Category: Authors

James Carlos Blake’s The Bones of Wolfe

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I’m surprised that James Carlos Blake isn’t a better known name.  Don’t get me wrong, writers know the man.  Crime fiction fans (well read ones) know the name.  I’ve never read a book by James Carlos Blake that I didn’t love.  He’s that good.

Blake’s next novel, The Bones of Wolfe will be released on July 7th.   Here’s the synopsis:

In the newest Wolfe-family adventure from James Carlos Blake, Rudy and Frank Wolfe are engaging in routine miscellaneous business―some legitimate and some less so―for their family when they stumble upon a stash of high-quality pornographic films in a raid. The plot thickens when their Aunt Catalina, the family matriarch aged 115, recognizes her long-lost sister in one of the young performers. Catalina tasks the boys with tracking the girl down, however improbable a connection may be.

This proves to be no simple task. Soon, Rudy and Frank find themselves moving away from world of porn and towards the upper echelons of the Sinaloa drug cartel, where the mysterious woman has become a particular favorite of the head narco. For their aunt, the woman, and themselves, Frank and Rudy must find a way to get her out without alerting the cartel. A tropical storm complicates their quest, but their sprawling family may save them from this obstacle, too.

You know what to do.

Ace Atkins “The Revelators” is Coming!

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The new Quinn Colson novel, The Revelators will be released on July 14, 2020.  If you’re not familiar with Ace Atkins Quinn Colson novels, you should be.

Here’s the synopsis for The Revelators:

In this gripping new crime novel from the New York Times-bestselling author, Quinn Colson is about to find out whether his quest for justice can coexist with his loyalty to the law…

Shot up and left for dead, Sheriff Quinn Colson has revenge on his mind. With the help of his new wife Maggie, rehabilitation, and sheer force of will, he’s walking again, eager to resume his work as a southern lawman and track down those responsible for his attempted murder. But someone is standing in his way: an interim sheriff, appointed by the newly elected Governor Vardaman, the man who Quinn knows ordered his murder. Vardaman sits at the top of the state’s power structure–both legal and criminal–and little does he know, Quinn is still alive. And coming for him.

Quinn will enlist the help of his most trusted friends, including federal agent Jon Holliday, U.S. Marshal Lillie Virgil, and Donnie Varner, a childhood buddy now working for the Feds as an informant. Since Quinn’s been gone, the criminal element in north Mississippi has flourished, with queenpin Fannie Hathcock enjoying unbridled freedom. As an ice storm bears down on north Mississippi and Memphis, and Tibbehah County is isolated from the outside world, the killers will return to finish the job.

But this time, Quinn Colson and company will be waiting, ready to bust apart a criminal empire running on a rigged system for far too long. This is the battle of Jericho, the epic showdown that’s been years in the making. In the end, the war will end–for better or worse.

I can’t wait.

Frank Miller’s “Sin City” Coming as a Live Action and Animated TV Series!

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Frank Miller and Legendary Television have reached an agreement to turn Miller’s Sin City into a television series.  An agreement to bring Robert Rodriguez (Miller’s co-director on the Sin City films) on board is also in the works.

The deal would guarantee a minimum of one season if picked up by a network or streaming service.  In addition to the Sin City tv series, the agreement also provides for a Sin City R-rated animated series!

I love both of these ideas.  And wouldn’t animated Sin City series done in the style of Miller’s graphic novels would be interesting?

For full details check out Deadline’s Legendary Signs Rights Deal With Frank Miller For ‘Sin City’ TV Series; Robert Rodriguez In Talks.

Cooke & Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition Volume 1 is Available for Pre-Order Now!

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Darwyn  Cooke created the art above for Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition which collected Darwyn Cooke’s first two Parker books, The Hunter and The Outfit… 

…in a tremendous, special, oversized hardcover edition — with an additional 65-pages of content — encased in a beautiful slipcase!

Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter graphic novel debuted in July 2008 to instantaneous popular and critical acclaim. It made the New York Times bestseller list and won coveted Eisner and Harvey awards. The second graphic novel, The Outfit, was released in 2010 and was met with similar response, and won the 2011 Eisner for Best Writer/Artist.

The Hunter and The Outfit tell the story of Parker, Richard Stark’s classic anti-hero, as he returns to New York to settle the score with his wife and partner in crime after they betray him in a heist gone terribly wrong. After evening the field and reclaiming his prize, the Outfit decide to do some score settling of their own… and learn much too late that when you push a man like Parker, it had better be all the way to the grave.

