originally published Interzone No. 76, October 1993
Bay City (a fictionalized Santa Monica, CA, courtesy of Raymond Chandler), 1941. Amidst fears of a Japanese invasion, an unnamed hard-boiled detective is hired by film star Janey Wilde to investigate the disappearance of gangster Lair Brunette, and of her baby, Franklin.
The case leads him to a murder scene, the local chapter of The Esoteric Order of Dagon, and finally a disaster aboard an abandoned floating casino that turns out to be not-so abandoned.
This is a truly fun story and one of the most enjoyable HPLommages I've come across. Newman knows his Lovecraft, and he also knows his Chandler, affecting an effective Chandler voice throughout the tale. If there's a drawback, it's that once again, the payoff isn't as good as the buildup. The introduction of Delta Green-ish underground operation doesn't help, and the finale has an unavoidable tongue-in-cheekiness to it.
The temptation to marry Lovecraft to Chandler seems irresistible to imaginative authors - it's been done numerous times. Newman almost nails it here. Fun, but minor.
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