Murder Book

"If Ellroy's work is neo-noir, 'Murder Book' must be neo-neo-noir, a mannerist thriller that shrinks back from Ellroy's extremes while shaking free of the period-piece mode of both Ellroy and Walter Mosley. Rayner's book has a '90s kind of bleakness. His protagonist has seen too much corruption and unfairness. His decisions betray a suicidal recklessness that makes his ultimate survival look altogether too lucky. A multiracial cast of characters adds a welcome up-to-date feeling; one thread of the plot, a movie star who gets away with murder theme, folds in the favor of post-O.J. justice.Rayner, Richard is the author of 'Murder Book' with ISBN 9780060938284 and ISBN 0060938285.