Noir

A Novel

By: Christopher Moore

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

The absurdly outrageous, sarcastically satiric, and always entertaining New York Times best-selling author Christopher Moore returns in finest madcap form with this zany noir set on the mean streets of post-World War II San Francisco, and featuring a diverse cast of characters, including a hapless bartender; his Chinese sidekick; a doll with sharp angles and dangerous curves; a tight-lipped air force general; a wisecracking waif; Petey, a black mamba; and many more.

San Francisco. Summer, 1947. A dame walks into a saloon....

It's not every afternoon that an enigmatic, comely blonde named Stilton (like the cheese) walks into the scruffy gin joint where Sammy "Two Toes" Tiffin tends bar. It's love at first sight, but before Sammy can make his move, an air force general named Remy arrives with some urgent business. 'Cause when you need something done, Sammy is the guy to go to; he's got the connections on the street.

Meanwhile, a suspicious flying object has been spotted up the Pacific coast in Washington State near Mount Rainer, followed by a mysterious plane crash in a distant patch of desert in New Mexico that goes by the name Roswell. But the real weirdness is happening on the streets of the City by the Bay.

When one of Sammy's schemes goes south and the Cheese mysteriously vanishes, Sammy is forced to contend with his own dark secrets - and more than a few strange goings-on - if he wants to find his girl.

Think Raymond Chandler meets Damon Runyon with more than a dash of Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes All Stars. It's all very, very Noir. It's all very, very Christopher Moore.

©2018 Christopher Moore (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Narrator Johnny Heller nails the wry tones and rhythmic pacing of the working mugs, corrupt cops, streetwise urchins, and tough dames who people Christopher Moore's novel, which the author calls 'perky noir.'" (AudioFile)

A Laugh Riot, Inconsistently Delivered

Christopher Moore is a favorite of mine and I really was looking forward to Noir.
Don't mistake me, I did enjoy it (there's a 'but' coming), but...

The book is written in two POVs. The Sammy POV chapters were delightful and everything you'd expect if you'd ever heard Johnny Heller narrate before.

The others?
I could a hear a vague impression of Bogart as the other POV, but it seemed half-hearted and inconsistent.
Throughout, the characters' voices sometimes waned and it became hard to tell who was talking.

There were one-liners and rejoinders that made me giggle and snort out loud so, overall, I'd recommend it. I did sometimes long for Fisher Stevens though.

Friggin hilarious

I love all of his books, as always he had me laughing so much at work that I couldn't wait to come home and soak it all in. I really hope.he writes a second book to this and maybe more. Good job, you a are hilarious and gifted.

Another great story!

With Christopher Moore you sometimes have to be patient. The first half of the book is like the steady climb up the highest hill of a rollercoaster... But within the space of a few minutes you’ve hit the apex and you’re rocketing down the other side holding on for dear life! I love Christopher Moore. His writing is laugh out loud funny, as well as incredibly well researched. And don’t ever say no to listening to an afterword, or interview. Listening to them always enriches the books for me.
P.S. The performance by Johnny Heller is AMAZING!

Fantastically Absurd!

Once again, Christopher Moore has hit the literary jackpot! Noir has all the classic Moore wit, banter, sarcasm, and subtle (and not-so-subtle) one-liners you've come to expect and it takes each of them to a new level! Pure gold!

The aliens name is not Paul......okay toots!

Fun. This review requires at least 15 words. More but no less so I'm thinking about when he was motor boating her tits. Best visual in whole story.

I loved this

damn near perfect. This is the first thing of his I've read and I hope his other work is just as good

Love love love

This one will be a delisted probably again and again and definitely a read probably as many times. Wonderful!! What a great fictional peak into sf after the war. Great characters and the dialogue was amazing. Enjoy!!!

Great ride through my favorite City, 1947

Fun, quirky, nostalgic. Had a little trouble hooking into the plot and characters. Hang on!!

Best Christopher Moore book since Lamb

I couldn't stop with this one. The mystery was intriguing, the main characters approachable. Outstanding!

Great Read

Bravo Christopher Moore, Noir was totally entertaining with perfect period dialogue an interesting story, great characters and perfect narration. Your next novel cannot arrive soon enough.