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Billy Nichols #1
The Distance: A Crime Novel Introducing Billy Nichols
It's 1948, an era when newspapermen were stars -- and San Francisco sportswriter Billy Nichols is no exception. Known as Mr. Boxing throughout the city, he is the West Coast's answer to Damon Runyon -- an insider's insider who plucks and polishes his pearllike stories from the nonstop hustle of the city's nightclubs, gambling dens, and ringside seats. Billy Nichols is right where he wants to be, until he stumbles onto a shocking crime scene. Heavyweight boxer Hack Escalante has killed his manager, and for reasons Billy doesn't fully understand, he makes a spur-of-the-moment decision to protect the prizefighter. Soon Billy's in too deep, caught in a conspiracy of desire, deceit, and betrayal, and he sets off a chain of events whose consequences may cost him his beloved career -- and his life.
As Billy himself struggles to escape suspicion, he must square off against relentless police detective Francis O'Connor, carry on business as usual with his colorful cronies in the boxing world, and resist his overwhelming passion for a woman he dare not love.
Billy soon discovers that he's not the only yarn spinner in this nefarious netherworld: many of the characters inhabiting his well-honed newspaper columns have crafted their own alternative life stories, hiding scores of secrets. Whose story will emerge as "truth"?
As richly ambient as James Ellroy's "L.A. Confidential," this debut novel brilliantly brings to life another time -- when pride and professionalism are sometimes more important than life itself.
As Billy himself struggles to escape suspicion, he must square off against relentless police detective Francis O'Connor, carry on business as usual with his colorful cronies in the boxing world, and resist his overwhelming passion for a woman he dare not love.
Billy soon discovers that he's not the only yarn spinner in this nefarious netherworld: many of the characters inhabiting his well-honed newspaper columns have crafted their own alternative life stories, hiding scores of secrets. Whose story will emerge as "truth"?
As richly ambient as James Ellroy's "L.A. Confidential," this debut novel brilliantly brings to life another time -- when pride and professionalism are sometimes more important than life itself.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
3 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
Eddie Muller
43 books107 followersEDDIE MULLER is a second generation San Franciscan, product of a lousy public school education, a couple of crazy years in art school, and too much time in newspaper offices and sporting arenas. No college, but he's compensated by always hanging around smarter people, an effortless feat typically accomplished in bars.
Despite repeated warnings, he followed in his father's footsteps, earning a living as a print journalist for sixteen years. No scoops, no big prizes, but he left behind a thoroughly abused expense account that got him into (and out of) various intriguing parts of the world.
His career as an ink-stained fourth estate wretch sidetracked Muller's early goal of becoming a filmmaker. A stint in George Kuchar's notorious "narrative filmmaking" class at the San Francisco Art Institute in the late 1970s resulted in the creation of a 14-minute, 16mm hommage to Raymond Chandler called Bay City Blues, one of five national finalists for the 1979 Student Academy Award. He also appeared as an actor in several Kuchar movies of the period.
Since 1998 Muller has devoted himself full-time to projects that pique his interest, ranging from the creation of a Historical Boxing Museum, to a fully illustrated history of Adults Only movies, to acting as co-writer and -producer of one of the first completely digital theatrical documentaries, Mau Mau Sex Sex. He created his own graphics firm, St. Francis Studio, which enables him to design, as well as write, his non-fiction books. He has achieved much acclaim for his three books on film noir, earning the nickname "The Czar of Noir."
His father, the original Eddie Muller (he's not a junior— long story, don't ask), was a renown sportswriter for the San Francisco Examiner who earned the nickname "Mr. Boxing" during his 52-year run. The senior Muller served as inspiration for the character of Billy Nichols, the protagonist of the younger Muller's two critically acclaimed novels, The Distance (2002) and Shadow Boxer (2003).
Eddie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Kathleen Maria Milne.
Despite repeated warnings, he followed in his father's footsteps, earning a living as a print journalist for sixteen years. No scoops, no big prizes, but he left behind a thoroughly abused expense account that got him into (and out of) various intriguing parts of the world.
His career as an ink-stained fourth estate wretch sidetracked Muller's early goal of becoming a filmmaker. A stint in George Kuchar's notorious "narrative filmmaking" class at the San Francisco Art Institute in the late 1970s resulted in the creation of a 14-minute, 16mm hommage to Raymond Chandler called Bay City Blues, one of five national finalists for the 1979 Student Academy Award. He also appeared as an actor in several Kuchar movies of the period.
