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Love Stories Are Too Violent for Me: The Definitive Rerelease of the Cult Classic
Back in print after two decades, this modern, ironic detective story features iconic private eye Vic Valentine, who is hired by a hard-drinking professional baseball player to find a vanished lover. From there, a troubling journey begins, as the hunt leads Valentine down a twisting trail of decadence and danger that eventually takes him to the most unexpected place—the private eye's own past. This is pulp in the classic sense: the story of a lonesome outsider wrestling with existence and sucked into a whirlpool of lust, passion, and desperation, all served hot, fast, and straight out of the emotionally gory grindhouse called life.
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 1995
4 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Will Viharo
43 books35 followersWILL "THE THRILL" VIHARO is a freelance writer and the author of several "gonzo pulp" novels including "A Mermaid Drowns in the Midnight Lounge," "Freaks That Carry Your Luggage up to the Room," "Chumpy Walnut," "Lavender Blonde," "Down a Dark Alley," and the “Vic Valentine, Private Eye” series, the first of which, "Love Stories Are Too Violent For Me," has been optioned for a film by Christian Slater, reissued in 2013 by Gutter Books, which also published the new Vic Valentine novel "Hard-boiled Heart" in December, 2015.
Two science fiction novels, "It Came from Hangar 18" and "The Space Needler's Intergalactic Bar Guide," were written in collaboration with Scott Fulks, who added real science to Will's pulp.
Will's own imprint, Thrillville Press, has issued a three volume anthology series featuring all of his standalone novels called "The Thrillville Pulp Fiction Collection," along with another omnibus called "The Vic Valentine Classic Case Files," which include four novels from the 1990s, "Fate Is My Pimp," "Romance Takes a Rain Check," "I Lost My Heart in Hollywood," and "Diary of a Dick," plus a recent short story, "Brain Mistrust."
More recently published books include the Vic Valentine "Mental Case Files" trilogy comprised of "Vic Valentine: International Man of Misery," "Vic Valentine: Lounge Lizard For Hire," and "Vic Valentine: Space Cadet"; the original story collection "Vic Valentine, Private Eye: 14 Vignettes"; the erotic horror noir novella "Things I Do When I'm Awake"; and a collection of erotic horror noir stories, "VIHORROR! Cocktales of Sex and Death."
Additionally Will has had stories included in a variety of anthologies including "Fast Women and Neon Lights: Eighties-Inspired Neon Noir"; "Mixed Up!"; "Long Distance Drunks: A Tribute to Charles Bukowski"; "Deadlines: A Tribute to William Wallace"; "Dark Yonder: Tales and Tabs"; "Knucklehead Noir" and "Weird Winter Wonderland" (both Coffin Hop Press); and "Pop the Clutch: Thrilling Tales of Rockabilly, Monsters, and Hot Rod Horror."
Viharo's unique brand of "gonzo pulp fiction" combines elements of eroticism, noir, fantasy, and horror. For many years he has also been a professional film programmer/impresario and live music booker. He now lives in Seattle, WA with his wife and cats. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Viharo
Two science fiction novels, "It Came from Hangar 18" and "The Space Needler's Intergalactic Bar Guide," were written in collaboration with Scott Fulks, who added real science to Will's pulp.
Will's own imprint, Thrillville Press, has issued a three volume anthology series featuring all of his standalone novels called "The Thrillville Pulp Fiction Collection," along with another omnibus called "The Vic Valentine Classic Case Files," which include four novels from the 1990s, "Fate Is My Pimp," "Romance Takes a Rain Check," "I Lost My Heart in Hollywood," and "Diary of a Dick," plus a recent short story, "Brain Mistrust."
More recently published books include the Vic Valentine "Mental Case Files" trilogy comprised of "Vic Valentine: International Man of Misery," "Vic Valentine: Lounge Lizard For Hire," and "Vic Valentine: Space Cadet"; the original story collection "Vic Valentine, Private Eye: 14 Vignettes"; the erotic horror noir novella "Things I Do When I'm Awake"; and a collection of erotic horror noir stories, "VIHORROR! Cocktales of Sex and Death."
