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Always the Dead
Los Angeles, California. 1949.
Scott Kelly is a World War Two Marine veteran and mob hitman confined to a Tuberculosis sanatorium suffering from consumption, flashbacks and nightmares from his experiences of The Battle of Okinawa and a botched hit for Bugsy Siegel.
When his movie actress girlfriend disappears, he bribes his way out of the sanatorium to search for her.
What follows is a frantic search, a manic murder spree, stolen contraband, and a briefcase full of cash.
A story that stretches from the war torn beaches of Okinawa, all the way to the playground of the rich and famous, Palm Springs, California.
An exploration into the depths of L.A crime, PTSD and twisted love.
A semi-fictional novel based around the disappearance of Jean Spangler.
Scott Kelly is a World War Two Marine veteran and mob hitman confined to a Tuberculosis sanatorium suffering from consumption, flashbacks and nightmares from his experiences of The Battle of Okinawa and a botched hit for Bugsy Siegel.
When his movie actress girlfriend disappears, he bribes his way out of the sanatorium to search for her.
What follows is a frantic search, a manic murder spree, stolen contraband, and a briefcase full of cash.
A story that stretches from the war torn beaches of Okinawa, all the way to the playground of the rich and famous, Palm Springs, California.
An exploration into the depths of L.A crime, PTSD and twisted love.
A semi-fictional novel based around the disappearance of Jean Spangler.
Kindle Edition
Published January 29, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 17, 2022
"Good guys don’t kill bad guys, Charlie. Bad guys kill other bad guys and then they get f***ing killed themselves. It’s a never-ending circle of bulls**t and blood. Worse than the war."
You can spot the influences all over ALWAYS THE DEAD. In Scott Kelly, the low-level L.A. gangster turned World War II solider turned tubercular, PTSD-addled sanitarium patient whose true sickness is his obsession with a woman who not only didn't love him but was incapable of being faithful to him, you can see echoes of characters played by the premium noir stylists of the 1940s and 1950s: James M. Cain, John Fante, Jim Thompson, Ross Macdonald, Dorothy B. Hughes as well as more modern practitioners of throwback noir like James Ellroy and Walter Mosley.
But there's something beyond the synthesis of all these master's styles that makes ALWAYS THE DEAD, above all, a signature work of Stephen J. Golds. It's hard to define, but perhaps it's a cool distance — Golds is a Brit who's long lived in Japan without ever having made a home in the U.S. — that allows his novels, which are on the short side, to pack so much concentrated punch without ever feeling overstuffed with characters, plot or setting. You get them all, in prose so sun-blasted and fever-dreamy that it feels like the literary equivalent of yellowed shoebox photos of young people pumped full up on the biggest drug L.A. had to offer after the war: Promise. Possibility. But you also get a disciplined focus on the characters and story that doesn't ever get sidetracked by the intensive research that must have gone into it. Distance as cool as the juice that drips from a Southern California orange into the dirt of its grove and its grave.
The plot isn't beside the point, but Scott Kelly's seemingly doomed-from-the-start search for Jean Spangler, a real-life figure of L.A. sleaze culture of the time, is fun to play out as the desperately sick man bounces from mansion to bar to back seat to sidewalk in a stumbling haze of love-drunk obsession, dealing with real-life figures like Meyer Lansky and Mickey Cohen along the way, tallying his debts and taking what he thinks he's owed. The trail of blood, lies, and turned backs leads to the desert, and Palm Springs, and a rising pile of bodies as Kelly gradually loses vitality, allies and the ability to discern reality from fevered hope. Jean Spangler remains in his sight, but with each turn of the page, we see that Scott Kelly's sight isn't what it used to be.
The pages fly like those of an airport bestseller — why isn't Stephen J. Golds with a major publisher, given his talent and craft? — and the best lines land like stiletto strikes between the ribs. If you like your stories served up Hollywood hardboiled and topped with extra helpings of hate, vengeance, defiance, lust and blood in the blanched sunlight, ALWAYS THE DEAD will satisfy and then some.
You can spot the influences all over ALWAYS THE DEAD. In Scott Kelly, the low-level L.A. gangster turned World War II solider turned tubercular, PTSD-addled sanitarium patient whose true sickness is his obsession with a woman who not only didn't love him but was incapable of being faithful to him, you can see echoes of characters played by the premium noir stylists of the 1940s and 1950s: James M. Cain, John Fante, Jim Thompson, Ross Macdonald, Dorothy B. Hughes as well as more modern practitioners of throwback noir like James Ellroy and Walter Mosley.
But there's something beyond the synthesis of all these master's styles that makes ALWAYS THE DEAD, above all, a signature work of Stephen J. Golds. It's hard to define, but perhaps it's a cool distance — Golds is a Brit who's long lived in Japan without ever having made a home in the U.S. — that allows his novels, which are on the short side, to pack so much concentrated punch without ever feeling overstuffed with characters, plot or setting. You get them all, in prose so sun-blasted and fever-dreamy that it feels like the literary equivalent of yellowed shoebox photos of young people pumped full up on the biggest drug L.A. had to offer after the war: Promise. Possibility. But you also get a disciplined focus on the characters and story that doesn't ever get sidetracked by the intensive research that must have gone into it. Distance as cool as the juice that drips from a Southern California orange into the dirt of its grove and its grave.
The plot isn't beside the point, but Scott Kelly's seemingly doomed-from-the-start search for Jean Spangler, a real-life figure of L.A. sleaze culture of the time, is fun to play out as the desperately sick man bounces from mansion to bar to back seat to sidewalk in a stumbling haze of love-drunk obsession, dealing with real-life figures like Meyer Lansky and Mickey Cohen along the way, tallying his debts and taking what he thinks he's owed. The trail of blood, lies, and turned backs leads to the desert, and Palm Springs, and a rising pile of bodies as Kelly gradually loses vitality, allies and the ability to discern reality from fevered hope. Jean Spangler remains in his sight, but with each turn of the page, we see that Scott Kelly's sight isn't what it used to be.
The pages fly like those of an airport bestseller — why isn't Stephen J. Golds with a major publisher, given his talent and craft? — and the best lines land like stiletto strikes between the ribs. If you like your stories served up Hollywood hardboiled and topped with extra helpings of hate, vengeance, defiance, lust and blood in the blanched sunlight, ALWAYS THE DEAD will satisfy and then some.
September 19, 2021
I was asked by the author to read his upcoming novel, and I’m glad he did.
Before I dive in, I’ll say you need a strong stomach to read this tale of severe PTSD, obsessive love and crime. Not normally strong, very strong.
That said I was absorbed into the world of Scott Kelly from the first page. He is a man who will consume you, upset you, and shock you. Everything that happens is a car crash of a human, who gets deeper and deeper into mental illness and violence.
The book is so dark and violent that if you don’t want to read the darkest noir, full of raw emotions and honesty, you will walk away.
If you’re a lover of the deepest, darkest noir and can basically read anything you will start this book and not move until you are finished.
It’s deep, dark, dangerous and delicious to read.
Thank you Stephen J Golds I loved this. You are a unique talent. If you’re not majorly big very soon, due to your new approach to writing, I don’t know why not! Bloody brilliant, triumph of a novel.
Before I dive in, I’ll say you need a strong stomach to read this tale of severe PTSD, obsessive love and crime. Not normally strong, very strong.
That said I was absorbed into the world of Scott Kelly from the first page. He is a man who will consume you, upset you, and shock you. Everything that happens is a car crash of a human, who gets deeper and deeper into mental illness and violence.
The book is so dark and violent that if you don’t want to read the darkest noir, full of raw emotions and honesty, you will walk away.
If you’re a lover of the deepest, darkest noir and can basically read anything you will start this book and not move until you are finished.
It’s deep, dark, dangerous and delicious to read.
