Walking After Midnight

by Richard M. Nusser

Philip Marlowe meets Bright Lights, Big City in this ambitious first novel that roams from Park Avenue to Manhattan's seedy, savage after-hours scene. In it, a burned out journalist tracks the most difficult story of his the murder of the woman he loved.

353 pages, Hardcover

First published May 13, 1989

Reviews

[Jack Tripper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cover of the 1990 Avon mass-market paperback I have (419 pages). I tried looking online for a better pic but the only images are from the exact same copy I just bought!
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Max, a journalist for a trashy NYC tabloid, knows that his photographer ex-girlfriend’s death was no “accidental overdose.” She was firmly against drugs, and he means to put his investigative skills to good use, and find out who had her murdered. It appears she’s not the only one in town who’s had a recent, unlikely mishap. He soon finds himself wrapped up in the late night world of underground clubs, drag queens (who are probably the most endearing characters in the entire story), the Mafia, and Puerto Rican gangs.

I dug the grimy after hours atmosphere here, and the mystery was intriguing, at least at first. Eventually it all became way too unwieldy and convoluted, with too much ink devoted to things like gang warfare, the inner workings of the mob, and politics, when all I wanted was the seedy nightclubs and sinister plots. The characters are all well drawn, but I didn’t care about many of them other than Max and Dixie, a streetwise, well-connected drag queen (and Ann Margaret lookalike) who helps Max out throughout the story. She was a delight, and I wish she’d had an even bigger role.

There were meant to be other novels in the series, but unfortunately the author died before any were published (though supposedly one is complete). It’s too bad, as there’s enough good stuff here that I would have been willing to go on another adventure with Max and friends.

[Heather Ames · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another book that had haunted my shelves for a long time. So well written that the convoluted plot didn't keep me from finishing. Really a 3.5 because it had far too many characters. I had trouble keeping all the names straight, and although I like plot twists, it seemed like more kept being added unnecessarily. Did we really need to have so many agencies involved along with the gangsters, thugs, transvestites and drag queens? Some really interesting and unexpected moments moved everything along despite the flaws. Unfortunately, it appears the author passed away before the second book in the series was published. I found it online in its entirety, but chose to leave the characters where they were at the end if this book.