Noir: A Darkly Humorous Mystery with a Touch of the Supernatural in Post-WWII San Francisco

I read Moore's Lamb and thought it was very funny. I'm so glad I chose this for my second book of his. It's a fun romp through 4Os era San Francisco. There are some laugh out loud moments, lots of stuff to giggle about, and the story-telling is A-plus.

This is one of the wackiest books I’ve ever read. It’s San Francisco in 1947 when this shapely dame walks into a bar and all the guys are watching her closely. She’s a size 8 gal wearing a size 6 dress and the guys are rooting hard for those two sizes to make a break. Her name is Stilton, like the cheese, but the bartender calls her Toots and immediately gets on her wrong side. “Don’t call me Toots,” she says. The bartender, one Sammy “Two Toes” Tiffin, abides by her wishes and calls her Cheesy. Other colorful characters are numerous and soon I got the feeling that I was in the middle of a Damon Runyon story. I would not have been surprised to see Sky Masterson, Miss Adelaide, or Nathan Detroit make an appearance. But Sammy and Cheesy eventually make nice and are soon sharing a bed while doing that old razzmatazz. Author Christopher Moore characterizes their couplings as trains and tunnels, torpedoes clearing their tubes, galaxies expanding and a squeaky thing that sounded like angry mice. But their fun doesn’t last long. Cheesy disappears and Sammy embarks on a quest to find her. This novel has elements of mystery, romance, crime, and even a bit of science fiction. One chapter is narrated by a black mamba snake named Petey who has done a terrible thing but nevertheless rationalizes his serpentine behavior. Even the author, in his Afterword, confesses that the story is really a “perky noir” treatment. It’s an enjoyable read with many laugh-out-loud moments. Some of the activities may strain your credibility but relax and enjoy the story.

I love Christopher Moore's books. He follows Elmore Leonard's ten rules to perfection, particularly the most important: Don't write stuff people don't want to read. And the man can weave a tale - whether it's a hilarious take on Shakespeare ("Fool", "Serpent of Venice", "Shakespeare for Squirrels") or Christ's childhood friend, Biff ("Lamb"), he always brings the funny, but there's also a warmth and moments of genuine tenderness in every story. He's also a master of dialogue - especially period language. His Shakespeare-themed books are a comic mix of 16th Century and modern slang (and plenty of rude words), and "Noir" is no different. Damon Runyonesque (I'm guessing he was one inspiration, along with all those great tough guy movies with Cagney and Bogart and Edward G), there are dolls and low lifes and seedy bars filled with day drunks - and a hero with a shady past who's got it bad for a tough-as-nails beauty in a jam . . . I'll stop here, I don't wanna give nuttin' away. But, trust me, this book is a sure thing.

One learns many interesting new things in a Christopher Moore novel. I never knew what the Cantonese word "gwai lo"means. Next time I hear one of our local inscrutable chinamen utter it at me, I'll know he is calling me a white devil. And that brings us to the Thing about this novel: I don't even have to look at the one star reviews to know the self-appointed P.C. (political correctness) cops will dondemn it. For historical accuracy. We haoles can't say "Chinamen" any more than we can utter the N-word. I also learned that snake piss is boner medicine for Chinamen. I liked Petey the snake and was gratified that he got that man in black on the neck like that. When are the movers and shakers at Bohemian Grove gonna let you in the club, Chris? You really could make the cut, you know. The likes of Jimmy Buffett and Sasha Shulgin (a chemist who had a license to invent new designer psychedelics, which escaped his lab, of course, and ferally have turned on millions, moi included) are members. Writing about his times with "the owlers," Shulgin indicated that he was their go-to guy for certain exotic "condiments." A side note about Bohemian Grove: Nixon was invited to one encampment as a guest and later called it "the gayest thing I ever attended." This is a fun read all the way through. The plotting is complex and grabs the reader often by the lapels; the character development turns these people real. I grew to like them, like you would your own pals. The horrible kid, Lone, Moo Shoes, uncle Ho, the cheese, Sal (a douche bag), and of course our protagonist good guy bartender, Sammy. I'm not sure about his last name, as it kept changing throughout the read. One of Moore's best. Dude. You better already be tapping that keyboard on the next one, chop chop! Don't leave us jonesing for the next novel while you kick back. Maybe stay away from Hawaii. People here really do get Polynesian paralysis and are left on Hawaiian time. Oh, and thanks for the tour of San Fran. I only got the one real life tour by a friend who lives there.

Love it!

Sprachlich vermutlich Moores bestes Buch bislang. Noir ist ein Feuerwerk genial witziger Dialoge und aberwitzigen Ideen. Dieses Buch ist es definitiv wert, im Original gelesen zu werden. (Andererseits ist es dank Dialekten auch recht schwierig im Original zu lesen.) Das Buch hat alles, was eine Geschichte haben muss, damit sie ihrem Titel Noir gerecht wird. Düstere Straßen, gefährliche Frauen, einen verwegenen Helden und viel Action. Dennoch... So ganz schwarz ist das Buch nicht. Im Gegenteil. So sehr habe ich mich selten bei einem Buch amüsiert. Der schräge Humor mag nicht jedermanns Sache sein, aber in dem Punkt weiß man, auf was man sich einlässt, wenn man Moores Bücher kennt. Neben den abstrusen Situationen sind aber auch die Charaktere liebenswürdig durchgeknallt. Jede Nebenfigur wird für sich zu einem Highlight. Die Geschichte selbst spielt 1947 in San Francisco. Nachkriegszeit, Segregation und Ufo-Sichtungen über Roswell... Es wird kaum einer anzweifeln können, dass ein Christopher Moore zu diesem Ort und dieser Zeit eine "vernünftige" Geschichte stricken kann. Aber für mich lebte das Buch viel mehr von der Sprache und den Figuren.

Noir sì veramente un noir ma anche umor è un romanzo che consiglio anche a chi non piacciono i gialli e a chi piace il surreale non si può raccontare la trama in una recensione specialmente malfatta come la mia è impossibile leggetelo leggetelo comunque unica pecca non esistono altri libri di Moore tradotti in italiano dato che non conosco l'inglese

I have read all of Mr Moore’s books and this is my least favourite. Not sure why it was written.

Ce livre commence très bien. Un bon polar avec des éclairs très drôles, tordants même. Puis cette fibre humoristique se dilue et l'histoire devient absurde. J'ai décroché avant la fin.