Amantes Transparentes

by Scott Nicholson, Pablo Serna (Translator)

El investigador privado Richard Steele debe resolver el caso más difícil de su carrera – su propio asesinato – mientras se encuentra atrapado entre dos mujeres a ambos lados de la tumba. Lee, su amante, se encuentra enredada en el desorden que él dejó atrás y su esposa anterior Diana, ya fallecida, ha estado esperando en el más allá por su oportunidad de venganza.
En una carrera contra el tiempo, mientras su espíritu se desvanece, Richard se enfrenta a sus múltiples fracasos y encara un poder más allá de su comprensión, amor. Su única arma es la esperanza y se está quedando sin municiones.
El encuentro final será infernal.

Aproximadamente 22.000 palabras, equivalente a 110 páginas.
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Sobre el autor:
Scott Nicholson es un autor internacional éxito de ventas con más de 20 libros en su haber, incluyendo La Iglesia Roja, Miedo Líquido y El Anillo de Esqueleto.

Sobre el traductor:
Pablo Serna es un traductor independiente especializado en los idiomas Inglés y Español.

Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Horror, Fiction, Fantasy, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

87 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 22, 2011

About the author

With more than 800,000 books sold worldwide, Scott Nicholson is an international bestselling thriller writer. He won the Writers of the Future Award in 1999 and was a Stoker Award finalist in 2003. His Fear series was published by Amazon's Thomas & Mercer imprint and 47North released the supernatural thriller McFALL.

He's also published a number of supernatural, paranormal, and fantasy books and stories, including the AFTER, NEXT, and ARIZE post-apocalyptic series, as well as children's books, comics, and screenplays. His 2006 novel The Home is in development as a feature film.

Reviews

[Christa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story about murder, love, and faith

Private investigator, Richard Steele, is a typical Scott Nicholson protagonist: cynical, sarcastic, selfish, somewhat crude but with a soft and yet unspoiled spot in his heart. He ends up murdered (no wonder) and in the ante-chamber to Heaven and Hell, one of the gatekeepers, “a wrinkled woman with a flowered hat and librarian glasses” has to decide where to send him. He wants to go to Heaven but with a past of mostly bad deeds, Hell is the more likely place. However, the lady at the gate does consider a few of his “really good deeds” and gives him a second chance. He is sent back to earth with the mission to solve his own murder and he has to do it fast.

His task isn’t exactly made easier by his dead ex-wife, Diana, who committed suicide, and is hell-bent on making “life” miserable for him. Then, there is Lee, his girl-friend on earth, whose life is in danger. This last job on earth turns out to be much more than a simple murder investigation. It involves cracking the veneer of his cynicism and accepting the fact that love is, after all, a true force worth pursuing. A fast-paced mystery with a paranormal twist, full of surprises, humorous, gritty, and tender. Scott Nicholson gets better with every book.

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard Steele, P.I, finds himself in heaven's waiting room with bullet holes in his chest and a heart full of regret. In order to move on with his death, he is tasked to solve his own murder and learn the lessons he failed to grasp in his Earthly life.
Unexpectedly however the mystery doesn't drive the plot, it serves more as a catalyst for Steele's reflection on his earthly choices and the theme of second chances. Steele needs to find forgiveness for the role he played in his wife's suicide and accept the loss of his current love. Identifying his murderer is more of an exercise in accepting the things he can't change.
Scott Nicholson writes in such a way that I could almost envision the opening scene of Transparent Lovers. I imagine it in black and white, in the tradition of noir detective dramas, and Nicholson carries this tone through the story. The author's sense of humor plays nicely into the slightly surreal storyline that also includes a touch of drama and romance.
Transparent Lovers is a brief story (just 120 pages or so) but is a well crafted and entertaining read that has piqued my interest in the author's other work. If this novella is any indication, Nicholson's talent is assured.

[Babs · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 2 Cents:

Transparent Lovers is the first story I have read by Scott Nicholson which I did enjoy. Richard is a former PI who finds himself in a hallway with a few interesting characters. My favorite is the one on the cover above, the one with the steering wheel in his chest. Mr. Brumfield or as Richard called him Buick-brains.

