My Thoughts on the Novel, Black’s Beach Shuffle: A Rolly Waters Mystery, 3/23/2026…

Another mystery read—more kindling for the inspiration furnace. Black’s Beach Shuffle: A Rolly Waters Mystery by Corey Lynn Fayman takes a somewhat different approach to the hardboiled detective mystery genre. An urban setting? Check. An in-over-his-head private detective with redemption issues? Also check. A femme fatale? Check. Powerful people with secrets? You bet.

However, BBS diverges in that the main character/hardboiled detective Rolly Waters is a full-time songwriting guitarist who plays in a band—he’s only a PI part-time. He’s a recovering alcoholic, carrying the guilt of the death of his best friend fifteen years before, as a result of his drunk driving. The third-person limited narration also uses the songwriting process as Rolly’s thinking process—he solves the mystery as if he were composing a song. It’s a nice, well-presented conceit. The author has a background in music, having worked as both a sound technician and a musician, so his use of this extended metaphor makes perfect sense.

The rest is standard but enjoyable fare nonetheless if you like the hardboiled detective mystery genre, which I do. Immensely. The story takes place at the turn of the 21st century in San Francisco, California, when dot-com corporations were on the rise, and everyone treated this novel concept as either a new gold rush or armageddon. The clash of old money and new technology also plays a part, with a Bernie Madoff-esque villain pulling the strings, and, of course, getting his comeuppance.

All in all, I recommend this book to fans of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler and anyone who reads—or, like me, devours—hardboiled detective fiction. It’s quick, straightforward, and it gives the brain muscles a solid, but not strenuous, workout.