I come from Rhode Island, somebody had to. Okay I blatantly stole that from Bill Bryson in The Lost Continent, however it is, in a way, true. I have been asked more times than I care to admit if Rhode Island is the long island off New York. Seriously. If you ever needed a scathing indictment of the American education system, there it is. People don't even know that where I come from is a state most of the time, so when I see a book someone has actually written about it I have to read it. Now I must confess that I have read other books either totally or partially set in Rhode Island that frankly are not written by anyone with a true knowledge of the place. They might have read about it or be cross referencing from other stories, but its clear they don't know the nature of the beast. Bruce DeSilva, a former writer for the Providence Journal (known by locals as the ProJo) is very familiar with the best.
Rogue Island is a noir with a down on his luck journalist Liam Mulligan, at its center. He knows every street in the city of Providence, and almost every person on it. He comes from Rhode Island and isn't afraid to let his freak flag fly. Investigating an ugly and dirty series of arsons in his home neighborhood of Mount Hope the story is full of wonderfully gritty realism. The framework of a traditional noir is there, the plot and the dialogue, however its crossed with a more modern streetwise flavor reminiscent of Scorsese or Tarentino. Every review I have read of this book is a hit. Fans of the genre will love it regardless of its setting, and those who live in the setting will love it even more. Its a slightly warped love letter, but then again all the best love stories are.
