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BLACK
Artemus Black doesn't believe in fate... ...but even a hardened Hollywood PI can question destiny when cases turn ugly. With an assistant who mocks him relentlessly, an obese cat that loathes him, a romantic life that's deader than Elvis, money problems, booze, nicotine, and anger management issues, how much worse can it get? The answer is plenty, and Black finds himself in a web of deceit, betrayal, and murder - and bad hair days. If you love Chandler and Hammett, BLACK's irreverent nod to the noir classics is sure to draw smiles and keep you turning pages late into the night. Get it now! A four novel bundle of the critically acclaimed BLACK series from a NY Times bestselling author.
831 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 29, 2018
184 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 13, 2020
Fanfu@@ingtastic!!
Jim Black is the best thing to hit the streets since taco tuesday! I was never a huge fan of detective novels yet here I am hooked like a crack fiend waiting for the next one. Russell Blake hit a homerun with this one. Never stop writing....or I'll find you!
Jim Black is the best thing to hit the streets since taco tuesday! I was never a huge fan of detective novels yet here I am hooked like a crack fiend waiting for the next one. Russell Blake hit a homerun with this one. Never stop writing....or I'll find you!
June 18, 2020
I listened to this box set, mostly because I was looking for some modern hard-boiled detective fiction and this was a lot of book for the price. Don't confuse Black with classics like Dashiell Hammet, Agatha Christie, or Michael Conneley, and it makes for some light comedic LA-based detective reading. This is a detective story with a graphic-novel sensibility.
Over the bundle, Blake takes Black to investigate a different part of the Hollywood economy---movies, rap, modeling, and reality TV/music competitions. Blake nerds out on details of the recording biz, making me think he has a real background there.
The stories are very formulaic. I call these the laws of Black:
* Black has money problems
* Black's assistant is hot and smart
* Black's therapist is obsessed with sex
* Black is obsessed with sex, but won't admit it to his therapist.
* Black's car is a pile of crap
* The hot female suspect will try to seduce Black but fail because Black is a boy scout at heart
* Almost nothing Black does has any impact on solving the case. Several times, he is absolutely convinced about the guilt of on party, until that party ends up dead and a minute later he does a 180. The stories seem to only get resolved at the end when the culprit outs themselves by killing everyone else, rather than because Black has discovered something through guile, deduction, or top-notch detective work.
* Roxie has a magic hacking computer that can unearth financial motives from anyone who is rich.
* Honest and helpful law enforcement magically appear whenever law enforcement are needed to feed Black inside information he couldn't get otherwise.
I applaud Blake for avoiding the urge to have his archetypal characters evolve. It would be the ultimate let-down if Black & Roxie got together, or Black actually did some investigative detective work, or was able to hold on to his paycheck for a few months, or Black's parents learned to be less oblivious or let Black call them 'mom and dad', or if his ex-wife decided to retroactively give him a cut of the songwriting, or Black succeeded at growing his business and had a stable income. These are exactly what we want to happen, and it would ruin everything if they did. Stay golden, Artemis! I do think Roxie needs to get into the field more. She would have been perfect as an undercover moll in at least 3 of the 4 stories here. I haven't read book 5 yet, so there is hope.
This doesn't pretend to be serious fiction, and given that it was amusing enough, but not laugh-out-loud funny. My complaints are fairly minor. Blake loves to write extended friendly back-and-forth banter between Black and other characters. With Roxie, this is cute flirt; but he does it with Black and his detective friend, and his two-dimensional girlfriend, and any other character he hangs out with, and I found it overdone and annoying. There are some subtly sexist and racist elements to some of the plots, but maybe that is just the reality of writing about sex and race in Hollywood.
Over the bundle, Blake takes Black to investigate a different part of the Hollywood economy---movies, rap, modeling, and reality TV/music competitions. Blake nerds out on details of the recording biz, making me think he has a real background there.
The stories are very formulaic. I call these the laws of Black:
* Black has money problems
* Black's assistant is hot and smart
* Black's therapist is obsessed with sex
* Black is obsessed with sex, but won't admit it to his therapist.
* Black's car is a pile of crap
* The hot female suspect will try to seduce Black but fail because Black is a boy scout at heart
* Almost nothing Black does has any impact on solving the case. Several times, he is absolutely convinced about the guilt of on party, until that party ends up dead and a minute later he does a 180. The stories seem to only get resolved at the end when the culprit outs themselves by killing everyone else, rather than because Black has discovered something through guile, deduction, or top-notch detective work.
* Roxie has a magic hacking computer that can unearth financial motives from anyone who is rich.
* Honest and helpful law enforcement magically appear whenever law enforcement are needed to feed Black inside information he couldn't get otherwise.
