New York Minute is a noir thriller novella written by Stephen Aryan, set in an alternative New York with fantastical elements. A dark and bloody atmosphere combined with a well-written detective story, following an ex-police turned into a PI working for the most dangerous person of this New York, navigating the complicated underworld of the city.

Cole Blackman is not easily surprised after years working as PI; but he didn't expect to be recruited by the most feared crime boss in New York, Karl Dolman. His daughter Selina has gone missing; and if Cole doesn't find her soon, a gang war will tear down the city as they will perceive Dolman's weakness. Together with his childhood friend Bracken Heart, Cole will have to navigate the sordid underworld of the city and find Selina before the blood reaches the river; a complex job, as many people will try to interfere.

Aryan chooses to use a first person perspective, using the own Cole as the narrative voice; a smart excuse to put many details in front of the readers' eyes. Cole is somebody that has seen almost everything this New York has to offer, a vast experience that will help to navigate the complexity of this case. He might seem a cynical person, but we can also appreciate how he cares for Bracken; and definitely, it's a total professional in his field.
Bracken is also a great character, acting a bit as a counterweight to Cole, pointing things that he might have missed or that can have a meaning. He's experiencing a degenerative illness, and probably that's why he's trying to make a better world before he's definitely out.
I found fascinating the contrast that is offered through Dolman's character, the duality between being a crime boss and a family man; and while the rest of the secondaries have not much exposure, you can feel the complexity behind those characters.

In the style of many noir stories, we have a fast-paced story, focusing on that slice of the world we are, alternating some investigative scenes with well-written action moments. As previously said, using Cole's as the narrative voice gives Aryan the opportunity to include really detailed descriptions, allowing us to picture this alternative New York, a city in the vast drop of an untamed world, where more small locations are scattered through; some fantasy elements are thrown in, and the technology is less advanced than in our era. Worldbuilding is not excessively detailed, giving us some brushes that will be developed in next instalments.

New York Minute is an excellent noir story, a delight for those that like crime/detective novellas but set in an alternative yet familiar world; Aryan has proven his ability to change his registry, writing something really different from his previous published fantasy/historical fiction. You will be definitely surprised!