PositiveCriminal ElementCarver’s a semi-grizzled veteran detective of a kind we’ve seen before in these kinds of stories—tight with his words, close with his feelings—but he’s not Philip Marlowe in an updated suit … We look over Carver’s shoulder for the entire narrative, so by default, he’s the best-developed character. Except for Mia, the rest of the cast doesn’t get the same level of nuance, and a few days after you finish the book, you’ll probably struggle to remember their names, far less their personalities … The Night Market is good, sturdy Chandleresque noir with a well-realized plot, a hero who’s reasonably easy to get along with, and enough atmosphere to unspool the movie satisfyingly in your head.
