Books: A Darker Shade Of Noir

Martin Amis' Night Train turns the worlds of Dashiell Hammett and NYPD Blue upside down

"I am a police," begins Martin Amis' novel Night Train (Harmony; 175 pages; $20). "I am a police and my name is Detective Mike Hoolihan. And I am a woman, also." And with that satisfying jolt, we're off, as Amis once again bombards, delights, excites and irritates the reader with his hard-edged writing and warped spirit. Paying homage to the American tough-guy novelists of yore--Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler--Night Train pushes the boundaries of noir almost to the edge of darkness. The experiment does not always work, but this little book never gets boring.

Mike Hoolihan, as her name and the conventions...

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