Thank you Stephen J Golds I loved this. You are a unique talent. If you’re not majorly big very soon, due to your new approach to writing, I don’t know why not! Bloody brilliant, triumph of a novel.
February 4, 2021
Stephen J. Golds' Always the Dead has a touch of Lehane in its prose and James Ellroy in its setting. Set in post WW2, the book follows Scott Kelly's mental swings from obsession with a woman he can't quite grasp, to recollections of the Pacific War's knee-deep bloodiness which formed his character.
Golds has a way of painting a picture to suck you right into his world, a world you'll want to escape, but can't quite pull yourself from because the writing is so good.
This is dark stuff. The men and women are all flawed, lost, brutal, and you would side-eye them in a bar and sidle away in hope they wouldn't talk to you. But in this novel, you'll watch them through a pin-hole, googly-eyed at the rocks they crash themselves on.
Great stuff.
Golds has a way of painting a picture to suck you right into his world, a world you'll want to escape, but can't quite pull yourself from because the writing is so good.
This is dark stuff. The men and women are all flawed, lost, brutal, and you would side-eye them in a bar and sidle away in hope they wouldn't talk to you. But in this novel, you'll watch them through a pin-hole, googly-eyed at the rocks they crash themselves on.
Great stuff.
January 11, 2021
I discovered Stephen J. Golds books when I was drawn like a moth to the flame to the cover of his brilliant novel Say Goodbye When I'm Gone but I have to say that the postcard cover of Always the Dead is absolutely breathtaking. Always the Dead has the same vintage thriller feel to it and although it is a little darker, I consider it to be his best book yet; I've honestly never read anything like it before.
I don't know how he does it, but reading Always the Dead is like watching an old black and white movie with a New York twanged narrator. I was absolutely flabbergasted that such authentic vintage scenes could be conjured from such very well chosen words, which is solely due to the immense talent of Stephen J. Golds.
The main character of Scott Kelly is one that you simultaneously fear yet root for. Scott is a war veteran, clearly suffering from PTSD, but it's his tuberculosis that sees him confined to a sanatorium. With inner demons waging war inside his head, it's a wonder that Scott can function at all but it's thoughts of his girlfriend Jean that keep him going. Jean isn't a traditional girlfriend and I found her to be something of an enigma, wondering if we ever see the real side of her. When Jean disappears, Scott sets off to look for her, settling a few old scores along the way. but his physical and mental health deteriorate rapidly.
It wasn't until after I finished reading Always the Dead, that I found out that it was inspired by the true story of the disappearance of Jean Spangler. Off to google I went and, as I often say, I love books that send me off researching fascinating stories or facts. Jean being a real actress makes this book even more authentic and it would make an amazing movie, in black and white of course.
Brilliantly written with a vintage feel, Always the Dead is dark, gritty and compulsive reading. Stephen J. Golds is a hugely talented author and definitely one to watch. A well deserved five stars and highly recommended reading.
Many thanks to Stephen J. Golds for sending me an early copy to read; all opinions in this review are my own.
I don't know how he does it, but reading Always the Dead is like watching an old black and white movie with a New York twanged narrator. I was absolutely flabbergasted that such authentic vintage scenes could be conjured from such very well chosen words, which is solely due to the immense talent of Stephen J. Golds.
The main character of Scott Kelly is one that you simultaneously fear yet root for. Scott is a war veteran, clearly suffering from PTSD, but it's his tuberculosis that sees him confined to a sanatorium. With inner demons waging war inside his head, it's a wonder that Scott can function at all but it's thoughts of his girlfriend Jean that keep him going. Jean isn't a traditional girlfriend and I found her to be something of an enigma, wondering if we ever see the real side of her. When Jean disappears, Scott sets off to look for her, settling a few old scores along the way. but his physical and mental health deteriorate rapidly.
It wasn't until after I finished reading Always the Dead, that I found out that it was inspired by the true story of the disappearance of Jean Spangler. Off to google I went and, as I often say, I love books that send me off researching fascinating stories or facts. Jean being a real actress makes this book even more authentic and it would make an amazing movie, in black and white of course.
Brilliantly written with a vintage feel, Always the Dead is dark, gritty and compulsive reading. Stephen J. Golds is a hugely talented author and definitely one to watch. A well deserved five stars and highly recommended reading.
Many thanks to Stephen J. Golds for sending me an early copy to read; all opinions in this review are my own.
February 5, 2021
I recently discovered Stephen J. Golds, having read and thoroughly enjoyed his last novel ‘Say Goodbye When I’m Gone’ just before Christmas and was delighted to see that he already had another new novel published.
‘Always The Dead’ tells the story of Scott Kelly, an ex-army Lieutenant, who fought at Okinawa during WW2 and is currently languishing in an L.A. sanatorium suffering from tuberculosis and PTSD. It’s 1949 and Scott has spent his years since the war as a mob hitman and he has set himself up with his own bar which he has left in the hands of an old army acquaintance. Scott however suffers from nightmares where the events that he witnessed at Okinawa and the victims of the ‘hits’ he has carried out come back to haunt his sleeping and sometimes waked hours. He finds solace in his girlfriend Jean, whom he loves passionately and who comes to visit him regularly but when she fails to turn up and Scott learns of her disappearance, he bribes his way out of the sanatorium, intent on finding his lover. Physically he is in bad shape and psychologically he is even worse and as his pursuit of Jean continues his condition worsens, to such an extent that Scott’s grip on reality starts to slip.
A truly brilliant piece of noir writing that is both gripping and also truly terrifying, that explores not only the violent tendencies of a professional hitman but of the horrors of warfare that drove him down that road. I found that the novel reminded me of another of my favourite authors, James Ellroy. Like Ellroy, the novel is set in post war L.A. and although a novel, it includes real life characters and events. Golds’s prose however is more readable and less dense than Ellroy’s idiosyncratic style. Scott’s backstory is told through his daydreams and his nightmares but these are not linear and sometimes the stories bleed into one another. His pursuit of Jean leads him back to old friends and enemies and familiar places which leads him down a violent path from which there is no return.
Another great novel from Stephen J. Golds, whose poetry I may have to explore in the meantime until his next novel is released.
‘Always The Dead’ tells the story of Scott Kelly, an ex-army Lieutenant, who fought at Okinawa during WW2 and is currently languishing in an L.A. sanatorium suffering from tuberculosis and PTSD. It’s 1949 and Scott has spent his years since the war as a mob hitman and he has set himself up with his own bar which he has left in the hands of an old army acquaintance. Scott however suffers from nightmares where the events that he witnessed at Okinawa and the victims of the ‘hits’ he has carried out come back to haunt his sleeping and sometimes waked hours. He finds solace in his girlfriend Jean, whom he loves passionately and who comes to visit him regularly but when she fails to turn up and Scott learns of her disappearance, he bribes his way out of the sanatorium, intent on finding his lover. Physically he is in bad shape and psychologically he is even worse and as his pursuit of Jean continues his condition worsens, to such an extent that Scott’s grip on reality starts to slip.
A truly brilliant piece of noir writing that is both gripping and also truly terrifying, that explores not only the violent tendencies of a professional hitman but of the horrors of warfare that drove him down that road. I found that the novel reminded me of another of my favourite authors, James Ellroy. Like Ellroy, the novel is set in post war L.A. and although a novel, it includes real life characters and events. Golds’s prose however is more readable and less dense than Ellroy’s idiosyncratic style. Scott’s backstory is told through his daydreams and his nightmares but these are not linear and sometimes the stories bleed into one another. His pursuit of Jean leads him back to old friends and enemies and familiar places which leads him down a violent path from which there is no return.
Another great novel from Stephen J. Golds, whose poetry I may have to explore in the meantime until his next novel is released.
February 10, 2021
Stephen Golds has quickly become on of my authors over the past 6 months or so. He writes old school noir tales with a modern sensibility and his poetic use of language can be spellbinding at times.
Scott Kelly, WW2 Marine veteran, is staying at a sanatorium looking to recover from about of tuberculosis. He is living with the trauma of his Marine service also and suffering as much mentally as he is physically. Upon discovering his girlfriend, Jean, is missing he discharges himself from the sanatorium and uses his wits as a mob enforcer to hunt her down.
In Scott Kelly, Golds has written a complicated three dimensional character, who is neither hero nor villain. He is a man beset by haunting memories and capable of atrocious things, but with a tenderness and sentimentality lining his personality. His bar speaks to that and how he could be with Jean.
The dream sequences in the book are among the best I have read dispensing with any opaque quality and striving for image laden, grisly nightmares combining all the facets of Scott's life. There is a scattering of real life figures involved in the action too as Scott seeks help in his search for Jean and even utilises a character from his other novel to help also.
My Dad made the same comparison, but there are echoes of Ellroy in the content of the book, but Golds writes in a much more lyrical way using his skills as a poet to wend the crooked web of Scott's life together.
Golds unpacks a lot onto the reader in this one and it is all well worth it as we are given a character of devastating complication to sort of root for while also being reviled by his actions.
Hopefully more Golds coming in the next wee while. I won't be missing any of his future releases.
Scott Kelly, WW2 Marine veteran, is staying at a sanatorium looking to recover from about of tuberculosis. He is living with the trauma of his Marine service also and suffering as much mentally as he is physically. Upon discovering his girlfriend, Jean, is missing he discharges himself from the sanatorium and uses his wits as a mob enforcer to hunt her down.
In Scott Kelly, Golds has written a complicated three dimensional character, who is neither hero nor villain. He is a man beset by haunting memories and capable of atrocious things, but with a tenderness and sentimentality lining his personality. His bar speaks to that and how he could be with Jean.
The dream sequences in the book are among the best I have read dispensing with any opaque quality and striving for image laden, grisly nightmares combining all the facets of Scott's life. There is a scattering of real life figures involved in the action too as Scott seeks help in his search for Jean and even utilises a character from his other novel to help also.
My Dad made the same comparison, but there are echoes of Ellroy in the content of the book, but Golds writes in a much more lyrical way using his skills as a poet to wend the crooked web of Scott's life together.
Golds unpacks a lot onto the reader in this one and it is all well worth it as we are given a character of devastating complication to sort of root for while also being reviled by his actions.
Hopefully more Golds coming in the next wee while. I won't be missing any of his future releases.
November 5, 2025
Written beautifully like a trad published hit. Though that has poetically feminine appeal, it is a grim Okinawa tale. Less glitz as contrast as Lisa See. I recommend for others more attuned to depressing war writings.
January 22, 2021
I had the pleasure of reading this book before it’s release, and for that I am thankful. This is a tremendously well written novel about a sick and troubled Marine veteran dealing with multiple issues. As a former Marine and a student of WWII history myself, and as someone who has been to Okinawa and has toured Shuri Castle, I was able to vividly picture so much of what was happening. A cast of interesting and compelling characters help tell the story of Scott Kelly and his quest for love and vengeance. Having previously read the authors debut Novel, Say Goodbye When I’m Gone, in 2020, I know that he is going to have a successful writing career.
October 4, 2021
This is my first read by this author, but I will definitely be finding more!
Scott Kelly is a survivor, but has his fair share of battle scars, both physical and mental. After experiencing the brutality of WW2, we meet Kelly while he is confined in a sanatorium suffering from tuberculosis. But when he finds out that his girlfriend Jean, who usually visits him regularly, has gone missing he sets of on a mission to find her at whatever cost.
This is a dark, savage, amazingly written tale that does not shy away from anything. The reality of the mental health issues that Scott is dealing with and the way the flashbacks and nightmares that he suffers froms were written was is incredibly realistic and oustandingly visceral. For such a dark subject, the lyrical writing made it so readable that at times it was so easy to get lost in this story, at others I had to stop for a minute because it felt all too real.
Not a light-hearted read by any means, but if you are in the mood for a real, raw noir, I highly recommend this book.
Scott Kelly is a survivor, but has his fair share of battle scars, both physical and mental. After experiencing the brutality of WW2, we meet Kelly while he is confined in a sanatorium suffering from tuberculosis. But when he finds out that his girlfriend Jean, who usually visits him regularly, has gone missing he sets of on a mission to find her at whatever cost.
This is a dark, savage, amazingly written tale that does not shy away from anything. The reality of the mental health issues that Scott is dealing with and the way the flashbacks and nightmares that he suffers froms were written was is incredibly realistic and oustandingly visceral. For such a dark subject, the lyrical writing made it so readable that at times it was so easy to get lost in this story, at others I had to stop for a minute because it felt all too real.
Not a light-hearted read by any means, but if you are in the mood for a real, raw noir, I highly recommend this book.
May 4, 2021
I thank the publisher (Close to the Bone Publishing) for providing me an ARC copy of the book, which I freely chose to review.
The author, whose work I’d never read before, describes his book as a semi-fictional novel, and it is true that the details behind the disappearance of Jean Spangler shared in the novel correspond to those available in what seems to be an open case still. It is also, as many of the reviewers have said, a noir novel, a very dark one, taking us back to the pulp fiction novels of the thirties, forties and fifties, more Mickey Spillane than Dashiell Hammet, although the obsession of the main character with Jean (his ‘twisted love’, quoting from the description) brought to mind many of the authors and the films of the period, James M. Cain included. Some readers might be more familiar with some film-noir movies based on those novels (The Postman Always Ring Twice, D.O.A, Kiss Me Deadly...) and also with some later neo-noir films (I kept thinking of Chinatown, but films adapting more recent novels set in the same period, like L.A. Confidential share in the same aesthetics and themes).
The plot seems pretty straightforward. A hitman (hoodlum, heavy, enforcer, or whatever term you prefer), Scott Kelly —seriously ill with tuberculosis and confined to a sanatorium in L.A.— , discovers that his on-and-off girlfriend (an aspiring actress, starlet, and good-time gal) has gone missing. Despite the risk to his health, he blackmails his way out of hospital and starts a desperate race against time (he becomes increasingly sick as time passes) to try to find her. A reviewer mentioned D.O.A. and there are similarities. There, the detective is fighting to try to find an antidote against a poison running through his veins before it kills him; here, Kelly is dying of his illness, that’s eating his lungs. If that wasn’t enough of a challenge, he also suffers from PTSD (he fought in Okinawa during WWII, and saw pretty horrific things, as his flashbacks make only too clear, and to those experiences he has added some recent traumas related to his work as a hitman, which only make matters worse). He follows some wrong clues and there are plenty of red herrings and incorrect information that keep making him waste more and more of the little time he has left. As it corresponds to the genre, there are plenty of nasty characters, betrayals, corrupt policemen, mafia bosses, illegal businesses (drugs), combined with memories of his past (good and bad), from his childhood in Ireland (before his family emigrated to the USA) and later in America, to the war, his marriage and divorce, his relationship with Jean, and some of his jobs for the mob. Although the story itself is fiction, many of the characters that make an appearance existed in real life and were involved (or at least were people of interest) in the case (even Kirk Douglas gets a mention).
The story is told in the first-person by Scott, and his is a very harsh, cynical, and bitter voice, although he can be lyrical and beautifully descriptive when it comes to thinking about Jean, their love story (that is not without its very dark moments), and also some of the good old times (although there aren’t many). As usual for these genre, he is sharp and articulate, although in his case this is fully justified, as he loved books and had planned to go back to school and become a writer when he returned from the war, although fate had other ideas. The chronological narrative, following Kelly’s investigation, is disrupted by detailed and beautifully descriptive (although often horrific) flashbacks of his war experience and other events, and these episodes become more and more prominent as his health deteriorates. Kelly is not a character easy to like. Quite the opposite. For me, it was a bit of a process. To begin with, we learn that he is suffering from PTSD, is very ill, and his girlfriend has disappeared, so it was inevitable to feel sorry for him. But as we get to follow him, see how he behaves and interacts with others, and get to experience more and more of his flashbacks (some that seem to put into question his own discourse and his self-perception), it becomes more and more difficult to find anything positive in him (other than his sheer determination to get to the end of his investigation). Before we reach the end, we get glimpses of a different Scott, buried deep behind his bravado and his hard exterior, but I wouldn’t go as far as to talk about redemption. I’ve never minded having a ‘bad’ character as the protagonist of a novel, as long as s/he is interesting and consistent, and Kelly fits the bill. Some of the other characters aren’t quite as complex as Kelly, although Golds always adds some details that make them memorable, and if I had to choose one of the characters as my favourite, it would have to be Rudy, the driver for a mob boss. He is, in many ways, the kind of person Kelly would have become if he hadn’t jumped in at the deep end, although... (Sorry, I’ll leave it there to avoid spoilers). As for Jean... She is a bit like Laura, the protagonist of the 1944 Otto Preminger film of the same name: each person who talks about her seems to have a different opinion of her, and we get a variety of versions: harlot, loving, manipulative, talented, beautiful, disloyal, caring, greedy... She combines the two typical images of the women in film-noir, the virginal maiden, and the deadly femme-fatale. Who she really was is something left open to interpretation, as we never get to hear her own voice directly. In a way, she is a figure that resists all interpretations, at least those of the men who knew her, and, in some cases, thought they were in love with her. What made her so alluring? Was it her skill at becoming the woman each one of those men wanted or needed? Perhaps.
I’ve referred to the Kelly’s narrative voice, and the writing reflects perfectly his persona. I’ve seen the novel described as ‘retro-noir’, and if one didn’t know this had been just published, it would be difficult to tell that this wasn’t written in the historical period is set in. That means the book does not adapt or adopt current p.c. standards. Quite the opposite. There are abusive epithets used to describe all races and ethnic minorities (I kept thinking about Roth’s The Human Stain and the incident that triggers that story, because yes, that is one of the words used here as well, but in this case intentionally as a slur, even if the protagonist doesn’t see it that way), there is violence galore (in the current narration but also, and much more disturbing at times, in the episodes Kelly experiences in flashback), and it’s difficult to think of a possible trigger not included in this novel (I can’t remember specific episodes of harm to animals, but, otherwise, there is domestic violence, murder, rape, children’s deaths, various forms of abuse... You name it, it’s likely to be there). So, be warned. It is by no means an easy read. On the other hand, it is very well-written. The descriptions of the flashbacks are cinematic (unfortunately, in some cases, and I think that although this would make a great movie, it would require a very strong stomach to watch it) and the author manages to make us see and feel all the experiences as if we were there (even his illness); there are some exquisite reflections and use of lyrical language at times; some insightful and wise passages; some witty and darkly humorous asides; some fantastic dialogue; there is a beautiful symmetry in the overall story, and an underlying sense of fate/karma at work, that I really liked.
I loved the ending (I’m referring to the epilogue, although the ending itself makes perfect sense as well, and it is, perhaps, even more in keeping with the genre), but I can’t say anything else without revealing too much.
I’ve selected a few fragments from the novel, although, as usual, I recommend prospective readers to check a sample to see if the writing style fits their taste (although the above warning applies here as well, because the novel jumps straight into a flashback, so there is nothing gradual about it):
Pulling a trigger on people tends to change your world view. Conversation and small talk can be difficult and seem altogether worthless when you have seen how easily the human body comes apart, how simple it is to switch someone’s lights out.
One night I sat at the dining table until the early hours of the morning, listening tot he sounds of the emptiness. I realized that I had survived the war only by returning as a ghost. A deal I’d made with the devil. A ghost that haunted my own home.
I listened to the sound of her high heels as she walked down the green tiled floor to the front entrance, thinking to myself that the women who are the best at walking away are always the ones you need the most.
Dexter was the kind of guy who constantly wrote checks with his fat mouth that his weak spine couldn’t cash.
This is a great semi-fictional historical novel, retro-noir, that I recommend to anybody who loves the original noir and pulp-fiction stories (that had their heyday from the thirties to the fifties of the XX century in the United States), films, or later neo-noir reimaginings, and don’t mind the dark aspects and conventions of the genre. This is not a novel adapted to current writing practice or sensibilities, and I’d recommend caution to anybody who is looking for a light, feel-good, and politically correct reading experience. The writing and the characters are first class, and the novel pulls no punches, so if you’re ready for a memorable reading experience and are not worried about the less savoury aspects of the plot and use of language, jump right in. I intend to investigate Gold’s writing further, that’s for sure.
The author, whose work I’d never read before, describes his book as a semi-fictional novel, and it is true that the details behind the disappearance of Jean Spangler shared in the novel correspond to those available in what seems to be an open case still. It is also, as many of the reviewers have said, a noir novel, a very dark one, taking us back to the pulp fiction novels of the thirties, forties and fifties, more Mickey Spillane than Dashiell Hammet, although the obsession of the main character with Jean (his ‘twisted love’, quoting from the description) brought to mind many of the authors and the films of the period, James M. Cain included. Some readers might be more familiar with some film-noir movies based on those novels (The Postman Always Ring Twice, D.O.A, Kiss Me Deadly...) and also with some later neo-noir films (I kept thinking of Chinatown, but films adapting more recent novels set in the same period, like L.A. Confidential share in the same aesthetics and themes).
The plot seems pretty straightforward. A hitman (hoodlum, heavy, enforcer, or whatever term you prefer), Scott Kelly —seriously ill with tuberculosis and confined to a sanatorium in L.A.— , discovers that his on-and-off girlfriend (an aspiring actress, starlet, and good-time gal) has gone missing. Despite the risk to his health, he blackmails his way out of hospital and starts a desperate race against time (he becomes increasingly sick as time passes) to try to find her. A reviewer mentioned D.O.A. and there are similarities. There, the detective is fighting to try to find an antidote against a poison running through his veins before it kills him; here, Kelly is dying of his illness, that’s eating his lungs. If that wasn’t enough of a challenge, he also suffers from PTSD (he fought in Okinawa during WWII, and saw pretty horrific things, as his flashbacks make only too clear, and to those experiences he has added some recent traumas related to his work as a hitman, which only make matters worse). He follows some wrong clues and there are plenty of red herrings and incorrect information that keep making him waste more and more of the little time he has left. As it corresponds to the genre, there are plenty of nasty characters, betrayals, corrupt policemen, mafia bosses, illegal businesses (drugs), combined with memories of his past (good and bad), from his childhood in Ireland (before his family emigrated to the USA) and later in America, to the war, his marriage and divorce, his relationship with Jean, and some of his jobs for the mob. Although the story itself is fiction, many of the characters that make an appearance existed in real life and were involved (or at least were people of interest) in the case (even Kirk Douglas gets a mention).
The story is told in the first-person by Scott, and his is a very harsh, cynical, and bitter voice, although he can be lyrical and beautifully descriptive when it comes to thinking about Jean, their love story (that is not without its very dark moments), and also some of the good old times (although there aren’t many). As usual for these genre, he is sharp and articulate, although in his case this is fully justified, as he loved books and had planned to go back to school and become a writer when he returned from the war, although fate had other ideas. The chronological narrative, following Kelly’s investigation, is disrupted by detailed and beautifully descriptive (although often horrific) flashbacks of his war experience and other events, and these episodes become more and more prominent as his health deteriorates. Kelly is not a character easy to like. Quite the opposite. For me, it was a bit of a process. To begin with, we learn that he is suffering from PTSD, is very ill, and his girlfriend has disappeared, so it was inevitable to feel sorry for him. But as we get to follow him, see how he behaves and interacts with others, and get to experience more and more of his flashbacks (some that seem to put into question his own discourse and his self-perception), it becomes more and more difficult to find anything positive in him (other than his sheer determination to get to the end of his investigation). Before we reach the end, we get glimpses of a different Scott, buried deep behind his bravado and his hard exterior, but I wouldn’t go as far as to talk about redemption. I’ve never minded having a ‘bad’ character as the protagonist of a novel, as long as s/he is interesting and consistent, and Kelly fits the bill. Some of the other characters aren’t quite as complex as Kelly, although Golds always adds some details that make them memorable, and if I had to choose one of the characters as my favourite, it would have to be Rudy, the driver for a mob boss. He is, in many ways, the kind of person Kelly would have become if he hadn’t jumped in at the deep end, although... (Sorry, I’ll leave it there to avoid spoilers). As for Jean... She is a bit like Laura, the protagonist of the 1944 Otto Preminger film of the same name: each person who talks about her seems to have a different opinion of her, and we get a variety of versions: harlot, loving, manipulative, talented, beautiful, disloyal, caring, greedy... She combines the two typical images of the women in film-noir, the virginal maiden, and the deadly femme-fatale. Who she really was is something left open to interpretation, as we never get to hear her own voice directly. In a way, she is a figure that resists all interpretations, at least those of the men who knew her, and, in some cases, thought they were in love with her. What made her so alluring? Was it her skill at becoming the woman each one of those men wanted or needed? Perhaps.
I’ve referred to the Kelly’s narrative voice, and the writing reflects perfectly his persona. I’ve seen the novel described as ‘retro-noir’, and if one didn’t know this had been just published, it would be difficult to tell that this wasn’t written in the historical period is set in. That means the book does not adapt or adopt current p.c. standards. Quite the opposite. There are abusive epithets used to describe all races and ethnic minorities (I kept thinking about Roth’s The Human Stain and the incident that triggers that story, because yes, that is one of the words used here as well, but in this case intentionally as a slur, even if the protagonist doesn’t see it that way), there is violence galore (in the current narration but also, and much more disturbing at times, in the episodes Kelly experiences in flashback), and it’s difficult to think of a possible trigger not included in this novel (I can’t remember specific episodes of harm to animals, but, otherwise, there is domestic violence, murder, rape, children’s deaths, various forms of abuse... You name it, it’s likely to be there). So, be warned. It is by no means an easy read. On the other hand, it is very well-written. The descriptions of the flashbacks are cinematic (unfortunately, in some cases, and I think that although this would make a great movie, it would require a very strong stomach to watch it) and the author manages to make us see and feel all the experiences as if we were there (even his illness); there are some exquisite reflections and use of lyrical language at times; some insightful and wise passages; some witty and darkly humorous asides; some fantastic dialogue; there is a beautiful symmetry in the overall story, and an underlying sense of fate/karma at work, that I really liked.
I loved the ending (I’m referring to the epilogue, although the ending itself makes perfect sense as well, and it is, perhaps, even more in keeping with the genre), but I can’t say anything else without revealing too much.
I’ve selected a few fragments from the novel, although, as usual, I recommend prospective readers to check a sample to see if the writing style fits their taste (although the above warning applies here as well, because the novel jumps straight into a flashback, so there is nothing gradual about it):
Pulling a trigger on people tends to change your world view. Conversation and small talk can be difficult and seem altogether worthless when you have seen how easily the human body comes apart, how simple it is to switch someone’s lights out.
One night I sat at the dining table until the early hours of the morning, listening tot he sounds of the emptiness. I realized that I had survived the war only by returning as a ghost. A deal I’d made with the devil. A ghost that haunted my own home.
I listened to the sound of her high heels as she walked down the green tiled floor to the front entrance, thinking to myself that the women who are the best at walking away are always the ones you need the most.
Dexter was the kind of guy who constantly wrote checks with his fat mouth that his weak spine couldn’t cash.
This is a great semi-fictional historical novel, retro-noir, that I recommend to anybody who loves the original noir and pulp-fiction stories (that had their heyday from the thirties to the fifties of the XX century in the United States), films, or later neo-noir reimaginings, and don’t mind the dark aspects and conventions of the genre. This is not a novel adapted to current writing practice or sensibilities, and I’d recommend caution to anybody who is looking for a light, feel-good, and politically correct reading experience. The writing and the characters are first class, and the novel pulls no punches, so if you’re ready for a memorable reading experience and are not worried about the less savoury aspects of the plot and use of language, jump right in. I intend to investigate Gold’s writing further, that’s for sure.
November 3, 2021
Another terrific novel here by Golds. A tale of crime fiction set back after the end of WWII. I love his writing style and the historic aspect of his novels. if you haven't read this guy, you should.
May 17, 2022
World war style books are usually not my thing … I can’t seem to find myself becoming hooked when a story is set in the olden times. However, I was hooked from the very first line – ‘The same old hell. The same old horror.’
This book had an amazing descriptive style and made me feel like I was right there sitting on Scott’s shoulder watching alongside him.
The story follows Scott, a suffering ex-marine who has consumption in his quest to try and find his missing girl while he is living through the flashbacks of his past life.
Getting in touch with old acquaintances to track down his girl, I think is when Scott realised how he truly felt about Jean. I felt heartbroken for him. He had done a lot of bad things in his past but all he wanted now was her and he would do anything to get her back.
Will Scott ever find his love?
Do you truly know those you surround yourself with?
These are the things you will find out by reading this incredible thriller!!
This book had an amazing descriptive style and made me feel like I was right there sitting on Scott’s shoulder watching alongside him.
The story follows Scott, a suffering ex-marine who has consumption in his quest to try and find his missing girl while he is living through the flashbacks of his past life.
Getting in touch with old acquaintances to track down his girl, I think is when Scott realised how he truly felt about Jean. I felt heartbroken for him. He had done a lot of bad things in his past but all he wanted now was her and he would do anything to get her back.
Will Scott ever find his love?
Do you truly know those you surround yourself with?
These are the things you will find out by reading this incredible thriller!!
December 7, 2020
In Always the Dead, Stephen J. Golds paints a haunting portrait of what it's like to lose your mind for God and Country. But there is an unexpected romance to the tale, too — one that humanizes those who have sacrificed everything but their soul for the sake of humanity. Bravo Zulu!
February 19, 2021
RAMPAGE OF DARKNESS
In the indie crime world, Stephen J. Golds' new novel Always The Dead has been something of a sensation with many positive reviews coming out and a blitz of promotion. I won't rehash those reviews except to say that they're all true, the novel is that good.
I thought it was better than Say Goodbye When I'm Gone, actually. I say that because it seemed more fleshed out and there seemed to be more of an interesting internal voice of the main character, Scott Kelly. We got a brighter and more thorough glimpse of his inner landscape here. What stands out in particular are the hallucinated dream-like blending of scenes and dialogue and impressions that Kelly experiences periodically through the novel. The symbolism of memories and fears and psychic trauma weaving in and out of each other really etched out the character very well. Giving Kelly tuberculosis created a sort of effective, D.O.A.-style "race against the clock" and fatal injury conveying nobility that worked well in the book. It also comes in handy on at least one occasion.
Scott Kelly has distinct unlikeable qualities, as other reviewers have noticed. At times it seemed like these repellent personality traits were in keeping with the hard-boiled character elements of the Noir period, or just with the elements of the period, period. Kelly is a jealous, violent man who punches walls while arguing with his girlfriend and does other things I won't describe for fear of spoiling them. Although it's safe to say that if you are in need of trigger warnings or content warnings with your fiction, the field that Golds tills in should be covered with one gigantic trigger warning, a blanket caution of violence, rape, abuse, assault, and murder. Other reviewers have commented on the rampage of darkness and violence and death of the novel, that is all true too.
Structurally it's well put-together, almost like a mystery, since Kelly is trying to solve the riddle of where his girlfriend Jean Spangler has gone. Spangler was a real-life missing persons case in post-war LA and you occasionally get ghostly vibrations of that true crime reality in the novel. If I could quibble with anything I would say that I wished that Hollywood itself could have played a larger role in the novel, since it is LA, and Spangler's career on the Silver Screen (as limited to background roles as it was) is a fascinating part of the intrigue of her disappearance.
Certain plot elements of Say Goodbye Whrn I'm Gone are set up in this novel, so there is a "shared universe" effect. One wonders if future novels will appear in this world.
In the indie crime world, Stephen J. Golds' new novel Always The Dead has been something of a sensation with many positive reviews coming out and a blitz of promotion. I won't rehash those reviews except to say that they're all true, the novel is that good.
I thought it was better than Say Goodbye When I'm Gone, actually. I say that because it seemed more fleshed out and there seemed to be more of an interesting internal voice of the main character, Scott Kelly. We got a brighter and more thorough glimpse of his inner landscape here. What stands out in particular are the hallucinated dream-like blending of scenes and dialogue and impressions that Kelly experiences periodically through the novel. The symbolism of memories and fears and psychic trauma weaving in and out of each other really etched out the character very well. Giving Kelly tuberculosis created a sort of effective, D.O.A.-style "race against the clock" and fatal injury conveying nobility that worked well in the book. It also comes in handy on at least one occasion.
Scott Kelly has distinct unlikeable qualities, as other reviewers have noticed. At times it seemed like these repellent personality traits were in keeping with the hard-boiled character elements of the Noir period, or just with the elements of the period, period. Kelly is a jealous, violent man who punches walls while arguing with his girlfriend and does other things I won't describe for fear of spoiling them. Although it's safe to say that if you are in need of trigger warnings or content warnings with your fiction, the field that Golds tills in should be covered with one gigantic trigger warning, a blanket caution of violence, rape, abuse, assault, and murder. Other reviewers have commented on the rampage of darkness and violence and death of the novel, that is all true too.
Structurally it's well put-together, almost like a mystery, since Kelly is trying to solve the riddle of where his girlfriend Jean Spangler has gone. Spangler was a real-life missing persons case in post-war LA and you occasionally get ghostly vibrations of that true crime reality in the novel. If I could quibble with anything I would say that I wished that Hollywood itself could have played a larger role in the novel, since it is LA, and Spangler's career on the Silver Screen (as limited to background roles as it was) is a fascinating part of the intrigue of her disappearance.
Certain plot elements of Say Goodbye Whrn I'm Gone are set up in this novel, so there is a "shared universe" effect. One wonders if future novels will appear in this world.
February 10, 2021
'I love this modern-retro crime noir. Highly recommended for crime fiction and noir fans!'
Fact and fiction are blurred beautifully in Golds’ Always the Dead as he guides the reader on a believable search for a missing actress Jean Spangler through the actions and ghosts of a PTSD and tuberculosis suffering war vet: Scott Kelly. Kelly takes us on a tour of 1949 L.A. and the darkness of his memories, actions and lengths he’ll go to to get his delusional love affair, Jean, back.
Right from a cinematic opening, with epic setting and backdrops, it’s filled with hard emotion and action that’s a pure joy to read for a crime fiction and noir fan.
Unparalleled emotional depth with hard grit and searing violence. It’s the darkest type of noir as it should be: rich, uncomfortable and unnervingly believable.
The prologue’s imagery creates nightmarish sequences and flashes reminiscent of Jacob’s Ladder and the more recent Mendes’ 1917. Such is Stephen J. Golds’ depth that he can easily be mentioned alongside modern and classic cult classics effortlessly. His writing feels like it’s from the desk of a well-seasoned pro surrounded in smoke and empty bottles of scotch strewn everywhere. There’s real honest suffering in the writing that’s impossible to resist. It’s full of dark-heart and soul.
I love this modern-retro crime noir. It sings as it embraces you with character and settings that feel steeped in true author experience.
Fact and fiction are blurred beautifully in Golds’ Always the Dead as he guides the reader on a believable search for a missing actress Jean Spangler through the actions and ghosts of a PTSD and tuberculosis suffering war vet: Scott Kelly. Kelly takes us on a tour of 1949 L.A. and the darkness of his memories, actions and lengths he’ll go to to get his delusional love affair, Jean, back.
Right from a cinematic opening, with epic setting and backdrops, it’s filled with hard emotion and action that’s a pure joy to read for a crime fiction and noir fan.
Unparalleled emotional depth with hard grit and searing violence. It’s the darkest type of noir as it should be: rich, uncomfortable and unnervingly believable.
The prologue’s imagery creates nightmarish sequences and flashes reminiscent of Jacob’s Ladder and the more recent Mendes’ 1917. Such is Stephen J. Golds’ depth that he can easily be mentioned alongside modern and classic cult classics effortlessly. His writing feels like it’s from the desk of a well-seasoned pro surrounded in smoke and empty bottles of scotch strewn everywhere. There’s real honest suffering in the writing that’s impossible to resist. It’s full of dark-heart and soul.
I love this modern-retro crime noir. It sings as it embraces you with character and settings that feel steeped in true author experience.
February 10, 2021
'I love this modern-retro crime noir. Highly recommended for crime fiction and noir fans!'
Fact and fiction are blurred beautifully in Golds’ Always the Dead as he guides the reader on a believable search for a missing actress Jean Spangler through the actions and ghosts of a PTSD and tuberculosis suffering war vet: Scott Kelly. Kelly takes us on a tour of 1949 L.A. and the darkness of his memories, actions and lengths he’ll go to to get his delusional love affair, Jean, back.
Right from a cinematic opening, with epic setting and backdrops, it’s filled with hard emotion and action that’s a pure joy to read for a crime fiction and noir fan.
Unparalleled emotional depth with hard grit and searing violence. It’s the darkest type of noir as it should be: rich, uncomfortable and unnervingly believable.
The prologue’s imagery creates nightmarish sequences and flashes reminiscent of Jacob’s Ladder and the more recent Mendes’ 1917. Such is Stephen J. Golds’ depth that he can easily be mentioned alongside modern and classic cult classics effortlessly. His writing feels like it’s from the desk of a well-seasoned pro surrounded in smoke and empty bottles of scotch strewn everywhere. There’s real honest suffering in the writing that’s impossible to resist. It’s full of dark-heart and soul.
I love this modern-retro crime noir. It sings as it embraces you with character and settings that feel steeped in true author experience.
Fact and fiction are blurred beautifully in Golds’ Always the Dead as he guides the reader on a believable search for a missing actress Jean Spangler through the actions and ghosts of a PTSD and tuberculosis suffering war vet: Scott Kelly. Kelly takes us on a tour of 1949 L.A. and the darkness of his memories, actions and lengths he’ll go to to get his delusional love affair, Jean, back.
Right from a cinematic opening, with epic setting and backdrops, it’s filled with hard emotion and action that’s a pure joy to read for a crime fiction and noir fan.
Unparalleled emotional depth with hard grit and searing violence. It’s the darkest type of noir as it should be: rich, uncomfortable and unnervingly believable.
The prologue’s imagery creates nightmarish sequences and flashes reminiscent of Jacob’s Ladder and the more recent Mendes’ 1917. Such is Stephen J. Golds’ depth that he can easily be mentioned alongside modern and classic cult classics effortlessly. His writing feels like it’s from the desk of a well-seasoned pro surrounded in smoke and empty bottles of scotch strewn everywhere. There’s real honest suffering in the writing that’s impossible to resist. It’s full of dark-heart and soul.
I love this modern-retro crime noir. It sings as it embraces you with character and settings that feel steeped in true author experience.
