Dirty Metal
- Judith D Collins
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
By: Allison LaMothe
Narrator: Gail Shalan
ISBN: 9781250433275
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 02/03/2026
Format: Audiobook
My Rating: 5 Stars (ALC)
An electrifying new voice in crime fiction: Allison LaMothe’s debut is a gritty, fast-paced mystery about a reporter running down two huge stories at once
“Allison LaMothe is a wildly talented writer with an exacting eye for detail and her tenacious tabloid reporter, Parker Snow, is gutsy, whip-smart, and the perfect tour guide through pre-Giuliani New York City." —Julia Dahl, author of I Dreamed of Falling
New York City, 1992—Meet Parker Snow, the most tenacious reporter for a tabloid paper that thrives on juicy gossip over hard-hitting news, the New York Street. She also has a big black mark on her record from her last street crime story—and a habit of taking a few too many pills to erase the memory.
Since the fall of the USSR, a new crop of Russian criminals have been arriving in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. It's now Parker's job to cover them. But her old beat keeps calling to her, especially when she learns of a murdered woman whose case the cops want to ignore.
Trying to run down two stories at once—a simmering mafia turf war, and a homicide that leads to two more with no clear link between them—Parker must also fight the pull of her pills and the arrogant men who get in her way at every turn. Despite it all, she's determined to find truth and redemption for herself, the victims, and a city in chaos—if her demons don't get to her first.
A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.
My Review
Allison LaMothe's compelling debut crime novel, DIRTY METAL, plunges readers into the gritty underworld of 1992 New York City, a time marked by vibrant chaos and the clashing of cultures.
The narrative centers around Parker Snow, an intrepid reporter for the sensational tabloid New York Street. As she navigates the cutthroat landscape of a male-dominated industry, Parker wrestles with her own personal demons.
The story unfolds through the lens of two high-stakes investigations that put her tenacity to the ultimate test, revealing the darker side of the city she calls home. LaMothe weaves a tale of resilience and intrigue, encapsulating the raw energy and moral ambiguity of the neo-noir genre.
Highlights...
Protagonist:
Parker Snow, a smart and tough reporter for the New York Street, has a history of trouble and a pill habit.
Dual Storylines:
Parker finds herself running down two parallel tracks:
~A brewing mafia turf war in Brooklyn.
~A string of murders—starting with Carla and followed by two more victims—that appear unrelated to the mob but suggest a serial killer is targeting women across the city.
Setting:
NYC in 1992, before the Giuliani era, featuring the gritty world of tabloid journalism and the arrival of Russian organized crime in Brighton Beach.
Genre:
Crime fiction, mystery, suspense, murder, thriller.
About...
After a major professional blunder on a previous street crime story, Parker Snow is reassigned from her usual beat to cover the rising Russian mafia in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.
While tasked with reporting on the influx of criminals following the fall of the USSR, Parker discovers the body of 20-year-old Carla Russo. Though the police dismiss it as a random mugging, Parker suspects something more sinister and begins an unauthorized investigation.
Throughout the investigations, Parker battles with personal struggles, a severe pill addiction, and uses medication to cope with the trauma of her past professional failure and the violent nature of her work.
She must navigate a "city in chaos" while pushing back against arrogant men in both the newsroom and law enforcement who attempt to stall her progress.
My thoughts...
Electifying, Gritty Neo-Noir, Edgy, Bold!
A hauntingly immersive debut that delves into the gritty depths of urban life, this novel paints a vivid picture of a city teetering on the brink of chaos. The relentless pulse of the streets echoes throughout the narrative, drawing readers into a world where danger lurks at every turn, and the atmosphere is thick with tension and foreboding.
DIRTY METAL is grounded in the specific historical anxieties and urban atmosphere of early 1990s New York City. Allison LaMothe skillfully uses real-world trends of the era to fuel the tension of Parker Snow’s investigations.
Snow is a gritty crime reporter defined by her relentless tenacity and a self-destructive edge. She lives in a small Lower East Side apartment with a one-eyed cat named Nellie. Her daily essentials include black coffee, cigarettes, and a notebook filled with "bad handwriting."
She is scartistic, determined, and haunted by a catastrophic professional failure on a previous street crime story. She copes with the memory of her failure and the stress of her work by relying on pills obtained from a "shady doctor."
Parker’s reliance on pills serves as a metaphor for the city’s own numbing response to violence. Her struggle to stay sharp while medicated creates constant internal tension.
Parker is a compelling character and a wounded hero. She sees the investigation into the death of nursing student Carla Russo as her path to recovery. She is driven by a desperate need for redemption—not just for the victims the police have ignored, but for herself.
DIRTY METAL examines the moral toll of tabloid journalism. Parker must navigate the fine line between reporting the truth and exploiting tragedy, often questioning what she is willing to sacrifice for a headline-grabbing scoop. Despite her personal demons and vices, she possesses an uncompromising moral clarity and a knee-jerk suspicion of anyone who seems too good.
Another fun part is Snow's bag of tools, pre-internet: A pager, pay phones, landlines, notebooks, print media, and prescription pads.
