Two tough-as-nails women (one a fresh faced dame just learning the ropes of book cooking and gangster seduction, the other a hardened moll who's still a looker) make for a dangerous combination in Megan Abbott's Queenpin.
The youthful modern day author pays tremendous homage to the noir genre of old and upholds the style and plot devices. Tough talk and violence abound here, and Queenpin makes for a quick, fun and kind of mindless read.
Abbott has been roundly praised for her efforts to resurrect the noir novel, but I guess my only quibble is that she doesn't bring anything new to the table. While this novel is bound to satisfy the avid pulp reader, it may not convert skeptics of the genre.
But what do you think?