Joe's Word — Elizabeth Stromme

Joe, a writer-for-hire in LA's inner city, finds his emotionally distanced world jeopardised by a client's special desires. His financial reliance on a sleazy character who needs pornographic letters to send mail-order brides soon complicates Joe's relationship with his girlfriend, the beautiful Clio. This noir-style novel vividly brings to life an embattled community of mostly have-nots who attempt to survive city corruption, police harassment, and the daily grind with humour and sheer grit.