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Brooklyn Motto
Fans of Richard Price, Charlie Huston, and Jonathan Lethem will love this coming-of-age New York-centric detective noir debut from esteemed filmmaker and screenwriter Alex Johnson.
New York City, 1998. New York is changing around Nico Kelly, and he can feel more coming.
A private investigator and self-proclaimed photographer, Nico is stuck in a loop of city contracts and self loathing. What little middle class there was is disappearing-long-standing factories are moving out and taking their reliable neighborhood jobs with them, and Mayor Rudy Giuliani's police force has the streets in a stranglehold.
Nico spends his days looking for fraudsters while taking photos of municipal employees on disability claims. He spends his nights trying to get rid of the nagging feeling that his day job makes him a professional snitch-traversing dive bars, playing pinball, and fighting through the haze of hungover mornings and blurry evenings.
Pushing thirty years old and feeling split between his American and Latin heritage, between youth and adulthood, Nico finds himself at a precipice-who is he and what should he become?
When Nico witnesses and records a murder during one of his insurance fraud investigations, bodies start to turn up all around him and he's forced into solving a mystery he didn't ask to solve. Humorous, gritty, and real, Nico's search for what it means to be human takes him through the deepest and darkest parts of New York City.
New York City, 1998. New York is changing around Nico Kelly, and he can feel more coming.
A private investigator and self-proclaimed photographer, Nico is stuck in a loop of city contracts and self loathing. What little middle class there was is disappearing-long-standing factories are moving out and taking their reliable neighborhood jobs with them, and Mayor Rudy Giuliani's police force has the streets in a stranglehold.
Nico spends his days looking for fraudsters while taking photos of municipal employees on disability claims. He spends his nights trying to get rid of the nagging feeling that his day job makes him a professional snitch-traversing dive bars, playing pinball, and fighting through the haze of hungover mornings and blurry evenings.
Pushing thirty years old and feeling split between his American and Latin heritage, between youth and adulthood, Nico finds himself at a precipice-who is he and what should he become?
When Nico witnesses and records a murder during one of his insurance fraud investigations, bodies start to turn up all around him and he's forced into solving a mystery he didn't ask to solve. Humorous, gritty, and real, Nico's search for what it means to be human takes him through the deepest and darkest parts of New York City.
276 pages, Paperback
Published November 10, 2025
15 people are currently reading
7838 people want to read
About the author
Alex R. Johnson
1 book25 followersJohnson’s feature film TWO STEP premiered to critical acclaim at SXSW and went on to become a New York Times Critic’s Pick, as well as remaining 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
His screenplay NORTHEAST KINGDOM was selected for the Black List. It was acquired by Paramount Pictures for Platinum Dunes to produce, with Johnson attached to direct.
His screenplay ANY ROUGH TIMES ARE NOW BEHIND YOU was selected by the Austin Film Society’s Artist Intensive lab. There, he spent three days working one-on-one with late director Jonathan Demme, an experience that was as inspiring as it was creatively life changing.
He also wrote the screenplay adaptation of Ernest Tidyman’s novel, BIG BUCKS, for Pascal Pictures.
His debut novel, BROOKLYN MOTTO, was released in March of 2025.
Prior to writing and directing, Johnson was a seasoned NYC based commercial and documentary producer. He started his career at the legendary Maysles Films and then branched off to work with other directors, including producing the feature documentary I AM SECRETLY AN IMPORTANT MAN for filmmaker Pete Sillen.
Johnson's family hails from the Andes of Ecuador. A government brat, he moved frequently but was raised mostly between New York City and the suburbs of DC.
He lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
His screenplay NORTHEAST KINGDOM was selected for the Black List. It was acquired by Paramount Pictures for Platinum Dunes to produce, with Johnson attached to direct.
His screenplay ANY ROUGH TIMES ARE NOW BEHIND YOU was selected by the Austin Film Society’s Artist Intensive lab. There, he spent three days working one-on-one with late director Jonathan Demme, an experience that was as inspiring as it was creatively life changing.
He also wrote the screenplay adaptation of Ernest Tidyman’s novel, BIG BUCKS, for Pascal Pictures.
His debut novel, BROOKLYN MOTTO, was released in March of 2025.
Prior to writing and directing, Johnson was a seasoned NYC based commercial and documentary producer. He started his career at the legendary Maysles Films and then branched off to work with other directors, including producing the feature documentary I AM SECRETLY AN IMPORTANT MAN for filmmaker Pete Sillen.
Johnson's family hails from the Andes of Ecuador. A government brat, he moved frequently but was raised mostly between New York City and the suburbs of DC.
He lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 9, 2025
I won this one through a Goodreads Giveaway. Fun thing is that it came with an autographed card and a sticker. Now for the book review … I loved that it was set in the late 90’s. Alex captured the old school feel from that time period perfectly. VHS tapes, camcorders, walkman’s, pinball machines, etc. I loved Nico’s storytelling. It felt like sitting down at a bar with a friend and them telling you about the craziness of their life the past few weeks. Made for a very easy read. I was a little disappointed with how things turned out, but it also flowed well with the story. If you’re looking for a quick, easy read of a crime thriller that will take you on a walk down memory lane, this is the book for you.