Additionally Will has had stories included in a variety of anthologies including "Fast Women and Neon Lights: Eighties-Inspired Neon Noir"; "Mixed Up!"; "Long Distance Drunks: A Tribute to Charles Bukowski"; "Deadlines: A Tribute to William Wallace"; "Dark Yonder: Tales and Tabs"; "Knucklehead Noir" and "Weird Winter Wonderland" (both Coffin Hop Press); and "Pop the Clutch: Thrilling Tales of Rockabilly, Monsters, and Hot Rod Horror."
Viharo's unique brand of "gonzo pulp fiction" combines elements of eroticism, noir, fantasy, and horror. For many years he has also been a professional film programmer/impresario and live music booker. He now lives in Seattle, WA with his wife and cats. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Viharo
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 23, 2019
I’m not technically friends with Will, but I do “know” him in a way that makes it tough to have too much critical distance. I had a novel accepted by the press that was bringing him out, we corresponded a little about that, and I felt awfully good about myself to be on the same team. (The sad end to the story is that the press went out of business before it could bring my book out, sigh.) In any event, I’ve remained Facebook friends with him since, and I’ve enjoyed the nonfictional real-time descriptions of his “Thrillville” life.
What strikes me most about knowing Will is that he walks a fine line between an ironic and an authentic appreciation for Rat Pack/B-movie/’50s-pinup-girl culture. He’ll admit there’s something anachronistic and even cheesy about a tiki-lit bar, but then he’ll also make clear he enjoys the aesthetic in a genuine way. And part of his gift is that he opens that experience up to the rest of us, to those of us who’d have ‘squares’ to Sammy Davis, Jr., but who, by virtue of working to appreciate a tradition/cultural moment that most have moved past, are finally worthy of it.
I’ve read a couple of Will’s other books – which I enjoyed – but this is his greatest hit, the one that almost got made into a movie starring Christian Slater and that started Will’s longest-running detective series.
Vic Valentine narrates his detective experiences in the first-person, feeling half-sorry for himself and half-accepting the blame for his own decisions. You’ve read the situation a hundred times – the booze-addled detective who takes on a client looking for a dangerously beautiful woman – but the fun this time around is that Thrillville aesthetic. In other hands, I’d be bored when our narrator tells people that “Vic” is short for “victim.” Here it’s funny, funny the way a Dean Martin joke about being an alcoholic, unfunny from someone saying it today, still works if you’re in just the right mood and just the right place.
The eventual plot seems to me borrowed from, among other places, Devil in a Blue Dress. Vic gets hired to track down a woman who turns out to be his ex-girlfriend, so he’s interested in her as much for himself as for his client. There are a lot of coincidences, or near coincidences, but my inclination here (if not from another writer) is to accept it all. At one point, for instance, Vic opines that Frank Sinatra believed everyone was either a “bum” or a “punk,” and he puts it forward as a significant moral concept. There’s an absurdity to that claim, and we aren’t supposed to take it seriously, but we’re also supposed to see it as a kind of guide. If we are all indeed losers of a kind, there are different ways to be losers. We can either be the sort who get pushed around and feel sorry for themselves, or we can be the kind who acknowledge their culpability. We ‘re all still losers – except Sinatra himself, of course – but we have some power over our condition all the same.
In the end, though, the reason to read this is because it’s a good bit of fun. For all the attitude that Will flashes in his prose and in Vic’s ironic/sincere perspective on life, things move quickly. There’s a fundamental competence underlying everything.
I’m biased, but give it a shot. Will is a distinct voice, and he’s a legit underground, undiscovered artist.
Plus, like his favorite entertainers, he’s a swinging cat. And I mean that ironically. But also sincerely.
What strikes me most about knowing Will is that he walks a fine line between an ironic and an authentic appreciation for Rat Pack/B-movie/’50s-pinup-girl culture. He’ll admit there’s something anachronistic and even cheesy about a tiki-lit bar, but then he’ll also make clear he enjoys the aesthetic in a genuine way. And part of his gift is that he opens that experience up to the rest of us, to those of us who’d have ‘squares’ to Sammy Davis, Jr., but who, by virtue of working to appreciate a tradition/cultural moment that most have moved past, are finally worthy of it.
I’ve read a couple of Will’s other books – which I enjoyed – but this is his greatest hit, the one that almost got made into a movie starring Christian Slater and that started Will’s longest-running detective series.
Vic Valentine narrates his detective experiences in the first-person, feeling half-sorry for himself and half-accepting the blame for his own decisions. You’ve read the situation a hundred times – the booze-addled detective who takes on a client looking for a dangerously beautiful woman – but the fun this time around is that Thrillville aesthetic. In other hands, I’d be bored when our narrator tells people that “Vic” is short for “victim.” Here it’s funny, funny the way a Dean Martin joke about being an alcoholic, unfunny from someone saying it today, still works if you’re in just the right mood and just the right place.
The eventual plot seems to me borrowed from, among other places, Devil in a Blue Dress. Vic gets hired to track down a woman who turns out to be his ex-girlfriend, so he’s interested in her as much for himself as for his client. There are a lot of coincidences, or near coincidences, but my inclination here (if not from another writer) is to accept it all. At one point, for instance, Vic opines that Frank Sinatra believed everyone was either a “bum” or a “punk,” and he puts it forward as a significant moral concept. There’s an absurdity to that claim, and we aren’t supposed to take it seriously, but we’re also supposed to see it as a kind of guide. If we are all indeed losers of a kind, there are different ways to be losers. We can either be the sort who get pushed around and feel sorry for themselves, or we can be the kind who acknowledge their culpability. We ‘re all still losers – except Sinatra himself, of course – but we have some power over our condition all the same.
In the end, though, the reason to read this is because it’s a good bit of fun. For all the attitude that Will flashes in his prose and in Vic’s ironic/sincere perspective on life, things move quickly. There’s a fundamental competence underlying everything.
I’m biased, but give it a shot. Will is a distinct voice, and he’s a legit underground, undiscovered artist.
Plus, like his favorite entertainers, he’s a swinging cat. And I mean that ironically. But also sincerely.
December 11, 2024
Vic Valentine is the man! As is Will Viharo, for that matter. Loved the pop culture references, the noirish atmosphere, the ultra-cool vibe (all of which drew me into the world of the novel). This book got me out of a serious reading slump! Super smooth writing that resulted in the pages flying by. Tons of fun all around. A one of a kind character whose afflictions of the heart get him into all kinds of indelible situations. Can’t wait to dig into more Vic Valentine adventures!
August 11, 2008
I stumbled onto this book on a friend's bookshelf in San Francisco. I was killing some time, waiting for dinner, and it picked up and ran just how I needed a book to grab me at that moment. I think I read the first 80 pages in one sitting and finished the rest of the book over the next two weeks.
I would say that Viharo's novel is a love story, but I would peg it as a love story written about the city of San Francisco and all the surrounding Bay Area. The pop culture references are fast and furious (and entertaining), though on a couple of occasions I felt like I was missing out on the overall mood because I didn't get the reference. Vic is the epitome of Cool - detached, distant, but internally tormentent and fully engaged with life. My only previous noir experiences have been "The Man Who Wasn't There" and Goodis' "The Blonde on the Street Corner". While Viharo captures the aesthetic of noir, I could feel his excitement screaming through the plot. It was exciting, but I think his future novels might aim for a cooler presentation as well.
Overall a really fun, enjoyable read. Very glad I stumbled upon it.
I would say that Viharo's novel is a love story, but I would peg it as a love story written about the city of San Francisco and all the surrounding Bay Area. The pop culture references are fast and furious (and entertaining), though on a couple of occasions I felt like I was missing out on the overall mood because I didn't get the reference. Vic is the epitome of Cool - detached, distant, but internally tormentent and fully engaged with life. My only previous noir experiences have been "The Man Who Wasn't There" and Goodis' "The Blonde on the Street Corner". While Viharo captures the aesthetic of noir, I could feel his excitement screaming through the plot. It was exciting, but I think his future novels might aim for a cooler presentation as well.
Overall a really fun, enjoyable read. Very glad I stumbled upon it.
July 3, 2016
A classic!
A true pulp classic. Will Viharo is a hidden gem in the pulp field. Do not pass this one up.
A true pulp classic. Will Viharo is a hidden gem in the pulp field. Do not pass this one up.
May 24, 2022
I have read a few of Will Viharo's other books and enjoyed them all. His writing is funny, intelligent and 'real'. His characters have complex emotions and interesting backgrounds. I have been looking forward this re-release on Kindle after being out of print for several years. Vic Valentine is a tough guy PI with a soft side. The story is full of angst, bravado, lust and drinking as well as lots of fun and interesting pop culture references to music and movies throughout. The story is compelling. It kept me turning pages waiting to see what would happen next. I did not want it to end. I had to order the next two in the series (available together for a great price for the kindle version!) so I could see what happens next to Vic. I'm really looking forward to seeing Christian Slater play Vic Valentine. I think it will be a great movie!
August 27, 2023
sent this to a bookstore owner friend(Giant Nerd Books, Spokane WA) after reading this book " guy is brilliant, nerd hip, our age, total gonzo, if you don't flat out love it, I'll..., I'll..., I'll read any Danielle Steele novel you tell me to...I am that sure of it".
Fun stuff look forward to more, but must put out the disclaimer, I was an Oakland guy, and the places and time period helped my appreciation of the book.
Fun stuff look forward to more, but must put out the disclaimer, I was an Oakland guy, and the places and time period helped my appreciation of the book.
April 14, 2020
The book that launched this fine, original, and wholly unique series. Vic is a powerfully sympathetic character who at times puts the pathetic into that adjective, but in a way that is funny and endearing. I have recommended this book to a great many people, and hope they circle back around to making the movie one day. Definitely a fine, fine read.
September 23, 2018
I loved this book, from beginning to end. Full of quick-wit and bursting with Americana, it's everything I could have wanted and more. Vic is a great character. I can't recommend thi said bough, I'm hooked now, eager for the next dose.
January 27, 2014
Pro-baseball player Tommy Dodge has a problem, his wife, Rose, has disappeared. He hires PI Vic Valentine to find her. And that’s when the trouble starts, because Vic thinks he knows her.
Love Stories Are Too Violent For Me is a breezy, fun read. It is narrated in the first person by the protagonist, PI Vic Valentine – Vic being sometimes short for Victor, sometimes Victim, as he says. At the outset Vic spends most of his time in a bar watching old movies and talking to the landlord, Doc. Vic’s life is uncomplicated until in walks washed up pro-baseball player Tommy Dodge. The case seems straightforward at first, find Dodge’s missing wife, Rose, but literally nothing is as it seems. Vic gets himself deeper and deeper in trouble as he tries to find out the truth about Rose.
I’d like to say more about the story here but I’m unwilling to drop out any spoilers. Most of the joy of this book is the regular curves the author throws at the reader. Just when you think you’ve learnt everything about ‘Rose’, Viharo tosses in another banana, another problem for Vic to overcome.
The characterisation is perhaps the strongest element, Vic himself is excellent and a unique voice. He’s a complex guy and has a tendency to obsess over women, it seems to be a weakness (if that’s the right word) of his. In fact this behaviour underlines almost all of Vic’s actions. He knows damn well what he’s about to do will lead to trouble, but he goes ahead anyway. Vic simply can’t help himself, it’s like watching a slow motion car crash – inevitable, but no less painful for it.
The support characters are also very good too, easy to relate to and understand. The dialogue is sharp and witty, in fact these two words summarise the prose. To say this is a light book underestimates it, but it does clip along and is fun to read.
I thoroughly enjoyed Love Stories... and I’d certainly look out for the sequels. Vic is a fun guy to be with.
**Originally reviewed for Books and Pals blog. May have received free review copy.**
Love Stories Are Too Violent For Me is a breezy, fun read. It is narrated in the first person by the protagonist, PI Vic Valentine – Vic being sometimes short for Victor, sometimes Victim, as he says. At the outset Vic spends most of his time in a bar watching old movies and talking to the landlord, Doc. Vic’s life is uncomplicated until in walks washed up pro-baseball player Tommy Dodge. The case seems straightforward at first, find Dodge’s missing wife, Rose, but literally nothing is as it seems. Vic gets himself deeper and deeper in trouble as he tries to find out the truth about Rose.
I’d like to say more about the story here but I’m unwilling to drop out any spoilers. Most of the joy of this book is the regular curves the author throws at the reader. Just when you think you’ve learnt everything about ‘Rose’, Viharo tosses in another banana, another problem for Vic to overcome.
The characterisation is perhaps the strongest element, Vic himself is excellent and a unique voice. He’s a complex guy and has a tendency to obsess over women, it seems to be a weakness (if that’s the right word) of his. In fact this behaviour underlines almost all of Vic’s actions. He knows damn well what he’s about to do will lead to trouble, but he goes ahead anyway. Vic simply can’t help himself, it’s like watching a slow motion car crash – inevitable, but no less painful for it.
The support characters are also very good too, easy to relate to and understand. The dialogue is sharp and witty, in fact these two words summarise the prose. To say this is a light book underestimates it, but it does clip along and is fun to read.
I thoroughly enjoyed Love Stories... and I’d certainly look out for the sequels. Vic is a fun guy to be with.
**Originally reviewed for Books and Pals blog. May have received free review copy.**
November 14, 2013
I enjoyed this book-and I'm a tough judge. I'm the one at the American Idol table, handing out 6's like they are candy, and lording my 8's and 9's over the heads unless there's real blood.
Wil has written a breezy yet moody noir piece, that is reminiscent of what I love about classic film, books, and icons-CLASS. Despite how down a man, or woman, may be, there's always a good cliche that makes it look dreamy, if you can catch it in the foggy light. They are the wreck we can't look away from; the gods who have forsaken us, the break we just....can't....catch.
Vic Valentine, Doc, Rose, Tommy, even Monica, all characters straight from real life, no glossy BS to drown them down in nonsense. Even though I've never read of a character stopping at the bathroom to do their business or pick their teeth, or spend hours fiddling with their features or eyebrows, I get the sense that these characters would, because they are that goddamn real.
I'm so glad I had the privilege to meet this author in person in the Bay Area, before he moved North to Seattle. And to have the signature cocktail at Forbidden Island in Alameda-The Vic Valentine!
Do yourself a favor-when you miss the blues, the hats, the watch fobs, don't watch Casablanca or put on Sinatra. Read this instead.
Wil has written a breezy yet moody noir piece, that is reminiscent of what I love about classic film, books, and icons-CLASS. Despite how down a man, or woman, may be, there's always a good cliche that makes it look dreamy, if you can catch it in the foggy light. They are the wreck we can't look away from; the gods who have forsaken us, the break we just....can't....catch.
Vic Valentine, Doc, Rose, Tommy, even Monica, all characters straight from real life, no glossy BS to drown them down in nonsense. Even though I've never read of a character stopping at the bathroom to do their business or pick their teeth, or spend hours fiddling with their features or eyebrows, I get the sense that these characters would, because they are that goddamn real.
I'm so glad I had the privilege to meet this author in person in the Bay Area, before he moved North to Seattle. And to have the signature cocktail at Forbidden Island in Alameda-The Vic Valentine!
Do yourself a favor-when you miss the blues, the hats, the watch fobs, don't watch Casablanca or put on Sinatra. Read this instead.
April 18, 2016
Going to Will Viharo’s website—or just looking at any random picture of him—gives me an instant vision of sipping Mai Tais out of coconuts using two-foot straws at Don the Beachcomber’s. Or it could have been Trader Vic’s. Or the Tonga Hut. Which in turn reminds me of my tiki-carving obsession when I was twelve (and the tiki store at Wilshire and Barrington in West LA and the girl who lived behind it).
While a lot of modern pulp tends toward parody, Love Stories Are Too Violent for Me lovingly—and gleefully—jumps in the deep end, skillfully using all the tropes and, like a magician with a second bag of tricks, weaving in references to classic tough-guy movies with an encyclopedic knowledge of film history.
Vic Valentine, the protagonist in Love Stories are Too Violent for Me, is a wisecracking, flip, tender-hearted, hapless PI who, in classic hard-boiled manner, lands a case that brings him way more trouble than it’s worth. Vic’s character is so consistent and oddly likeable that he carries the day, even if he has to take a few beatings on the way.
Check out Viharo’s site at Thrillville dot net and you’ll see that he has created a niche of his own as a camp classicist.
While a lot of modern pulp tends toward parody, Love Stories Are Too Violent for Me lovingly—and gleefully—jumps in the deep end, skillfully using all the tropes and, like a magician with a second bag of tricks, weaving in references to classic tough-guy movies with an encyclopedic knowledge of film history.
Vic Valentine, the protagonist in Love Stories are Too Violent for Me, is a wisecracking, flip, tender-hearted, hapless PI who, in classic hard-boiled manner, lands a case that brings him way more trouble than it’s worth. Vic’s character is so consistent and oddly likeable that he carries the day, even if he has to take a few beatings on the way.
Check out Viharo’s site at Thrillville dot net and you’ll see that he has created a niche of his own as a camp classicist.
November 2, 2013
I have never read much pulp fiction before I started reading Will's books. I love his writing style and the main character (Vic Valentine). The pop culture references to music and films add a great dimension to the story. Vic Valentine is a hard-boiled private detective with a soft side. His weakness for women (especially the 'pyscho bimbo' types - a phrase I love and have used myself in the past but never seen in writing before) always leads him down a sketchy path. He usually seems to get into trouble trying to 'save' them - most often from themselves. The only slightly grating (to me) element in these books is his insistence on calling his home town of San Francisco 'Frisco' - something that bay area dwellers like myself find annoying and most of us would NEVER do - but since his character is supposedly from New York, I guess it can be forgiven. This should be a great movie (Christian Slater has purchased the rights and is working on bringing it to fruition). I'm very much looking forward to more Vic Valentine stories.
January 30, 2014
A thrilling ride through the Heartbreak Hotel. Vic Valentine is getting screwed from every direction, but not taking any crap. He's nice well rounded character in a well developed plot. Complicated enough to not be obvious, but not so complicated that it's aggravating.
The cover makes it look like it's set in the 1940s or 50s, but it takes place sometime in the 90s.
Loved it and definitely going to read the next one in the series. Although I don't know how Will Viharo can top this one!
The cover makes it look like it's set in the 1940s or 50s, but it takes place sometime in the 90s.
Loved it and definitely going to read the next one in the series. Although I don't know how Will Viharo can top this one!
September 20, 2014
He's more Alexander Portnoy than Mike Hammer, and for that reason, Vic Valentine, Private Eye, is an enjoyable member of the fraternity of P.I. heroes. He's part of the quirky breed in which Stephen J. Cannell Productions used to specialize. Vic can call upon a reserve of toughness when needed, but more than anything, this story is about his emotional vulnerability. Will Viharo presents this well, and his writing has flair and humor too. Plus, if you enjoy pop culture, that's a specialty of Viharo's. (And any novel that mentions Shea Stadium gets bonus points from me.)
March 29, 2023
The first of the Vic Valentine series, "Love Stories Are Too Violent for Me" is a love (violent) letter to old school noir detectives and hip, lounge lizard culture. It's a freakin' blast and everything that neo-noir should be. Vic Valentine is the man.
Want to read
November 1, 2008Just eh kind of book I am looking for.
Read
April 19, 2016I loved it especially all the San Francisco/Bay area references. The characters were interesting and the plot had lots of twists.
Great read!
Great read!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews