The Midnight Promise

by Zane Lovitt

A literary detective story ingeniously told in ten cases. John Dorn is a classic gumshoe. His woman has left him, he lives in his office, and he drinks too much. His one friend, a lawyer named Demetri, hands Dorn an infinite supply of hopeless cases and lost causes, to which Dorn, ever the champion of the underdog and the oppressed, is drawn to “as a sledgehammer is to a kneecap.” A superlative work of hardboiled literary detective fiction, The Midnight Promise wonderfully evokes the underbelly of contemporary Melbourne, its battlers, its hard men, its victims, and its ill-fated heroes.

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Mystery, Short Stories, Noir, Mystery Thriller, Australia

320 pages, Hardcover

First published August 22, 2012

About the author

Zane Lovitt was a documentary filmmaker before turning his hand to crime fiction. His debut novel, The Midnight Promise, won the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction, and led to Zane being named one of the Best Young Novelists of 2013 by the Sydney Morning Herald. Zane Lovitt lives in Melbourne.

Reviews

[Vit Babenco · Rating 4 out of 5]

People are mean:
“Last year I was hired to investigate a man so poor his neighbours conspired to have him evicted. They said he drove down the market value of their homes. My job was to find something on him, some form of illegality that would be grounds for a notice to vacate: his flat was public housing and governments love to evict people for illegal use, it makes them look tough on crime. After a month of looking I gathered all these neighbours together like Hercule Poirot and explained that the guy wasn’t dealing drugs or fencing goods or managing an unlicensed brothel.”
The Midnight Promise is a bleak social drama in the wrap of post-noir mystery.
John Dorn – a private investigator – lives in the world so drab and dreary that he seems to have come astray in some sort of twilight zone.
“Anyone’s job gets to them after a while. What I did for a living… You kind of become an expert on the shitty things people do to each other.”
And the main character is so fed up with his dirty job that he drinks himself unconscious just not to remember… And amnesia is better than any memories…
“For the first couple of days after I got this scar on my head, I was remembering things wrong.
‘Your memory,’ the surgeon said, ‘will improve.’
‘That,’ I told him, ‘is a shame.’”
In the world of sorrow one turns sorrowful.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winner of the 2013 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction - and I can see why. The novel consists of 10 short stories featuring Melbourne-based PI John Dorn. And what enjoyable stories they are. They are a chronological series of cases and are woven together like no other series of short stories I have read before. Dorn starts off virtuous. He doesn't bend the rules, and really doesn't drink either (yet). As each instalment rolls by, Dorn becomes increasing jaded, worn down by the system, and more dependant on a quick drink to help him through. He gets battered, bruised and his moral compass often leads him away from what his client is actually paying him to do (or not paying him in some instances). I loved the dark humour, the gritty settings, the flawed characters that get fleshed out as they recur throughout the book, and I enjoyed the writing style where the reader is seemlessly flicked between the past and the present. I am sure this is just the beginning for young Australian author Zane Lovitt and his world-weary PI John Dorn and I can't wait for future offerings.

[Vicki Tyley · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We turn right onto Farrel Street, a stretch of run-down weatherboard homes and blocks of flats that smell of urine and all seem to slump against each other like penguins in the Antarctic. The ones that have gardens really only have weeds that seep into the cracks in the concrete paths and across abandoned playthings and up to the windows, threatening to breach the walls and ravage the people inside. The dogs that bark at us from behind torn wire fences rattle their chains and demand to know how they ended up living here.” – Midnight Promise, The

Fresh, original and vibrant writing with a distinctive Australian flavour. I can certainly see why it won a Ned Kelly Award.

[Magda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I see potential in the character and the author but I found the disconnectedness of the timelines irritating. Its okay to go back in time but within a chapter makes it very hard to feel comfortable, in fact it was irritating for me late at night when I just want to let a story flow. Being from Sydney I found the portrait of Melbourne intimate but probably would have been more so if I knew the city and its various suburbs. Peter Temple didnt make me feel so much an outsider - it an observation rather than a criticism. I think this author shows potential and look forward to his next story - hopefully a full length on rather than short stories. More satisfying to get to know characters more deeply.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the idea of revealing the protagonist's character through ten cases where he consistently slants the odds in favor of the "villain", who more often than not is his employer. This book reminded me of all the great film noir detective stories.

And I loved Private Inquiry Agent John Dorn. He's just that right mixture of everything I want to see in a private eye: hard-boiled, tortured soul, raging alcoholic, yet a truly good guy who's always quick with a sly, sarcastic one-liner.

The last scene of the book stays with me. It's haunting & classic noir.

I hope I get to read more about Mr. Dorn in the future!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series of 10 stories focus on a "private inquiry agent" named John Dorn. Dorn is a mess, as most Noir detectives tend to be. He drinks too much, is sometimes homeless, living in his office, and loses both his drivers license and investigators license at some point in these stories. He is very smart, and never satisfied with cases that seem too pat. He works in Melbourne and the stories provide satisfying detail of Australian life and culture. This book would probably appeal most to fans of Noir detectives. It is a beautiful Europa edition which book lovers enjoy.

[Daniel Polansky]

the classic detective novel is the modern update of the passion play, in which the sins and evils of humanity are writ on the body and soul of a sainted martyr, their shining example serving to shame our petty, quotidian immorality, the endless tiny concessions which are demanded of us. Lovitt’s excellent debut effort is very much in this realm, his sympathetic-bordering-on-masochistic hero a spiritiual a successor to Ross McDonald’s Lew Archer (the third of the holy trinity as regards detective fiction, though for some reason never having gotten quite the same shine as Hammett or Chandler). An episodic series of misadventures in the life of an Australian PI, building finally to a reasonably thrilling crescendo, the language is brisk and competent and the structure skillful. I don’t actually know anything about Lovitt but his storylines at least feel authentic in the way that good crime writing does, his villains are nasty and stupid and unexpected things happen unexpectedly. Strong stuff. Keep.

[Eddie Blatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zane Lovitt is one hell of a writer, and The Midnight Promise one hell of a book. The overall story is presented in a unique way: each chapter stands on its own, but they all combine to give a full representation of the main character. I enjoyed the snappy dialogue (very Australian!), the succinct descriptive passages, and the setting of the book in Melbourne, a city I lived in for 40 years. The only difficulty I had with the book is the non-linear timeline, which confused me at times.

This is Zane Lovitt's first book - I can't wait to see what else he has in store for us!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Dorn is a small time private inquiry agent who doesn't make much of a living, but is very good at what he does. He's someone with a heart that gradually gets ground down by people and the work he takes on. The stories are set in Melbourne, Australia.
This is a series of ten interlocking stories where we watch Dorn's self-destruction because of the result of one of his investigations.
Zane Lovitt has a very good writing style. He gives the stories a bit of a twist and has a dry sense of humour. Definitely noir.

[Tuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

super good noir tale told in chapters . of a down n out pi who really really tries to be the good guy, but, everything he touches dies. set in melbourne mean streets, john dorn slides into bad luck hell through the neck of a bottle , on the edge of a blade.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Australian crime debut takes an interesting approach in using ten short stories, ranging from 15-60 pages long, to tell the story of a down-and-out private detective in Melbourne. Narrator John Dorn is a former policeman, now working from shabby premises, spiraling into the depths of whatever bottle is at hand in the aftermath of his fiancee leaving him. Each story is a standalone case (three of them were previously published in various anthologies), unfolding chronologically -- as he warns in the prologue -- to his darkest moment.

The first story. "Amnesty", sets the stage, introducing Dorn in his shabby office, taking on a seemingly hopeless investigation for his one friend, defence lawyer Demetri Sfakiakopoulos. The case involves a seemingly harmless teenager arrested for gun possession, and unfolds in leisurely fashion, with a lot of walking around the pubs and streets of the Footscray area. It's resolved with a semi-comic twist, but the warning line: "one day I'll remember this as an apogee... You don't know the high-water mark until you've seen a lot of low water."

In "An Ordinary Job," a father hires Dorn to prove that his son-in-law is cheating on his daughter. This bread-and-butter private eye job comes with a few twists, and we start to see Dorn operate not entirely within the bounds of the law. "Kahraman" involves the story of a Turkish immigrant killed by a Greek, and came across a little heavy-handed. "Comedy is Dead" has Dorn investigating the beating of a small-time hood and tangling with a sex-store and porn site producer who's not quite as clever as he thinks he is. Dorn's part in the case leads to some deaths -- possibly deserved, but again, showing him inching down a darker path.

