Intriguing Noir and Suspense Novels

The end of summer often prompts a craving for thrilling fiction, particularly suspense. Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s The Intrigue, published by Penguin Random House, transports readers to 1940s Mexico with a haunting noir tale. Moreno-Garcia, known for skillfully mingling genres, previously unsettled readers with fungi-centered horror in Mexican Gothic. Her new novel is a stylishly malevolent noir begging for cinematic adaptation.

The narrative revolves around Ulises, a con artist exploiting lonely hearts ads to attract affluent widows and spinsters. Invited to a mansion turned boarding house by Perla in Veracruz, Ulises anticipates success but meets challenges in the form of Perla’s suspicious niece, Inés. Inés raises doubts about Ulises, whose movie star look evokes Tyrone Power, and seeks freedom from her domineering aunt.

A scene captures Perla asserting herself as Inés’s dance chaperone, declaring, “I will escort her,” likening refined ladies to preserved flowers in books, which resonated grimly with Inés. The novel’s complex betrayals and escalating body count subvert predictions of survival.

Alongside Moreno-Garcia’s offering, Richard Russo debuts his crime thriller, Under the Falls, also released by Penguin Random House. Originally crafted as a TV script, this novel unfolds in upstate New York’s Stone Mountain and follows Tyler Sinclair’s return after an 18-year absence. A successful country-rock artist, Tyler attends a fundraiser for his paralysed friend, “Doc,” but confronts resentment from residents for his song lyrics reflecting their lives.

The concert culminates in multiple fatalities, propelling Tyler and others into a deeper examination of their hometown’s hidden truths. This narrative goes beyond crime, capturing Russo’s strength in portraying working-class America and the scarcity of opportunities in places like Stone Mountain.

Finally, George Pelecanos reintroduces readers to private investigator Derek Strange in The Blue Flame, published by Cardinal. Strange made his debut in 2001, with Pelecanos later writing for TV series such as The Wire and Treme. Fourteen years after his last appearance, Strange returns to investigate two murders within a once-close circle of friends.

Pelecanos is often credited with chronicling Washington, D.C., akin to Raymond Chandler’s work on Los Angeles. Through Strange, readers explore D.C.’s less visible facets, from tidy rowhouses to detention facilities. The title references Strange’s enduring curiosity, a trait that continues to drive his investigations.