Noir: A Hardboiled Postmodern Mystery

In Noir, the legendary master of postmodernism, Robert Coover, takes the hardboiled detective novel and turns it inside out, giving readers a hallucinatory homage to the Dark City.

Meet Philip M. Noir, a private eye who wanders through a cityscape of eternal rain, flickering neon, and endless dead ends. He is on a case-something about a widow, a corpse, and a mystery that seems to dissolve the moment he nears the truth. But in Coover's hands, the shadows don't just hide secrets; they shift the walls of reality.

As Noir navigates a labyrinth of femme fatales, crooked cops, and jazz-soaked dives, the tropes of the classic 1940s "Black Mask" era are stripped bare and reassembled into a surreal, rhythmic fever dream. It is a story where the mystery isn't just "whodunit," but whether the world itself-and the man investigating it-actually exists.

"Coover is one of our most playful and daring writers... a master of the linguistic funhouse." - New York Times

Why You'll Love It:

• Literary Craft: Experience the virtuosic prose of a Pen/Faulkner Award winner and a titan of American letters.
• Genre-Bending: A brilliant subversion of the Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett tradition.
• Atmospheric Immersion: Perfect for readers who love the stylized, rain-slicked aesthetics of Blade Runner or The Big Sleep.
• Experimental Mystery: A challenging, rewarding puzzle for fans of Thomas Pynchon and Paul Auster.

Step into the rain. The case is open, but the exit is nowhere to be found.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Published: 11/01/2011
ISBN: 9781590206805
Pages: 192
Weight: 0.35lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.30w x 0.60d