Book Pairings for Back in Black

The smokey, bitter flavors put me in mind of literary noir, so here are a few recommended pairings:

  • The Big Sleep

    Title: The Big Sleep

    Author: Raymond Chandler

    The essential noir novel. A dying millionaire hires private dick Philip Marlowe (not to be confused with Spike Marlowe) to go digging. Kidnapping, pornography, seduction, and murder are just a few of the things he uncovers. Plus, Chandler wore gloves while he typed, so you know there’s some serious strangeness below the surface.

  • Jimmy Plush, Teddy Bear Detective

    Title: Jimmy Plush, Teddy Bear Detective

    Author: Garrett Cook

    If Philip Marlowe's world included furries and plushies, and he was a three-foot-high bundle of fluff, you'd have Jimmy Plush, Teddy Bear Detective. Inspired Bizarro noir.

  • Necropolis

    Title: Necropolis

    Author: Michael Dempsey

    NYPD detective Paul Donner is shot and killed in a seemingly random crime. Fifty years later, he's back, courtesy of the shift, a strange plague that re-activates DNA, creating a new underclass of reborn citizens. In this retro-future world, Paul Donner must solve his own murder. Highly recommended.

  • Red Harvest

    Title: Red Harvest

    Author: Dashiell Hammett

    A personal favorite, as the Continental Op tracks down the murder of the last honest man in Poisonville, a run-down company town controlled by rival gangs. Uncompromisingly dark, cynical, and violent, Red Harvest showcases the noir heart of Americana like no other.

  • The Orphan Palace

    Title: The Orphan Palace

    Author: Joseph S. Pulver Sr.

    Strange, experimental, and twisted, Joe Pulver’s killer-on-the-road novel The Orphan Palace is noir through the lens of Lovecraft, Ligotti, Poe, and Jodorwsky.


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