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Valentino #6
Indigo: A Valentino Mystery
Indigo is a brand new Valentino novel from Harlan Coben's hero, Loren D. Estleman!
Film detective Valentino is summoned to the estate of Ignacio Bozel to collect a prized donation to the university’s movie library: Bleak Street, a film from the classic noir period, thought lost for more than sixty years.
Bleak Street was never released. Its star, Van Oliver, a gifted and charismatic actor with alleged ties to the mob, disappeared while the project was in post-production, presumably murdered by gangland rivals: another one of Hollywood’s unsolved mysteries. Studio bosses elected to shelve the film rather than risk box-office failure. UCLA’s PR Department is excited about the acquisition, but only if Valentino can find a way to sell it in the mainstream media by way of a sensational discovery to coincide with its release: “We want to know what happened to Oliver.”
A simple quest for a few hundred yards of celluloid opens a portal into a place darker than night.
Film detective Valentino is summoned to the estate of Ignacio Bozel to collect a prized donation to the university’s movie library: Bleak Street, a film from the classic noir period, thought lost for more than sixty years.
Bleak Street was never released. Its star, Van Oliver, a gifted and charismatic actor with alleged ties to the mob, disappeared while the project was in post-production, presumably murdered by gangland rivals: another one of Hollywood’s unsolved mysteries. Studio bosses elected to shelve the film rather than risk box-office failure. UCLA’s PR Department is excited about the acquisition, but only if Valentino can find a way to sell it in the mainstream media by way of a sensational discovery to coincide with its release: “We want to know what happened to Oliver.”
A simple quest for a few hundred yards of celluloid opens a portal into a place darker than night.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 26, 2020
30 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Loren D. Estleman
315 books280 followersLoren D. Estleman is an American writer of detective and Western fiction. He writes with a manual typewriter.
Estleman is most famous for his novels about P.I. Amos Walker. Other series characters include Old West marshal Page Murdock and hitman Peter Macklin. He has also written a series of novels about the history of crime in Detroit (also the setting of his Walker books.) His non-series works include Bloody Season, a fictional recreation of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and several novels and stories featuring Sherlock Holmes.
Series:
* Amos Walker Mystery
* Valentino Mystery
* Detroit Crime Mystery
* Peter Macklin Mystery
* Page Murdock Mystery
Estleman is most famous for his novels about P.I. Amos Walker. Other series characters include Old West marshal Page Murdock and hitman Peter Macklin. He has also written a series of novels about the history of crime in Detroit (also the setting of his Walker books.) His non-series works include Bloody Season, a fictional recreation of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and several novels and stories featuring Sherlock Holmes.
Series:
* Amos Walker Mystery
* Valentino Mystery
* Detroit Crime Mystery
* Peter Macklin Mystery
* Page Murdock Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 4, 2020
Loren D Estleman channels his indisputably tremendous knowledge of classic noir films from the golden age through his protagonist, film archivist and historian, Valentino, the film detective, an obsessive of film noir, working at the Film and TV Preservation Department at UCLA, in Los Angeles. I have to admit that is the first of the series that I have read, a thoroughly enjoyable read, particularly recommended if you are a film noir buff or simply want to know more about noir film classics of the era. Valentino is invited to Ignacio Bozel's estate, where to his shock and joy he is treated to a viewing of a film he has longed to see, the treasure that was made in 1959, Bleak Street, a lost noir film that was never seen by the public, as it was pulled post production and subsequently disappeared.
It is everything Valentino hoped it would be, despite all its allegorical tropes and cliches, it would have been destined to have become a revered noir classic and had it been shown, would have transformed the genre with the new and innovative paths that it would have opened up. Bleak Street would have made a star of Van Oliver, playing a racketeer loosely based on Bugsy Siegel, but with an entirely new and charismatic take in his dangerously edgy and superior performance, with the film infused with a sense of dread and tension that lifted it above the run of the mill. There was much rumour, scandal and gossip swirling around Oliver including mob connections, all which reached their heights when Oliver vanished, assumed to have been murdered by the mob, with the police getting nowhere in their investigations. Bozel gives his copy of the film to Valentino and UCLA in return for a favour.
