Lately I’m encountering a lot of detective / film noir inspired stuff. There’s Sugar on Apple TV, Spider-Noir on… euh… Prime Video? (More about Spider Noir later.) And here’s Dan Willis, who wrote a 10+ series of books, set in an alternative 30’s in the US, where (some) magic works, and dames are still dames.
Are they?
I’m not convinced, though.
I’ve just finished the first book (well, book 0) and – how shall I put it – it reads like it has been written by a Gen-Z caricature. It’s descriptive, not immersive, it’s careful, not daring. It’s clean. It’s wholesome. (Okay, the murders are not, but the PI is.)
I’ll give it another shot or two, but I’m not sure I’ll enjoy it further down the line. We need some backhanded, grey and shady protagonists... dirty dames, foul gangsters, and rain. We need rain.
The Verdict
Way too clean. I was expecting better for a cover that suggests a magical take on Dark Noir detective stories...
Dapper / TellTales! #127
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