Since 1998 Muller has devoted himself full-time to projects that pique his interest, ranging from the creation of a Historical Boxing Museum, to a fully illustrated history of Adults Only movies, to acting as co-writer and -producer of one of the first completely digital theatrical documentaries, Mau Mau Sex Sex. He created his own graphics firm, St. Francis Studio, which enables him to design, as well as write, his non-fiction books. He has achieved much acclaim for his three books on film noir, earning the nickname "The Czar of Noir."
His father, the original Eddie Muller (he's not a junior— long story, don't ask), was a renown sportswriter for the San Francisco Examiner who earned the nickname "Mr. Boxing" during his 52-year run. The senior Muller served as inspiration for the character of Billy Nichols, the protagonist of the younger Muller's two critically acclaimed novels, The Distance (2002) and Shadow Boxer (2003).
Eddie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Kathleen Maria Milne.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 15, 2023
Set in San Francisco in the 1940s, the boxing world is laid bare in all its glory through the eyes of sportswriter Billy Nicholls. He’s known as Mr Boxing and, through his popular column, he has the inside running on all the juicy tidbits to be found about the sport.
Things take a turn for the dramatic when he walks into heavyweight Hack Escalante’s dressing room one evening to find himself facing the disturbing scene of Hack’s manager lying dead on the floor. According to Hack he had flown into a furious rage and lashed out at the man who cracked his skull on a table as he fell to the floor.
Billy makes a spur of the moment decision to cover up the crime. He organises Hack to help him to bundle up the body to dispose of it.
Not surprisingly, this moment of madness sets off a chain reaction that leads to a slow moving downward spiral. A failing marriage, a sordid affair, a second untimely death and a police detective on the trail all threaten to overwhelm Billy who responds by turning amateur sleuth.
For a terse crime novel set amid the rough and tumble post-war boxing world the characters are deeply fleshed out. Where necessary a full history is recounted to put each new character’s place in the story into context. Real world boxers are mixed in with fictional pugilists along with managers, trainers and a variety of other hangers-on. They’re all included to provide a full, well-rounded San Franciscan boxing community that was just starting to blossom. As with all sports that produce a buck or two, criminals looking for the opportunity to graft and cheat can also be found.
This is a thoughtfully conceived noir crime novel that captures the stark tones of the era in which it’s set. Sharp, snappy dialogue keeps confrontations brief but filled with meaning and help to set the place and time. The first moment we meet the protagonist, we witness him committing a crime. From that moment on, there’s little doubt he is going to attempt to cover up that crime. For that reason we’re looking at an anti-hero here, but he’s an anti-hero who is easy to admire.
The book won the 2003 Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel and would be right up the alley of those who love the classic era hardboiled crime novels.
Things take a turn for the dramatic when he walks into heavyweight Hack Escalante’s dressing room one evening to find himself facing the disturbing scene of Hack’s manager lying dead on the floor. According to Hack he had flown into a furious rage and lashed out at the man who cracked his skull on a table as he fell to the floor.
Billy makes a spur of the moment decision to cover up the crime. He organises Hack to help him to bundle up the body to dispose of it.
Not surprisingly, this moment of madness sets off a chain reaction that leads to a slow moving downward spiral. A failing marriage, a sordid affair, a second untimely death and a police detective on the trail all threaten to overwhelm Billy who responds by turning amateur sleuth.
For a terse crime novel set amid the rough and tumble post-war boxing world the characters are deeply fleshed out. Where necessary a full history is recounted to put each new character’s place in the story into context. Real world boxers are mixed in with fictional pugilists along with managers, trainers and a variety of other hangers-on. They’re all included to provide a full, well-rounded San Franciscan boxing community that was just starting to blossom. As with all sports that produce a buck or two, criminals looking for the opportunity to graft and cheat can also be found.
This is a thoughtfully conceived noir crime novel that captures the stark tones of the era in which it’s set. Sharp, snappy dialogue keeps confrontations brief but filled with meaning and help to set the place and time. The first moment we meet the protagonist, we witness him committing a crime. From that moment on, there’s little doubt he is going to attempt to cover up that crime. For that reason we’re looking at an anti-hero here, but he’s an anti-hero who is easy to admire.