Excited about planning a premiere for the film, a colleague, Henry Anklemire, advises that attention for the lost film would sky rocket if Valentino were to solve the six decades old murder of Van Oliver. Valentino cannot resist the challenge and finds himself sucked into a dangerous case that echoes the plot of a classic film noir where there are forces determined that Oliver's murder should never be solved and that Bleak Street should never see the light of day for a variety of reasons. This is an entertaining and informative read, engaging with a subject and protagonist that cannot fail to capture the interest of the reader, with Estleman providing a must see list of classic noir movies at the end. Many thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an ARC.
It is everything Valentino hoped it would be, despite all its allegorical tropes and cliches, it would have been destined to have become a revered noir classic and had it been shown, would have transformed the genre with the new and innovative paths that it would have opened up. Bleak Street would have made a star of Van Oliver, playing a racketeer loosely based on Bugsy Siegel, but with an entirely new and charismatic take in his dangerously edgy and superior performance, with the film infused with a sense of dread and tension that lifted it above the run of the mill. There was much rumour, scandal and gossip swirling around Oliver including mob connections, all which reached their heights when Oliver vanished, assumed to have been murdered by the mob, with the police getting nowhere in their investigations. Bozel gives his copy of the film to Valentino and UCLA in return for a favour.
Excited about planning a premiere for the film, a colleague, Henry Anklemire, advises that attention for the lost film would sky rocket if Valentino were to solve the six decades old murder of Van Oliver. Valentino cannot resist the challenge and finds himself sucked into a dangerous case that echoes the plot of a classic film noir where there are forces determined that Oliver's murder should never be solved and that Bleak Street should never see the light of day for a variety of reasons. This is an entertaining and informative read, engaging with a subject and protagonist that cannot fail to capture the interest of the reader, with Estleman providing a must see list of classic noir movies at the end. Many thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an ARC.
February 9, 2020
Valentino search for a restores lost films and in between has restored his own movie theatre. An opportunity to showcase a film thought long lost comes at a price - find out what happened to its star. The more Valentino digs, the more he realises someone doesn't want this film to see light of day.
This was a nice little noir outing with the twist at the end slowly revealing itself in the final chapters. You sort of get a hint that something is not quite what it should be. I hadn't read any of the previous books in this series, those had no real issues with picking up the threads as I read along. Loved the bibliograghy and filmography at the end.
An afternoon's escapism for those that get the chance to read it one sitting.
This was a nice little noir outing with the twist at the end slowly revealing itself in the final chapters. You sort of get a hint that something is not quite what it should be. I hadn't read any of the previous books in this series, those had no real issues with picking up the threads as I read along. Loved the bibliograghy and filmography at the end.
An afternoon's escapism for those that get the chance to read it one sitting.
December 2, 2020
This Valentino entry centers on a rediscovered film noir masterpiece. Valentino, for rather ambiguous reasons, tries to find out what happened to the film's male lead, who disappeared (presumed dead) shortly after filming ended. Did his criminal past catch up with him? Valentino does find out, but the charm of this and all the Valentino mysteries is the love of old Hollywood and movies. As always, there is a companion list of books and movies at the end of the book, as much fun to read as the story.
July 19, 2020
Valentino, a film archivist who also has a theater, is thrilled- thrilled- to be offered a chance to screen Bleak Street, a film noir made in 1959 and never shown. Turns out there's a big mystery that caused the studio to put the film away-it's star Van Oliver, disappears while it was in post production. There were rumors about the mob, enough to make everyone nervous. Valentino, because he wants to show the movie and know the answers, sets out to find the truth. No spoilers from me on what he does find all these years later. I'd not read the earlier books in the series, which was not a problem. This is almost a cozy (certainly it's not as hard boiled as the film!), with a good character in Valentino. Fans of classic movies will appreciate it for some of the insight it provides (what's real, what's not?). Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. Made for a fun afternoon and I'm looking forward to the next one.
July 19, 2020
This was a new character for me but I enjoyed it very much. I must thank #Netgalley and #Forgebooks for giving me the opportunity to read Loren D. Estlemans latest Valentino mystery #Indigo I grew up reading Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane and the author has got the atmosphere just like them. I really recommend this book.
April 27, 2023
Letter E in my year of the alphabet authors - I can not believe i have not read anything by Loren Estleman before! what a prolific author! As a film fan I chose a novel in his "film Detective" series. Perfectly noir, perfectly paced, a tiny bit cheesy and a fun read. I will definitely read more Valentino... Film Detective. If anything for the Hollywood history lessons...
August 1, 2020
As the film archivist at UCLA, Valentino acts as a detective tracking down lost or forgotten movies. He is overjoyed to receive a print of a never-released noir film, “Bleak Street,” especially because a mystery is attached to the film: its star, Van Oliver, disappeared during post-production and was never seen again. His alleged ties to the Mob might offer a clue, but can Valentino resolve the mystery so many decades after the fact? He has no option but to try, whatever the cost…. “Indigo” is the sixth in this series of rather odd mysteries featuring the film detective, all set in modern Los Angeles but dealing with Hollywood history in all its aspects. I’m not a fan of LA (having lived in San Francisco for much of my life), but I love this series, in large part because Mr. Estleman is so skilled at drawing complex and compelling characters and at using the landscape almost as another character in its own right. As a bonus, he always includes information about film history and a bibliography for further enlightenment. Recommended!
May 11, 2021
UCLA film archivist Valentino solves the historic disappearance of a film noir star. One of the 10 best mysteries I read in 2021.
February 9, 2023
I read this book as part of my library's Blind Date with a Book program that always happens during February. The library gift wraps books, writes descriptive words about the book on the giftwrap, and then you take your chances and pick the book description that sounds like something you'd like. And I ended up choosing... Indigo.
The good thing is that this book is pretty short and fast-paced, which was one of the reasons why I continued reading it through to the end, even though I wasn't feeling it. This is book 9 in a series, and because I have not read any of the other books, I felt like an outsider reading about established characters and inside jokes.
That aside, this book is about a film "detective" named Valentino who is given a very old, never-before-seen movie. However, some people don't want the movie to be shown because the main actor in the movie mysteriously disappeared. Was he murdered? And who did it? That's what Valentino sets out to uncover because he really really REALLY wants to show this movie at the grand opening of his remodeled theater. Spoiler alert: he solves the case.
I appreciate someone with a vast knowledge of movie trivia, however, I am not that person. There is a lot of name-dropping going on and many references made to movies and movie stars that I've never heard of. So when Valentino compares someone's voice as sounding like so-and-so, I have no idea what that means because I don't know who so-and-so is.
The end of the book includes a list of noir films to watch from the 40s and 50s, which was kind of cool, but overall, this book just wasn't for me.
The good thing is that this book is pretty short and fast-paced, which was one of the reasons why I continued reading it through to the end, even though I wasn't feeling it. This is book 9 in a series, and because I have not read any of the other books, I felt like an outsider reading about established characters and inside jokes.
That aside, this book is about a film "detective" named Valentino who is given a very old, never-before-seen movie. However, some people don't want the movie to be shown because the main actor in the movie mysteriously disappeared. Was he murdered? And who did it? That's what Valentino sets out to uncover because he really really REALLY wants to show this movie at the grand opening of his remodeled theater. Spoiler alert: he solves the case.
I appreciate someone with a vast knowledge of movie trivia, however, I am not that person. There is a lot of name-dropping going on and many references made to movies and movie stars that I've never heard of. So when Valentino compares someone's voice as sounding like so-and-so, I have no idea what that means because I don't know who so-and-so is.
The end of the book includes a list of noir films to watch from the 40s and 50s, which was kind of cool, but overall, this book just wasn't for me.
December 18, 2020
Vintage movie references, a refurbished movie house, and a mystery? Yes please! Great mystery series that makes you feel like you're a TCM host.
