About Lauri Matthew
Author of Velvetpur Noir Fiction
The Author
Lauri Matthew writes noir thrillers set in Velvetpur, a fictional South Asian city where Bollywood glamour collides with political corruption. Based in Vrindavan, India, Lauri crafts atmospheric stories exploring power, ambition, and the price of dreams in a city that promises everything and delivers something far darker.
The Velvetpur Noir series draws inspiration from classic noir traditions—think LA Confidential meets Sacred Games—while creating a fresh setting that explores the interconnected worlds of entertainment, politics, and organized crime in contemporary India.
When not writing about Velvetpur's dark underbelly, Lauri can be found people-watching in cafés, reading true crime, and plotting the next twisted tale from the City of Dreams.
The Writing Style
Atmospheric & Sensory
Every story immerses you in Velvetpur's humid coastal air, golden sunset light, and the contrast between luxury and decay. You can feel the city through every page.
Morally Complex Characters
No clear heroes or villains—just flawed people making impossible choices in a corrupt system. Protagonists you root for even when they compromise. Antagonists with understandable motivations.
Interconnected Universe
Each story stands alone, but characters and events weave together. A protagonist from one tale appears as a side character in another. Velvetpur itself is the ultimate recurring character.
Fast-Paced with Depth
Tight plotting keeps you turning pages, while psychological depth ensures the characters linger long after you finish. Short chapters, visceral action, emotional resonance.
Why Velvetpur?
India's entertainment industry, political landscape, and urban culture create the perfect backdrop for noir. Velvetpur captures the essence of cities like Mumbai—the glittering promise, the crushing reality, the systems of power hidden beneath luxury.
But Velvetpur is fictional, which gives creative freedom to explore themes without being bound to real places or events. It's Mumbai's ambition meets Delhi's politics, filtered through the noir tradition of exposing beautiful surfaces hiding rot underneath.
"In Velvetpur, everyone gets what they want. Eventually. The question is: can they live with the price?"
— Lauri Matthew
The Velvetpur Noir Series
Volume 1: Coming Soon
Six interconnected stories: The Audition, Last Call, The Ghostwriter, Opening Night, The Comeback, and Election Night.
Volume 2: In Progress
New stories diving deeper into Velvetpur's criminal underworld, film industry secrets, and political machinations.
Explore Velvetpur's Dark Heart
Discover the interconnected stories that reveal how the City of Dreams really works.