They drive by night
El décimo infierno references film noir, gets nowhere
Every literary or film genre has certain rules and conventions difficult to eschew, but it is not necessary to stick so strictly to them to the point of turning them into clichés. It’s difficult to imagine a hard-boiled novel or a film noir, especially when set in the US, where it’s not hot, where a PI strapped for cash accepts an investigation commissioned by a damsel in distress. Think Dashiel Hammett, picture Bogart and you get the idea.