In "Dark Day" Dorn is hired to retrieve files from a psychiatrist's office as part of a background check. His own sense of justice leads him to empathize more and more with the people he's supposed to be investigating and putting their interests ahead of the client. But as was made clear at the start of the book -- there's no oath taken when you get your private eye card laminated and official, so... who's to say what ethics come into play? "Death at Le Shack" is another job for Demetri, involving a dead prostitute and a shady developer. Dorn is sent to help sort things out when the police arrive, but once again, he finds the client to be objectionable and looks for some other form of justice.

"The Crybaby Technique" starts as a small case where Dorn is paid to simply watch a hotel lobby for a lawyer defending a white collar financial type who embezzled a lot of client money and has skipped town. However, it quickly morphs into a complicated 50-page story involving a celebrity, a nasty rival detective, and a former police colleague with a sadistic side. It's also the case in which Dorn loses his license. Next up is "Grandma's House" -- the shortest of the lot and also just about the darkest. Other than bringing more darkness, frustration, and regret to Dorn's tale, I'm not sure it adds much to the overall arc of the book and I'm tempted to recommend skipping it. Suffice to say that a long list of trigger warnings apply to it.

"Leaving the Fountainhead" is a brief return to an almost comic tone, taking place almost entirely as a dialogue between Dorn and a bartender. It's kind of a fun little con story that leaves the reader smiling but uncertain about our narrator. Things conclude with "Troy" -- the longest story in the book -- in which Dorn is hired to track down the titular teenager, who is on the run following his mother being accused of having sex with two of his classmates. As ever, Dorn struggles to try and do the right thing, and events spiral out of control into a sadly predictable ending.

[Darius Ostrowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, what a depressing book.

I thought it was well-written, and the characters were thought out and believable.

But this really is a dark book. The main character, John Dorn, is a private eye on a downward spiral, the ten cases in this book start out ok but quickly chronicle Dorn's trip down the drain: his girl left him, he lost his PI license, he becomes an alcoholic.

A lot of PI stories sound like this, but Mr. Lovitt doesn't let up with the darkness. On another note, the cases have very little investigating to them, it's mostly confrontations with a few flashbacks. Well-written but depressing.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories about private inquiry agent John Dorn, each story dealing with a case he has taken on, many of them linked to each other. It's written in the first person and the voice is pitch perfect - cynical, vulnerable, brave, self recriminating. John is far from an angel, yet has a strong sense of morality. Each story is a gem in itself - some are complete, with a twist at the end, others are unresolved. The last story, Troy, which is also the longest, is heart-breaking.

This is noir at its best and one of the best short story collections I've ever read.

[Gretchen Bernet-Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Dorn is a private investigator solving human puzzles. Complex and beautifully observed characters lead John towards his moment of truth as he strives to keep his promise. This book of ten co-joined stories rollicked along for me and I held my breath during the final denouement. A clever concept with some sad bad moments but uniquely crafted by Lovitt and worth reading.

[Tasula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever sad little stories about a struggling private detective who seems to wind up with only poor clients and who gets into trouble trying to help them. The title refers to a promise he made to himself that his investigations would be about the client and not about himself (which is why he seems to get into so much trouble).

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time-winding montage of grim private detective episodes with a backwards/forwards understanding of the promise made in the first chapter. Returning to the promise, after finishing, I am satisfied. Dropped one star for the irritation of flashback/flashforward within episodes.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compelling read. Hard to put down, the end of this collection of stories about the main protagonist and his world is gritty. The twist I kind of hoped wasn't coming, yet was expecting, eventuated as the reader is rushed to the end because Lovitt writes in a way that leaves you wanting more.

[Stargazer · Rating 2 out of 5]

i particularly liked the last case but didn't bond with the main guy, so my attention kept slipping.

[Andrew Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too bad, found the main character quite redeeming. A private detective with a conscience.

[Hannah O’Rourke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Madeleine Laing · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot sadder and darker than I was expecting, but a wonderful example of Australian noir crime writing. Entertaining despite the grim vibe.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

On page 2 of this book I kind of got the feeling that we'd be destined to get on very well....

"He's got more prior convictions than brain cells which means he won't get bail, so he's wallowing in the Metropolitan Remand Centre at Ravenhall, trying to find a lawyer who'll argue that society is to blame."

The sort of dry sense of humour that works for this reader at least.

Subtitled a detective's story in ten cases, this is the tale of the life and times of John Dorn. Private Inquiry Agent because that's what his father called himself, he's not quite the same as his father. Yet. He doesn't drink, lots. Yet. (His father drank himself to death). He doesn't have a wife to leave him (like his mother left his father), but he does have an ex-fiancee that he longs for. Where he does share his father's characteristics 100%, is that his business is heading in roughly the same direction... out the back door in a hurry.

