The beginning of ONCE A MAN INDULGES takes readers straight into July 1949 and the aftermath of a murder in the Howdy Partner Motel in Denver and author Tony Kelsey draws expertly on the dark underbelly of the time period. Atmospheric and brooding, the city effectively complements the action without overshadowing the narrative. The attention to period detail is faultless and evokes the age without being over-stylized.

It is clear from the start of the book that protagonist Harry Thorpe knew the victim and, possibly, why she was murdered. It’s an excellent opener, scattered with subtle reveals but enough intriguingly, obscure hints to be gripping from the outset and Kelsey’s slick, descriptive prose effortlessly nails 1940s noir-thriller. There is a precise, literal attention to physical detail and mannerisms, lending a visual realism to both the characters and action and it is abundantly clear that Kelsey has a natural gift for the genre style. The novel simmers with the requisite sexual tension, dark foreboding and graphic violence. The dialogue, in particular, is well-constructed without being forced or stagey. It flows marvelously, with pockets of humor and robust authenticity.

Harry Thorpe is clearly troubled, slightly rudderless and somewhat unpredictable. His character arc has reassuring similarity to previous hard-boiled, morally ambiguous literary gumshoes. However, what sets Thorpe’s depiction apart from mere stereotype is his genuine thoughtfulness and rare sensitivity. There is poetic integrity within the character, albeit skewed, and combined with the open acknowledgement of his PTSD following WWII and its ramifications, imbue him with a refreshing honesty. The reader may not agree with some of his decisions but is made to understand why he makes. Kelsey describes his book as neo-noir, and the uncharacteristically sympathetic portrayal of Thorpe definitely lends a modern aspect to the trope.

Large areas of the plot echo the real-life kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh, Jr., in the early 1930s, the toddler son of the famous aviator, but there are enough tangents to make this story an inspired reinterpretation rather than a retelling. ONCE A MAN INDULGES is as much fictional Thorpe’s tale, as it is the victims and perpetrators that litter the main story. From cynical cop Greenberg, to brutal mafia thug, Johnny Two-Nose, the characters are wonderfully convincing and sharply observed. Loren Chambers, Marquand’s sister-in-law, is beautifully depicted as a damaged yet dangerously alluring femme-fatale with addiction issues that mirror Thorpe’s own. Christian Marquand is the weaker of all the players, appearing a touch one-dimensional in places, but capably serves his purpose within the plot.

Tony Kelsey’s ONCE A MAN INDULGES is an entertaining and accomplished homage to classic crime-noir, employing all the necessary ingredients to excellent effect, while feeling fresh and contemporary.

~Rose Auburn for IndieReader