Hard-boiled/Noir Archives - John Dwaine McKenna

City of Fallen Angels

By John|2021-06-03T18:50:30+00:00June 7th, 2021|Hard-boiled/Noir, Mysterious Book Report|

City of Fallen Angels Mysterious Book Report No. 452 by John Dwaine McKenna City of Fallen Angels, (Legend Press, PB, $15.95, 222 pages, ISBN 978-1-78955-981-1), by Paul Buchanan, is a debut novel that announces in a loud and clear voice, the arrival of a first-rate new author, writing in a classic noir tradition. The novel opens in Los Angeles. It’s August of 1962 and the city is sweltering in

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Remember My Face

By John|2020-11-24T21:13:32+00:00November 24th, 2020|Hard-boiled/Noir, Mysterious Book Report, Thriller|

Remember My Face Thanksgiving Day 2020 Extra by John Dwaine McKenna Our usual custom here at the Mysterious Book Report is to take some time off on turkey day, spending it with family and friends . . . eating, talking, watching football on TV . . . and giving thanks for the many freedoms and the bounty we all enjoy . . . and often take for granted. But

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Cherry

By admin|2019-12-19T20:13:24+00:00January 20th, 2020|2019 Best Books of the Year, Hard-boiled/Noir, Mysterious Book Report|

Cherry Mysterious Book Report No. 362 by John Dwaine McKenna Every person in America today who pays attention to the news and current events is aware that we’re dealing with an unprecedented drug and opioid crisis. The numbers are staggering . . . and the statistics sobering . . . there were more than 70,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. during the year 2017, according to the latest

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My Bad ; A mile high noir

By admin|2019-10-13T22:11:44+00:00October 25th, 2019|Hard-boiled/Noir, Mysterious Book Report|

My Bad, A Mile High Noir Mysterious Book Report No. 264 by John Dwaine McKenna The word noir (pronounced NWAR) comes from the French. Its literal translation is black, but it can be interpreted as dark or wicked. As it applies to the Mysterious Book Report, it’s a type of crime fiction that’s characterized by cynicism, fatalism and moral ambiguity. The noir genre has become so popular over the

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Potter’s Field

By admin|2019-10-18T18:06:08+00:00October 21st, 2019|Hard-boiled/Noir, Mysterious Book Report|

Potter’s Field Mysterious Book Report No. 348 by John Dwaine McKenna Three years ago, a new writing talent appeared and lit up the hard-boiled crime scene like machine-gun fire on a moonless night. The author’s name was Rob Hart, and his character, Ash McKenna, is a tough guy who—like Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe—gives bad-assiveness a good name. Happily, he’s now back in his fifth adventure. Potter’s Field, (Polis Books,

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Dancing With The Tiger

By admin|2019-12-12T21:03:19+00:00September 11th, 2019|2017 Best Books of the Year, Hard-boiled/Noir, Mysterious Book Report|

Dancing With The Tiger Mysterious Book Report 271 by John Dwaine McKenna Today, in nearly every corner of the world, works of art are being stolen, forged or destroyed by persons of the criminal classes. They are rapacious, greedy, ignorant and uncaring of the fact that their crimes are against all of humanity—for all time—because each piece of art is unique and cannot be replaced. And nowhere is this

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The Line That Held Us

By admin|2019-09-01T21:43:58+00:00January 14th, 2019|Hard-boiled/Noir, Mysterious Book Report|

The Line That Held Us Mysterious Book Review No. 357 by John Dwaine McKenna The MBR is kicking off the New Year with an elegant—and stunning—tale of Appalachian noir that combines elements of kinship and friendship, absolute love and total retribution, death, revenge and redemption. It is a novel you’ll find yourself thinking about long after finishing the last chapter and reaching the astonishing conclusion, because it leaves several

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The Force

By admin|2019-12-12T21:16:09+00:00September 11th, 2017|2017 Best Books of the Year, Hard-boiled/Noir, Mysterious Book Report|

The Force Mysterious Book Report 301 by John Dwaine McKenna According to Dwight, one of my retired cop buddies, only a few crime fiction writers Really get it, when writing about the demands, the stresses and the effect—on marriages, children and personal lives—of being a police officer in America today. It’s a career that is rewarding, exciting, sometimes monotonous, and always dangerous enough to take your breath away. Not

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American Static

By admin|2019-12-12T21:12:56+00:00September 7th, 2017|2017 Best Books of the Year, Hard-boiled/Noir, Mysterious Book Report|

American Static Mysterious Book Report No. 300 by John Dwaine McKenna The Mysterious Book Report has reached another milestone with this, our 300th review. It’s taken a little more than six years and a couple of hundred thousand words to get to this point, so we wanted to mark the occasion with something special . . . something out of the ordinary . . . something so memorable that

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The Far Empty

By admin|2019-12-12T21:03:47+00:00May 5th, 2017|2017 Best Books of the Year, Hard-boiled/Noir, Mysterious Book Report|

The Far Empty Mysterious Book Report 276 by John Dwaine McKenna This week’s MBR is written on the day after what’s already being called The most dramatic Super Bowl ever played: number LI, or fifty-one in Arabic numerals. It was the greatest comeback in playoff football history . . . and an apt comparison to what has to be one of the best, and most dramatic noir debut novels

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