Mr. Brumfield enlightens Richard of where he is and what is going on, which comes across rather humorous at times. Richard has left behind Lee his new love. What Richard doesn't know is Diana his ex-wife is waiting on him. She wants Richard to pay for what he did to her and why she is on the other side. It all becomes very interesting and a lovely read.

The reason I like the book, the writing. Scott does a wonderful job of describing the scenes and the people. I could actually picture this hallway, office, The Titanic woman, the fire scenes of hell. I could go on and on.

I really enjoyed Scott's version of the afterlife. Most of us wonder what heaven will be like when we pass. His version is very unique.

Seeing Richard overcome his faith was a big step and the ending is wonderful. I had a few tears going on.

[J.C. Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading Transparent Lovers and enjoyed it very much. I actually had tears at the end of the story. Scott does a great job with his descriptions and I love his take on the afterlife. Not at all what I would be picturing, but why it makes the story so enjoyable.

He uses just the right amount of humor, and heart to make this story great. Whether the author intended for it to be poignant or not, I took away a lot more from this story than just entertainment. I have marked several passages that I found inspiring and insightful. The story isn't simply about a man trying to solve his own murder, it's full of wonderful imagery of both the physical and emotional sides of our lives.

This is one I will be recommending to friends and family!

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Nicholson ages ago, two of his Appalachian horrors, and didn't really care for them, but I'm glad to have given the author another chance. This slender volume is a novella plus short story. Novella is a sort of noir detective or pulp detective Christmas afterlife love story. Basically a variety mash up where a man must solve his own murder while dealing with past loves. It's just as cheesy and corny as it sounds and not really at all my thing, but cute enough to pass the time. The short story is about a travel writer who goes to a ghost town only to fall in love with...yes, a ghost. The dead must love longer, they have all the time in the (after)world.

[Scott Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story by Scott Nicholson, The Dead Love Longer isn't your normal "close the closet door before I go to bed scary" book I normally associate with Mr Nicholson. It's more about exploring the afterlife, consequences for your actions and how the supernatural can and cannot interact with our world (at least in the author's imagination).

All said an interesting read, but not one of my Nicholson favorites.

[Carycleo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella takes a familiar premise -- someone dies and returns to make amends -- and makes it new and fresh, but a little smelly with the deadness. A wise-cracking gumshoe finds himself deceased and on a deadline. The story is engaging, funny, and even poignant toward the end. Nicholson serves up fine writing with some great lines, like: "My fingers were numb, my head was cotton, my lips were as tight as a teddy bear's stitches."

[Beth Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed alot and did a heck of alot of eye rolling at most of the one liners. The main character seemed to be overly generic and the picture of the old cartoon detectives with the cigar hanging out of his mouth just wouldn't go away. The story was cute but definately isn't the typical Nicholson writing.

[Geoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting take on the Private Investigator story. The PI wakes up in a form of purgatory where he’s waiting in line in an office with other dead people for his caseworker. The caseworker asks him if he wants to go to Hell or Heaven, which he says Heaven, but he has to work for it, and the task he’s given is he must solve his death. So he returns as a ghost to find out what happened to him, but it doesn’t turn out the way one would think there are a few twists along the way, like his first wife hounding him and making him miserable, and the solution is not what it seems. So I liked that part of the book, where the goal wasn’t what I was expecting. But other than that, this reminded me of a William F. Nolan mystery/horror book that was a lot of fun to read. I recommend it if you are just looking for a fun read.

[Dustyloup · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for my "Read your shelf challenge" May prompt which was too read a book "longer" than your April book. See what I did there?
This was a Kindle freebie from long ago.
Pros:
*A quick read
*Some clever lines
*Makes you think about your thoughts on faith, the afterlife
*Beach read

Cons:
*Not exactly literature or art.
*Writing is a bit generic
*MC isn't very sympathetic (though there is a redemption arc but even then, i wasn't attached to him)
*Stereotypical views on gender and bra sizes


#readyourshelf

[Lsdebdj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

'the Dead Live Longer ' is an interesting story. I found the story line of having to resolve a problem, once dead, intriguing. The character development was excellent. The story did move a little slow at first - hence 4 stars , but it did pick up eventually. I would recommend this book.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is only okay, and the book struggles a bit with trying too hard early on, but hanging in there leads to a particularly sweet ending. A short read, it's an easy investment for a pleasant payoff.

[Jarek · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a detective story with a twist, written in a style strongly resembling hard-boiled fiction. The premise and style are cool, but the plot is rather disappointing.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on love, death and humanity

[Melissa Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read!!

[Ginger · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh! This was not my cup of tea. Glad it was free. This book has been on my Kindle for years. Time wasted reading it. Oh well, live and learn, right?

[Melony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read, more of a novella.

[Lucia The Loyal Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted here: http://theloyalbook.blogspot.it/2012/...

Ultimo ballo con il morto di Scott Nicholson è un racconto breve che si legge nel giro di un'oretta. A metà tra il mystery e il paranormal, questo racconto narra le vicende di Richard Steel, un investigatore ucciso che si ritrova a dove indagare sulla propria morte. Un caso alquanto strano, visto che nell'aldilà ritrova la sua prima moglie, morta suicida, pronta a dargli la vita maledetta, e nel contempo si trova a dover tentare di salvare la sua compagna, ancora viva sulla Terra.


Il racconto scorre via molto velocemente ed è godibile. Richard è il classico detective distrutto, dedito all'alcol, con un passato un po' turbolento e innamorato di una ragazza, che però adesso è in pericolo. La moglie defunta, che Richard si ritrova ad affrontare nell'aldilà, gli mette i bastoni tra le ruote, ma Richard riuscirà a risolvere lo stesso il mistero della sua morte, con risvolti inaspettati.

La storia ha un buon mix di battute, humor, elementi investigativi e paranormali, anche se ogni tanto la traduzione mi ha lasciato un po' perplessa, specie per le note del traduttore, forse non necessarie. È divertente e un ottimo modo per passare un po' di tempo con qualcosa di poco impegnativo e con una storia un po' diversa dal solito.

Il racconto è disponibile solo in versione ebook.

ENGLISH


Transparent lovers by Scott Nicholson is a novella that I read very quickly one night. With both paranormal and mistery elements, this short story is about Richald Steel, a dectective who has been killed and has to investigate on his own death. A very weird case, since he's dead, and he also found his first wife, who commited suicide, in the afterlife. She's ready to make his life (sorry, death) a living hell and Richard in the meantime has to try and find a way to save his girlfriend on Earth.

The novella is a fast and pleasant read. Richard is your typical private investigator, with a not-so-happy past. He's in love with a girl, but she's now in dangers and he wants to help her but before he has to face his killer and his dead wife, who has decided to stand in his way. However, Richard will find a way to solve the mystery of his death and there will be unexpected turns.

There is a good mix of humor and witty lines and has some dark moments I enjoyed. Overall, I liked the narration even if I read the Italian version and I found the translation a bit confused at times (but this is one of my perks: as I am a translator I tend to notice these things a bit too much). It was a fun read and a good way to spend an evening with a quick read and an original story.

[Melliane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mon avis français

My english review


Je ne savais pas du tout à quoi m'attendre en commençant ce livre, mais finalement c'était une petite histoire agréable à lire. Oui petite car elle ne fait que 115 pages, donc c'est un roman très rapide à lire. Je pense que cela nous permet d'avoir un avant goût des autres ouvrages de Scott Nicholson. Je pense que le seul point qui me perturbe c'est que finalement ce volume aurait pu être beaucoup plus développé. On s'intéresse très vite aux personnages et j'avoue que j'aurais vraiment aimé en savoir plus au sujet de Lee, Richard ou même encore Diana.

Dès le départ on comprend bien le ressentiment de Richard envers Diana, mais leurs agissements ne sont pas des mieux que ce soit pour l'un ou l'autre. Je pense qu'on le voit très bien dans le synopsis, Richard a pour mission de découvrir les causes et les investigateurs de son meurtre. Mais c'est finalement beaucoup plus compliqué que prévu surtout quand son ex femme s'en mêle. Tout se passe très vite sans qu'on ait vraiment le temps de réfléchir à ce qu'il se passe. Mais l'intrigue est assez intéressante et j'ai vraiment beaucoup apprécié le ton de l'auteur, de l'histoire. Il y a une petite touche d'humour dans une histoire assez dramatique et c'est assez plaisant de voir évoluer Richard dans tout cela. Bien sur qui ne pourrait pas aimer la salle d'attente entre les deux mondes ? Ou même la secrétaire constamment de mauvaise humeur et désagréable mais qui pourtant va tout faire pour aider notre héros à finir sa quête. Lee, cependant, m'a moins marqué que les autres personnages. Bien qu'elle reste constamment dans les pensées de Richard, je n'ai pas ressenti d'atomes crochus envers elle, peut-être est ce parce qu'on ne la voit pas évoluer à travers l'histoire sauf un petit bout en fin de livre.

En tout cas c'est une histoire agréable à lire et elle permet de faire une bonne pause entre deux ouvrages. Je suis contente d'avoir eu l'opportunité de découvrir cette petite histoire.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of The Dead Love Longer by Scott Nicholson
Reviewed for FreeBookDude.com for Sept. 8 2012
Original title: Transparent Lovers (published November 1 2010)
Published as The Dead Love Longer January 31 2011

Scott Nicholson enjoys exploring the mysteries of the afterlife, of the world beyond, but he never does it in a way that is dogmatic or judgmental. Rather, by his writing he enjoins the questions of “What comes after?”, “Where do we go?”, “What difference does the life we lead on Earth make?” and “Why should we care?” Instead of attempting to convince anyone he has the answers, he admits he doesn’t-no one does-but cheerfully ventures forth into unknown territory, pulling readers along by the hand and giving them inventive narrative, humourous (and sometimes painful) dialogue, and a close look into characters who could be just like ourselves.
In this novel, Mr. Nicholson gives us death as waiting-room-which will probably remind most of unemployment offices or job interviews, but made me remember the death-as-bus-station waiting room episodes of the original Twilight Zone-a kind of “wait here till your name is called” approach to our eventual destinations.
Richard Steele is a private investigator in for a rude surprise: he’s deceased. Worse than the surprise is the realization that he’s left behind his beloved Lee, a woman who although vastly different in personality from him, still cherishes him-and the feeling is mutual. Worse yet, he’s now in the realm of the dead, where one of the inhabitants is the woman who used to love him, then learned to hate him: his late wife Diana. To move on-to possibly have a chance to reach “heaven” and eventually reunite with Lee; to escape the eternal burning wrath that is the torch Diana still carries; Richard is assigned to investigate his own murder, determine the culprit, and get “the facts”-for heaven’s sake.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scott Nicholson enjoys exploring the mysteries of the afterlife, of the world beyond, but he never does it in a way that is dogmatic or judgmental. Rather, by his writing he enjoins the questions of “What comes after?”, “Where do we go?”, “What difference does the life we lead on Earth make?” and “Why should we care?” Instead of attempting to convince anyone he has the answers, he admits he doesn’t-no one does-but cheerfully ventures forth into unknown territory, pulling readers along by the hand and giving them inventive narrative, humourous (and sometimes painful) dialogue, and a close look into characters who could be just like ourselves.

In this novel, Mr. Nicholson gives us death as waiting-room-which will probably remind most of unemployment offices or job interviews, but made me remember the death-as-bus-station waiting room episodes of the original Twilight Zone-a kind of “wait here till your name is called” approach to our eventual destinations.

Richard Steele is a private investigator in for a rude surprise: he’s deceased. Worse than the surprise is the realization that he’s left behind his beloved Lee, a woman who although vastly different in personality from him, still cherishes him-and the feeling is mutual. Worse yet, he’s now in the realm of the dead, where one of the inhabitants is the woman who used to love him, then learned to hate him: his late wife Diana. To move on-to possibly have a chance to reach “heaven” and eventually reunite with Lee; to escape the eternal burning wrath that is the torch Diana still carries; Richard is assigned to investigate his own murder, determine the culprit, and get “the facts”-for heaven’s sake.

[Nanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to read an advance copy of Scott Nicholson’s newest novella. As always, this grabbed me quickly….. shook me around, and finally spit me out at the ending…. Completely Satisfied after one helluva ride! Honestly, it amazes me that this author can be so prolific with his writing, and yet publish one great read after another!

This is the story of a man’s search for Eternal Peace with the love of his life.

Our protagonist, a suddenly deceased private investigator, “wakes up” dead. He also happens to awaken in Nicholson’s CREEPY vision of Purgatory. He is sent back to Earth to solve his own murder, and thereby creating his future- whether it be in heaven or in hell.

We are introduced to a bitchy suicide victim, Diana, who happens to be his SINISTER ex wife who does everything in her power to set up roadblocks during his mission. Talk about a woman scorned! She no longer wants him, but doesn’t want anyone else to have him either. (Sound familiar, ladies?)

Which brings us to Lee. This is the woman, still alive, who he deeply loves.

Nicholson’s concept of faith, free will, love beyond death and this character’s ability to choose between spending eternity in Heaven or Hell is quite is quite the story. I enjoyed watching our character learn the ins and outs of being a ghost…and what he was capable of doing. “You can learn a lot about life from a dead guy”.

I couldn’t put my Kindle down once I started this. I highly recommend TRANSPARENT LOVERS.

[Nanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to read an advance copy of Scott Nicholson’s newest novella. As always, this grabbed me quickly….. shook me around, and finally spit me out at the ending…. Completely Satisfied after one helluva ride! Honestly, it amazes me that this author can be so prolific with his writing, and yet publish one great read after another!

This is the story of a man’s search for Eternal Peace with the love of his life.

Our protagonist, a suddenly deceased private investigator, “wakes up” dead. He also happens to awaken in Nicholson’s CREEPY vision of Purgatory. He is sent back to Earth to solve his own murder, and thereby creating his future- whether it be in heaven or in hell.

We are introduced to a bitchy suicide victim, Diana, who happens to be his SINISTER ex wife who does everything in her power to set up roadblocks during his mission. Talk about a woman scorned! She no longer wants him, but doesn’t want anyone else to have him either. (Sound familiar, ladies?)

Which brings us to Lee. This is the woman, still alive, who he deeply loves.

Nicholson’s concept of faith, free will, love beyond death and this character’s ability to choose between spending eternity in Heaven or Hell is quite is quite the story. I enjoyed watching our character learn the ins and outs of being a ghost…and what he was capable of doing. “You can learn a lot about life from a dead guy”.

I couldn’t put my Kindle down once I started this. I highly recommend TRANSPARENT LOVERS.

[Eric Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dead Love Longer is a murder mystery meets ghostly paranormal. While it really hammers home “faith and love are what matters” to the point of wanting to bash your brains in (just a little) the story is done quite well. The main character, Richard, is an asshole, but he’s very aware of it and genuinely wants to fix the mess that he has made in life. He knows he is very flawed and as part of his punishment, when he dies he is forced to face and overcome those flaws in order to pass the test to get into “the bright place.” He’s a character you can get behind because he isn’t perfect, none of us are and so as we see him desperately trying to improve himself and fix the wrongs he committed we as readers liken his struggles with our own.

The strength of The Dead Love Longer is definitely the humor used. Various kinds of death lead to some witty exchanges, most notably with a certain case worker whose character I loved. Dealing with being a ghost can also lead to some interesting discoveries as Richard finds out. The story is pretty short but in a good way, had any of the more serious points been hammered home much longer it would have become overly sappy, whereas with the current length and pacing they were more like sticky notes all over your house, you know they are there but they aren’t bashing you over the head with their messages. The Dead Love Longer was a nice quick read and if you are into mysteries, especially ones that delve into theology a bit then this could be a nice easy read for you.

Rating: 4/5

[Beth Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like to leave reviews of ebooks I've received free because I think it not only benefits the reader, but the author as well. This novella, originally/alternately titled "Transparent Lovers", was a pretty typical modern noir tale.

Because this is a novella, there is a difficulty in reviewing the actual tale, which is decently written, if not a completely new story. Too much could be revealed that wouldn't be fair to future readers.

