The underbelly of Los Angeles, 2008; a place where hometown hard-lucks and wayward hustlers scrounge for hope in gutters. Top of the heap: Alvi Drake, an aged pro skateboarder whose lone thrill is a pill-fueled escape from the terror of past ghosts. Once news hits of the disappearance of an old flame, Alvi’s plummet smashes through rock bottom, sending him on a quest to find her. With help from his fellow damned (Mongo, Chester and Faye), he spirals through neon wilderness, stumbling upon an underground of sex and drug trafficking, the depths of which street life has yet to take him. Blinded by love and dismissing the reality of his actions, this hunt for another lost angel could be the biggest mistake in his track ridden life.
Praise for The Neon Lights Are Veins:
“Knight’s slangy prose is a perfect fit for characters whose dreams die slowly or explosively.” –Publishers Weekly
“The Neon Lights Are Veins is a dope-fueled gutter-punk odyssey through a gaudy nightmare version of Los Angeles. With echoes of James Ellroy and Nathanael West, Knight carves out his own bit of L.A. crime-writing turf in this impressive debut.” – Richard Lange, author of Rovers, Dead Boys, This Wicked World, Angel Baby, Sweet Nothing and The Smack
“Nolan Knight has written a dark, dirty and entertaining sewer ride through the neon-lit streets of Los Angeles. Imagine Nathanael West and Darby Crash writing a 21st century noir and you’ve got The Neon Lights Are Veins. Highly recommended.” – Jim Ruland, author of Forest of Fortune, My Damage: The Story of a Punk Rock Survivor, Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion and Corporate Rock Sucks: The Rise and Fall of SST Records
“Nolan Knight is at the forefront of Hard-Ass-Noir. He’s the mad hatter of words and dark moody storytelling. He’s a creative crime-pugilist!” – Frank Bill, author of Crimes in Southern Indiana, Donnybrook and The Savage
“Nolan Knight’s The Neon Lights Are Veins is unlike anything I’ve read before (and that’s saying something!). The novel’s story is a fast-paced mystery and caper, dragging the reader through the underbelly of the Los Angeles night, but most impressive is Knight’s style: in your face and no-holds-barred.” – Steph Post, author of A Tree Born Crooked, Lightwood, Walk in the Fire and Miraculum
“High action. Very fast paced. A great read. Highly Recommended.” – S.W. Lauden, author of Bad Citizen Corporation, Grizzly Season and Hang Time
“The narrative has an amphetamine-like intensity. And Knight’s language sings with a streetwise poeticism reminiscent of Hubert Selby Jr., Lou Reed, and Richard Price.” – James Pate, author of Speed of Life
“Like the neon of Los Angeles, Knight’s writing is sometimes dark but always satisfyingly alluring. The Neon Lights Are Veins gives us a city which we all can claim a certain amount of knowledge of, but this isn’t Harry Bosch’s LA or even Bukowski’s. Knight’s prose has created a new and poetic Los Angeles of intense ultraviolet lights that ultimately attract the characters to their doom.” – David Nemeth, Unlawful Acts Blog
Available wherever fine books are sold!
