Acquisition: Gigi Little’s Noir-Inspired Debut
Forest Avenue is thrilled to announce the acquisition of Gigi Little’s debut novel, Who Killed One the Gun?, forthcoming in fall 2025.
Third-rate gumshoe One the Gun and his trusty sidekick Two the True Blue are hired to track down the killer of Five the No Longer Alive. But while he grills suspects and hunts for clues, One the Gun starts to notice that today is exactly like yesterday—in fact, maybe actually is yesterday—and he’s also pretty sure that at the very end of yesterday he was shot to death. Time continues to loop back on itself, and one murder case becomes two as the private eye races against the clock to discover his own killer before the day that was yesterday turns over to become tomorrow. Gigi Little’s noir-soaked and delightfully surreal debut pays homage to the old-time radio classics of the forties and fifties while investigating themes of greed, sexism, and the consequences of unchecked power.
Gigi Little is a freelance book designer and the staff designer for Forest Avenue Press. She’s the editor of their popular anthology City of Weird and the art director of the picture book A Tree of My Own. Her writing can be found in journals and anthologies including Portland Noir, Spent, and Dispatches from Anarres, as well as the forthcoming anthology The Magic We Miss. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, fine artist Stephen O’Donnell.
“Gigi’s manuscript is an excitingly perfect fit for a press that publishes ‘literary fiction on a joyride,’” said Publisher Laura Stanfill. “Not only is Gigi an amazing writer, but she takes playful storytelling leaps that make her work stand out. Fans of film noir, the Twilight Zone, and Groundhog Day will be delighted with the zany premise of Who Killed One the Gun? but it’s so much more than an exercise in imagination. Gigi’s grounded her debut novel with intensely important modern-day themes. The combination makes this a deliciously snackable sensation—kind of like the honeyed biscuits her gumshoe keeps ordering at the diner.”
You can read more about Gigi on her website.