The only real complaint I had, and it's a minor one in this particular instance, is the lack of editing and/or formatting of the book itself. A few minor glitches and some small editing improvements would've been beneficial. Personally, I liked the original title "Transparent Lovers" better. That's actually one of my major complaints about independent publishing - the constant editing, re-writing, title and cover changes. It makes it hard for those of us trying to follow indie authors. My main suggestion to most authors, as a constant reader, would be to polish your product before rushing it onto the market so that these revisions are not continually necessary.

However, the inclusion of the short story "She Climbs a Winding Stair" at the end was an unexpected bonus and I thought it was actually better than the title story. A decent ghost story, I would've rated it 4-stars on its own merit. Thank you for including it - I will look into the compilation it was taken from.

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first Scott Nicholson book that I have read and I really enjoyed it. I downloaded this free onto my Kindle and I must thank the author for allowing me to do so! I have lots more from Nicholson on my Kindle now and I am looking forward to reading them. This one was a good mix of horror, humour and thought provoking descriptions. The plot pulled me in from the very start and I kept turning the page to find out more. I found it hard to put down. Clever characters that were interesting and believable. It certainly makes you think twice and appreciate what you have in life.

There was also a bonus short story at the end - She Climbs a Winding Stair. This was a very good story, totally chilling and I thought about it for a long time after I had finished it. I would have loved to go on and read more about the deserted island and the mysterious lady from the graveyard. To sum it up - I can't wait to read more from Scott Nicholson and if the rest are on par with this one then I think I have found a new favourite author!.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Steele has died and now he has the choice of heaven or hell. Now, Steele is not the most innocent man in the world but he still wants to go to heaven. Because of this, he must prove himself first before moving on. The problem is that to take that big escalator to the sky he needs to solve his own murder, confront his wife who committed suicide (and is not exactly happy with him) and let go of his living girlfriend (who he does love but didn’t exactly show it much). Well, they didn’t say it was going to be easy, if he wanted that, he could go to hell, literally. Nicholson injects humor throughout Transparent Lovers along with lots of mystery that has you guessing to the end of who actually killed Steele. Also we read the journey of a man who must confront all the deeds he has done in the past and let go so that he may move on.

[Jaqueline Miguel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este conto foi escrito por um autor de sucesso internacional, autor de mais de 30 livros. Entre eles contam-se A Igreja Vermelha, O Abrigo, O Anel de Caveira, Desintegração, etc. No entanto este é um conto muito pouco conhecido, aliás só soube dele por acaso quando procurava outros livros, e penso que percebo porquê. É que nunca tinha sequer ouvido falar do escritor… Acho que falta expandir um pouco o mercado dos livros, para não termos sempre os mesmos autores.
O conto é muito pequeno e lê-se muito rapidamente. Tem um cariz de terror e romance bastante bom e, apesar de estar escrito em brasileiro, gostei bastante de o ler. A história em si não desenvolve muito, afinal é apenas um conto, mas acho que está bastante bem conseguida. Para ser mais correta dava-lhe apenas duas estrelas e meia...

[H.K. Savage · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book for free on Kobo. It was short and the description sounded good so I used it to get to know my ereader. I'm glad I read this, even if it's not what I've been reading lately. The premise, a dead detective sent back to solve his own murder, is not unknown. However, I liked the writing style and the little differences and tweaks the author used. For example, the waiting room in the afterlife can feel like forever and every time the dead come back through they are clearly aging. Or rotting as the case may be. That said, it isn't a gross book, but it reminded me of a cross between Beetlejuice and Sam Spade with a little insight into the human mind for a small taste of something deeper. Looking for a light read that will entertain but not take long? Go check this out.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This doesn't work nearly so well as the other two Nicholson books I just finished. Between the shallow, stereotyped so-called Los Angeles and the unexamined misogyny (not to mention the lack of anything resembling characterization) it didn't give me much to connect to. Also, I read The Big Sleep just two days ago, and this is a shameful example of the genre, having finally read the original.

You may be wondering what the second star is for... well, so am I. Even the concept was carelessly handled, and there were some Clare-worthy similes, and so I can't excuse the writing. Guess I'm just feeling generous... it's just a silly little story, and short, so if you like the style and can get it cheap (like I did), pick it up.