An Author Finally Brings Back Film Noir!

Vintage Connor: The Blonde in the Lotus Elite

Written By: Robert Baty

ISBN: 978-0-9819-6547-5

It isn’t very often you pick up a book and are immediately transported back into the world of film noir. A forgotten world where the reader can almost “see” the action in their minds’ eye playing out in classic black and white, emphasizing the gritty world of crime with all of its cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Not to mention, where the main character is the epitome of brawn, brains, and style reminiscent of Bogart, himself.

In this new series, Vintage Connor is a retired police officer who worked the harsh streets of Oakland for twenty years in his standard Crown Vic. Now, Connor works in his absolute favorite realm - vintage cars. He is a man who goes to the classic car shows and auctions, and tries to track down the best of the best for his clients.

There is a place that is dedicated to classic cars in the summertime - Monterey, California. This is a world of money, trophy wives, rich collectors….and murder. When a young girl is found in a tub in a battered-down motel, the slime that exists in the classic car industry begins to rise to the surface.

One evening, Vintage Connor opens his door to see his ex-girlfriend standing on his stoop. Evie is a woman who held Connor’s heart almost twenty years ago, who disappeared from his life when she came to the conclusion that she just couldn’t be a cop’s wife. But on this day, Evie appears from the past to beg Connor for his help in solving her daughter’s murder. She was a lovely girl working in Monterey who would NEVER have committed suicide - even though that’s what the cops labeled the crime as, and then closed the case. Never being able to turn Evie down, Connor gets involved and utilizes his old partner, as he throws himself headfirst into the rich, powerful world of Monterey.

As Connor moves stealthily through the odd world, he comes across people who he’s met before, and begins to unravel a mystery full of yachts, call girls, and blackmail. Not only does Connor get imbedded in this murky realm, he also has to fight to separate his feelings from his well-honed cop instinct. Evie still owns his heart, yet Connor must deal with the fact that, in the end, Evie may not be an innocent player in this crime.

It has been quite a long time in the literary world since an author has written solid “crime fiction” that mirrors the heyday of the genre. From the graceful yachts filled to the brim with criminals, blackmailers, call girls, and alcohol - to the run-down motel rooms where the grungy walls hold the secrets to a very serious crime - each and every paragraph draws the reader in and makes it impossible for them to put this book down until the crime is solved!

This is the first in the line of Vintage Connor books, and because of the powerful and very descriptive writing, as well as the character of Vintage, himself - this is only the first in a VERY long line of incredible crime fiction to come!

Conclusion: A great, entertaining, fascinating story that introduces a wonderful new character to the world of crime fiction! Not to mention…the classic cars are ‘drool-worthy,’ to say the least!

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Meet The Author

Where did the world of Vintage Connor come from?

I've always loved vintage cars and noir movies and fiction, and Vintage Connor gave me an opportunity to put them together in a story about an ex-cop with one foot in the mean streets and another in the world of collector cars.

Reminding me of the great Clive Cussler and his passion for classic cars, are you an aficionado as well?

Oh yes, I've always loved vintage cars. I've owned MG's and an Alfa Romeo sedan, and now I drive a vintage 1973 Alfa Romeo GTV coupe.

Are you like your character in the fact that you believe that the classics should be driven, raced, and see the light of day instead of put into temperature-controlled garages and locked away?

Absolutely. Ray Connor makes that point in the book. Classic cars should be driven and raced, and not locked up in temperature-controlled security garages.

I know you have a background in advertising and television, what brought you into the “writing” realm?

As a copywriter and screenwriter, I've always been a writer. But I wanted to try my hand at crime fiction, and Vintage Connor is the result.

Where did you get your wealth of knowledge regarding all of these classic cars you write about?

Well, I've always been a fan of classic cars, and so I brought a lot of my own knowledge to the book.

Much like Stuart Woods originally did with his novels of Stone Barrington, you have really brought out the “back streets”/1940’s type of appeal. Even though your book is present-day, can I assume that you’re a personal fan of that time period?

Yes, definitely. Film noir and crime fiction, especially from the 1940s and 1950s, has always attracted me, and I wanted to capture that mood and milieu in the book.

Can you tell readers about the next Vintage Connor book you’re working on?

Sure. Connor gets more than he bargained for when a mobster named Tomas Papadopoulos, aka Tommy P, hires him to find a vintage MGA for his girlfriend, Candy Marlowe. Connor finds the MGA, but then the car disappears along with Candy and the quarterback who sold it to her turns up dead. Connor finds himself between a rock and a hard place when the cops want to know what his prints are doing on the murder weapon and Tommy holds him responsible for Candy’s disappearance. Meanwhile, a woman who knows more about Candy than anyone has just gotten out of prison. And she wants to pick up where they left off.

Finally, as a slightly fun question, I’m a Shelby Mustang enthusiast. If you had to pick, what is your favorite car that you would love to own?

Boy, that's a tough question. Not sure I could pick just one. So let me name three favorites:

Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale

Pre-1973 Porsche 911

1972 Lamborghini Miura

And by the way, I also love Shelby Mustangs