Part of the reason for the lack of business success is undoubtedly that John Dorn's a decent bloke, who takes cases that nobody else would touch, that make very little money in the process, even though his friend, and very successful Defence Barrister throws him some help whenever he can.

Each of these 10 cases, 10 individual stories, follow a similar trail - backwards and forwards from the end to the past, from the current day to what got him here. Each of them is beautifully written, wonderfully evocative, dry and sad and funny all at the same time.

The jaded PI can be horribly clichéd, but in the hands of this author, there's something glorious about him. Possibly it's because Dorn himself, in a lovely twist, is acutely aware that he's a bit of a cliché. Perhaps it's because his jaded is what he's supposed to be (suffering for your art and all that). Of course he's also profoundly flawed, not in a dodgy way, but strangely as a form of self-preservation.

Whatever twists and turns, and leaps and bounds John Dorn takes, however, the book is deliciously readable and extremely well done.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...

[Michael Livingston · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining read working within a fairly formulaic noir genre - the main character is a cynical small-time detective who gradually descends into a mess of drinking and bad choices over ten grim cases. It's good fun to read, but it felt like a bit of a retread of ground that's been well covered even in my fairly limited crime fiction reading. The interesting structure - each chapter is a distinct case linked up so that the book as a whole maintains a reasonably linear narrative - was a neat way to illustrate the unwinding of the main character, but it did mean that none of the cases had much heft. In some ways this is probably realistic for the kind of small time private eye work that the book is about, but it left me a bit unsatisfied.

The lack of any female characters of substance really jumped out at me too - I'm sure Lovitt's not alone in the genre, but it felt particularly lacking to me (possibly because I've spent the last few months churning through the Stella Prize long list).

[4ZZZ Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Midnight Promise, Zane Lovitt's debut novel, is billed not as a detective story, but as a detective's story. It's a minor grammatical change that makes for a major shift in the focus of the tale. Here there's no dramatic revelation, no car chase, forensic science, femme fatale. Instead the reader is offered a character study of a man slowly succumbing to depression, apathy, and alcoholism, worn down by his cases and his inability to maintain his independence from them. Structured as a series of ten cases connected only by the central character, it's a wonderful read.

Sky chats to Zane Lovitt about the unique qualities of Australian crime fiction, the importance of a good beginning and moving from short stories to novels. Originally broadcast on 25/09/2012. The Midnight Promise is out now through Text Publishing.

[Sarah Shrubb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure at the start, as the timelines are confusing, but I got really involved soon. By well before the end I was completely engrossed, and feeling more and more for the protagonist, though he continued to annoy me as well, right to the end. Some things I would have edited a little differently, but the whole is much more than the sum of the parts, and I now want to read more by this author. Alas, there is no more yet. Hope he's writing busily!

[Calzean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book consists of 10 short stories which all features John Dorn, a private investigator working in Footscray. The first story is quite bland but slowly each story gets a bit darker as the Dorn encounters a series of very nasty people. As the story's get darker, Dorn spirals downwards losing his apartment, office and clients as he becomes more and more alcoholic. Each story is well constructed and comes with its own moral.

[Ben Rand · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good, nearly gave it 5 stars. It's kind of a series of short stories, though they all involve the same main character, a private detective named John Dorn. Each story stands more or less on its own, but build to show John's sad disillusionment with the world (and even himself). He has an almost compulsive desire to do the right thing, even when the "right thing" isn't always clear in a world filled with people with murky intentions.

[Ystyn Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not generally interested in short stories but these work more like chapters in a biography and, because of that approach, it makes for fascinating reading. Levitt cleverly shifts tense giving John's actions background and meaning, and it motors along at a cracking pace. I found this book riveting.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts off like any other PI story - though in Footscray, which delights me - then things go rapidly downhill for our hero, who turns out not to be much of a hero after all. In a standard story like this, things would turn around again, the hero would come through, all would be right with the world. But that didn't happen, and I reckon that's pretty great. Bleak.

[Jeffrey Cavanaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, powerful and more a detective's story than a detective story, Lovitt's 'The Midnight Promise' is an examination of what it means for a man to lose his soul and what it takes to get it back. Brilliantly written and with an original style that breathes fresh air into the often tired cliche that is PI noir, the book is a must read for any serious fan of the genre.