The book won the 2003 Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel and would be right up the alley of those who love the classic era hardboiled crime novels.
May 9, 2007
Steller piece of Noir fiction. Muller's distinct take on nineteen forties San Francisco is so vibrant that you drift comfortably in to the era. His emmense knowledge of the city, the boxing curcit, and Noir are splendely laid out for all to read.
The protaginsit is a boxing beat journalist that gets too involved with the mishappenings of a minor boxer that never got a fair shake in or out of the ring. Murder, coverups, corruption, cheating wives, and all the trimmings find their way into this hard knocking crime novel.
The narritive is writing to appease the the stark black and white contrast of a nineteen forties crime film. It's brasen and hard boiled just like a Bogart flick. It romances the love for boxing and the thrill of a good mystery out of its reader.
The protaginsit is a boxing beat journalist that gets too involved with the mishappenings of a minor boxer that never got a fair shake in or out of the ring. Murder, coverups, corruption, cheating wives, and all the trimmings find their way into this hard knocking crime novel.
The narritive is writing to appease the the stark black and white contrast of a nineteen forties crime film. It's brasen and hard boiled just like a Bogart flick. It romances the love for boxing and the thrill of a good mystery out of its reader.
July 15, 2021
If you are a fan (as am I) of Eddie Muller's introductions of classic noir movies on TCM, this book is for you. His father, a long-time San Francisco boxing columnist, became known as "Mr. Boxing" for his years of covering the sweet science. Muller here creates his own famous columnist, Billy Nichols. The year is 1948; Billy treasures his status with boxers, trainers and promoters. Why then does he choose to threaten it by helping a has-been heavyweight hide the body of his manager, who he killed in a fit of rage? As he discovers multiple webs of lies, Billy investigates, searching for the correct version of the truth about this killing while avoiding a suspicious homicide cop.
Muller wears his research lightly and does not overwhelm the reader with historical detail. As a result, he creates a timeless, more involving story. Billy also makes for a great amateur detective. This book may not be easy to find today but it is worth a read.
Muller wears his research lightly and does not overwhelm the reader with historical detail. As a result, he creates a timeless, more involving story. Billy also makes for a great amateur detective. This book may not be easy to find today but it is worth a read.
April 7, 2021
I love Eddie Muller's commentaries on TCM movies. I think he would be a terrific film professor. That's why I was a little disappointed in this book. I think there were way too many characters introduced. It was hard to keep up with who and what they all were. Also, I must confess I'm not a big fan of boxing, so that milieu didn't really hold my interest. Still, I love you, Eddie.
March 18, 2023
As a long-time fan of Eddie Muller's TCM show "Noir Alley," I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he is also a novelist; my wife bought me a signed copy of of his first effort "The Distance" for our recent anniversary. (We have both read and enjoyed his "Dark City," a thorough and completely entertaining chronicle of the film noir genre.) Having gone the distance with "The Distance," I can make a couple of observations with a fairly high degree of certainty.
One, Muller was born into the wrong generation. Between his Film Noir Foundation, his TCM gig and this novel, he clearly is a child of the forties and fifties, when women were dames and men never left the house without a fedora or stingy-brim shading their dome. (As nattily attired as he is on "Noir Alley," it's the only accessory missing.) In his writing and speaking, his lexicon is peppered (occasionally to excess) with the jargon, slang, idioms and euphemisms so prevalent in any film of Edward G., Powell, Lancaster, Duryea, Grahame or Scott, when hookers and hit men were called molls and muscle and your next tar bar was lit with the butt of the last. In the case of "The Distance," he also deftly employs the Boxer's Dictionary, a vernacular no doubt inherited as the son of a boxing writer. (While a little knowledge of the Sweet Science might be helpful, it's not required.)
Which is the role played by protagonist Billy Nichols, a San Francisco newspaper boxing columnist whose job places him squarely in the company of local pugilists, managers, promoters, bookies and related ne'er-do-wells that comprise the smoke-and-sweat-infused orbit of gyms, bars and pay-by-the-hour hotels. (As a former resident of San Francisco, I did enjoy returning to several of the neighborhoods I visited some 30 years ago.)
Without getting into spoiler details, Muller's yarn is spun with the requisite page-turning twists and turns, a staple of the movies he champions with such passion, expertise and enjoyment. While not all fit under the heading of believable, my disbelief was limited and, in a couple of instances, patience was eventually rewarded with perfectly plausible explanations. (To wit, why Nichols, a highly-respected scribe and married man, would be party in any way, shape or form to the murder that opens the book.)
Muller also tends to rely on the stereotypes of the era a little too heavily. The dim-witted boxer whose bell has been rung a little too often, the well-intentioned, big-hearted femme fatale with the storied past, the shady promoter with ulterior motives and the omniscient homicide detective are not new characters to any fan of noir or whodunnits in general.
That said, he nonetheless manages to imbue each and every one with enough distinction to get us to care about them, their stories and their destinies. (Isn't that really the goal of any novel?) All of which makes this tale of the tape well worthwhile.
One, Muller was born into the wrong generation. Between his Film Noir Foundation, his TCM gig and this novel, he clearly is a child of the forties and fifties, when women were dames and men never left the house without a fedora or stingy-brim shading their dome. (As nattily attired as he is on "Noir Alley," it's the only accessory missing.) In his writing and speaking, his lexicon is peppered (occasionally to excess) with the jargon, slang, idioms and euphemisms so prevalent in any film of Edward G., Powell, Lancaster, Duryea, Grahame or Scott, when hookers and hit men were called molls and muscle and your next tar bar was lit with the butt of the last. In the case of "The Distance," he also deftly employs the Boxer's Dictionary, a vernacular no doubt inherited as the son of a boxing writer. (While a little knowledge of the Sweet Science might be helpful, it's not required.)
Which is the role played by protagonist Billy Nichols, a San Francisco newspaper boxing columnist whose job places him squarely in the company of local pugilists, managers, promoters, bookies and related ne'er-do-wells that comprise the smoke-and-sweat-infused orbit of gyms, bars and pay-by-the-hour hotels. (As a former resident of San Francisco, I did enjoy returning to several of the neighborhoods I visited some 30 years ago.)
Without getting into spoiler details, Muller's yarn is spun with the requisite page-turning twists and turns, a staple of the movies he champions with such passion, expertise and enjoyment. While not all fit under the heading of believable, my disbelief was limited and, in a couple of instances, patience was eventually rewarded with perfectly plausible explanations. (To wit, why Nichols, a highly-respected scribe and married man, would be party in any way, shape or form to the murder that opens the book.)
Muller also tends to rely on the stereotypes of the era a little too heavily. The dim-witted boxer whose bell has been rung a little too often, the well-intentioned, big-hearted femme fatale with the storied past, the shady promoter with ulterior motives and the omniscient homicide detective are not new characters to any fan of noir or whodunnits in general.
That said, he nonetheless manages to imbue each and every one with enough distinction to get us to care about them, their stories and their destinies. (Isn't that really the goal of any novel?) All of which makes this tale of the tape well worthwhile.
January 16, 2022
I thought I had read this previously, but I did not remember any of it.
I wondered about some of the major boxing characters, bouts and venues. I googled them and they are real.
This novel is incredibly accurate historically, and on top of that there is the fictional events which are compelling and inventive.
I thoroughly enjoyed this re read and can't wait to read the sequel.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
I wondered about some of the major boxing characters, bouts and venues. I googled them and they are real.
This novel is incredibly accurate historically, and on top of that there is the fictional events which are compelling and inventive.
I thoroughly enjoyed this re read and can't wait to read the sequel.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
February 28, 2023
Prize-fighting, gambling, extortion, murder, and of course a love affair that can’t possibly last: More than enough elements to fill out a noirish novel. Unfortunately, the author (host of TCM’s Noir Alley series and books on that genre) throws in quite a bit more—a slew of incidental characters and bits of San Francisco lore—which muddies the story and slows it down. The novel is entertaining but could have used an editor as tough as some of the boxers and other shady types who walk through these pages.
June 6, 2023
I must confess, I don't like boxing. But, then along comes a movie like The Set Up and I'm all in. Well, this book was like that. I couldn't put it down. It's not just a book about boxing. It's so much more. A noir novel that hits all the right spots.
June 16, 2011
[I read this for a mailing list discussion and these comments are taken from that discussion; which means that they are out of context and contain spoilers.]
[on the setting]
At the beginning I didn't think either setting was going to work for me. I like the odd historical novel but this was feeling very self conciously historical as it was using a style of writing of the time as well and that's not a style I'm that familiar with. Boxing is a sport that doesn't appeal to me in the slightest and after a few pages of getting confused by terms and characters I decided that I wasn't going to go the distance and resolved to just give this book the fifty page test and give up.
After fifty pages I was hooked, my ear had become accustomed to the narration, the boxing scene and its characters had come alive for me and there was no way I could put the book down. I think the author did a really good job of setting the scenes and I enjoyed the look into the newspaper world as well. I haven't quite finished yet so I'm not sure how much of the plot could only happen in a boxing setting but it feels to me very much as if the fact that many of the major characters are all people who put their lives and health on the line for a living is essential to the way that they view the world.
[on the characters]
Claire Escalante is the character who will stick with me I think. The book was basically about tough men and the inclusion of a really strong female character was what it needed to make it appeal to me. On the whole I thought most of the characters were strongly portrayed. After I got through the first couple of chapters there were very few characters that I was "um, remind me who this guy is again" about. Billy himself had a very clear voice and telling little stories about each person like how they came by their nicknames helped me keep all the men straight in my head. There were plenty of characters I didn't like much but I can't pick out any who seemed badly written or wishy washy.
I thought Muller handled the marital relationships between Billy and Ida and Hack and Claire well, lots of weird stuff going on but the way that the characters dealt with and reacted to situations seemed real to me. As to professional relationships, everybody seemed a little too reverential towards Billy and while this enforced the idea of him as a key player in the boxing community it did seem that he ought to have a few more explicit enemies around the place.
On the whole I thought the characters were convincing, larger than life and not anyone I'd want to meet but they fit well into the story and the setting.
[on the noir-ness]
I don't really know enough about noir to answer this at any length but the tag "noir" brings to my mind a vision of men in hats and overcoats with cigars skulking in dark alleyways whilst neon signs flicker on and off, all happening in monochrome of course. And that's the same kind of aura that this book gave to me. The setting and the way Billy narrated the story seemed very noirish to me but, as I say, I really don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to noir.
[on the noir-ness]
I felt that Billy was trustworthy in that he was telling us what he saw and not embellishing or changing things to suit any agenda. But we were seeing it all filtered through his eyes and so we only saw what others chose to present to him. I don't think the story would have been so compelling if the author hadn't have stuck so rigidly to Billy's viewpoint. If the story had been told in the third person it would have lost a lot of its believability.
I enjoyed both the newspaper articles, which helped put this book in its place, and the anecdotes, which really helped flesh out the characters in my head.
[on the ending]
I knew this would come up sooner or later so I've been waiting to ask about it as I was confused too.
I got the impression that Billy forged a confession from Claire to give to Francis O'Connor in order to get Hack mostly off the hook. The story in that confession was "Claire strangles Gig, Hack shows up, Hack and Claire dispose of body". We know that it was Billy rather than Claire who helped Hack dispose of the body.
When I read about the forged confession I thought Billy was foisting the murder off on Claire simply because she was dead and it couldn't do her any harm. In Claire's real letter to Billy she says "Hack didn't mean to kill Gig" as if that is what she thought happened but earlier in the book Hack knew nothing about the strangulation. So I went back and read the last few pages again thinking that I'd missed something and someone else was implicated, perhaps Burney, but that didn't seem to have happened. And I finished the book feeling that I still didn't quite know the whole who-and-why-and-how-dunnit. Was Claire's confession, as forged by Billy, the truth, or did Billy never get to the bottom of it either, or did I miss something entirely?
The slightly unfinished feeling that I had at the end of the book of not quite being certain what had really happened did spoil the book for me ever so slightly.
[on the setting]
At the beginning I didn't think either setting was going to work for me. I like the odd historical novel but this was feeling very self conciously historical as it was using a style of writing of the time as well and that's not a style I'm that familiar with. Boxing is a sport that doesn't appeal to me in the slightest and after a few pages of getting confused by terms and characters I decided that I wasn't going to go the distance and resolved to just give this book the fifty page test and give up.
After fifty pages I was hooked, my ear had become accustomed to the narration, the boxing scene and its characters had come alive for me and there was no way I could put the book down. I think the author did a really good job of setting the scenes and I enjoyed the look into the newspaper world as well. I haven't quite finished yet so I'm not sure how much of the plot could only happen in a boxing setting but it feels to me very much as if the fact that many of the major characters are all people who put their lives and health on the line for a living is essential to the way that they view the world.
[on the characters]
Claire Escalante is the character who will stick with me I think. The book was basically about tough men and the inclusion of a really strong female character was what it needed to make it appeal to me. On the whole I thought most of the characters were strongly portrayed. After I got through the first couple of chapters there were very few characters that I was "um, remind me who this guy is again" about. Billy himself had a very clear voice and telling little stories about each person like how they came by their nicknames helped me keep all the men straight in my head. There were plenty of characters I didn't like much but I can't pick out any who seemed badly written or wishy washy.
I thought Muller handled the marital relationships between Billy and Ida and Hack and Claire well, lots of weird stuff going on but the way that the characters dealt with and reacted to situations seemed real to me. As to professional relationships, everybody seemed a little too reverential towards Billy and while this enforced the idea of him as a key player in the boxing community it did seem that he ought to have a few more explicit enemies around the place.
On the whole I thought the characters were convincing, larger than life and not anyone I'd want to meet but they fit well into the story and the setting.
[on the noir-ness]
I don't really know enough about noir to answer this at any length but the tag "noir" brings to my mind a vision of men in hats and overcoats with cigars skulking in dark alleyways whilst neon signs flicker on and off, all happening in monochrome of course. And that's the same kind of aura that this book gave to me. The setting and the way Billy narrated the story seemed very noirish to me but, as I say, I really don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to noir.
[on the noir-ness]
I felt that Billy was trustworthy in that he was telling us what he saw and not embellishing or changing things to suit any agenda. But we were seeing it all filtered through his eyes and so we only saw what others chose to present to him. I don't think the story would have been so compelling if the author hadn't have stuck so rigidly to Billy's viewpoint. If the story had been told in the third person it would have lost a lot of its believability.
I enjoyed both the newspaper articles, which helped put this book in its place, and the anecdotes, which really helped flesh out the characters in my head.
[on the ending]
I knew this would come up sooner or later so I've been waiting to ask about it as I was confused too.
I got the impression that Billy forged a confession from Claire to give to Francis O'Connor in order to get Hack mostly off the hook. The story in that confession was "Claire strangles Gig, Hack shows up, Hack and Claire dispose of body". We know that it was Billy rather than Claire who helped Hack dispose of the body.
When I read about the forged confession I thought Billy was foisting the murder off on Claire simply because she was dead and it couldn't do her any harm. In Claire's real letter to Billy she says "Hack didn't mean to kill Gig" as if that is what she thought happened but earlier in the book Hack knew nothing about the strangulation. So I went back and read the last few pages again thinking that I'd missed something and someone else was implicated, perhaps Burney, but that didn't seem to have happened. And I finished the book feeling that I still didn't quite know the whole who-and-why-and-how-dunnit. Was Claire's confession, as forged by Billy, the truth, or did Billy never get to the bottom of it either, or did I miss something entirely?
The slightly unfinished feeling that I had at the end of the book of not quite being certain what had really happened did spoil the book for me ever so slightly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2023
A boxing noir. A newspaper noir. Beautifully put together as you would expect from the host of TCM's Noir Alley. For fans of Budd Schulberg's The Harder They Fall.
June 18, 2013
Although the novel contains elements of a whodunit, thriller, and murder mystery, it's more than that, and delivers a truly bewitching and noirishly atmospheric 'total immersion' into the world of boxing and journalism of late 1940's San Francisco. The author masterfully creates a demimonde in which the forces of politics, crime, and The Fourth Estate interact in an elaborate and sinister gavotte.
The book begins at the scene of a murder and introduces an elaborately plotted storyline which eventually provides the reason for this crime, yet it's really just an opportunity to develop a most unusual and ultimately tragic love story. Because the action is set in the sordid world of boxing and shows how a tainted journalist covers the action and orchestrates the outcome, it allows the author to present some finely detailed characters who are not really full-fledged gangsters or corrupt athletes, yet are far from upstanding or morally upright citizens.
In a way, Eddie Muller, the writer, is really recounting the fictionalized biography of his father who was actually a well known San Francisco boxing journalist from the 1930's to the 70's, so the book really has the ring of truth. The book is very well written, and compares very well to anything by Dashiell Hammett. This is an amazing first book!
