Straight Dope

by Tommy Swerdlow

Bobby Zorn, a once successful screenwriter and recovering addict, gets a call from an ex-girlfriend. But she doesn’t want to get back together, she wants him to find Kyle Strange, an old running partner of Bobby’s. Kyle was with the ex's sister when she overdosed at a seedy L.A. motel. The ex claims she's trying to recover a family heirloom that was in her sister's bag, but what she’s really after is something far more valuable. Can Bobby find Kyle before the pull of his old life takes him down, and what about his big pitch, a last gasp chance to get back the screenwriting career that drugs took away?Sharp, fast-paced, and deftly observant, STRAIGHT DOPE is 21st century noir straddling two L.A. The panic and desperation of addiction, and the even more desperate ambitions of Hollywood!

Kindle Edition

Published July 14, 2021

Reviews

[Girard Bowe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished it, so that says something.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Pulpy Stuff

Stark House Press, which published this book, usually publishes reprints of classic noir or pulp fiction from the fifties and sixties. Well this is pulp/noir fiction for the 2020’s. Violent , sexy with the search for a missing artwork as the centerpiece ( think Maltese Falcon) this is a hip trip through the seamy underbelly of Hollywood and LA. Though a bit confusing at times , it’s well worth a read.

[Evan Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

The greatest mystery writer of the 21st century and also his son is my roommate.