Little Underworld - by Chris Harding Thornton

Book Synopsis

Chinatown meets the Coen brothers in 1930s Omaha in this atmospheric noir by a native Nebraskan.

Omaha, 1930. PI Jim Beely's life wasn't a peach to begin with. And now there's a dead guy in his backseat. The last thing he needs to deal with is a cop--much less the notoriously crooked Frank Tvrdik. But where a square-dealing lawman would see homicide, Frank spots opportunity. He can make the body disappear. All Jim needs to do is double-cross a politician bent on shuttering Omaha's speakeasies, some of the few places to make an illegal, honest living in a city that's a racket.

After the double-cross goes haywire, Jim gets his bell rung in a bizarre attack. A man on his payroll turns up dead. And Jim and Frank form an unlikely alliance, digging for the reality behind patently false headlines. They comb the city's bordellos, gin joints, and gambling houses. They search for answers in the fun-house mirror of Omaha politics. All the while, the death toll mounts, outmatched only by the absurdity of it all.

As the clock runs down, Jim and Frank must make a choice that can't be unmade. One that leaves them asking what it means to be good. And how the hell you go on living when you're not. Laying bare historical myth and political corruption, Chris Harding Thornton's Little Underworld is a searing, darkly funny novel and a ferocious romp through a world not so distant from our own.

Review Quotes

"No one's innocent in Omaha. Not even the good folks. Crooked PIs, dirty cops, sleazy politicians, coroners, mobsters; everyone's got an angle, a hustle, an agenda, or a body to deal with. Chris Harding Thornton's Little Underworld is big, nasty, sharp, and wonderfully dark, packed with 1930s noir and witty dialogue. This book grabs you by those wide lapels and refuses to let go."
--Gabino Iglesias, author of The Devil Takes You Home

"Little Underworld is set in 1930s Omaha (of all places), with period-correct dialogue that is often darkly hilarious, reminiscent in tone of black-and-white gumshoe movies from the golden age of Hollywood."
--Bruce Tierney, Bookpage (starred review)

"Thornton laces the hardboiled narrative with welcome flashes of dark humor."
--Publishers Weekly

"Little Underworld is fantastic! I couldn't put down the story of Jim Beely, former cop turned down-on-his-luck private investigator. This is the real deal--cynical characters, moody yet hilarious prose, and a plot that loops and twirls in 1930s Omaha. Wrap that all up in a great old-school noir vibe, and you've got one of the best historical crime novels in a long time."
--David Heska Wanbli Weiden, award-winning author of Winter Counts

"In this richly entertaining historical noir, Chris Harding Thornton slits open the underbelly of 1930s Omaha to reveal its dark and gleaming viscera. Harding Thornton is a brilliant writer, and Little Underworld is a rare gem you won't want to miss."
--Laura McHugh, award-winning author of What's Done in Darkness

"Seamlessly dark, moving, hilarious and murderously intense, Little Underworld is absolutely tremendous storytelling, rich with human nuance and resplendent with a sepia-toned atmosphere. More, please, Ms. Thornton!"
--Stephen Mack Jones, the August Snow thriller series

"Each page had me questioning my own moral stability as I rooted for Jim, an anti-hero for the ages with a stolen gun in his pocket and morphine in his veins, and only the smallest sliver of hope for redemption. Little Underworld is a stunning tale of crime, morality, and mischief, told with rat-a-tat wit and a cast of characters you won't forget. This is Harding Thornton at the top of her game."
--Erin Flanagan, Edgar-winning author of Come with Me

"Little Underworld is so vivid it feels like reading a movie. Straightforward in its telling and subtle in its beauty, this ingenious novel is what might happen if the Coen Brothers set an episode of Peaky Blinders in 1930s Omaha. A lively, unforgettable masterpiece starting with a very personal murder and twisting through an American city's brutal political machine, while never losing sight of hope and grace almost within reach."
--Steve Weddle, author of Country Hardball and The County Line

"A literary noir empowered by the yearnings of flawed characters, gorgeous description, and precise detail. The dialogue ripples off the page--fresh and realistic, while equally entertaining. There are gems on every page that made me laugh out loud. It's my favorite kind of book--strong action, a compelling story, and deep empathy. I loved it."
--Chris Offutt, author of the Mick Hardin series

About the Author

Nebraska-born Chris Harding Thornton holds an MFA from University of Washington and a PhD from University of Nebraska. Her first novel, Pickard County Atlas (MCD/FSG), was chosen by author Tana French (In the Woods, The Searcher) as a PBS Masterpiece Best Mystery of 2021. The book was also featured in the Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and elsewhere. It was released in paperback (Picador) and appeared in German translation (Polar Verlag) in 2022. Her second novel, Little Underworld (MCD/FSG), was a USA Today bestseller upon its release in March 2024.