Denis Johnson, Crime Writer?

His work is dark, obviously, but straight up noir didn't seem to be part of his fictional arsenal - until now, as per the NYT:

Beginning with its July issue, which arrives at newsstands on Friday, Playboy will publish [Johnson's] next novel, “Nobody Move,” in four monthly installments of 10,000 words each, to be written on deadline each month through the October issue. The magazine described “Nobody Move” as a hard-boiled noir in the style of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett*, but Mr. Johnson said he was also inspired by an earlier writer. “I’ve always admired Charles Dickens, who wrote big, involved novels in monthly installments,” he said in a statement, “and I wanted to find out what it was like. It’s a little nerve-racking.”

So if that's the case, Johnson gets to indulge in this experience four times while Dickens, for each novel, did so, uh, at least 12? 15? But yeah, color me curious. (via)

*Cue involuntary twitch at hearing another tired Hammett/Chandler comparison when there has been excellent crime fiction written in the last 80-something years!

Comments

[I.J.Parker]

A novel that's 40,000 words?

[Graham]

I'm not a big fan of Johnson, but I once sold a story to Plots With Guns inspired by his "Out on Bail".