Reviewed by: BigAl
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Noir/Short Story
Approximate word count: 8-9,000 words
Availability
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on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or
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Author:
A graduate
of Sarah Lawrence College, Marie S. Crosswell lives in Phoenix, Arizona. She
has a novel, Sex Brood, also
available.
Description:
Best
friends and detectives for the LAPD where they’re teamed up in Central
Homicide, Cary Cooper and Dwight McQueen also belong to “Containment,” a secret
vigilante unit that is a shadow organization within the LAPD.
They’re not
only partners at work, but in a strange way, away from work, as they’re both in
love with the same woman, Nora Tate, a stripper at a local gentleman’s club.
Together they form a “happy triad.” When one of Nancy’s co-workers is murdered
and Containment assigns Cary and Dwight to kill the killer, things turn even
stranger.
Appraisal:
Noir
typically emphasizes the dark side. The hardboiled characters aren’t above
living outside the law, even when they’re the good guys. Dreamland is noir on steroids with the main characters as vigilante
cops who flout society’s customs in their non-traditional relationship with a
local stripper, something that would have been way outside the norms in the
late 50s, when the story takes place. While short, there is plenty of character
development and a plot that doesn’t leave you wanting in this unique tale of
corruption and mayhem.
FYI:
Some adult
language and situations.
Format/Typo Issues:
No
significant issues.
Rating: **** Four stars
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