Noir a Novel Author:Robert Coover Noir fiction (or roman noir) is a literary genre closely related to hardboiled genre[1] with a distinction that the protagonist is not a detective, but instead either a victim, a suspect, or a perpetrator. Other common characteristics include the self-destructive qualities of the protagonist.[2] A typical protagonist of the Noir fiction is deali... more »ng with the legal, political or other system that is no less corrupt than the perpetrator by whom the protagonist is either victimized and/or has to victimize others on a daily basis, leading to Lose-lose situation« less