Kill the Lights

When a beach party ends with a savage murder, entrepreneur and community enthusiast Ty Malone is moved to seek out justice for the young woman. A fast-paced murder mystery set against the Los Angeles skyline and bohemian community of Venice Beach, Kill the Lights by David Walhberg enters the world of high-end fashion merchandising, organized crime, and vigilante justice.

This is a high-quality, unique novel that not only maintains the essence of an LA film noir mystery, but brings it out from the streets and onto the sunlit beaches. It contains a memorable collection of characters—aging hippies, a psychic, a knock-off clothing designer, among others—set against a backdrop of Venice Beach, Malibu, and the streets of LA. Southern California itself is a character in this novel, permeating every page with an intoxicating, subtle presence that drifts through the action like smoke.

There is much to appreciate in this complex, understated novel. Ty Malone is a character who prefers to talk his way out of problems, soothing egos instead of throwing punches. The relationship between Ty and his dog, Sweetlips, is especially touching. There is also a beautiful layering of plot, with several meandering side-stories that add much to the novel’s overall complexity and real-life feel. The author delivers it all effortlessly, pulling the reader into the world and enabling them to experience the essence of the location and mindset of the characters within that setting as they track down the various leads on several investigations.

Kill the Lights is a novel that explores the criminal mind and takes new twists on old themes. From the glitterati to the gritty LA streets, this is an understated, elegant mystery novel. Highly recommended to those mystery lovers who enjoy not being spoon-fed their mysteries and enjoy realistic, understated dialogue with an unpretentious writing style.