It's 1948 in San Francisco, and Billy Nichols, boxing columnist for the Inquirer, is once again in trouble up to his eyeglasses in this fast-paced, funny crime novel. Introduced in The Distance
(2002), Billy is a compelling personality, a mild little guy whose livelihood brings him into everyday contact with the toughest of the tough in the world of pugilism, itself a magnet for desperate characters. Henpecked at home by his loving wife, Ida, he's a king to prizefighters, who hope for good mentions in his reports (though many have to settle for being the loser; e.g., the champ "boxed circles around his befuddled opponent, who didn't know whether to fish or wind a wristwatch"). Muller models his hero on his own father, who covered the fight scene for the Examiner
for half a century. The action picks up immediately after the first book, where Billy managed to avoid a jam (advice to boxing writers: don't get involved in burying corpses in Golden Gate Park) and to ease Burney Sanders behind bars. But now Sanders is about to reveal there was more behind the murders than has come to light, and Billy may be implicated again. Virginia Wagner, briefly seen in the opening novel, returns driving a very fast car and packing a rod in her purse. Muller nails down every corner in this exciting romp, with some scenes that will appeal to hard-boiled fans and others for those who take delight in dizzy doings. (Jan. 14)
FYI:Muller is also the author of
The Art of Noir: Posters and Graphics from the Classic Film Noir Period (PW Review Annex).
