's gallery of the novels and stories I never wrote. Meet the villains, bystanders, toughs and low-lifes that would populate them.

This is also a journal of my own journeys through the wonderful world of hardboiled/noir crime fiction. I review books and movies, and I’m happy to answer crime fiction questions and give recommendations. I'm also starting to think I might just be able to write some fiction of my own. I don't know how that will turn out. I do know that anything that appears on this page is just a dispatch from the great land of Noir.

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Posted on Tuesday, 3 July 2012

NoiRevisited: It All Began Here

“His manner was warm and engaging. He projected a welcome as wide as the gap in his mouth where 6 or 7 upper front teeth were missing.”

One year ago I began Dispatches from Noir. On 3 January 2011 I summoned my inner Chandler, and this was my first post. It isn’t much, but hopefully I’ve done better since. It’s gratifying to know I’ve been writing (such as it is) for a year, and I’m glad some of you are still reading my scribblings, book reviews, etc. So here’s to another year!