A cop accidentally taints evidence. A killer goes free. The cop is defrocked and now lives in his car. Years later, their lives collide again on Malibu Beach and to cop winds up killing the murderer, launching a thrill ride through a dark world of blackmail, pornography, torture, betrayal, vengeance, love, guilt, passion, murder, muscle cars and valet parking.
Craig Faustus Buck is an L.A.-based journalist, nonfiction book author, TV writer-producer, screenwriter, short-story writer and novelist.
His first noir mystery novel, Go Down Hard, was published by Brash Books in 2015
His short stories have won a Macavity Award and been nominated for multiple Anthony and Derringer awards.
Among his six nonfiction books, two were #1 NYT bestsellers. He wrote the Oscar-nominated short film Overnight Sensation. He was one of the writers on the seminal miniseries V: The Final Battle.
This short novel takes the reader on a trip through Los Angeles noir -- a genre Faustus-Buck is no stranger to. Weak men who fall prey to tauntingly beautiful women with hidden agendas, a city portrayed as a character with a fickle personality -- Psycho Logic heaps up big servings of this classic genre. I enjoyed the voice of the main character, Johno Beltrane, a fallen detective who lives in his car. But his car is a classic one, so he doesn't seem to mind! The motivations of the characters are easily understandable, as the author gives them all (even the bumbling cop Dumphy) attention and depth.
The book starts out with a bang, which I loved. My only negative is that I found the ending to be a bit predictable (I would have liked to see a heady twist), but all in all it's a worthwhile read and C.F.B. knows how to pull off good noir.
Okay, I rated my own book. What am I supposed to do, ignore it? I want it on my shelf and I don't want to water down my ratings by trying to be humble when the fact is, I write what I like to read, so it's right up my alley by definition. Sue me.