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The Perfect Setting For Noir
The Loneliest Places follows a private investigator who has everything going against him when he makes a last-ditch effort to change his situation and ends up investigating a brutal cartel. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I was inspired by all the great Los-Angeles-based crime fiction and noir that came before me, and is being written now—everything from Nathaniel West and Raymond Chandler to James Ellroy and Michael Connelly. Initially, my only goal was to insinuate myself into that legacy and hopefully honor it.
Was there a reason why you chose this location as the backdrop for your story?
I love Los Angeles. What shows on the city’s face, often tragically, belies what’s in its heart. That makes it the perfect setting for noir. I knew The Loneliest Places would be set in L.A. even before I knew my detective Ellis Dunaway’s name.
What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
The scene where Ellis visits his old friend Kent at the TV studio. Ellis can barely contain his envy and resentment while the mega-successful Kent struts around, humble bragging and grandstanding. Also, the scenes where Ellis talks to Bettina were a lot of fun, because she is so shallow and self-involved, requiring Ellis, again, to try and hide his irritation in the interest of getting hired by her. Writing dialogue that plays against what Ellis is actually feeling is always fun.
Will this novel be the start of a series or are you working on a different story?
The answer to both parts of the question is yes. I just started taking notes for a second Ellis Dunaway novel. And I am currently drafting a couple of stand-alone novels about other characters in the Ellis Dunaway universe.
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The Loneliest Places
In The Loneliest Places, Keith Edward Vaughn delivers a captivating debut that navigates the grittier side of Los Angeles through the eyes of Ellis Dunaway, a man of enormous desires – especially when it pertains to his drug habits. Dunaway’s vocation as a private investigator incessantly plunges him deeper into society’s darker corners, exacerbating his feelings of solitude and purposelessness. His continuous struggle to align his lifestyle with the expectations of his late father serves as an intimate backdrop to his story. Dunaway’s world is thrown into chaos when he crosses paths with the Black Fist, a sophisticated crime syndicate. With his life in turmoil, he must decipher a complex mystery while confronting his personal shortcomings.
Keith Edward Vaughn showcases his distinctive literary prowess in this gripping noir novel teeming with morally ambiguous characters straddling both sides of the law. Ellis Dunaway emerges as the perfect protagonist to guide us through the unseen, darker recesses of Los Angeles, offering a stark contrast to the city’s regular tourist highlights.
I can’t help but draw comparisons with iconic noir movies such as “LA Confidential” and “Chinatown.” Much like Jake Gittes from the latter, Dunaway is a proficient detective whose worst adversary is often his own self, a fact that constantly puts him in precarious situations. Dunaway’s journey is not only thrilling but also deeply empathetic, as readers find themselves rooting for him while understanding that his emotional immaturity is his most formidable foe.
Vaughn’s narrative style is largely driven by dialogue, with judicious use of descriptive details to portray the characters and locations that make up this bleak rendition of the City of Angels. His intimate knowledge of this terrain is evident, yet he selectively unveils only fragments, effectively amplifying the sense of intrigue.
The Loneliest Places is a mesmerizing exploration of one man’s journey through the underworld of a city and his own inner demons, marking Keith Edward Vaughn as a notable new talent in the literary world.
Pages: 249 | ASIN : B0C9MXQ2MY
LITERARY TITAN 