In the hustle and bustle of the past few days, I missed something that normally would have grabbed my attention and held it. Robert B. Parker, author of more than a few good modern-noir detective novels passed away.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/books/20parker.html Nobody wrote like RBP, except the originals - Hammett and Chandler, mostly. His stories drew you in, made sense, had depth and heart. There aren't many like that anymore.