"Film detective Valentino is summoned to the estate of Ignacio Bozel to collect a prized donation to the university’s movie library: Bleak Street, a film from the classic noir period, thought lost for more than sixty years. Bleak Street was never released. Its star, Van Oliver, a gifted and charismatic actor with alleged ties to the mob, disappeared while the project was in post-production, presumably murdered by gangland rivals: another one of Hollywood’s unsolved mysteries. Studio bosses elected to shelve the film rather than risk box-office failure. UCLA’s PR Department is excited about the acquisition, but only if Valentino can find a way to sell it in the mainstream media by way of a sensational discovery to coincide with its release: “We want to know what happened to Oliver.”"
"Film detective Valentino is summoned to the estate of Ignacio Bozel to collect a prized donation to the university’s movie library: Bleak Street, a film from the classic noir period, thought lost for more than sixty years. Bleak Street was never released. Its star, Van Oliver, a gifted and charismatic actor with alleged ties to the mob, disappeared while the project was in post-production, presumably murdered by gangland rivals: another one of Hollywood’s unsolved mysteries. Studio bosses elected to shelve the film rather than risk box-office failure. UCLA’s PR Department is excited about the acquisition, but only if Valentino can find a way to sell it in the mainstream media by way of a sensational discovery to coincide with its release: “We want to know what happened to Oliver.”"
August 1, 2020
OK, I had other books I should have been reading before this one based on when they are due back at the library, but honestly I couldn't wait. If you haven't previously read this series you are seriously missing out; the only sad part is that the author writes so few so it seems like you are always waiting for a new one, sigh. Do read them in order! Valentino (and yes the name is on his birth certificate) is a film archivist in LA, or as he says on his cards, a film detective, which sometimes gets a little too close real life bodies in unexpected places. Each book takes a classic movie or actor as a focus, in the case Indigo it is about classic film noir. The stories are compact and compelling. But for me, a big plus is the author's afterword describing his research, influences, bibliography, and in this one the film noir titles you must see. And, back to waiting....
May 10, 2022
As a movie buff this series is a blend of hollywood history and hollywood myth. We get a dose of the real tales of actors and actresses, the great movies and the second string films, the studio stars and the hangers on. And then we get a mystery filmed in old silver nitrate stock and stored in a steel can. So far our film archivist/detective has uncovered lost reals of actual movies. And then some characters based on either one real person or a composite of old leading/character players get wrapped in a mystery. And the 'what-if' movies that sound so good we wish they had been made so he can find them. All in all this is a lighter than normal crime/mystery series where we sometimes get a dead body or two but more often than not just get a good read with a little action, love and adventure.
August 28, 2020
Any new Valentino mystery is cause for rejoicing. This one focused on film noir which is not my favorite genre at all. Despite that I found the story full of interesting information about these films of the 30s-50s, the studio and star system of the time, etc.. As always there was an extensive bibliography and filmography section complete with comments and a long author note on the genre. The story itself was only a bit longer than a novelette and I kind of guessed the the ending. But that’s OK. I just love these visits to the Hollywood past through Valentino’s search for rare and lost films. He is surrounded by a quirky cast of friends and colleagues- always fun to visit with them. And Val’s restoration of his 20s movie palace is finally done! I look forward to the next one.
October 2, 2020
UCLA film archivist Valentino is given a copy of Bleak Street, a long-lost noir movie from 1957 that was never released when its star, Van Oliver, disappeared under suspicious circumstances right after filming concluded. When Valentino starts investigating Oliver's disappearance, strange things begin happening. Apparently someone would like him to stop.
This novel features the same colorful characters, snappy dialogue, and fast-moving plot as previous installments in the series, with lots of information about film history and preservation included.
There are a few errors that an editor should have caught: "graduate library" in one chapter becomes "undergraduate library" in the next; "I will next time" on p 102 is quoted as "I won't next time" on p 103.
This novel features the same colorful characters, snappy dialogue, and fast-moving plot as previous installments in the series, with lots of information about film history and preservation included.
There are a few errors that an editor should have caught: "graduate library" in one chapter becomes "undergraduate library" in the next; "I will next time" on p 102 is quoted as "I won't next time" on p 103.
