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Title: Overrated stoner noir
Review: This is the heir of Raymond Chandler? Please. The book goes like this: Hillbilly PI is sent out to find a bearded, macho writer (a Hemingway stand-in). He finds him drinking beer with a bulldog (the novel's single instance of invention). The two of them then decide to quest after a girl ten years gone. On the way, they drink (wow!) and do drugs (while drinking? cutting edge!) and admire the thighs of blue-collar women. This book completely lacks the romance, humor, and stylistic brilliance of Chandler, as well as the narrative rewards of lesser hardboiled novels. Skip it.
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