February 2, 2021
Dark, nostalgic, tragic.... the ingredients of a love story gone wrong
The tragedy of war is more than what just happens on a battlefield, it's what it does to a person on the inside. Scott Kelly is riddled with guilt and PTSD from the war. His aggression is out of control and he loses his wife and child because of it. He's a lost soul until he means Jean Spangler—a bright, beguiling young woman, much like Marylynn Monroe, that knows just the right words to say and pushes just the right buttons. Scott is hooked. She becomes his drug. And as often happens with lust, he becomes possessive as she seduces her way up the ladder to becoming a Hollywood actress. Scott is recovering from tuberculosis from the sanitorium when Jean suddenly disappears. He can't live without her, so despite his grave illness, he goes on a mission to save the woman he loves. The story explores the corruption of innocence through war, the mob, tainted Hollywood dreams, dark romance all through the re-imagining of the kidnapping of Jean Spangler.
The storytelling is luring. The characters are real. Always the Dead is perfect book for losing yourself in another time and place.
Fan note: A well-loved character from a previous book makes an appearance.
The tragedy of war is more than what just happens on a battlefield, it's what it does to a person on the inside. Scott Kelly is riddled with guilt and PTSD from the war. His aggression is out of control and he loses his wife and child because of it. He's a lost soul until he means Jean Spangler—a bright, beguiling young woman, much like Marylynn Monroe, that knows just the right words to say and pushes just the right buttons. Scott is hooked. She becomes his drug. And as often happens with lust, he becomes possessive as she seduces her way up the ladder to becoming a Hollywood actress. Scott is recovering from tuberculosis from the sanitorium when Jean suddenly disappears. He can't live without her, so despite his grave illness, he goes on a mission to save the woman he loves. The story explores the corruption of innocence through war, the mob, tainted Hollywood dreams, dark romance all through the re-imagining of the kidnapping of Jean Spangler.
The storytelling is luring. The characters are real. Always the Dead is perfect book for losing yourself in another time and place.
Fan note: A well-loved character from a previous book makes an appearance.
February 3, 2021
L A Noir
Mr Golds brings the era of post World War II to life in this dark noir story. Expertly written with a combination of prose and poetry, brings us the compelling story of ex-GI, hitman and current consumption patient Scott Kelly. Intermingling past and present, Scott looks for a woman he loves who has mysteriously disappeared.
Mr Golds brings the era of post World War II to life in this dark noir story. Expertly written with a combination of prose and poetry, brings us the compelling story of ex-GI, hitman and current consumption patient Scott Kelly. Intermingling past and present, Scott looks for a woman he loves who has mysteriously disappeared.
January 30, 2021
This is a story of a man returning from the second world War only to find more battles to fight at home in LA. Kelly has battles with Consumption, PTSD, gangsters and an obsession with a wannabe Hollywood starlet. Golds really has a way with words and you can see his poetry come through later on in the book with flashbacks that feel like terrifying poetic nightmares. If you enjoy books about gangsters, noir and desperation this is for you. Not for the faint hearted. Can't wait to see what this fantastic author does next.
January 31, 2021
Always The Dead is a brutal and almost poignant tale from Stephen J. Golds
A new author to me, when I got hold of a copy of this I was in all honestly a little apprehensive as I really didn’t know what to expect - cliched I know, but it blew me away.
Golds pens this darkly powerful story of World War 2 vet Scott Kelly. It’s 1949, in hot and sweaty California and Kelly is confined to a Tuberculosis Sanatorium. The Consumption eating away at him.
When his actress girlfriend goes missing, Kelly finds his way out of the Sanatorium and so begins something of a journey to find the woman he obsesses over.
Savage, devastating chaos follows. A story of a broken and damaged relationship. A man fighting PTSD and his demons. Of letting your heart rule over your head. And the Mob.
This is dark and violently cool, it’s everything I love and it’s absolutely freaking outstanding.
Golds has an almost poetic feel to his writing, it’s quite mesmerising, it’s beautiful yet it’s harsh and it’s cold and in Scott Kelly he has created a protagonist who is the antagonist.
Completely addictive, upsetting and hypnotic, this deeply atmospheric, immersive, vicious angry Noir is absolutely superb.
I want to watch this on the cinema screen in black and white.
Sometimes you read an author or a book that just nails everything you want to read, that for me was this, undoubtedly one of my best reads of 2020. Released next month in January 2021, I hope anyone who reads this review picks this up. It’s that good, Golds is that good and needs to discovered.
A new author to me, when I got hold of a copy of this I was in all honestly a little apprehensive as I really didn’t know what to expect - cliched I know, but it blew me away.
Golds pens this darkly powerful story of World War 2 vet Scott Kelly. It’s 1949, in hot and sweaty California and Kelly is confined to a Tuberculosis Sanatorium. The Consumption eating away at him.
When his actress girlfriend goes missing, Kelly finds his way out of the Sanatorium and so begins something of a journey to find the woman he obsesses over.
Savage, devastating chaos follows. A story of a broken and damaged relationship. A man fighting PTSD and his demons. Of letting your heart rule over your head. And the Mob.
This is dark and violently cool, it’s everything I love and it’s absolutely freaking outstanding.
Golds has an almost poetic feel to his writing, it’s quite mesmerising, it’s beautiful yet it’s harsh and it’s cold and in Scott Kelly he has created a protagonist who is the antagonist.
Completely addictive, upsetting and hypnotic, this deeply atmospheric, immersive, vicious angry Noir is absolutely superb.
I want to watch this on the cinema screen in black and white.
Sometimes you read an author or a book that just nails everything you want to read, that for me was this, undoubtedly one of my best reads of 2020. Released next month in January 2021, I hope anyone who reads this review picks this up. It’s that good, Golds is that good and needs to discovered.
February 27, 2025
I loved this book!
It is the second in "The Dead, The Dying, and The Gone" trilogy of hard-hitting, gritty crime-noir by Stephen J. Golds.
The synopsis and other reviews will fill you in via a thumbnail sketch of what the book's about. What lies between these covers, however, is a tight, dark tale that swept me along from start to finish, following the main character's horrific journey out of World War Two and through a crime-riddled late-40s California.
Author Golds shines a light on the bleak underbelly of the times, the place, the characters and their circumstances, without resorting to being maudlin or melodramatic. It's a gut punch from the beginning to the end, satisfying for its precise prose, every insight into the human condition, and every line of dialogue that rings true.
You don't want to miss this one! Cheers!
It is the second in "The Dead, The Dying, and The Gone" trilogy of hard-hitting, gritty crime-noir by Stephen J. Golds.
The synopsis and other reviews will fill you in via a thumbnail sketch of what the book's about. What lies between these covers, however, is a tight, dark tale that swept me along from start to finish, following the main character's horrific journey out of World War Two and through a crime-riddled late-40s California.
Author Golds shines a light on the bleak underbelly of the times, the place, the characters and their circumstances, without resorting to being maudlin or melodramatic. It's a gut punch from the beginning to the end, satisfying for its precise prose, every insight into the human condition, and every line of dialogue that rings true.
You don't want to miss this one! Cheers!
June 29, 2021
Scott Kelly is a damaged anti-hero, as complex as the the mystery of his missing girlfriend. Always the Dead is a multi-layered crime noir that takes you from Okinawa and the horrors of war to a seedy underbelly of LA in the fifties. I seemed to race through each chapter desperate to find out what had happened to Jean Spangler and Scott Kelly tragic journey.
Crime Noir is genre I had neglected but Stephen J. Golds has give it a shot in the arm, a breath of fresh air, with this outstanding story.
Crime Noir is genre I had neglected but Stephen J. Golds has give it a shot in the arm, a breath of fresh air, with this outstanding story.
