The publication of The Last Days of Il Duce brought new fans to Domenic Stansberry`s mastery of classic noir. Now, Stansberry turns his ingenious talent for bringing noir`s darkness and desolation to life onto one of the genre`s forefathers with Manifesto for the Dead, a fictional memoir of pulp novelist Jim Thompson.It`s 1971, and Jim is drinking away the end of his days in the bars of Los Angeles` seamy streets.He`s approached by a small-time producer, Billy Miracle, with an offer to work on a script about the murder-for-hire of a film exec`s girlfriend.Without options, he begins work on the script but soon finds himself at the center of a lurid triangle involving a dead starlet and a powerful producer.Nightmarish and terrifying, it seems Thompson`s life is beginning to imitate his art, as if he`s become a character in one of his own stories.Manifesto for the Dead is top-notch noir blended with biography, fiction, suspense, and satire.AUTHORBIO: Domenic Stansberry is the author of a book of short stories and three previous novels, including Edgar Award and Hammett Prize finalist The Last Days of Il Duce and The Spoiler, which was also an Edgar Award finalist.He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, poet Gillian Conoley, and daughter.
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From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Kirkus Reviews
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Customer Reviews
While there seem to be raves about the premise of the protagonist, Jim Thompson, writing a story in which he, in reality, is becoming a character. The technique is really not worth the hype, nor is it particularly groundbreaking like, say "House of Leaves" by Mark Danielewski. That gripe aside, what we do have here is a refreshing, intriguing story that, if nothing else has a convincing tone that made want to keep turning pages.
While I'm not too well read in the hard-boiled genre, this is a book that might make me want to dig deeper. Set in 1950s Hollywood, Stansberry gives us a look at the grime beneath the glitz: the hookers and alcoholics, the invalids and crazies. If it were a movie, Quentin Tarantino would be behind the camera and Harvey Keitel would be starring lead, carrying a pocketful of pimp swagger left over from Taxi Driver.
To the story, Jamesy!
Thompson is asked, by Billy Miracle to write a script for a movie that Miracle is shopping. Miracle is in debt up to his forked-tongue in people who wouldn't hesitate to break his legs. The alcoholic Thompson accepts the offer and gets the lead line from Miracle. As Miracle gives him direction, Thompson starts to realize that events happening around him (murders, cover-ups, and mistaken identities) are running parallel to the story Miracle is feeding him. Before too long, Thompson sees where things are going, but it might just be too late. (Cue the spooky string music here).
In a seemingly simple turn of events, we reach the climax of the book. On page 162 of my copy, Miracle explains everything. From a technique perspective, the whole thing is a total mess. One full page of monologue reads like a list of he said/she said drivel. Rather than trusting the reader to figure out what was going down-which would have taken just a little bit more effort on the author's part-we get a summation that leaves us confused rather than shocked. It was shortcut that could've (and should've) been avoided. Since the book tips the scales at 184 pages, there is plenty of room for more development.
That said, rare is the book these days that makes me want to park my posterior at the controls and mash the keyboard all day. Stansberry's mysterious characters and convincing descriptions of Hollywood's underbelly was plenty of motivation. Ultimately, if your looking for a light read to knock off in a long afternoon, I'd say that, at 99¢, Manifesto for the Dead is money well spent.
While there seem to be raves about the premise of the protagonist, Jim Thompson, writing a story in which he, in reality, is becoming a character. The technique is really not worth the hype, nor is it particularly groundbreaking like, say "House of Leaves" by Mark Danielewski. That gripe aside, what we do have here is a refreshing, intriguing story that, if nothing else has a convincing tone that made want to keep turning pages.
While I'm not too well read in the hard-boiled genre, this is a book that might make me want to dig deeper. Set in 1950s Hollywood, Stansberry gives us a look at the grime beneath the glitz: the hookers and alcoholics, the invalids and crazies. If it were a movie, Quentin Tarantino would be behind the camera and Harvey Keitel would be starring lead, carrying a pocketful of pimp swagger left over from Taxi Driver.
To the story, Jamesy!
Thompson is asked, by Billy Miracle to write a script for a movie that Miracle is shopping. Miracle is in debt up to his forked-tongue in people who wouldn't hesitate to break his legs. The alcoholic Thompson accepts the offer and gets the lead line from Miracle. As Miracle gives him direction, Thompson starts to realize that events happening around him (murders, cover-ups, and mistaken identities) are running parallel to the story Miracle is feeding him. Before too long, Thompson sees where things are going, but it might just be too late. (Cue the spooky string music here).
In a seemingly simple turn of events, we reach the climax of the book. On page 162 of my copy, Miracle explains everything. From a technique perspective, the whole thing is a total mess. One full page of monologue reads like a list of he said/she said drivel. Rather than trusting the reader to figure out what was going down-which would have taken just a little bit more effort on the author's part-we get a summation that leaves us confused rather than shocked. It was shortcut that could've (and should've) been avoided. Since the book tips the scales at 184 pages, there is plenty of room for more development.
That said, rare is the book these days that makes me want to park my posterior at the controls and mash the keyboard all day. Stansberry's mysterious characters and convincing descriptions of Hollywood's underbelly was plenty of motivation. Ultimately, if your looking for a light read to knock off in a long afternoon, I'd say that, at 99¢, Manifesto for the Dead is money well spent.
