Denise Hamilton enters Raymond Chandler territory - JACKET COPY - Los Angeles Times

DENISE HAMILTON writes bestselling crime novels featuring reporter Eve Diamond ("Prisoner of Memory," "Savage Garden"), although her next book (due July 1) takes her back in time. Hamilton also is the editor of the anthology "Los Angeles Noir."

Your upcoming novel, "The Last Embrace," is set in 1949 and, like Raymond Chandler's mysteries, begins with the search for a missing person who soon turns up dead. Was Chandler a reference for you?

Chandler's shadow looms large, sure, but my postwar L.A. is a more optimistic place than his, and the protagonist is a dame -- a former OSS spy -- so it's filtered through a girlie lens. 1949 was a fascinating, transitional time: The euphoria of winning WWII is fading, the Cold War and the fears of nuclear annihilation are upon us, the Hollywood blacklist is stirring, the Golden Age of Hollywood is ending, TV is brand new and -- perhaps most important for my novel -- the women who fought and held jobs and experienced independence have been laid off and are heading for the suburbs and the conservative 1950s, which created some interesting dynamics.

Are there any places in L.A. that, for you, evoke 1949?

Alas, so many of the places that evoked 1949 are gone. I'm talking of places like Ciro's, the Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel, the Garden of Allah, the Dunbar Hotel on Central Avenue, Slapsie Maxie's (said to be owned by gangster Mickey Cohen), the ubiquitous lunch counters and soda fountains. Places that remain like Musso & Frank's, the Pacific Dining Car and the Formosa Café have almost become clichés, so I wanted to stay away from them. I did visit the Egyptian Theatre and the Pig 'n' Whistle next door, an old Hollywood eatery/watering hole where I set a scene.

I also drove around Hollywood at odd hours a lot, just looking at the streets, the houses, the odd triangular buildings and alleys where the electric cars used to travel. My biggest disappointment was that the Hollywood Hotel is gone. It was a sprawling Spanish-Deco hotel at Hollywood and Highland that was built in the early 20th century by and for actors because they weren't welcomed at the city's posh hotels. Many actors kept permanent suites there. It was lush, with tiled pools, archways, tropical plants. The dining room walls had stars with actors' names that hung above the actors' favorite tables. It was torn down in the '60s, and we all know what's at that intersection now!

Will there be another "Los Angeles Noir" collection?

I hope there will be, but the initial "Los Angeles Noir" is still going strong. There's no shortage of material and talented writers here. The hard part is winnowing it down to 16 or 17 selections.

Where would you go in L.A. for a 1949-style meal?

The Pacific Dining Car if you're feeling flush. Du-par's if you're not.

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Carolyn Kellogg

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