I applaud Blake for avoiding the urge to have his archetypal characters evolve. It would be the ultimate let-down if Black & Roxie got together, or Black actually did some investigative detective work, or was able to hold on to his paycheck for a few months, or Black's parents learned to be less oblivious or let Black call them 'mom and dad', or if his ex-wife decided to retroactively give him a cut of the songwriting, or Black succeeded at growing his business and had a stable income. These are exactly what we want to happen, and it would ruin everything if they did. Stay golden, Artemis! I do think Roxie needs to get into the field more. She would have been perfect as an undercover moll in at least 3 of the 4 stories here. I haven't read book 5 yet, so there is hope.
This doesn't pretend to be serious fiction, and given that it was amusing enough, but not laugh-out-loud funny. My complaints are fairly minor. Blake loves to write extended friendly back-and-forth banter between Black and other characters. With Roxie, this is cute flirt; but he does it with Black and his detective friend, and his two-dimensional girlfriend, and any other character he hangs out with, and I found it overdone and annoying. There are some subtly sexist and racist elements to some of the plots, but maybe that is just the reality of writing about sex and race in Hollywood.
March 2, 2019
Great book
Love it. It's a great read. It's a good continuance of the first. Will read them all.. What a great series
Love it. It's a great read. It's a good continuance of the first. Will read them all.. What a great series
March 21, 2020
Very addicting
These books are so good this is my first russel blake book and I plan on trying his other books. If you like the p.i. Noir this is for you
These books are so good this is my first russel blake book and I plan on trying his other books. If you like the p.i. Noir this is for you
July 8, 2021
Great series! I gave it a 4 star only because it was a little predictable. But I enjoyed all 4 books.
January 5, 2025
I reread this series for enjoyment and appreciated their entertainment value again with the antics of al the characters and of course Muggsy the cat.
November 14, 2025
Audible Edition ~ Narrated by R.C. Bray
So audictive, I’m continuing with a third listen. I craved an entertaining and humorous series and this one is purrrrfect!
Clichéd to the max. Laughter guaranteed!
Russell Blake's "Black" series, narrated by the incomparable R.C. Bray, is a laugh-out-loud hoot. This four-novel bundle is packed with humor, quirky characters, and witty one-liners kept me entertained throughout. Between Detective Black's secretary, the screamingly funny Roxie with her office 🐱 Mugsie, a stray overweight feline, and Black's own lively sarcastic barbs, I laughed out loud. "Our bank account is about as empty as a Kardashian's head." We follow Black as he conducts his curiously unique investigations and meet some interesting and very quirky characters, making this a must-listen. Bray’s narration is spot-on, bringing these eccentric characters to life with his brilliant vocal presentation. His performance adds to the humor and charm of the story. I devoured this bundle and eagerly wait for more in Russell Blake’s series. If you're looking for a humorous, entertaining listen, look no further. With Blake’s enthralling storytelling and Bray's riveting narration, this bundle is an absolute delight! Well worth a cherished credit. Epic, I say. EPIC! EPIC! EPIC!
💥😂👏🎙️✍🏻🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟😂👏🎙️✍🏻💥
NOTE: After finishing Book 1, do not ask Alexa for a chapter by number. I did and went all over the place. At the time, I blamed it on an Audible glitch but after many years as a member, I learned I was the “Glitch Bitch.”😂
So audictive, I’m continuing with a third listen. I craved an entertaining and humorous series and this one is purrrrfect!
Clichéd to the max. Laughter guaranteed!
Russell Blake's "Black" series, narrated by the incomparable R.C. Bray, is a laugh-out-loud hoot. This four-novel bundle is packed with humor, quirky characters, and witty one-liners kept me entertained throughout. Between Detective Black's secretary, the screamingly funny Roxie with her office 🐱 Mugsie, a stray overweight feline, and Black's own lively sarcastic barbs, I laughed out loud. "Our bank account is about as empty as a Kardashian's head." We follow Black as he conducts his curiously unique investigations and meet some interesting and very quirky characters, making this a must-listen. Bray’s narration is spot-on, bringing these eccentric characters to life with his brilliant vocal presentation. His performance adds to the humor and charm of the story. I devoured this bundle and eagerly wait for more in Russell Blake’s series. If you're looking for a humorous, entertaining listen, look no further. With Blake’s enthralling storytelling and Bray's riveting narration, this bundle is an absolute delight! Well worth a cherished credit. Epic, I say. EPIC! EPIC! EPIC!
💥😂👏🎙️✍🏻🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟😂👏🎙️✍🏻💥
NOTE: After finishing Book 1, do not ask Alexa for a chapter by number. I did and went all over the place. At the time, I blamed it on an Audible glitch but after many years as a member, I learned I was the “Glitch Bitch.”😂
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews