The Painted Gun

By: Bradley Spinelli

Narrated by: Gary Tiedemann

It’s 1997 at the dawn of the digital age in San Francisco. Ex-journalist and struggling alcoholic David “Itchy” Crane’s fledgling “information consultancy” business is getting slowly buried by bad luck, bad decisions, and the growing presence of the Internet. Before he can completely self-destruct, a private investigator offers him 50 grand to find a missing girl named Ashley. Crane takes the job because the money’s right and because the only clue to her disappearance is a dead-on oil portrait of Crane himself - painted by the mysterious missing girl whom he has never met. As Crane’s search for Ashley becomes an obsession, he stumbles upon a series of murders for which he begins to fear he’s being framed...

With pitch-perfect dialogue, an exquisitely crafted plot, and a stylized, deadpan nod to classic hard-boiled writers like James Ellroy, Elmore Leonard, and Dashiell Hammett, The Painted Gun introduces Bradley Spinelli as a force to be reckoned with in contemporary noir fiction.

©2020 Bradley Spinelli (P)2020 Scribd Audio

Fantastic Audiobook!

A brilliant piece of creative writing that was difficult to put down. I read the book and listened to the audiobook with its outstanding narration which added to the great story. I am looking forward to reading more from the author.

Stupid 8th grade boy talk

See above. This might have been a decent mystery story in the hands of someone who can write without constantly dipping into gratuitous sexualization reminiscent of 60’s tv. I guess it’s pitched to really old dudes even older than me who don’t know better. Plus - who still uses the “C” word??? I can’t wait to have a little conversation with the person who said “read it! It’s great!” I think I’ve just been punked!!!