Long Way Down

South-side LA citizens are rioting over the Rodney King verdict. Many businesses are shutting down including Pinx Video. The owner Noah Valentine decides closing is the safest option. He’s a lonely man, his former love Jeffers having died a few years ago. Now, he channels his energy into the video rental shop.

Next day, the camera store nearby is discovered burned out. The body of owner Guy Peterson is found inside. Valentine breaches the crime scene tape to poke around. He feels sad about the destruction and Peterson’s death. He once took a photography course from him, and there was an awkward, forgettable dinner.

The scene is confusing though, for Valentine discovers cash still in the register and expensive cameras melted from the heat. What kind of looting was this? Curiosity getting the better of him, he along with friends Marc and Louis, decide to investigate. Trouble soon follows.

This book is lighter in tone than I normally present. Good writing is key, and Marshall Thornton provides clean prose, with humour and depth. Quirky characters are part of the charm and Night Drop has it all.  2018 LAMBDA Award Winner

~ June Lorraine