In Dance Noir: The Latin Beauty, Tom Riggins brings the 1930s to life. Under his skillful pen, Sacramento, California, comes alive with speakeasies, dancing, and life lived on a boat docked under a bridge. There’s also Selena, a beautiful woman caught in a tough situation. Did she kill her husband as the police suspect? Can she be helped by Nick Gazelle, an aging former cop turned private investigator?
Riggins takes on gangsters and a mob-style killing with a very slight potential to start a gang war between Victor Reyes’ Sacramento gang and Juanita “the Duchess” Spinelli, who heads a mob in San Francisco. But is that true? Or is it an internal argument between Victor and his son, Luis?
I enjoyed this novella about Nick Gazelle. But I would have liked to see more tension between the rival gangs and more backstory about Nick Gazelle. Details about Gazelle and the other gang were somewhat sparse. It seems the other gang was mentioned only to create some slight tension in the story. Otherwise, tension within this novella was minimal.
Gazelle had moved out of his apartment and on to a somewhat rundown boat in the harbor. He also had closed his office, keeping just the office door. Why? The reader can assume it was for cost-cutting purposes, but is that true?
I guess I wish this novella had been worked on and expanded into even a short novel before being released. However, I look forward to any further recordings of his cases and adventures. I hope his favorite waitress (and girlfriend) Vera, comes along for the ride in an expanded role.
Dance Noir: The Latin Beauty
by Tom Riggins
(c) 2025