Top neo-noir books I read last year(ish)

For some years now, I have been reading over 100 books every year. Yet, I always find it hard to find a good neo-noir book. Hence, this list for those who, like me, struggle to find their noir fixes.

First, let us narrow down what is meant by neo-noir. This is not an easy task, and the debate will always be there. Aristotle talked about mythos, ethos and dianoia, which respectively are plot, characters and settings, and thought. We can easily translate that today to plot-driven, character-driven, and voice-driven narratives. Some novels are plot-based, where the external events shape the fate of the main character. Most of what is called commercial fiction lays here. Other novels are character-based, where the character leads the action. The third parameter to categorise a novel is by its voice (most literary fiction lays here). This list has been devised based on the unique voice in each. So consider this a fair warning for anyone expecting Dan Brown or Tom Clancy mentions.

1.     A Dangerous Man by Charlie Huston (Published 2006)

A Dangerous Man is the final book in the Henry Thompson trilogy. Huston takes us on a journey where a single domestic cat is responsible for the killing of more people that Ted Bundy. This trilogy starts by a neighbour asking our protagonist to take care of his cat for him, conveniently omitting that some dangerous men looking for him, and culminates in our protagonist surviving book one and two becoming a dangerous man himself in book 3. Will he be able to save his soul and his family, and find the millions of dollars everyone is looking for?

2.     Sky Full of Sand by Rick DeMarinis (Published 2003)

A little-known writer, yet a very unique one. This book is so light and entertaining, you can recommend it to your friend who hates reading.

 Set in El Paso, a middle-aged man living a normal life plunges into drug cartels, sex and the underbelly of American-Mexican border life. All with razor-sharp satire and remarkable prose that reminds every reader how entertaining writing could be.

 3.     The Sisters Brothers by Patrick Dewitt (Published 2011)

The Sisters Brothers is a darkly comic tale of two assassin brothers, on an adventure through the American West. They encounter strange characters and situations, including witches, bears, whores and trigger-happy men. As they advance through the journey, they get to know themselves and their true goals. When they finally reach their target, an alchemist with an invention that would change the face of the Wild West, they have to make the decision of their lives.

4.     Citizen Vince by Jess Walter (Published in 2008)

Citizen Vince is a unique example of the neo-noir genre. This Edgar Award winner is set against the backdrop of the 1980 American presidential election. A protagonist in a witness protection programme lives in a small city with his past too close behind him. This has fresh narrative style, beautiful prose and snappy dialogue, with unexpectedly profound reflections on life, politics, freedom and redemption.

 Jess Walter has a fascinating talent for expressing things you always knew but never managed to materialise in words.

 5.     Pike by Benjamin Whitmer (Published 2010)

Pike is a unique work published in 2012, with excellent neo-noir prose. Douglas Pike is a man who has to get in touch with his dark past to protect his 12-year-old granddaughter.

 Writing sample:

 "The stars above flicker like knife holes of light punched through a black curtain."

 "Staring at the tombstone as though some kind of answer might bloom out of it. None does. He doesn’t even have a good question."

 "I never knew anyone who fucked up their life good who didn’t think they were special. The holes they dug themselves into were exactly the shape of their dreams.” “That the wisdom you brought back from your years on the road?” “You are what you are. The best way to fuck up your life good is to try to be something else.”"

 6.     Fierce Invalids Home from Hot climates by Tom Robbins (Published 2001)

Tom Robbins has a way with words that not only enriches your imagination, but also infuses as much thought, wisdom, questions and rebellion in his readers that they become hooked from the first paragraph.

Fierce Invalids follows a pacifist CIA agent from Latin America to Syria and from Shaman curses to the Vatican’s most treasured secrets. On its way, it dissects human primal desires, fears and hopes in the most novel and thought-provoking ways. Tom Robbins books are a rare proof of the difference between good writers and gifted writers.

7.     The Last Good Kiss by James Crumley (Published 1988)

This is more of a traditional noir rather than neo-noir, with its detective protagonist and femmes fatales, its drinking and sex therapy scenes. Yet, this old mould is told in fresh and engaging prose, so you feel you are reading it for the first time. No wonder many people argue that this is not a detective story. It is a journey tracking the remains of a shattered American dream, through the post sixties limbo of  ugly realities. James Crumley can speak for himself: see here the first paragraph of the book:

 “When I finally caught up with Abraham Trahearne, he was drinking beer with an alcoholic bulldog named Fireball Roberts in a ramshackle joint just outside of Sonoma, California, drinking the heart right out of a fine spring afternoon.”

 And to assure you it is not all wisecracking while drinking and having sex, here is one of the wise quotes the book is full of:

“Nobody lives forever, nobody stays young long enough. My past seemed like so much excess baggage, my future a series of long goodbyes, my present an empty flask, the last good drink already bitter on my tongue.”