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A Layer of Darkness: An Andrew Johnson Novel
In 1945 during the closing months of World War II, British statesman Nigel Cunningham lies dead, burnt and smoldering in the fetal position on a cold garage floor in San Francisco. As the crime scene begins to reveal numerous irregularities, Police Inspector Andrew Johnson senses a twisted case of appearances and realities and a frightening truth ultimately revealed by the grisly corpse at his feet.
AfterÌý FBI agent Ryan Kinahan is brought in with a rush of justice to convict local war veteran Mario Romano, Johnson becomes convinced of federal corruption. He finds himself pitted against his lifetime nemesis of dirty cops, but at a new level as the case opens links going up the chain of command in war time politics.Ìý
AfterÌý FBI agent Ryan Kinahan is brought in with a rush of justice to convict local war veteran Mario Romano, Johnson becomes convinced of federal corruption. He finds himself pitted against his lifetime nemesis of dirty cops, but at a new level as the case opens links going up the chain of command in war time politics.Ìý
361 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 17, 2014
2 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
R.A. Niles
3Ìýbooks1ÌýfollowerMy love of mysteries and crime fiction began with the 1951 TV series "Boston Blackie" a reformed jewel thief who chased bad guys jumping rooftops. "Boston Blackie; friend of those who have no friends, enemy of those who make him make him their enemy!" an announcer said at the beginning of episodes.
I read Sherlock Holmes stories early on, and as a small boy wandered around the yard with a magnifying glass searching for "clues". I remember having no idea what I was looking for.
I've been writing as long as I can remember, but until A Layer of Darkness, I've only published non-fiction- two books on triathlon training, the latest being Triathlon Training Fast and Easy released in 2012, also available on Amazon.
As a man in my twenties, I took Ernest Hemingway's advice to "Live it up, so you can write down." Encountering some near-death experiences in that endeavor, I still had no story ideas outside of snippets with no plot, no beginning, nor end. I simply created characters and dialogue.
It's not quite clear why it took me so long to realize that all I needed to do was simply tell a story that came naturally.
People will tell you that writing a novel is a difficult process. It is a long process, no doubt of that. But once begun, the story can take a life of it's own. I just jumped on the train and rode it to the end of the line.
Although A Layer of Darkness is written in a noir style, I'm not trying to be Chandler or Hammett or in a more current sense, Ellroy. I've borrowed a style- maybe a template and lightened up some.
I've introduced more humor and introspection and even frailties in my main character, Andrew Johnson. My stories, while fitting into a cross genre of mystery, political intrigue and historical fiction, are uniquely different from anything within those classes.
I read Sherlock Holmes stories early on, and as a small boy wandered around the yard with a magnifying glass searching for "clues". I remember having no idea what I was looking for.
I've been writing as long as I can remember, but until A Layer of Darkness, I've only published non-fiction- two books on triathlon training, the latest being Triathlon Training Fast and Easy released in 2012, also available on Amazon.
As a man in my twenties, I took Ernest Hemingway's advice to "Live it up, so you can write down." Encountering some near-death experiences in that endeavor, I still had no story ideas outside of snippets with no plot, no beginning, nor end. I simply created characters and dialogue.
It's not quite clear why it took me so long to realize that all I needed to do was simply tell a story that came naturally.
People will tell you that writing a novel is a difficult process. It is a long process, no doubt of that. But once begun, the story can take a life of it's own. I just jumped on the train and rode it to the end of the line.
Although A Layer of Darkness is written in a noir style, I'm not trying to be Chandler or Hammett or in a more current sense, Ellroy. I've borrowed a style- maybe a template and lightened up some.
I've introduced more humor and introspection and even frailties in my main character, Andrew Johnson. My stories, while fitting into a cross genre of mystery, political intrigue and historical fiction, are uniquely different from anything within those classes.
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