Akashic Press sent me an advance reader copy of this book.
Let's review the basics, shall we? The basics of noir is this: a Nobody gets involved in crime in hopes of becoming a Somebody. For this act of hubris the universe curb-stomps him or her.
That's what it's all about and we have a pretty good sample here today.
The sergeant and the corporal are two cops assigned to night duty, which is a drag because there are so few opportunities for graft. What there are is a ton of minor infractions which the newly-minted corporal is eager to pursue. The wise old sergeant considers them a waste of energy.
"Corporal, try to remember that this is not Kilimani or those other uppity areas where you book drunks for pissing on fences. We are here for the REAL bad guys."
And sure enough, bad guys arrive, bringing with them an opportunity for graft that may well turn the lives of these officers upside-down. Watch out for that possible curb-stomping, however...
One note. Akashic Press books tend to be damn near free of typos but this book had several of the Spellcheck-can't catch variety. Not usually important, but in this tale there is a doozie. If your characters are usually referred to as the sergeant and the corporal, you don't want to reverse them, especially at the beginning of a flashback...
