The Dane Curse
by Matt Abraham
The Black Cape Case Files
Copyright 2015

Mention the word noir and you have my attention. I will at least read the book description. And yes, the cover matters! Matt Abraham’s cover screamed old school, hard boiled, crime noir! Better yet, the author delivered!

What sets the Black Cape Case Files apart from other noir fiction is its cross-genre nature. Not only did the author capture the tone and feel of classic noir, he managed to do so in a world filled with comic book style superheroes and action.

Gold Coast City is as believable a setting for a gritty, dark noir story as San Francisco or Los Angeles. Like most noir protagonists, Dane Curse has a code he adheres to. This private eye serves clients society has no interest in obtaining justice for, the Black Cape villains. Their families need justice and closure, just like the White Capes, or heroes, and the average citizen of Gold Coast City. Like most private eyes of the noir genre, Curse succeeds not through brilliant deduction but sheer perseverance and guts.

Abraham’s story telling creates a believable world in which regular humans co-exist with superheroes and villains who possess a range of supernatural powers. The story is filled with lies, deceit, violence, betrayal and of course, women who can’t be trusted.

This is a fun read. The story grabs the reader and pulls you along. Abraham’s droll sense of humor is present in the vocabulary he develops to name weapons and supernatural powers. He also pays tribute to the masters of American crime fiction, using past story titles and characters to name his own, such as the protagonist, Dane Curse, named after a story by Dashiell Hammett.

The Dane Curse is well worth reading. But be warned! You’ll want to read the next book in The Black Cape Case Files!

Click here to read an interview with author Matt Abraham.