East of A

As a mystery author with a recently published debut mystery, I am greatly impressed with Russell Atwood's debut novel. His protagonist, Payton Sherwood, is a fresh creation--a contemporary heir to the noir tradition. Atwood captures his story's urban environment accurately, and his plot is well-paced. EAST OF A is a solid urban noir work and a terrific beginning for what I hope will be a long career writing crime fiction for Mr. Atwood.

The mystery novel is probably the closest thing we have to a moral x-ray machine capable of penetrating through the shiny, slick surface of a malled-out America to illuminate the tawdry recesses of its darkest inner organs.Russell Atwood is off to a fantastic start, seizing all of the noir conventions and making them work for a new generation. Payton Sherwood isn't a knight on a white horse. He's just a working stiff trying to get through the day with his hide intact and keep his conscience square with the house.Noir fiction, the best at least, is a morality play pitting a flawed hero against the temptations of lust, greed, anger and revenge. The characters the hero comes across during his investigation inevitably serve as avatars of these various human frailties. Our pay-off as readers comes when the hero, despite his personal woes, does the right thing, the thing we all hope we would do in his situation, but aren't sure we would.Atwood seems to understand this emotional dynamic implicitly. What he brings to the table is a fantastic ear for snappy dialogue and characterizations that refuse to divide cleanly into black and white absolutes.This is a fast read and it's well worth the time and money. Russell Atwood is on his way to a great career as a mystery writer and commentator on modern mores.

When you first meet Payton Sherwood, the hero of East of A, he seems to be stepping right into the footsteps of every great PI that has come before him. But Sherwood quickly steps out on his own and takes a new path that's fresh and yet still loyal to the past heroes of PI legend. With an expert eye for the East Village of New York City, East of A's author Atwood knows his turf and he knows how to show it off. If one paragraph makes the East Village seem like the kind of place that would be fun to visit, the next paragraph makes you want to run, run, run for your life. The characters are wild and full of surprises, and yet still very real. With all the suspense and drama, Atwood takes the time to give his main character Payton Sherwood, a depth and charm that pulls the reader in. Not a macho tough guy, Sherwood is the kind of hero that's closer to us all, and so we're a little more fearful for him. There is also a great deal of humor in East of A. Something that doesn't always work in the dark world of the PI novel, the humor here fits right in. It fits. That's what makes East of A so good. Atwood's characters, locale, story, and humor all fit perfectly together. And it's a good fit that makes for a great read. Can't wait for the next Payton Sherwood adventure! But who should play Payton in the movie?

I am a film noir fan and this book harkens back to the best of those stories. I love the language which is comtemporary yet paints pictures of the gritty underbelly that the great Hammett and Chanlder were able to capture so well. It rocks with vivid and all to real descritpions of the not too pretty reality of death and the streets of New York. Great fun and Peyton is a guy that I want to know better.

After testifying in a child custody case in Syracuse for the last nine days, private investigator Payton Sherwood buses home to New York City. When he reaches his office-home in the East Village, he feels life is good because no one broke into his house. Without changing form his suit, Payton goes to the nearest convenience store to buy some milk and cereal. On the way back, he intercedes when three thugs accost a teenage girl. For being a Good Samaritan, the three punks kick him from head to toe. When he regains consciousness, Payton realizes that his $3500 gold Rolex watch was stolen during the incident. Besides the principle of the thing, Payton wants just about his only thing of value returned. He traces the girl, who turns out to be a homeless runaway named Gloria Manlow. Though he catches up to her by journeying through the bowels of the city, he soon finds himself working a much bigger case that places his life in jeopardy. EAST OF A is well written urban Noir that brings alive the eats Village and surrounding neighborhoods of Manhattan. Payton is a great new entry in the sleuthing world (he has previously appeared in a short story). The story line is quirky and different. Fans will want more works from Russell Atwood, starring Payton in the city.Harriet Klausner