Noir

A Novel

By: Christopher Moore

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

The absurdly outrageous, sarcastically satiric, and always entertaining New York Times best-selling author Christopher Moore returns in finest madcap form with this zany noir set on the mean streets of post-World War II San Francisco, and featuring a diverse cast of characters, including a hapless bartender; his Chinese sidekick; a doll with sharp angles and dangerous curves; a tight-lipped air force general; a wisecracking waif; Petey, a black mamba; and many more.

San Francisco. Summer, 1947. A dame walks into a saloon....

It's not every afternoon that an enigmatic, comely blonde named Stilton (like the cheese) walks into the scruffy gin joint where Sammy "Two Toes" Tiffin tends bar. It's love at first sight, but before Sammy can make his move, an air force general named Remy arrives with some urgent business. 'Cause when you need something done, Sammy is the guy to go to; he's got the connections on the street.

Meanwhile, a suspicious flying object has been spotted up the Pacific coast in Washington State near Mount Rainer, followed by a mysterious plane crash in a distant patch of desert in New Mexico that goes by the name Roswell. But the real weirdness is happening on the streets of the City by the Bay.

When one of Sammy's schemes goes south and the Cheese mysteriously vanishes, Sammy is forced to contend with his own dark secrets - and more than a few strange goings-on - if he wants to find his girl.

Think Raymond Chandler meets Damon Runyon with more than a dash of Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes All Stars. It's all very, very Noir. It's all very, very Christopher Moore.

©2018 Christopher Moore (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Narrator Johnny Heller nails the wry tones and rhythmic pacing of the working mugs, corrupt cops, streetwise urchins, and tough dames who people Christopher Moore's novel, which the author calls 'perky noir.'" (AudioFile)

"Bite!Bite!Bite!"

Entertaining book, Entertaining narrator! I am a Christopher Moore fan, start to finish. This book takes you back to a much simpler time, a much simpler world. But things get a bit complicated for our new friend Sammy. You should not hesitate for one minute to join Sammy on this roller coaster ride. This is one of will definitely leave you wanting more of Moore!

I love this book

I just finished listening to Noir. I am a Christopher Moore fan already and I knew I’d enjoy it. He really spun a great tale here that had me staying up way too late. It’s a wonderful story. Right up there with Sacre Bleu(just about my favorite book of all time).
The narrator was great. His voice and performance made me feel like I was there.
Thank you Christopher Moore! What’s next?

Snakes, dames, gangters....and, well, more Moore

Of all the Christopher Moore books I have listened to, this is by far my favorite. The humor is dark, but a little less so then some of his other books, and the narrator really sets the mood and draws the listener into the period. The story line is fresh and wacky, and a fun listen. I kept backing the book up, a chapter or 2, so I could listen and make the experience last a bit longer.

Love!!

I bought this book on a whim and I have a new favorite author and narrator. Fantastic story and made me laugh out loud many times!

Perky Noir - who knew?

“Across the vastness of space we were being studied by intellects far superior than man’s, by beings that regarded us with envious eyes and slowly and surely were drawing their plans to come to our world and motorboat the bazzooms of our dames. Ah, dames; that’s how it starts.”

A fun, if rambling adventure featuring a guy, a dame, and a snake (“bite bite!”).
Oh, and an alien, a vicious kid, and some not politically correct humor. Good times.

A twisted Noir story

Fair warning, this is not a typical noir story. It has elements, but in typical Christopher Moore fashion, it's twisted and hilarious and some outstanding one liners, even multiple points of view. Overall, I like this book, but the story is generally nonsense, and meanders all over the place. That would typically lead me to a two star review, however, Johnny Heller delivers a great performance that bumps it up to a three star book.

The book features a bar keep named Sammy Two Toes, a dame named The Cheese, some G-men, and a colorful cast of characters that includes a snake who just wants to "Bite Bite Bite".

The story is complete and tells a complete picture, but it's a bit all over the place and I didn't find myself caring about the characters. My favorite parts of the book involve the snake and Sammy trying to figure out what to do with Pookie.

I liked Johnny Heller in this role, but I can see why people might not like him. It could be grating after more than an hour or so in the car.

Not Moore's best work, but still has some great dialog that makes it worth a credit.

Not one of the author's best works

It takes a long time for the story to become interesting. But then when it eventually gets a hit more involved, the story ends.

A sensitive reader might find some part of the story to be quite stereotypical and even racist when the author used Google as a consultant and it seems like that he took for granted what he read was true and did not question the correctness of the information.


On the other hand, the narrator does an excellent job in portraying the different characters.

Snakes, aliens, gangsters, and fog. What fun!

This book is like Dashiell Hammett and Robin Williams had a baby. Moore takes a whole truckload of noir tropes, mashes them up into a subversive stew, throws in piles of hilarious dialogue and endearing characters, and serves it all up with a side of weird history. I absolutely loved it.
The narrator does a fabulous job with the gumshoe tone.

Amazing

This story was red with the perfect Wise Guy actor and filled with zany situations and bewildering analogies. Having lived in San Francisco for a decade, I felt sorrow at never having heard the fog described as a dead hooker before. The characters are great. The descriptions were vivid and amusing. Can't wait to try another by this author

FanF-ingTastic

This was my second listening I enjoyed it more the second time. The writing is just tremendous and the narrator has some real voice skills. I was a big Chandler fan and his comic " smart ass" voice was my favorite part. This book makes me want to revisit the whole genre. Thank God for my terrible memory that allows me to see it all with nearly fresh eyes.