The Velvet Badge

"A horrific crime catalyzes desperate New Yorkers in this arresting neo-noir ensemble tale. In his striking first novel, [Bob] Mantel creates a dark world where everyone has a secret that could lead to destruction. . . Mantel's terrific use of language [is] an homage to classic noir fiction but always fresh in its own way. . . The mood lasts long after the reader has finished." - BookLife, Publishers Weekly

"In this debut literary novel... [Mantel's prose is...] stylish, evoking hard-boiled crime novels through Pynchon-esque prose. An entertaining...murder tale." - Kirkus Reviews

Lesbian disco-era careerists fall afoul of a New York City revenge murder in this hard-edged neo-noir.

A tasteless night club run by a failed JFK assassination co-conspirator brings out the worst in 1970s New York.

Songbird Sadasia Trayne runs into a disco-era buzz saw of wine, women, and murder when she hooks up with the Brooklyn-based creator of a notorious TV sitcom.

Her frantic SOS to a long-lost love, the Big Apple's closeted lesbian Chief of Police Detectives, drives this tale of memory and regret, compromise and topiary, politics and a corrupt press, Kris Kringle and twisted acts of love.

Will the headline-grabbing sex crime she sets out to solve max out the Chief's investigative skills or deep-six her career?

The Velvet Badge combines edge-of-your-seat storytelling with stone-cold hilarity and just a touch of holiday ho-ho-ho.