Paperback Jack is advertised as a noir thriller, but instead reads like a period piece/memoir.
Pulp fiction writer Jacob returns stateside after WWII and finds the pulps dead. What is a writer to do to make a living? He turns to creating lurid paperback fiction as his meal ticket. But instead of writing pure hokum, like most of his colleagues, Jacob enters the seedy underworld himself in search of realism. With predictable results…
Paperback Jack might be in part a memoir. The author may be too young to have returned after WWII, but he is a veteran mystery/western writer from the 1970s. However, this book meanders around and never really gets in its groove. It is definitely not paced as a thriller. It isn’t really a memoir either. While the writing style was good, I kept expecting something to happen. It never did. It’s probably best for historical fiction fans. 3 stars.
Thanks to Forge Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.