Manhattan .45: Robert Brace

"Superior noirish PI mystery, deftly blending action, sleuthing, and prewar New York" -BOOKLIFE (Editor's Pick)

A FRESH INTERPRETATION OF NOIR, BORROWING FROM THE TRADITION OF RAYMOND CHANDLER AND DASHIELL HAMMETT.

It is 1936, and the world, still in the grip of the Depression, is preparing for another war. But for Jack Kerrigan, a down-at-heel New York private investigator, things look up when Lola Deshaines walks unannounced into his office. She wants him to track down the consignment in a cargo manifest. Her story doesn't quite add up, but Kerrigan is too broke to be choosy-he takes the case.

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Going from the glamour of Gatsby territory to the slums of the Bowery, Kerrigan follows the leads while attempting to avoid perforation with his preferred ammunition: "Forty-five is a purely American caliber, our lingua franca, the ammunition of the OK Corral and the St. Valentine's Day massacre. It's big, honest, and straightforward. It'll penetrate anything thinner than an engine block and is cheaper than a lawyer for settling disputes."