Dope by Sara Gran (Review)
Dope by Sara Gran is the grim, gritty story of Josephine "Joe" Flanagan, an ex-junkie turned private eye in 1950’s NYC, who's hired to find a Barnard dropout – who her parents think is on “dope”.
What starts out as a straightforward case – like most detective noir – turns out to be anything but. Tightly plotted, well written. Lots of details of addiction and the seedy, sad life which follows. No one escapes, even when they think they have, and “Joe” finds herself suffering betrayal after betrayal even to the very last page. I never saw the ending coming.
I loved this story. This is how I wish 50's noir had been written in the 50's.
Sara Gran’s writing was mesmerizing, and the characters will stay with me for a long time. It reminds me quite a bit of the movie Chinatown; if you liked that you’ll like this as well.