Bourbon & Blondes: Vintage Noir & Pulp

By: Anthony Venutolo

Narrated by: Matthias N Bossi

If Raymond Carver or Charles Bukowski wrote noir and pulp, this would be it....

Minimalist in approach but long on mood and atmosphere, this first entry in The Ladies of Liquor series is a boozy mix of old-school pulp, shadowy noir, and hard-boiled double-crosses.

Writer Anthony Venutolo delivers a collection of nearly 50 flash fictions and short stories that splatter into the ear at 90 proof. From the deserted bus stations of Route 66 to the smoky, neon-tinged jazz dives of the big cities, these wanton tales of longing introduce us to desperate vixens on the fringe and those shifty men that drove them there.

Get your shot glass ready because in this retro world, showgirls, drifters, barmaids, and thieves have one thing in common - they're all painted on a seedy canvas drenched in a hearty barrel of Kentucky's finest nectar.

©2014 Anthony Venutolo (P)2015 Anthony Venutolo

Like haiku - minus peace, serenity - that stuff...

If you love old-time hard-boiled detective prose, this one is it - it distills the style to the bone, with minimal story and sometimes not even that. Just scenes images, turns of phrase and impressions, true to the style. Brief meditations on "that" side of life. Fun reading, if you have acquired the taste. If you have not, it may be as opaque as Elvis' Ray-Bans on a moonless night ...

This Collection Was An Unexpected Delight!!!

I really enjoyed so many of the stories in this collection. I do think that most of these can hardly be considered short stories. I would classify a lot of them as "Noir Poetry" (Yes, I just quoted myself).
I encourage anyone who likes Noir to give it a listen.

Matthias N. Bossi provides a stylization to the characters that so totally and completely lends itself to the Noir Genre. He brings very lively prose to full electrified life.