The three separate books of the Twenty Year Death trilogy (Malniveau Prison, The Falling Star, and Police at the Funeral) are, in some sense, pastiches or mimics of the styles of famous crime authors of different time periods in the twentieth century: Malniveau Prison is in the style
of Georges Simenon. The Falling Star is in the style of Raymond Chandler and Police at the Funeral is in the style of Jim Thompson.

But, simply saying that they are in the style of or that they are pastiches of these famous authors does not do these books justice. Rather, than simply being copies of the work of the famous authors, it is perhaps more appropriate to view each as being imbued with the
atmosphere of such authors and evocative of a certain period of crime
fiction writing.

The second novel in the Twenty Year Death trilogy takes the reader all the way to Hollywood where the American writer Rosenkrantz and his wife Clothide, who is now known as the famous actress, Chloe Rose, are ensconsed. They are not at the center of this story as in the first book. Instead, enter a hard-boiled Phillip Marlowe type private eye who is hired to watch over Chloe, who everyone thinks is some nutty dame.

This story is typical of the forties and fifties private eye novels where a PI knows everyone but operates on his own. Mobsters, studio executives, and the police all warn this private eye, Dennis Foster, off the case, but as the bodies keep turning up, Foster soldiers on, trying to figure out who is playing him for a patsy. Again, a very enjoyable private eye story taking place in Hollywood, although Winter calls it San Angeles rather than Los Angeles to allow himself room for literary
invention.
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