Vicki Hendricks is on a short list–women who write noir fiction. Miami Purity is her first book and she does a fine job carrying on in the tradition of great crime writers like James Ellroy and James M. Cain. Her main character is a down-on-her-luck ex-stripper who loves all the wrong guys and is looking for a fresh start. She thinks she’s found it when she gets a job at Miami Purity Dry Cleaners, but Sherry has brought all of her old ways along with her. Boozing, letting men chase her until she catches them. Hendricks doesn’t write delicately or spare the raunch–Sherry is every bit the down-and-dirty loser of classic noir. Her homme fatale is the pretty son of her hardboiled boss, and following along with Sherry as she tries to navigate out of her league is a twisty, sleazy, sexy ride.
A good read even if you do want to take a shower afterwards.
5 stars
Vicki Hendricks is on a short list–women who write noir fiction.
This list needs to be longer! 🙂
Talk about “both-sexes” appeal: Women can sympathize with a female protagonist making do in bad circumstances, and men can enjoy the gritty noir setting.
Miami. A good choice for noir.
Best would be New Orleans… 😈
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Daven,
Agree on all points.
Except maybe that the best place for noir is NO. Granted, it would be a good setting, though I can’t think of any noir fiction set there. (Maybe you should write one.) But crime writers have made the seedy sides of some great cities come alive. Cities like LA (James Ellroy and Michael Connelly), Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, etc. And Miami!
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Why New Orleans? (besides the fact that a murder mystery set during Mardi Gras would be awesome!)
Statistics:
New Orleans murder rate remains highest in the nation
FBI report: New Orleans murder rate 10 times national average
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