If you
are pining for something to make your skin crawl this is a book for
you. I picked this up at The Strand in NYC on my last trip there in
2008. Why it got shuffled to the bottom of my “to read” pile I
have no idea, but since it has been gloomy and windy I was in the
mood for a tale noir. This didn't disappoint.
I
remember picking it out of a basement bin at The Strand and being
intrigued by the beautiful cover art which is a photo of lighted
buildings at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exhibit in San
Francisco. What is so great about the cover art besides the beauty of
the scene is the way the title and author's name seem to be reflected
also. Another thing that interested me was the author profile in the
back. There I read that he is a screen writer. This book actually
read a bit like a movie – chapters occurring simultaneously or
seconds, minutes, or hours apart.
The
city is busy rebuilding on the rubble of the great earthquake a
decade before, and preparing for the world's fair. A famous mesmerist
is struggling to keep his act going while spiraling into a drugged
world of his own where he battles the onset of Alzheimer's.
Detective Randall Blackburn deals with unethical dealings within the
police department while teaming with his son to solve a murder which
hasn't happened yet. A nondescript man, who is actually a demented
killer, stalks victims (and Blackburn's fiance) in broad daylight.
Many people see him yet he goes unnoticed. Blackburn's daughter keeps
the plot hopping too with her efforts to be an individual in her own
right as an independent woman in this stuffy 1915 upper crust
society.
A
lot of action, intrigue, and yes a lot of blood and guts. Actually
quite well written and nice short 275 page afternoon read. My only
complaint? Typos! Argh!
No comments:
Post a Comment