Manafonistas

While B & K are approaching the capital of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife,  I’m thinking about some American or Canadian Noir thrillers that are situated in that area, but nothing comes to mind. A lot of Steve Hamilton’s books evoke  cold winters in Canada, but the stories told there are  located at Lake Superior, the East Coast. Hamilton once said:  „To me, when I think about “hardboiled” or “noir,” I think about cold. When just going outside to your car is an act of courage, that has to say something about you already, right? I know that Raymond Chandler’s idea of hardboiled was a sun-baked street in Los Angeles, but for me there’s just something about a frozen lake and a cold wind that will turn you inside-out.“ So far, so cold. Meanwhile I’m in the middle of the showdown of Michael Koryta’s book, in the mountains of Montana. A very different headspace. News came that a rather free adaptation of a Joe R. Lansdale  novel arrived in the cinemas of Great Britain: COLD IN JULY.  Richard Dane (Michael C Hall) is woken in the middle of the night by his wife Ann (Vinessa Shaw), who’s heard an intruder. He finds his gun, creeps down the hallway, and moments later, his entire life has changed. (The film gets quite mixed reviews, read excerpts of one of them in comment no.1.)  Texas is the territory of a lot of Lansdale books, and his great novel „The Thicket“ will be released in Germany in August, titled „Das Dickicht“. And it’s a Western Noir!

This thriller won’t change your life, but your nights, at least the nights that follow your reading sessions. You might not remember it consciously, but this fast-paced, deeply moving novel will enter your dreams, some of them might turn into nightmares and then, of course, you won’t forget anything, you might wake up with a stifled cry looking around for ghosts like a child. You’re not that type of character? You can keep your healthy distance? Nothing from the world of story-telling can cross the blood barrier of your grown-up brain?  Mhmm, I’m raising serious doubts here. Losing the ground can happen anytime. Losing the ground is a recurrent theme here. And hunting. Michael Koryta’s book is one of the best thrillers of 2014. Don’t read reviews, spoilers are everywhere, respect your own not-knowing – and, never mind, this state of innocence will soon be lost!