Also contains the short stories The Man With the Getaway Face and The Seventh.

I had ordered a copy of The Martini Edition when it was published in 2011, but it arrived damaged.  When I returned it for a replacement, I was sad to learn The Martini Edition had sold out.

Until  now.  (Actually April 28, 2020.)

IDW is reprinting Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition.  It’ll have a different cover but the same contents.  I’m betting this edition will sell out quickly.  I’ve put in my pre-order.  If you’re interested, I wouldn’t wait long before doing the same.

Lost River by J. Todd Scott is Coming!

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J. Todd Scott’s next novel, Lost River now has a release date; June 23, 2020.  Here’s the synopsis…

A blistering crime novel of the opioid epidemic–and its cops, villains, and victims–written by a twenty-five-year veteran of the DEA.

Angel, Kentucky: Just another one of America’s forgotten places, where opportunities vanished long ago, and the opioid crisis has reached a fever pitch. When this small town is rocked by the vicious killing of an entire infamous local crime family, the bloody aftermath brings together three people already struggling with Angel’s drug epidemic: Trey, a young medic-in-training with secrets to hide; Special Agent Casey Alexander, a DEA agent who won’t let the local law or small-town way of doing things stand in her way; and Paul Mayfield, a former police chief who’s had to watch his own young wife succumb to addiction.

Over the course of twenty-four hours, loyalties are tested, the corrupt are exposed, and the horrible truth of the largest drug operation in the region is revealed. And though Angel will never be the same again, a lucky few may still find hope.

Amazon, let me pre-order Lost River now!

John Carpenter’s Most Groundbreaking Characters

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Rodolfo at CBR.com did a piece called Top 10 Groundbreaking John Carpenter Characters.  You just know I’m going to play along by posting my thoughts on three of my favorite John Carpenter characters and one who didn’t make Rodolfo’s list but should have.

  1. Snake Plissken.  I’d be surprised if Snake Plissken wasn’t at the top of anyone’s John Carpenter characters list.  Heck, Plissken should be near the top of any cool characters list.  He’s the classic anti-hero: ex-military, individualist with an attitude, more than capable in any situation and played perfectly by Kurt Russell channeling Clint Eastwood.  I’m surprised that there weren’t more Snake Plissken movies made (besides EFNY and ESFLA) and that Snake has become more popular in other media.

  2. Napoleon Wilson.  Perhaps Carpenter’s least known character with the most potential.  Wilson appeared in Assault on Precinct 13 and like Snake Plissken was an anti-hero.  On his way to prison, Wilson find himself and a small group trapped in an abandoned building under siege by a street gang.  Napoleon Wilson was perfectly played by Darwin Joston in his most famous role.

  3. John Nada.  Roddy Piper was the perfect choice to play John Nada, an average guy just looking to survive in a world unknowingly under the control of aliens.  Nada isn’t a specially trained soldier or cop — he’s just a drifter who discovers a secret that no one would believe and then he takes action to save the world!

  4. Romero.  While Romero didn’t make Rodolfo’s list, there was no way I’d leave him out of mine.  Romero appeared in a relatively small role in Escape from New York.  In a movie full of larger-than-life characters, Romero (as played by Frank Doubleday) was as memorable as any and more frightening than all.

11 Surprising Facts About Sylvester Stallone

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Jake Rossen and Mental Floss posted 11 Surprising Facts About Sylvester Stallone.  How could I not play along even if, my guess is correct, and readers here, aren’t surprised?  Here’s my top three…

1. AN ERRANT PAIR OF FORCEPS GAVE SYLVESTER STALLONE HIS DISTINCTIVE LOOK.
Many comedians have paid their bills over the decades by adopting Sylvester Stallone’s distinctive lip droop and guttural baritone voice. The facial feature was the result of some slight mishandling at birth. When Stallone was born on July 6, 1946 in Manhattan, the physician used a pair of forceps to deliver him. The malpractice left his lip, chin, and part of his tongue partially paralyzed due to a severed nerve. Stallone later said his face and awkward demeanor earned him the nickname “Sylvia” and authority figures telling him his brain was “dormant.” Burdened with low self-esteem, Stallone turned to bodybuilding and later performing as a way of breaking through what seemed to be a consensus of low expectations.

