In Monday's Washington Post, Patrick Anderson had a laudatory review of Richard Aleas' new hardboiled detective novel, Songs of Innocence. Aleas is the, um, alias of Hard Case Crime founder Charles Ardai, a man as dedicated to noir fiction as I am to free food and beer.
Anderson's review is quite enthusiastic, and much of the praise is well deserved. Ardai is an excellent writer, although I found myself not especially enjoying the book. There was something about it that kept me at arm's length, preventing me from feeling an emotional connection with the characters. But I was still able to appreciate what Ardai was doing.
Whether you've read the book or not, Anderson's critique is worth taking a look at.
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