23 Shades of Black

Filomena Buscarsela #1

by K.J.A. Wishnia, Barbara D'Amato (Introduction)

This tense, psychological thriller set in the East Village punk scene during the early 1980s shadows a single evening shift of NYPD cop Filomena Buscarsela. When Filomena learns that the toxic leak may have been sabotage, and a key witness—an East Village artist—dies in a suspicious accident, she decides to pursue the case on her own by cruising the Alphabet City punk rock clubs for clues about the artist’s last days. But as she attempts to punish environmental criminals, Filomena finds the case, and her personal life, begin to crumble. A taut noir tempered with a cynical sense of humor, this mystery novel is a sociological snapshot of a working-class Latina in New York City.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

aka Kenneth Wishnia.

Kenneth John Alexander Wishnia's debut novel, 23 Shades of Black, featuring Filomena Buscarsela, was short-listed for the Edgar and Anthony awards for best first novel in 1998. He has written three subsequent Filomena mysteries, Soft Money, The Glass Factory and Red House. Born in New Hampshire, he is a graduate of Brown University and has a Ph.D. in comparative literature from SUNY Stony Brook. He lives on Long Island, New York, with his wife, a native of Ecuador, and their two children, and is a professor in the English Department at SUNY Suffolk.

Reviews

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love sarcasm, wit and a good mystery, so this was right up my alley! 
Filomena is a cop who sees too much and has become used to that. When a murder and a chemical spill start to give her a run for her money you’d think she would stay busy enough to stay out of trouble, but that’s not the case it seems. Between problems at work and in her personal life Filomena has to get by with sarcasm and grit; which she has in abundance.
This book has won numerous awards or been nominated for awards such as the Edgar Allan Poe Award and the Anthony Award. It is very noir, but funny at times as well. If you love detective novels, mystery, suspense and humor you will love 23 Shades of Black. There are other books in this series. You can find out more at the author’s website- http://www.kjawishnia.com/

[Debbi Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

23 SHADES OF BLACK is a real stand-out among hardboiled mysteries. For one thing, the main character, a New York cop named Filomena Buscarsela, is a woman of Ecuadorian descent. For another, although Filomena's tough as nails, beneath her toughness lies both keen intelligence and empathy. In addition, this female character is the creation of a male author. K.j.a. Wishnia (the "K" stands for "Kenneth") has succeeded where most male authors tend to fail. Without turning her into a saint (at least, not too much of one), Wishnia has created a likable, highly realistic female protagonist in a story told in the first person. This alone should probably have earned Wishnia the Edgar, but the story offers much more to support that position.

The story is actually told in retrospect, which is oddly (but effectively) conveyed in the first person present tense. As in "I get out of the car and get my nightstick . . .," as if it's happening right now, rather than back in the early-to-mid 1980s. This lends the story an immediacy it might not otherwise have.

Filomena and her partner, Bernie ("a beef-brained cabeza de chorlito so cerebrally-challenged he couldn't pick his own nose without the aid of an instruction manual and a detailed map"), end up on an emergency call for a toxic leak at a food stamp center. Apparently, the leak is coming from an insecticide factory next door. Without waiting for a hazmat unit or rescue workers, Filomena charges into the building and saves someone. (Disbelief had to be suspended here, until realizing this was pre-9/11 and the anthrax scares of the future.)

After the incident, Filomena just can't let go of what happened. Even though questions of sabotage are raised, no one seems to be following up. A suspect is identified and he ends up dead. And Filomena is the only one who seems to care. She asks questions, only to be smacked down. She follows leads, only to be thwarted. A reporter who's been calling Filomena with questions suddenly gets cold feet. Not good signs.

Read the entire review at: http://detective-fiction.suite101.com...

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like your crime novels with a heavy does of social commentary, this one set in early 1980s NYC is just the ticket. The book introduces Filomena Buscarsela, a NYPD patrolwoman who, as a female Latina immigrant, is the ultimate outsider. Responding to a toxic incident at a food bank, she stumbles into a strange plot involving a potential environmental coverup by a real-estate developer, coupled with the possible murder of an artist. The story takes her in and out of the seedy East Village punk/new-wave scene as she pokes around for information, conducting an investigation that's way above her pay grade.

Although she contains elements typical of the hard-boiled genre protagonist (heavy drinker, self-destructive, sarcastic/cynical cracks, etc.), she remains a refreshing character to follow down the mean streets of Reagan-era America. It's kind of a fantasy plot in a way -- the brown lefty heroine standing up to the corrupt capitalist gentrifiers. The story is OK, nothing special -- the real reason to read the book is for its unabashed politics. Those who have only experienced the cleaned up New York of the last 20-25 years may find much to astonish in these pages, while those who lived it will be reminded of just how bad it was.

I'll definitely be seeking out the next in the series -- Soft Money.

[Grek Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were definitely things that I enjoyed about this book. For example I was left I’m just saying it out but what happened in the end, and I was certainly surprised. However one of the big issues that I had with this book is that there are at least a dozen minor characters that don’t really contribute anything to the plot. One example is a random character who accompanies the protagonist to one of the final locations, and This person was introduced literally in that chapter with no sort of explanation of how he is connected to Filomena. At times I felt like there is more thought put into the witty banter and sarcasm over presenting a logical timeline. With that said I am considering reading the second book in this series because it was still interesting.

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this 4 stars even though it took me about 3 weeks to get through what should have taken just a couple of days. For whatever reason(s), I had trouble engaging with the book. Maybe the intrigue had too many levels of connection for my wee brain to hold together (art exhibits, corporate malfeasance, environmental poisoning, & immigration among other topics). But I love the protagonist. She's smart & a smart-ass. I want to follow more of her adventures. And I absolutely love some of the descriptive passages Wishnia writes. So fresh & imaginative.

So, I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt here and say the lack of engagement (until the last third of the book) is entirely my fault. Will also try another book in this series & try to focus.

[ػᶈᶏϾӗ]

I admit, I was really skeptical about a book with a police protagonist, but she didn't disappoint me. At times and especially early on, I was annoyed with the referential style of the prose. It feels a lot like a debut work from an author who still needs to get some things right. But after a while, I adapted to the tone and found it really entertaining. I will certainly try reading more books from this series, especially since some of my problems with the character were, let's say, eliminated by the end.

[Nichole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turner, though sometimes challenging because it is unafraid to explore dark social and political themes and events that turn deadly and deeply personal. A smart, gritty mystery/thriller with a protagonist unlike any other I've ever met. It's stayed with me weeks after finishing it. Looking forward to the next one in the series!

[Tom Coffey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filomena Buscarela is a fascinating, complicated character, and her story is a kick-ass tale of greed, murder and substance abuse set in the seedy New York of the 1980s. Plus ..... plenty of punk rock! A thoroughly enjoyable ride.

[LaDonna Ockinga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling Read

An irreverent sense of humor and a thrilling story where life is real and the police officer faultless in uncovering the crime. You'll love it.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm generally not a mystery reader, but I enjoyed this one. Very political, and so far it does not seem formulaic, which is my usual reason for disliking the genre. I will definitely try the next one in the series.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book and fun character! She was an Edgar Award finalist and deserves to be there. If there is a flaw - it is the ending. I had trouble believing the way it took place. Other than that a fun ride.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

LOVED the premise, but the first person narrative did not feel like it was coming from the protagonist. There was a clear and unfortunate distinction between the writer and the character, which was distracting.

[Tiffany-Rae Lowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although there were a few parts that were pretty confusing I liked this book. I took away 1 star because there were times I felt it went on a random journeys to no where and was gone too long. Pretty good book though.

[David Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is wonderful. I missed this when it first came out in 1997 so kudos to PM Press for bringing it back into print.

http://opionator.wordpress.com/2012/0...

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Retro and somewhat noir feeling cop novel with a scrappy female protagonist. Would love to see this as a movie.

[Brandon Nagel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. Might pick up a few more installments down the road. Definitely a unique style of writing for a police/crime/mystery novel.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the character but found the plot a little weak. I'd definitely read more in the series.

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this book were really good. And parts were kind of boring. I liked the main character though and that helped. I thought everything wrapped up to quick at the end.

[Jocelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Filomena Buscarsela mystery. A tough cop from Ecuador fighting both racism and sexism
in New York City.