This Rancid Mill

by Kyle Decker

This Rancid Mill is an engaging read with a distinct narrative voice and charming characters. Alex, the narrator, is a flawed but thoughtful young man who makes a conscious effort to better himself. Many of the story's themes revolve around the tough front Alex attempts to put up but ultimately peel back and subvert the troupe of the ultra-masculine hardboiled hero. In addition to being a homage to hardboiled noir, This Rancid Mill is inspired by modern issues like #MeToo. As Alex investigates the potential murder of a popular local singer he uncovers some unsavory secrets about the victim’s private life. Even though Alex is a fan of the late singer, he starts to accept the evidence and reflects on his own past behaviors and attitudes. Ultimately, the story encourages readers to do the same. A lot of research went into writing the book as well. Numerous memoirs were read, countless documentaries watched, old 'zines were dug up, both in print and online. The book contains a lot of real places and even refers to actual shows and accurate lineups from June of 1981. Thus making the book as immersive as possible for people who were actually there, as well as those who wish they could have been.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 18, 2023

Reviews

[Derek Siegel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the specificity of "This Rancid Mill," which completely transports the reader to LA in the early 80s, including the politics and culture of the punk scenes. Even though I wasn't particularly invested in the characters or the outcome of the novel, Alex is a fun, quippy narrator; it's interesting how he's clearly harmed by normative expectations of masculinity (punk = quite subversive in his world) while also perpetuating it himself. The author sends Alex on a wild (and dangerous) goose chase through LA, which could feel repetitive (there wasn't always tons of payoff as the plot careens in multiple directions) but still maintained my interest. As a mystery/thriller, "This Rancid Mill" is both a page-turner and a time capsule; if you're interested in the concept & are willing to put up with men being kind of annoying throughout the book, then I'd for sure recommend.

[Amanda Clifford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Couldn’t put it down. I’m a big fan of noir, but not of the genre’s tropes. This book had everything I love about noir and none of the expected typical noir cliches - it riffs on them and hooks a sharp left. It’s so refreshing to read through a male characters growth in perception of important issues in a community of supporting characters you really give a shit about. The world is real and immersive. Can’t wait to read the next one!

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's like an 80s action movie minus the copaganda. kept me turning pages

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readers interested in seeing how a hard-boiled detective novel plays out amidst the 1981 Los Angeles punk scene will definitely want to check this out. (Those not familiar with the LA scene of that era can set the mood by watching the documentary film The Decline of Western Civilization, Part I before starting the book.) The book opens the morning after a big punk show, as Alex "Damage" stumbles awake with his blue mohawk and leather jacket to learn that his idol Jerry, lead singer of the fictitious Bad Chemicals, has died of a heroin overdose.

Alex is a kind of underground private-eye, and Jerry's sexy girlfriend Zii hires him to dig deeper, suspecting foul play. What follows is a wild ride through early-80s Los Angeles, featuring punks, neo-Nazi skinheads, Huntington Beach surfers turned skinheads, a coked-out John Holmes, Moral Majority politicians, crooked LAPD, and the very seamiest of the city's underbellies. It's a very hectic and brutal ride, with drugs, sexual violence and rape, torture, and plenty of nasty fights. I lost track of how much damage the aptly named Alex takes, but it requires some serious suspension of disbelief. By the end I felt like I'd read something very familiar and old-fashioned, a la Dashiell Hammet, but painted in more lurid modern colors. Readers who have the stomach for it and an interest in the blend of genre and 80s subcultures should definitely check it out.

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alex Damage is a punk, a private investigator (unlicensed), and scene-lover. But when a 19 year-old lead singer of a beloved punk band turns up dead, the singer's secretly rich ex-girlfriend puts him on the chase. But this case is unlike anything Alex has seen before: it's leading him to police corruption, drug and sex rings, and skinhead gangs. Just how many beatings can Alex take?

This was a fun book that kept me guessing. I loved reading about the LA punk scene and the ways Alex gets himself into--and out of--trouble all the while keeping true to rejecting copaganda and his own personal morals. Definitely a fun read if you're looking for a mystery unlike what's currently out there.

[Jacob Markrof · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely smashing read. I loved every second of life through Alex Damage’s eyes. Kyle Decker nailed the voices, attitudes, and ideologies of punks in the early 80’s, and applied it to one hell of a fun noir-laced murder mystery that would make Raymond Chandler proud. I won’t ruin the plot by saying anything about it, because it comes fast and it comes hard and the plot twists are relentless. I hope Decker has plans for more Alex Damage books because I would sign up for a subscription.

I found this book because I wanted to read a novel that mirrored some great cult classic films like Repo Man and Suburbia. I was more than happy with what I got.

[Tj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. A hardboiled noir PI novel, but set in the 80s LA punk scene. A fresh look at some classic tropes. The mystery itself was twisty and kept me guessing throughout. Hope this is the start of a new series.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some books grow on you fondly like mold on cheese and it takes that culture of bacteria (or whatever mold is made of) to get you there. I'd read another one of these.

[Karen Mahtin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was hard to put this book down. Damage/Alex is a pretty cool character, and I love hearing his thoughts about what he's learned about things like sexism. There are news reports about El Salvador in the background. But Alex's life is very violent and his days are clearly numbered because of his lifestyle.

But there are descriptions of awful things in including OD'ing, rape, alcoholism, finding a horrific dead body, severe beatings, shootings, ugh. If you can handle that stuff and you like punk music or the folks in the scene, the punk stuff is pretty great (except for his disgusting apartment and eating/drinking habits lol)

[Debra Erikson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spectacular read to begin 2024. Decker, a Chicagoan,
pulls off a "punk-grunge noire" that won the best book in Chicago's Reader for 2023.
Cant wait for his next!!!!!