The book begins at the scene of a murder and introduces an elaborately plotted storyline which eventually provides the reason for this crime, yet it's really just an opportunity to develop a most unusual and ultimately tragic love story. Because the action is set in the sordid world of boxing and shows how a tainted journalist covers the action and orchestrates the outcome, it allows the author to present some finely detailed characters who are not really full-fledged gangsters or corrupt athletes, yet are far from upstanding or morally upright citizens.
In a way, Eddie Muller, the writer, is really recounting the fictionalized biography of his father who was actually a well known San Francisco boxing journalist from the 1930's to the 70's, so the book really has the ring of truth. The book is very well written, and compares very well to anything by Dashiell Hammett. This is an amazing first book!
May 15, 2023
Noir in late 1940s San Francisco. Original and fun.
July 10, 2014
Published by a small independent press, I bought this book at the annual Wake County Library book sale. It is an "off" size and the cover reminiscent of classic film noir. What a gem. From the 1930's through the 1970's, the author's father was one of the most respected boxing writers in the world. The father contributed a daily column, Shadow Boxing, to the Sports section of the San Francisco Examiner. Muller grew up that world and this book is his tribute to it. Set in 1948 in San Francisco, the story combines the essence of classic noir films and a spellbinding narrative. (Muller's other works include three non-fiction works on film noir.) While I am sure I did not fully grasp all the boxing history related through this work, I was not put off by the descriptions of the inner workings of the boxing world of the day and its heroes. I found myself looking up word after word as the author employed the slang of that day in the dialogue of his flawed characters. These are not characters who live in a black and white world; they all operate in a shades of gray, good, decent people trapped in circumstances that make them take risks they would otherwise not be faced with. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
July 7, 2007
For anyone who likes a good mystery, Eddie Muller's first installment of the Billy Nichols series is fantastic. Muller knows Noir, and can bend it to his will. The story behind his character, Billy Nichols, who is the Boxing reporter for the San Francisco newspaper (chronicle) is based on Muller's father. Muller's father was a big shot in those days, going ringside to all of the fights, where he saw the who's who of the San Francisco Elite letting down their hair, and watched the fights that made history. Those were the days when The City was a big sporting venue, mostly for boxing, and Muller's characters reflect it beautifully.
March 30, 2008
Eddie Muller's The Distance is an ode to post-war San Francisco. The crisp prose and knee-jerk nostalgia carry the narrative along. Billy Nichols is a sports reporter who covers the boxing beat -- a job the author's father used to hold -- so the story is as much an homage to the man as to the city Muller knows and loves so well. Hard-luck toughs, dangerous redheads, and fight fans in over their heads try to go the distance and pay a terrible price for their hubris. First-rate working class noir.
September 30, 2012
"Author Muller—known in these parts as “The Czar of Noir”--is a San Francisco native and son of a famous boxing writer. He’s done an excellent job in picking which details to include and which to leave out in his loving evocation of a bygone era. "
The rest of my review can be read at webpage: http://tbdeluxe.blogspot.com/2012/09/...
The rest of my review can be read at webpage: http://tbdeluxe.blogspot.com/2012/09/...
February 18, 2009
This is very good stuff. Billy Nichols, boxing writer for the San Francisco Examiner, gets mixed up in murder, adultery and other complications.
There is a rich cast of characters; the story is told with a minimum of fuss.
Low-key lighting all the way. Get this book.
There is a rich cast of characters; the story is told with a minimum of fuss.
Low-key lighting all the way. Get this book.
November 29, 2007
Not enough harboiled fiction set in SF. Okay, there's actually quite a bit, but there's never enough.
Want to read
November 23, 2010Book group's July selection from the mystery & baseball fan reader ... hmm, opportunity to stretch my reading.
March 24, 2012
It's 1948 and our main man is a journalist (newspaper man) in San Francisco. There's boxing, and murder with all the shadows and fog that is synonymous with this beautiful city.
March 7, 2011
Very nice noir mystery, especially if you enjoy boxing or journalism.
Want to read
March 31, 2019Synopsis: in 1948 in San Francisco, sportswriter Billy Nichols is known as Mr. Boxing. He stumbles onto a crime; a boxer's manager has been killed.
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