April 3, 2021
Honestly wish I could give this 10 stars. This is my second Golds book and it holds up just as good as the first. Every character in each of his books makes me wish I could read more about them. This novel shows the horrors of war as well as the grit of old school LA Noir and even a dose of love you cant have but want all the more.
Strongly recommend this book and anything Golds writes
Lastly, that cover is fantastic!!
Strongly recommend this book and anything Golds writes
Lastly, that cover is fantastic!!
October 28, 2021
Golds writes another authentic throwback here. Though the language and approach render this story modern somehow. Deep dark noir faithful to the casual tropes, but rendered authentic by unique characterization. A writer of great skill—yet another modern noir writer who deserves a bigger readership. Move over Westlake, Collins, Block...
February 18, 2022
You can only imagine the amount of research that must of gone into Always the Dead. Golds writing is top of the genre and each line has been carefully crafted to really bring the story alive. Scott Kelly is a deeply unsettling character who because of the writers exceptional talent you can’t stop relating with regardless of his actions. I highly recommend this book
August 20, 2023
Review to follow.
January 23, 2022
Always the Dead tells the story of Scott Kelly, born in Ireland but raised across the ocean by parents looking for a better life. Scott served the Marines in the Second World War and worked as a mob hitman. Now, his body is in a sanatorium in California in 1949 where he’s being treated for tuberculosis, but part of his mind is stuck in Okinawa, Japan, on the atrocities he’s seen and done there, and also on the crimes he’s since committed.
The one highlight of Scott’s life is his relationship with Jean Spangler, whom he loves more than he dares admit. The name might ring a bell because this is where Always the Dead is based on actual facts and events: in 1947 an actress by the name of Jean Spangler went missing and a dozen theories have been voiced about her disappearance. Always the Dead tells her story from the viewpoint of her lover Scott Kelly.
Always the Dead evokes memories of the black and white gangster movies of yore, where blood flows darkly and gunshots ring through the night, where the men are tough and the women are beautiful, albeit perhaps slightly ditzy. It doesn’t get any more noir than this.
There’s just something about Stephen J. Golds’ writing that never fails to draw me in, something that seems to cast a spell over me. He is the absolute master of rather short books that pack an enormous punch written in a prose that is pitch-black and anything but flowery, yet strangely poetic, and beautifully so.
I loved everything about Always the Dead, it’s violent and it’s dark and it’s beautiful, and the protagonist is portrayed in such a way that you can’t help but care about him, no matter his criminal ways. If you’re looking for a hard-hitting crime noir novel, be sure to check out Always the Dead!
The one highlight of Scott’s life is his relationship with Jean Spangler, whom he loves more than he dares admit. The name might ring a bell because this is where Always the Dead is based on actual facts and events: in 1947 an actress by the name of Jean Spangler went missing and a dozen theories have been voiced about her disappearance. Always the Dead tells her story from the viewpoint of her lover Scott Kelly.
Always the Dead evokes memories of the black and white gangster movies of yore, where blood flows darkly and gunshots ring through the night, where the men are tough and the women are beautiful, albeit perhaps slightly ditzy. It doesn’t get any more noir than this.
There’s just something about Stephen J. Golds’ writing that never fails to draw me in, something that seems to cast a spell over me. He is the absolute master of rather short books that pack an enormous punch written in a prose that is pitch-black and anything but flowery, yet strangely poetic, and beautifully so.
I loved everything about Always the Dead, it’s violent and it’s dark and it’s beautiful, and the protagonist is portrayed in such a way that you can’t help but care about him, no matter his criminal ways. If you’re looking for a hard-hitting crime noir novel, be sure to check out Always the Dead!
January 14, 2021
I recently read Stephen J. Golds’ debut Say goodbye when I’m gone and absolutely loved it so when the opportunity presented itself to read and review Always the Dead ahead of its publication on January 29, I jumped on that and I was not disappointed. I was warned that the book is very dark and, yes, much like Say goodbye when I’m gone, Always the dead is bleak, brutal, and not for the faint of heart.
This time, Golds takes us to 1949 Los Angeles where main character Scott Kelly, a war veteran and mobster sits his tuberculosis out in ward, wondering where his lover, young actress Jean Spangler has gone. Fighting a weakening health and war demons, Kelly sets out to look for her.
His quest is interspersed with bouts of PTSD, horror visions from the war and the horrific battle of Okinawa, doubled with flashbacks from his past, youth, marriage, and the various kills that he can’t forget.
As the story unravels, and the frantic search for Jean goes on, Scott’s physical and mental condition worsen and his past comes to haunt him with increasingly frequent visions, violent episodes of his life replaying; every time more confusing and distorted, blurry sensations of love, loss, shame and trauma, nightmares mixing reality and fantasy, and revealing Scott’s inner soul through those raw, fragmented memories.
Jean Spangler represents the only constant and ray of light in Scott’s otherwise bleak and lonely post-war life. Though he claims to love the young starlet and risks his life to find her, he never once tells her and Jean’s affirmation “You don’t love me, you love the way I make you feel” reveals a twisted facet to a passionate relationship doubled with a need for validation, possession, a quest for power and a desire to play with fire which leads to the frantic quest for the actress.
Scott seems to be surrounded by characters that will or have betrayed him, all linking back to his shadiest actions, closing up on him as the story unravels, while his family and allies fade into increasingly distant memories, until he meets an unexpected partner who will help him in his quest for answers, revenge and closure.
Always the dead portrays an unlikeable main character that the reader will feel conflicted about, torn between routing for the damaged soul who is trying to set things right and loathing for the cold-blooded narcissist. This duality of Scott Kelly is represented by the alternance of brutality and romance, devotion and abuse in a scenario that, like all good crime books, keeps on upping the tension, leaving the reader flying through the last couple of chapters until the explosive finale.
Deeply atmospheric, amazingly scenic, brave and beautifully written, with fascinating characters and a tight intrigue, Always the dead ticks all the boxes. An outstanding read.
This time, Golds takes us to 1949 Los Angeles where main character Scott Kelly, a war veteran and mobster sits his tuberculosis out in ward, wondering where his lover, young actress Jean Spangler has gone. Fighting a weakening health and war demons, Kelly sets out to look for her.
His quest is interspersed with bouts of PTSD, horror visions from the war and the horrific battle of Okinawa, doubled with flashbacks from his past, youth, marriage, and the various kills that he can’t forget.
As the story unravels, and the frantic search for Jean goes on, Scott’s physical and mental condition worsen and his past comes to haunt him with increasingly frequent visions, violent episodes of his life replaying; every time more confusing and distorted, blurry sensations of love, loss, shame and trauma, nightmares mixing reality and fantasy, and revealing Scott’s inner soul through those raw, fragmented memories.
Jean Spangler represents the only constant and ray of light in Scott’s otherwise bleak and lonely post-war life. Though he claims to love the young starlet and risks his life to find her, he never once tells her and Jean’s affirmation “You don’t love me, you love the way I make you feel” reveals a twisted facet to a passionate relationship doubled with a need for validation, possession, a quest for power and a desire to play with fire which leads to the frantic quest for the actress.
Scott seems to be surrounded by characters that will or have betrayed him, all linking back to his shadiest actions, closing up on him as the story unravels, while his family and allies fade into increasingly distant memories, until he meets an unexpected partner who will help him in his quest for answers, revenge and closure.
Always the dead portrays an unlikeable main character that the reader will feel conflicted about, torn between routing for the damaged soul who is trying to set things right and loathing for the cold-blooded narcissist. This duality of Scott Kelly is represented by the alternance of brutality and romance, devotion and abuse in a scenario that, like all good crime books, keeps on upping the tension, leaving the reader flying through the last couple of chapters until the explosive finale.
Deeply atmospheric, amazingly scenic, brave and beautifully written, with fascinating characters and a tight intrigue, Always the dead ticks all the boxes. An outstanding read.
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