April 7, 2020
I love Estleman and have literally read almost every book heys written. This is my second Valentino,, a series of soft boiled mystery stories featuring , Valentino, and his adventures as a film restorer in
Los Angeles. These are fast paced stories in which Estleman really displays his encyclopedic knowledge of movies and Hollywood”. Just fun, you learn something about the movies you didn’t know and you get to enjoy a mystery .it’s a fantastic bargain. Get this email and the rest of Estleman. Trust me on this. .
Los Angeles. These are fast paced stories in which Estleman really displays his encyclopedic knowledge of movies and Hollywood”. Just fun, you learn something about the movies you didn’t know and you get to enjoy a mystery .it’s a fantastic bargain. Get this email and the rest of Estleman. Trust me on this. .
November 3, 2020
Estleman is one of my favorite authors, and I've read a lot of his books. The Valentino series is a favorite, as well. This book has everything I've come to expect from the series. The characters are well established, and the dialog is funnier than most of his other works. His love of the movie industry is very apparent. I just wish there was more to enjoy. This book is barely 200 pages, but I won't complain, much, as long as he continues the series.
March 10, 2020
Valentino is celebrating the finishing of The Oracle and deciding what old movie will be shown at the opening when he is invited to the home of the mysterious Ignacio Bozel and offered Bleak Street, a noir movie that never premiered because the star disappeared after the movie was wrapped. Speculation is that the Mob had done him in for various reasons. Now Valentino has a title for his opening until Supernova International intervenes with a court order. Now all Valentino has to do is solve a very old case whose witnesses are dead or dying. So will Bleak Street ever be shown or will it be lights out for Valentino? Plus, there is a recommended list of noir movies to watch at the end!
Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title!
Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title!
March 13, 2022
Noir
Sixth in the series, this time centered on film noir. Very compelling, with the mysterious disappearance of a promising young star in the 1950s. Valentine is his usual film detective looking for those most pieces of cinema history. This is a really enjoyable series especially for those who love mystery and film.
Sixth in the series, this time centered on film noir. Very compelling, with the mysterious disappearance of a promising young star in the 1950s. Valentine is his usual film detective looking for those most pieces of cinema history. This is a really enjoyable series especially for those who love mystery and film.
April 24, 2020
I really enjoyed reading this book, I love Mr. Estleman's work and this did not disappoint. He's always able to write really good Golden Age Hollywood mysteries. Overall I had a great time reading this.
July 30, 2020
I liked the atmosphere and the characters of this book. It's a story for anyone who loves old movies and Chandler/Hammett stories.
It's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
December 19, 2020
Recommended.
Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:
https://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/2...
Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:
https://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/2...
August 10, 2021
Such a splendid thriller. Valentino seems to be a college film geek. When he comes into contact with the noir film of all time he goes to great lengths to protect it.
Read
March 27, 2022Not my favourite, not an author I'll continue to read
June 9, 2024
Reads like a film nor, which is appropriate as it centers on that subject. It was an interesting mystery with a solution that I found satisfying and a bit unexpected.
December 4, 2024
Another solid entry in the Valentino series. Loved the Noir aspects of the story. Was happy that the Oracle finally opens. Good stuff
August 5, 2020
Entertaining Hollywood mystery - amateur sleuth genre. An unreleased and lost film masterpiece and an old murder case that isn’t quite what it seems once Valentino starts poking around. Breezy and light, with a lot of digressions (including a red herring suicide), the characters are a bit cartoonish but that’s part of the point of what is, on one level, an exercise in nostalgia. I give Estleman a lot of credit for writing a lot in a couple of genres. The Valentino series gives him a chance to lighten the mood and also write about films (they all have afterwords about the relevant film history).
December 30, 2020
Detection fiction's not my usual fare,
but this one's ties to film noir made it
both interesting and informative.
but this one's ties to film noir made it
both interesting and informative.
March 19, 2023
I confess—I love Valentino mysteries, and I love film noir. I don’t go to church on Sunday; I go to Noir Alley on TCM. Loren D Estleman loves old Hollywood with a barely restrained passion. He has produced five earlier Valentino novels and a collection of Valentino short stories. In INDIGO, it feels as if Estleman channels Eddie Muller, the Czar of Noir and the host of Noir Alley. Not all noirs are genuinely black. Valentino mysteries are essentially cozies with more than a touch of screwball comedy. Only THE BIG CLOCK (1948) succeeded in that stunt, and it appears to be Estleman’s inspiration for INDIGO.
In a surprise party, Ignacio Borzal gifts Valentino a spectacular picture for his restored cinema, the Oracle. Borzal further gifts him with with the film BLEAK STREET, un film noir, that never saw the silver screen because its star, Van Oliver, disappeared during post production. Everyone assumed he was killed because he was connected with both the New York and Los Angeles mob. After a sufficient period, the LAPD put the case on the shelf; Hollywood, the film. Once Valentino hands the film cans off to the lab at UCLA, Henry Anklemire in the PR department hands Valentino the case—to solve for the promotion buzz. After seventy years, what is Valentino supposed to find?
Trouble is what, for there are no secrets in Hollywood. Valentino’s investigation reveals, at first, little more than what the cops found, but films are switched, an old actress is snuffed, and Valentino himself is nearly run over in Los Angeles. To top it all, his film finding and buying nemesis, Mark David Turkus with his Theda Bara vamp, Teddie, in tow, comes out of lurk mode to reveal his own deep, secret reason to deep six—again!—both Valentino’s investigation and BLEAK STREET itself.
INDIGO is a lark for old movie buffs in general and noir aficionados in particular. Valentino fans will be delighted to find Valentino’s usual crew in fine form. Valentino is still dating Harriett in the coroner’s office, Ruth is still the sharp-tongued dragon lady of the department, and Kyle Broadbent is happily married to his former student Fanta. The film noir flourishes are everywhere. Each section of the novel is the title of a famous noir, one character bears a name reminiscent of one used in Max Ophuls’ CAUGHT (1949), and the dialogue has all the snap and charge one could and should expect from a good noir. Furthermore, the loving care Estleman bestows upon old Hollywood geography and architecture produces both a fine sense of nostalgia and a you-are-there feel.
Unfortunately, this novel lacks the one element that marks every film noir—desperation. Even THE BIG CLOCK, for all its screwball comedy, had a high degree of urgency and anxiety, even bite and sacrifice. INDIGO lopes along with a low level of tension. Seriously, how much can there be when all the principals in the original disappearance are either dead or well into their golden years? Even when Turkus shows up, he’s not quite the shark he usually is—even if his secret is classic noir. Teddie usually tries her best to play the femme fatale, but she is quiet here, which is a pity. I was most annoyed about the handling of the contemporary murder. It is a gruesome crime that should have more weight than mere misdirection.
Quibbles aside, readers will be amused by this generally well written romp through old Hollywood. Even if you have not read a Valentino novel—or short story—you will not have any trouble getting into this fun novel. It is a series of standalones in that regard. (I have not read four or five in the series, and I did not skip a beat.) As usual, there is highly informative author’s note and select bibliography at the back. Skip these at your own risk. I did get a sense, however, in the symmetrical nature of the story—opens and closes in the same type of scene, that this might be the end of the series. If so, then it is a good place to end, but I sincerely hope it is not the end of Valentino.
Received from Netgallery
In a surprise party, Ignacio Borzal gifts Valentino a spectacular picture for his restored cinema, the Oracle. Borzal further gifts him with with the film BLEAK STREET, un film noir, that never saw the silver screen because its star, Van Oliver, disappeared during post production. Everyone assumed he was killed because he was connected with both the New York and Los Angeles mob. After a sufficient period, the LAPD put the case on the shelf; Hollywood, the film. Once Valentino hands the film cans off to the lab at UCLA, Henry Anklemire in the PR department hands Valentino the case—to solve for the promotion buzz. After seventy years, what is Valentino supposed to find?
Trouble is what, for there are no secrets in Hollywood. Valentino’s investigation reveals, at first, little more than what the cops found, but films are switched, an old actress is snuffed, and Valentino himself is nearly run over in Los Angeles. To top it all, his film finding and buying nemesis, Mark David Turkus with his Theda Bara vamp, Teddie, in tow, comes out of lurk mode to reveal his own deep, secret reason to deep six—again!—both Valentino’s investigation and BLEAK STREET itself.
