Fog City Nocturne [Paperback]

B.J. West (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006

One Detective - Six Authors What do you get when a group of writers jointly create a private detective character in the hard-boiled tradition, then go their separate ways to put the poor bastard through his paces? You get Nick Chambers, a down-on-his-luck P.I. that is both comfortably familiar and refreshingly original. In the grim days following the end of WWII, San Francisco is a rough place to try to make a living as a detective. Paying clients are few and far between, corruption is rampant in the highest echelons of city government, and no one seems to be interested in justice any more. Nick Chambers is the detective you turn to when you can't afford anyone else. He's only one step from being on the streets himself, but manages to scrape by on his wits, perseverance, and a steely conviction that despite all the evidence to the contrary, there are still a few good people left who deserve to have someone watching their backs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Apocryphile Press (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977146111
• ISBN-13: 978-0977146116
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,602,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars San Francisco Shadows, August 20, 2006

By 

Jinx (Pt. Arena, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fog City Nocturne (Paperback)

Hey, we all love miracles, even if we won't admit it --- the toddler rescued from the well, the plane with two engines on fire that manages to land safely, the kid from the slums who becomes a great athlete and a nice guy, the rich man who actually does something good with his money --- story like that catches our attention, yeah? This book is one of those page-turners. Not that it's all sweetness and light; this is noir, after all.

The miracle is that it's so consistently good. You get a whole group of writers who agree to tell stories about this one struggling young detective in 1940s San Francisco, trying to make a living while fighting off his own postwar demons; what are the odds? Will he even be the same guy from one story to the next? Will the stories hold up?

Well, yes. They do. And he is the same guy, though you see him from different angles. If you liked Sam Spade, if you're interested in the noir genre, if you like mysteries, and especially if you're a writer --- get this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So good I keep re-reading it, August 17, 2006

By 

Southern Belle "Southern Belle" (Santa Clara, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fog City Nocturne (Paperback)

Up for a little bit of old time gumshoe? I won't give it all away like some reviewers do, telling you every little detail, but if you like Sam Spade, the Maltese Falcon and Noir, this a book for you.

I liked it so much I lent it to my mother - who won't give it back.