I haven't actually read or played the adventures, so I can't comment. From the descriptions, they sounded more on the pulp [cliffhanger] end of the spectrum.
It might be an overgeneralization to say that pulp is about plot and noir is about character...but there's some truth to that idea.
I think your analysis is right on the money --- to make a noir RPG work, the DM and players need to develop strong, flawed, complicated characters with conflicting agendas.
While not an "adventure" per se, I think the Sharn guidebook greatly faciliates a noirish Eberron campaign, just by virtue of introducing a big, dangerous city and plenty of those strong, flawed, complicated characters with conflicting agendas. And the city is one of the main characters in noir --- sometimes the protagonist's ally, sometimes his enemy. A noir hero needs to understand the city --- who the players are, what the rules are [both inside and outside of the law], and what the consequences are for breaking the rules.
It might be an overgeneralization to say that pulp is about plot and noir is about character...but there's some truth to that idea.
I think your analysis is right on the money --- to make a noir RPG work, the DM and players need to develop strong, flawed, complicated characters with conflicting agendas.
While not an "adventure" per se, I think the Sharn guidebook greatly faciliates a noirish Eberron campaign, just by virtue of introducing a big, dangerous city and plenty of those strong, flawed, complicated characters with conflicting agendas. And the city is one of the main characters in noir --- sometimes the protagonist's ally, sometimes his enemy. A noir hero needs to understand the city --- who the players are, what the rules are [both inside and outside of the law], and what the consequences are for breaking the rules.