The Royal Family (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: William T. Vollmann
- First Published: 2000
- Type of Work: Novel
- Time of Work: The mid- to late 1990’s
- Setting: Mostly San Francisco, with excursions to Sacramento, Las Vegas, and elsewhere
- Principal Characters: Henry Tyler, Jonas Brady, John Tyler, Irene Tyler, Dan Smooth, Queen of the Whores, The Tall Man, Domino, Strawberry, Yellow Bird, Beatrice, Bernadette, Lily, Chocolate, Sunflower, Celia Caro
- Genres: Long fiction
- Subjects: Twentieth century, Prostitution or prostitutes, Despair, Hope, California, Detectives, Death or dying, Drug trafficking or dealing, San Francisco, 1990’s, Nevada, Las Vegas
- Locales: San Francisco, CA, Las Vegas, NV, Sacramento, CA
William T. Vollmann’s The Royal Family begins like any other hard-boiled detective story. The protagonist, Henry Tyler, is a private investigator who has trouble paying his bills and who occupies a sleazy middle ground somewhere between the police department and the underworld. He has contacts in both areas, knows San Francisco like the palm of his hand (his favorite activity is cruising the mean streets), and has computer skills (which he uses to track information without ever leaving home). The novel begins with Henry in the employ of moneyman Jonas Brady, and they are on a...
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