(hb;
2003: second book in the Billy Nichols series)
From
the inside flap
“. .
.in Shadow Boxer, Billy is back on
the beat for the San Francisco Inquirer.
But his problems are hardly behind him. A man’s in jail, accused of murder. But
did he do it? By aiding a beguiling woman, Billy stumbles on evidence that
could exonerate the defendant, who only months before was one of the town’s top
fight promoters. One big problem─the victim was Billy’s secret lover, and he
has not desire to help set her killer free.
“But
once his reporter’s instincts kick in, Billy can’t let go of a twisting trail
of suspense that stetches from
Tenderloin fight clubs to Marina district mansions, from mountain retreats to
the Hall of Justice. He squares off with an intriguing cast of characters: a
bombastic novelties promoter, a former colleague turned muckraking lawyer, a
society doyenne on the skids, a crooked booze distributor, a shifty deputy DA,
an opera-crooning pugilist, a homespun abortionist, a crafty and celebrated
defense attorney, a murderous stalker─and the unfathomable Virginia Wagner, a
leggy legal secretary with many more secrets than just the gun in her handbag.”
Review
Shadow, like its prequel The Distance, is a vivid, immersive and distinctly-San Francisco novel that
brings together the best pulp elements, character archetypes with its
quick-twist plotting. What is especially joyous and masterful about this work is
its well-foreshadowed and sequel friendly twist-finish. Shadow is a darker-in-tone, worthy continuation of one of my
all-time favorite set-in-1940s pulp tales.
Additional note:
The author, in a June 8, 2017 Facebook post wrote: “Little known tidbit: The
character Gloria Grahame plays in [the 1947] film Crossfire was the basis for Virginia Wagner in my novel Shadow Boxer. Actually, the character is
an amalgation of Grahame’s onscreen roles, why I chose ‘Ginny Wagner’ as her
name because I like to think that character moved to San Francisco and left
Paul Kelly far behind.”
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