INDIGO is a lark for old movie buffs in general and noir aficionados in particular. Valentino fans will be delighted to find Valentino’s usual crew in fine form. Valentino is still dating Harriett in the coroner’s office, Ruth is still the sharp-tongued dragon lady of the department, and Kyle Broadbent is happily married to his former student Fanta. The film noir flourishes are everywhere. Each section of the novel is the title of a famous noir, one character bears a name reminiscent of one used in Max Ophuls’ CAUGHT (1949), and the dialogue has all the snap and charge one could and should expect from a good noir. Furthermore, the loving care Estleman bestows upon old Hollywood geography and architecture produces both a fine sense of nostalgia and a you-are-there feel.
Unfortunately, this novel lacks the one element that marks every film noir—desperation. Even THE BIG CLOCK, for all its screwball comedy, had a high degree of urgency and anxiety, even bite and sacrifice. INDIGO lopes along with a low level of tension. Seriously, how much can there be when all the principals in the original disappearance are either dead or well into their golden years? Even when Turkus shows up, he’s not quite the shark he usually is—even if his secret is classic noir. Teddie usually tries her best to play the femme fatale, but she is quiet here, which is a pity. I was most annoyed about the handling of the contemporary murder. It is a gruesome crime that should have more weight than mere misdirection.
Quibbles aside, readers will be amused by this generally well written romp through old Hollywood. Even if you have not read a Valentino novel—or short story—you will not have any trouble getting into this fun novel. It is a series of standalones in that regard. (I have not read four or five in the series, and I did not skip a beat.) As usual, there is highly informative author’s note and select bibliography at the back. Skip these at your own risk. I did get a sense, however, in the symmetrical nature of the story—opens and closes in the same type of scene, that this might be the end of the series. If so, then it is a good place to end, but I sincerely hope it is not the end of Valentino.
Received from Netgallery
June 26, 2020
This is a Valentino mystery; which doesn’t mean that Rudolf Valentino is solving the mystery, unfortunately. This Valentino is a present- day film archivist and historian at UCLA. His business card calls him a “film detective.”
Valentino will be given a copy of the missing and thought lost “Bleak Street” from 1959, if he can solve the mystery of what happened to its movie star, who disappeared right before it was to open. Was it his underworld ties?
(But there was a real “Bleak Street” in 1927 that starred Greta Garbo and featured Marlene Dietrich, why not that actual missing film and that real mystery? (Ooops: The Garbo film was “The Joyless Street” and it’s 1925.)
These are fun, light mysteries, near cozies, if cozies can also have some deep, dark shadows, guys in trench coats, gats, and gals in gowns. I read some of the early books in this series, but haven’t read a bunch of the ones in between and that was fine. One of my favorite things in the book is that after the novel is an annotated bibliography and a filmography. In a mystery novel, yeah! Read on Kindle, from Net Galley, in return for a review. I also think it will do nicely for a Read Harder Challenge 2020 #3 Read a mystery where the victim is not a woman.
Valentino will be given a copy of the missing and thought lost “Bleak Street” from 1959, if he can solve the mystery of what happened to its movie star, who disappeared right before it was to open. Was it his underworld ties?
(But there was a real “Bleak Street” in 1927 that starred Greta Garbo and featured Marlene Dietrich, why not that actual missing film and that real mystery? (Ooops: The Garbo film was “The Joyless Street” and it’s 1925.)
These are fun, light mysteries, near cozies, if cozies can also have some deep, dark shadows, guys in trench coats, gats, and gals in gowns. I read some of the early books in this series, but haven’t read a bunch of the ones in between and that was fine. One of my favorite things in the book is that after the novel is an annotated bibliography and a filmography. In a mystery novel, yeah! Read on Kindle, from Net Galley, in return for a review. I also think it will do nicely for a Read Harder Challenge 2020 #3 Read a mystery where the victim is not a woman.
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