Read
May 5, 2025I really enjoyed this book!! A lot of action and intrigue, up until the very end. Writing reminded me a little of Stuart Woods, I would read another book by this author.
Thank you Alex R Johnson and Lightning Source for gifting me a copy of a great book!
Thank you Alex R Johnson and Lightning Source for gifting me a copy of a great book!
February 12, 2025
Alex Johnson is one part Lethem, two parts (Elmore) Leonard, and ten parts uniquely and wonderfully himself. If you love New York and you love small-time crime, this is for you.
November 13, 2025
Absolutely loved this fast-paced, often humorous crime drama set in late 90s NYC. It brought back a lot of great memories (and some that reminded me of the rougher edges of that time). Would definitely recommend.
June 2, 2025
I won a digital copy of this (I never usually win anything!) and really enjoyed it. Set in '90s New York Nico is a PI who finds himself in trouble when he accidentally films a murder.
It zips along and is full of larger-than-life characters and plenty of nostalgia. Like if Philip Marlowe had a pager and an Ecuadorian aunt-chauffeur.
Great debut novel.
It zips along and is full of larger-than-life characters and plenty of nostalgia. Like if Philip Marlowe had a pager and an Ecuadorian aunt-chauffeur.
Great debut novel.
March 24, 2025
A Jem of a read
Once I started this book, I could not put it down.
A roller-coaster ride of sleuth mixed with the reality of family
Dynamics.
RM
Once I started this book, I could not put it down.
A roller-coaster ride of sleuth mixed with the reality of family
Dynamics.
RM
March 11, 2025
Really enjoyed this book. Loved that it was set in 1998 - pagers, discman, VHS tapes, the club, worries about y2k…
Nico was an interesting narrator, wasn’t sure I could trust his telling of what was happening. I was rooting for him, and shaking my head at him and also nervous for him…. It was the perfect combination for the main character.
New York City in the late 90s, bad cops, private eyes and friends that protect you.
Nico was an interesting narrator, wasn’t sure I could trust his telling of what was happening. I was rooting for him, and shaking my head at him and also nervous for him…. It was the perfect combination for the main character.
New York City in the late 90s, bad cops, private eyes and friends that protect you.
February 13, 2025
What a great read! It’s like Carl Hiaasen and Nick Hornby decided to tackle Brooklyn in the 90’s together. I look forward to more books like these from Mr. Johnson.
Read
October 23, 2025For the most part, I thought this story was fairly good, including the comedic and nostalgic aspects.
On the positive side, the narrator allowed me to visualize what was going on well enough to form a clear mental picture, and I could imagine watching an adaptation on film or television. The dark humour throughout the novel made me chuckle periodically, along with some of the frequent sarcasm. I liked having 29 reasonably short chapters among 260 pages to help things feel like they were moving along. Since chapter one mentions 1998, I had some idea of what to expect in terms of the atmosphere, and I found much of the technology mentioned to be consistent with that era, which brought back memories of the time (e.g., pagers, pay phones, and VHS tapes). People who remember those days might the book similarly relatable in that way. The vocabulary was also very simple.
Content or trigger warning: frequent profanity, especially using various words that begin with f. Of course, that was the negative side for me, apart from some negative stereotyping about people in New York. This book isn't exactly a treatise on good manners, LOL. :-)
The novel is enjoyable in many ways, so there is potential for the book’s readership to continue to grow over time.
I am grateful to have received the book through a Goodreads giveaway. Peace be with you.
On the positive side, the narrator allowed me to visualize what was going on well enough to form a clear mental picture, and I could imagine watching an adaptation on film or television. The dark humour throughout the novel made me chuckle periodically, along with some of the frequent sarcasm. I liked having 29 reasonably short chapters among 260 pages to help things feel like they were moving along. Since chapter one mentions 1998, I had some idea of what to expect in terms of the atmosphere, and I found much of the technology mentioned to be consistent with that era, which brought back memories of the time (e.g., pagers, pay phones, and VHS tapes). People who remember those days might the book similarly relatable in that way. The vocabulary was also very simple.
Content or trigger warning: frequent profanity, especially using various words that begin with f. Of course, that was the negative side for me, apart from some negative stereotyping about people in New York. This book isn't exactly a treatise on good manners, LOL. :-)
The novel is enjoyable in many ways, so there is potential for the book’s readership to continue to grow over time.
I am grateful to have received the book through a Goodreads giveaway. Peace be with you.
March 25, 2025
***Goodreads Giveaway Win***
I've won many books via Goodreads and have loved many of them. A couple of them even became some of my favorite books of all time (I'm looking at you,
and
). But I don't think there has been a book that has made me want to stay in its world more than Brooklyn Motto. I finished this book several days ago and I miss Nico. I miss the grungy world of '90s Brooklyn. I miss the shagginess of the story-telling. I miss Alex Johnson's not-trying-too-hard humor. While the crime element of this book was fun, I could have spent 500 additional pages just hanging out with Nico as he traipsed from bar to bar chit-chatting with the oddball assortment of New Yorkers.
This is a call-out to Alex R. Johnson: please write more books :-)
I've won many books via Goodreads and have loved many of them. A couple of them even became some of my favorite books of all time (I'm looking at you,
and
). But I don't think there has been a book that has made me want to stay in its world more than Brooklyn Motto. I finished this book several days ago and I miss Nico. I miss the grungy world of '90s Brooklyn. I miss the shagginess of the story-telling. I miss Alex Johnson's not-trying-too-hard humor. While the crime element of this book was fun, I could have spent 500 additional pages just hanging out with Nico as he traipsed from bar to bar chit-chatting with the oddball assortment of New Yorkers.This is a call-out to Alex R. Johnson: please write more books :-)
June 11, 2025
Mad respect to Alex for this great novel.
I loved TWO-STEP and spoke to him about it for the Austin Chronicle, and had been sort of anxious for the next thing. You never really know if someone's gonna be a one-hit wonder or hit a sophomore slump or what. And I was not surprised when that was announced to be a novel because the film was itself so rich in terms of its storytelling.
But the shock is that the book stands completely on its own, outside the personality of the film, and declares itself in all its charm and intelligence and style. Where TWO-STEP was straight noir, BROOKLYN MOTTO is more of an anti-noir, wry and self-aware in the LONG GOODBYE mold. If anyone were to be given the keys to the Dashiell Hammett kingdom, it would have to be Alex.
I saw the book so much as a film and hope it turns into one immediately. And thank you to whoever was behind the desk of the offer for a galley.
I loved TWO-STEP and spoke to him about it for the Austin Chronicle, and had been sort of anxious for the next thing. You never really know if someone's gonna be a one-hit wonder or hit a sophomore slump or what. And I was not surprised when that was announced to be a novel because the film was itself so rich in terms of its storytelling.
But the shock is that the book stands completely on its own, outside the personality of the film, and declares itself in all its charm and intelligence and style. Where TWO-STEP was straight noir, BROOKLYN MOTTO is more of an anti-noir, wry and self-aware in the LONG GOODBYE mold. If anyone were to be given the keys to the Dashiell Hammett kingdom, it would have to be Alex.
I saw the book so much as a film and hope it turns into one immediately. And thank you to whoever was behind the desk of the offer for a galley.
August 3, 2025
‘Brooklyn Motto’, a new novel by my old friend Alex R Johnson is absolutely magnificent!!! It’s simultaneously a hard boiled murder mystery, replete with crooked cops and local politicians, and an insider’s view of NYC in the late 1990’s…. the bars, bodegas, seedy after hours joints and subway jaunts that made this time so special in my home town. There is a density to Alex’s style that never feels clunky, but rather finds you greedily slurping up all the luscious detail that NYC—and especially Brooklyn—provided so plentifully at the time. I don’t get a chance to read much these days—my 9 mo daughter now runs the show—but I’m thrilled to have been able to experience ‘Brooklyn Motto’!! This is a must-read for fans of 1990’s NYC or simply anyone who appreciates well crafted crime fiction. This is a truly special work. Bravo, Alex!!
June 16, 2025
This was such a fun read!
Despite being fairly short and fast paced, everything is fleshed out so well. The Crime/Mystery aspect was very good, but I think what made me really love it was the characters and environment.
Each character quickly endeared themselves to me, and I felt a little sad to be leaving their world when the book ended. I especially liked the funny & snarky narrator Nico.
The author writes the city setting in this wonderfully detailed way that gives you such an intimate glimpse into the city. It feels like you're actually there, experiencing the sights/sounds/smells yourself, and almost feels as if you've lived there for years.
Despite being fairly short and fast paced, everything is fleshed out so well. The Crime/Mystery aspect was very good, but I think what made me really love it was the characters and environment.
Each character quickly endeared themselves to me, and I felt a little sad to be leaving their world when the book ended. I especially liked the funny & snarky narrator Nico.
The author writes the city setting in this wonderfully detailed way that gives you such an intimate glimpse into the city. It feels like you're actually there, experiencing the sights/sounds/smells yourself, and almost feels as if you've lived there for years.
November 25, 2025
I loved this book! It was funny, sad, suspenseful and entertaining! It’s about Nico Kelly who investigates people that may be committing insurance fraud. He has some family drama, a cast of interesting characters and a few murders! It takes place mostly in Brooklyn, and is so realistic it could’ve been anywhere, USA!
February 12, 2025
A fun, engaging crime thriller that evokes the great, the bad and ugly of 90s NYC and answers the musical question, what if Sam Spade was a Pavement fan?
May 7, 2025
This book was very hard to put down. Definitely a good read.
September 28, 2025
Excellent
November 2, 2025
Decent story line. Started a little slow. I don't really feel satisfaction from the ending.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews