Hipster Death Rattle by Richie Narvaez, debut hard-boil novel, published by Down & Out Books, coming March 11, 2019.
Murder is trending. Hipsters are getting slashed to pieces in the hippest neighborhood in New York: Williamsburg, Brooklyn. While Detectives Petrosino and Hadid hound local gangbangers, slacker reporter Tony Moran and his ex Magaly Fernandez get caught up in a missing person’s case—one that might just get them hacked to death.
Filled with a cast of colorful characters and told with sardonic wit, this fast-moving, intricately plotted novel plays out against a backdrop of rapid gentrification, skyrocketing rents, and class tension. New Yorkers and anyone fascinated with the city will love the story’s details, written like only a true native could. Entertaining to the last, this rollicking debut is sure to make Richie Narvaez a rising star on the mystery scene.
This fast-paced drama kept me glued to the pages with each and every scene that comprised all that was happening in this multi-plot narrative. Someone is slashing people and it’s the root of this crime that makes this debut novel very intriguing. This gritty and downright riveting tale involves a missing person coupled with a slasher, gentrification and a homeboy trying to do the right thing with a few comical interjections throughout.
The author did a great job in telling a story keeping the suspense alive with several strategically placed twists and turns, especially the killer’s identity and motive and those surrounding the missing person. I found the residents and their story created an atmosphere of understanding their own self-placement and the pivotal roles they portrayed enhanced how well this tale was being told. When it was all said and done, this was a good read.
**********
FTC Full Disclosure – I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from the author.