5. SYLVESTER STALLONE WROTE A NOVEL.
In addition to his acting ambitions, Stallone decided to pursue a career in writing. After numerous screenplays, he wrote Paradise Alley, a novel about siblings who get caught up in the circus world of professional wrestling in Hell’s Kitchen. Stallone finished the novel before deciding to turn it into a screenplay. Paradise Alley was eventually produced in 1978. The book, which was perceived as a novelization, was published that same year. (It appeared in hard cover and mass market paperback. – Craig)

10. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER ONCE TRICKED SYLVESTER STALLONE INTO STARRING IN A BOX OFFICE BOMB.
Stallone has often discussed his rivalry with Arnold Schwarzenegger, as the two action stars were believed to be the two biggest marquee attractions in the 1980s. Recalling his 1992 bomb Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, Stallone told a journalist in 2014 that he believed Schwarzenegger was to blame. “I heard Arnold wanted to do that movie and after hearing that, I said I wanted to do it,” he said. “He tricked me. He’s always been clever.”

Criminal Macabre: The Big Bleed Out – A Noir Tale of Mysteries, Vampires, Love, and Betrayal

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Criminal Macabre: The Big Bleed Out – A Noir Tale of Mysteries, Vampires, Love, and Betrayal… If that doesn’t get your interest then you can stop reading right here.  If it sounds like something you’d enjoy, then read on…

Criminal Macabre is back and bloodier than ever! Series creator Steve Niles (City of Others, 30 Days of Night) and newcomer artist Gyula Németh are teaming up to bring you the next chapter in the Cal McDonald saga: Criminal Macabre: The Big Bleed Out.

Criminal Macabre: The Big Bleed Out starts when supernatural detective Cal McDonald, found wandering the streets as a disheveled vagrant, is ripped from his self-imposed retirement to resume his monster-killing career.

But Cal is reluctant to return to the fray. What has the hard-bitten investigator so shaken? It’s a long story that begins with a beautiful woman who happens to be a vampire … and ends with a bang.

“I’ve been writing Cal McDonald since I was in my 20’s and to this day he is the most fun to write. I couldn’t be happier to see him come back with Gyula Nemeth doing the art. I think fans of Cal will be pleasantly surprised and hopefully a little horrified.”—Steve Niles

Criminal Macabre: The Big Bleed Out #1 (of four) goes on sale December 11, 2019, and is available for pre-order at your local comic shop.

I’m a big fan of Steve Niles and his Cal McDonald stories.  I’m on board.  If you’ve read this far, you probably are as well.

Do No Harm (A Nate Heller Thriller) by Max Allan Collins is Coming!

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Max Allan Collins returns with a new Nate Heller novel, Do No Harm, in March!

Heller is Collins’ fictional detective who finds himself involved with famous murder cases.  Heller has been in the mix on everything from the Lindbergh baby kidnapping/murder to the suspicious death of Marilyn Monroe and so much more.  Along the way, Heller meets, fights and sometimes gets involved with famous and infamous celebrities.  As the years go by Heller ages, creating a unique reading experience.  Here’s an impressive timeline of Heller’s life and cases thus far.

Ah, but I digress; back to Do No Harm.  Here’s the synopsis…

Do No Harm is the latest mystery in the Nathan Heller series by New York Times bestselling author Max Allan Collins.

It’s 1954 and Heller takes on the Sam Sheppard case―a young doctor is startled from sleep and discovers his wife brutally murdered. He claims that a mysterious intruder killed his wife. But all the evidence points to a disturbed husband who has grown tired of married life and yearned to be free at all costs. Sheppard is swiftly convicted and sent to rot in prison.

Just how firm was the evidence…and was it tampered with to fit a convenient narrative to settle scores and push political agendas? Nathan’s old friend Elliot Ness calls in a favor and as Nathan digs into the case he becomes convinced of Sheppard’s innocence. But Nate can’t prove it and has to let the case drop.

The road to justice is sometimes a long one. Heller’s given another chance years later and this time he’s determined to free the man…even if it brings his own death a bit closer.

Each new Nate Heller is like a visit with an old friend who takes me behind the scenes on real life murder mysteries.  At the end of each Heller tale, Collins provides a detailed bibliography and explains where his novel deviated from the facts (if at all).  I can’t wait for our next visit.

Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe

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If you’ve never read a Rex Stout Nero Wolfe story, you should.  You’d be in for a treat. 

Stout did something unique: he married the British Golden Age, puzzle-solving school of mystery fiction with the street-smart, hardboiled, thoroughly American detective novels of Chandler and Hammett to come up with a seamless blend of thought and action, narrated in a prose that was unfailingly literate, witty, and engaging.

