Calumet Editions

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Smoke Got in My Eyes

A Martin McDonough Mystery

#1 Bestseller Noir Author

Private detective Martin McDonough survives by leaning on his cop connections—until the favors stop paying out. This noir mystery trails him from gangster-ridden 1930s St. Paul, protected by a corrupt police force, to postwar San Francisco, where jazz clubs and the mob share uneasy territory. In McDonough’s world, people get shot—just not by him, if he can help it. Trouble is, the rats won’t cooperate.

the dark tone and feel of the old Bogart noir movies

—Scott on Amazon

Description

Martin McDonough is a private detective whose investigations are usually successful because he knows how to get the low-down from his copper friends—a formula that works for a long time, but not forever. This noir mystery novel follows him from 1930s St. Paul, where a corrupt police force creates a haven for trigger-happy gangsters, to post-World War II San Francisco, where the jazz scene and the local mob uneasily coexist. In McDonough’s world people are getting shot all time, but not by him… if he can help it. Trouble is, it’s hard to be nice to the kind of rats he keeps running into.

Product Details

PublishedJanuary 23, 2023
ImprintCalumet Editions
LanguageEnglish
Print length354
ISBN-139781960250568
Dimensions6 x 0.79 x 9 inches

Some real history and dime-store novel crime come together here in a tale that captures the dark feel of 1930s gangsters, hooch and angst of a country caught in the Depression with a war brewing. Naturally there are some stereotypes, but Rubenstein overall does a good job of weaving in lots of rogues and oddballs in an interesting story.

—M.A.Y. on Amazon

I have to say reading this book felt very authentic, and the three interlocking stories—weaved together by P.I. Martin McDonough, are well-written and great fun to read. I highly recommend this book to all lovers of the mystery genre.

—Marc Kramer on Amazon

Loved this period gangster story. It had the dark tone and feel of the old Bogart noir movies. The hero who narrates the book, P.I. Martin McDonough, is a great character and over a number of years evolves in an interesting way, something that P.I.s in most detective novels seldom do.

—Scott on Amazon