Unremarkable

Tangent Games cofounders Habiger and Kissee kick off their supernatural noir series with this slim, atmospheric entry, which begins, “Al Capone murdered me tonight.” After that deathbed declaration, Saul Imbierowicz narrates events leading up to his murder, beginning when his girlfriend Moira is killed in the crossfire of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Saul has no time to grieve; as a newly hired postal service worker, he has an opportunity to steal evidence from the Feds that might incriminate Capone, and if he doesn’t do it, rival gangsters will execute his family. Bad turns weird when Moira rises from the dead and a “love bite” becomes something more. The premise invokes classic black-and-white noir, while lurid supernatural details add a touch of blood red. The story is grounded in Jewish culture, and readers unfamiliar with Yiddish may occasionally struggle, as it’s liberally peppered throughout the narrative. The setup for a sequel is intriguing and will keep readers coming back for more of Saul’s supernatural adventures. (Feb.)