Stout’s Nero Wolfe stories are entertaining with just the right mix of action, mystery and humor.  Neil Nyren (who I quoted above) provides an in-depth look at Stout and his stories at Crime Reads.  Check out Rex Stout: A Crime Reader’s Guide to the Classics.

Ms. Tree: One Mean Mother

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I love this cover to Ms. Tree: One Mean Mother.  Ms. Tree was a comic series created by Max Allan Collins and Terry Beatty that first appeared back in the 1980’s!

I have to admit I didn’t get the title’s pun until my buddy, Jim Ivey pointed it out to me: Ms. Tree = Mystery.  He thought I was messing with him, but I truly missed it.  At any rate, Ms. Tree tales are being reprinted by Hard Case Crime.  Here’s how the first is being solicited…

When her private detective husband is murdered by the Muerta crime family, Ms. Tree takes over the business! Cold, calculating, and tough as nails, no case is too small, no violence too extreme, so long as a mystery is solved… and Ms. Tree is paid.

The creation of award-winning crime and comics writer Max Allan Collins (Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, Road To Perdition, Quarry’s War), illustrated by co-creator and pulp legend Terry Beatty (Johnny Dynamite, Mike Danger, Rex Morgan M.D.)!

Collects five classic Ms. Tree stories for the first time since the ’80s, plus the rare Ms. Tree prose story “Inconvenience Store”!

More Better Deals by Joe R. Lansdale!

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Joe R. Lansdale is best known for his Hap & Leonard series of novels (and television series) but Lansdale’s stand alone novels are also excellent.  Case in point, check out More Better Deals coming March 31, 2020.

Ed Edwards is in the used car business. A business built on adjusted odometers, extra-fine print, and the belief that “buyers better beware.” Burdened by an aging, alcoholic mother constantly on his case to do something worthier of his lighter skin tone and dreaming of a brighter future for himself and his plucky little sister, Ed is ready to get out of the game.

When Dave, his lazy, grease-stained boss at the eponymous dealership Smiling Dave’s sends him to repossess a Cadillac, Ed finally gets the chance to escape his miserable life.

The Cadillac in question was purchased by Frank Craig and his beautiful wife Nancy, owners of a local drive-in and pet cemetery. Fed up with her deadbeat husband and with unfulfilled desires of her own, Nancy suggests to Ed- in the throes of their salacious affair- that they kill Frank and claim his insurance policy. It is a tantalizing offer: the girl, the car, and not one, but two businesses. Ed could finally say goodbye to Smiling Dave’s, and maybe even send his sister to college. But does he have what it takes to see the plan through?

Told with Joe Lansdale’s trademark grit, wit, and dark humor, More Better Deals is a gripping tale of the strange characters and odd dealings that define 1960s East Texas.

Sign me up now.

Dark Duet by Eric Beetner / Z-View

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Dark Duet by Eric Beetner

TPB: 224 pages
Publisher: Down and Out Books

Dark Duet  consists of two crime novellas, White Hot Pistol and Blood on Their Hands.  You get two Eric Beetner yarns for the price of one!

First sentence of White Hot Pistol…

Nash remembered the first time he escaped this town.

The Overview of White Hot Pistol:  Beware of Spoilers…

Nash had a plan.  He was going to sneak back into the town that he’d left years before.  He’d then get his sister, Jacy, out and away from her abusive step-father.  It was supposed to be easy…

It should have been easy despite the fact that Nash was wanted for questioning in a homicide and her step-father was the town sheriff.

It could have been easy had Nash and Jacy not stumbled onto a drug deal gone bad.

On the run from the cops and the drug dealer’s crew, with bodies piling up and no hope for help, now nothing would be easy.

—

First sentence of Blood on Their Hands…

Garrett had no idea breaking and entering would be so easy.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Garrett, against his better judgment, joins his two high school buddies when they break into the Smart Mart late one night.  The plan is to scarf some beers, grab some snacks and slip back out.

Things go sideways when the men who own the store show up with the body of the guy they just killed.  As the killers discuss how to dispose of the stiff, the boys make a run for it.  Unfortunately, they’re seen and the chase is on.

What chance do high school kids have against grown killers?  Not much.  Blood on Their Hands takes place in the same town as White Hot Pistol and features a few of the same characters.  Bravo to Beetner for a couple of twists that were logical but totally surprising.

If you like pulp, noir and stories that move, then Dark Duet is for you.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars.