Putting the noir back into Zen City, Iso

A few months ago I watched an old favourite of mine, the hardboiled House of Bamboo (1955) directed by Sam Fuller, starring Robert Ryan and Shirley Yamaguchi,  and featuring some stunning cinematography. Fascinating, memorable location shots of post-war Tokyo. I guess the nearest equivalent for Bangkok at this time would be The Quiet American but Bamboo sure hits the noir button hell of a lot a lot harder.



Suitably inspired, I've been busy reworking my first crime  
novel, Zen City, Iso. Putting the noir back in. That means out with the current (rather obscure) title and in with one that wouldn't have looked out of place on the cover of a wartime crime novel. I'm penning a more conventional, accessible narrative style and style, reworking some of the characters and tidying a number of plot lines.

The story will still retain its dark comedy, gothic and British elements or, as Graham Greene might have called the latter, its 'entertainments'. And the action still unfolds in that speculative 1940s Bangkok world of dance halls, haunted temples and corpse-filled canals.

Now where did I leave my snap-brim trilby...?
   

Anton Kusters hanging out with the Yakuza

Anton Kusters

"In the hotel bar in Niigata, I'm only slowly starting to understand the extremely subtle social interaction that is continuously happening, the micro-expressions on the faces, the gestures, the voices and intonations, the body language.

Anton Kusters

As the bar is evacuated to make room for the godfather having a coffee, everything seems to be strictly organised but at the same time seems to come naturally: strangely, I don’t need anyone to tell me what to do, where to sit, when to talk or when to shut up.

It’s like I literally feel the boundaries, the implicit expectations, and I am slowly learning when I can move forward, and when to best hold back. Sitting at the table with a bodyguard looking straight through me, I drink from my iced coffee. I’m feeling the acute sensation of walking on eggshells."

Behind the scenes

Dirty Harry 1971