A recurring theme is the failure of systems —both the NYPD and the media. Parker’s work highlights how certain lives are treated as disposable in a city in chaos.
The novel highlights the "boys' club" atmosphere of newsrooms and police precincts, as Parker's progress is frequently impeded by arrogant men who underestimate her because of her gender and her past failures.
Themes...
The narrative expertly leans heavily into the dark, cynical tropes of neo-noir while exploring specific social anxieties of the early '90s.
~The Cost of "The Story."
~Addiction & Avoidance
~Institutional Indifference
~Gender and Power
~The Changing Urban Landscape
Title Significance ...
"Dirty Metal" serves as a metaphor for the city’s moral decay. It represents the tarnished nature of institutions Parker encounters—the corruption and the city that ignores the murders of young women. Parker's tough exterior is like "dirty metal." She is resilient and hard, but deeply marked by her past. She embodies a strength that isn't polished or shiny, but enduring.
Takeaway Message...
The central message is that redemption is a messy, unpolished process found in the pursuit of truth rather than the erasure of past mistakes. The story suggests that maintaining your personal code in a corrupt environment requires a razor-sharp toughness that often comes at a high personal cost of integrity.
The Audiobook...
I recently enjoyed the audiobook brilliantly narrated by the talented Gail Shalan (a favorite of mine). She brings the story to life with a mix of emotion and toughness, embodying the spirit of the urban underbelly. Shalan’s voice captures the determination and emotion of a fearless reporter facing her inner struggles and the male-dominated industry. Each word feels authentic, immersing the listener in the narrative. Her emotional depth creates striking imagery, making the experience both realistic and engaging. I highly recommend this audio experience; it’s a captivating journey you won’t want to miss.
I can't wait to see what the author creates next!
Recs...
Readers who enjoyed the gritty, neo-noir style, 1990s New York City setting, and a tenacious female protagonist of Dirty Metal may enjoy books by authors such as Laura Lippman, Hannah Morrissey, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Sue Grafton, Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, and Fiona Barton.
Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for sharing an advanced listening in exchange for my honest thoughts.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating; 5 Stars
Pub Date: Feb 3, 2026
Do you enjoy any of the following?
~ Flawed female protagonists
~ Non-detective sleuth protagonists
~ “Girls getting murdered” stories
~ The Russian mafia
~ Sarcasm
~ Noir
~ Cats (the animal, not the musical)
~ New York City
~ The 90s
....then you may like Dirty Metal.
Praise
“LaMothe’s language is electric, crackling with energy. . . A bold debut befitting its bold heroine.”
―Kirkus (starred review)
“Standout debut. . . LaMothe is a startling and original talent and her new book may just be the year’s big breakout debut.”
―CrimeReads
“Dirty Metal is one of the boldest debut novels I've read in years. Allison LaMothe is a wildly talented writer with an exacting eye for detail and her tenacious tabloid reporter, Parker Snow, is gutsy, whip-smart, and the perfect tour guide through pre-Giuliani New York City. I absolutely loved this book."
―Julia Dahl, author of I Dreamed of Falling and Invisible City
"Driven by a need for redemption, both for herself and the murdered women, Parker Snow proves she’s as gritty and relentless as the streets she covers―making Dirty Metal a razor-sharp debut."
―Lauren Nossett, ITW Thriller Award–winning author of The Professor and The Resemblance
“A rough and tumble debut that crackles with voice and style, Allison LaMothe’s Dirty Metal will ring in your head long after you’ve turned the last page. Boasting all the ingredients of a must-read thriller―a plucky and complicated protagonist, mesmerizing setting, and gripping mystery―Dirty Metal is a poised and poignant story that feels more like a tenth novel than a first.”
―Alex Segura, bestselling and award-winning author of Secret Identity and Alter Ego
“Set in 1992 NYC, Dirty Metal rumbles and roars like a downtown express train. From the Lower East Side to Bensonhurst to Brighton Beach, Allison LaMothe's relentless reporter, Parker Snow, leaves no door un-knocked and can smell a liar a mile away. Her investigation pushes her to the limit in this debut that is vibrating with heart, grit, and an uncompromising moral clarity.” ―Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Note
“This novel has a real chance of contending for a debut Edgar or Anthony Prize. Confident but not cocky, mouthy but not sassy, it will be on a lot of TBR lists.”
―Library Journal
“Solid debut thriller. . . LaMothe hits the beats of a satisfying neo-noir―a deliciously dark atmosphere, a wounded hero, a corrupt urban underbelly―with ease.”
―Publishers Weekly
About the Author
ALLISON LaMOTHE lived in New York for a long time, but now she lives in Miami with occasional stops back in the city to visit museums, take long walks, and feel angry.
She studied French and English with a concentration in Poetry Writing at the University of Virginia, during which time she studied in France, and after which time she lived in St. Petersburg, Russia for a year.
Her happy place, after any bookstore, is the dance studio.
She enjoys scuba diving, swimming, and generally, if there’s a body of water, she will get in it.
She enjoys making complicated meals and baked goods.
She also makes films.
Dirty Metal is her first novel. WEBSITE
