The City Burns At Night

She was just like a high-speed drive down Mulholland. Dangerous and full of curves!

Home from the War, hotshot reporter Tom Miller trades the frigid battlefields of Northern France for the warm sunshine and bright lights of Hollywood. Now dusting a chair at the Los Angeles Chronicle, Miller is looking to make his bones. He gets his chance after risking life and limb to rescue two endangered tykes from a brownstone inferno.

This not only gets him on the front page of every paper in town, but hot on the trail of a mysterious firebug who’s loose in the City of Angels. Plus an invitation to a Tinseltown soirée at his publisher’s oceanfront Malibu mansion.

After regaling the assembled glitterati with a dramatic recount of his heroics, Miller enters the orbit of two beautiful women who will forever change his life.

Trudy Wilkes is a young ingenue looking to make her Hollywood dreams of stardom come true. Miller is taken both by her innocence and her vast industry knowledge. She could be just what he needs to build a new future.

But then there's Irene Faye. A sizzling, blonde bombshell who’s career has been on the skids since separating from her studio honcho husband. Miller is just as drawn to her. But for completely different reasons.

As he works overtime to track down the arsonist and break the story wide open, Miller finds that Irene may actually be the key to the whole mystery. As he’s continually pulled deeper into her inescapable orbit, he risks both his job and his future with Trudy in his search for the truth.

And maybe even his life.

The City Burns at Night is the first book in the Hollywood Newshawk series, detailing the exploits of Tom Miller, hardboiled reporter in 1940s Los Angeles. If you like L.A. Confidential, The Black Dahlia, and Philip Marlowe, then you’ll love Roger Alford’s gritty mystery that effortlessly combines new pulp with a classic noir style.

The City Burns At Night (Pulp Noir)

By Roger Alford

Black Hood Press

ASIN: B07TKHHTLD

Price $.99 (Kindle)

Rating 5-Stars

After the war ends in 1945, Tom Miller settles in California where he gets a job with the Los Angeles Chronicle. Covering an arson fire in town, he rescues children from the burning building, making a name for him, and is assigned to the arson case by the paper. A chance meeting at a party given by his boss, he meets two actresses that will be instrumental in his prime investigation. Both have knowledge that will help him solve the case – or be his death.

This was a fast moving noir that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat, with just enough twists for a few surprises, and a slam-bang ending. There’s lots of pulpy fun with characters that come alive. Highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Author of INVITATION TO DEATH

Vengeance Waits At The Door

A masked hero fights for his life. An ailing reporter faces uncertain death. Will either live until morning?

Following his failed attempt to kill Big Jack, Brent Gregor (aka The Black Spectre) lies near death in a Chinatown parish. Determined to locate the mysterious assassin, the Mob combs the blood-soaked streets to find him. His only hope of survival lies in the mercy of strangers.  

Furious that she missed out on the story of a lifetime, Vicky is stunned to learn that her mysterious savior is actually real. Ignoring Editor Frank Matson’s orders and her own failing health, she goes after the story with a vengeance. But to get the answers she so desperately needs, she will have to march straight into the lion’s den. Alone.

Vengeance Waits at the Door is the third book in the Black Spectre Origins series, detailing the rise of the masked pulp hero The Black Spectre. If you like Agent Carter, the Rocketeer, and The Dark Knight, then you’ll love Roger Alford’s gritty noir mystery that effortlessly combines new pulp with a classic 1930s style.

Vengeance Waits at the Door (Pulp Fiction)

By Roger Alford

Black Hood Press

ASIN B077722KYD

Price $Free (Kindle)

213 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

There is a lot going on in this third novel. Death strikes close to several main characters. Vicky’s mother passes away in Gibsonville, MO, while Brent’s grandfather dies in Paris. The Black Spectre, finally recovering from his wounds, reaches mob boss, Big Jack, only to find him already murdered by one of his men. Detective Flynn is murdered by the mob, and Detective Shayne’s family are killed because he spoke out.

Everything is set up for the next novel, and we can only hope it will be out soon. The books are character driven, with small plots surrounding each character. Brent Gregor is finally learning how to use his Black Spectre persona more effectively. Highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Author of THE COBRA