This funny, suspenseful version of a much-loved genre uses familiar conventions, characters and plot points, which are then twisted, shaken and slapped around until they are transformed into material that is not only original but at the same time pays homage to an honored mystery-novel past. Washington, DC private eye, Sam Marlowe, named by his parents for their love of classic noir literature, works out of a shabby office where he gets by on the usual staples of private eye work. Into his office strolls a good-looking dame, Helen Boston, “I caught a whiff of Xanax and Chardonnay,” with a decidedly unusual story. She’s receiving mysterious texts that say that she’s trying to kill someone; she needs Sam to find out who’s sending them and why. Of course Sam takes the case, and we’re off to the races. Soon enough, Helen is dead. The real twist to the story is that Sam, after taking a serious gunshot wound to the head, thinks and speaks in typical 30’s noir-speak. He tries to stop himself, he knows it makes him sound crazy, but the zany one-liners and the non-stop similes just tumble out as natural as green grass and blue sky. It sounds like a mildly amusing send-up, but it adds up to a character's eccentricity that is not only believable, but original. Does Sam solve the case? Of course he does, but the solution to the crime is not only terrific fun, but fiendishly clever.