Originally written in 2005, Drive by James Sallis has been out of print for over a decade, since its last printing following the acclaimed movie of the same name. Now Poisoned Pen Press has brought a beautiful reprint edition back to the market, giving me the chance to evaluate both book and movie together. Both…
When reading a book, there’s nothing quite like a pulsating pursuit to get you turning the pages. I’ve always loved the use of the cat-and-mouse chase as a plot device; the moment the tension boils over that sparks the frantic escape, the intense hunt, the heart-stopping near misses, the showdown between the hunter and the…
New Orleans…it’s not all King Cakes and muffuletta sandwiches and balconies adorned with wrought-iron lace. Beneath its flamboyant exterior, the city has always had a dark heart and an aura all its own—a humid miasma composed of equal parts dried early morning puke, rotting Spanish moss, and the scent of fresh beignets. New Orleans is…
Here we are, fifteen years into a new century, and many authors are churning out noir novels as essential as anything from its heyday. If you’re like me, when you think of the 90s, it feels about five years ago, but the last decade and a half comprises the entire publishing career of many authors,…
I’ll get right to the point here; Ted Lewis’s 1970 novel Jack’s Return Home (re-titled Get Carter so I’ll call it that from here on) is one of the most influential works of crime fiction in existence. In the world of U.K. hardboiled literature it’s had the kind of impact that books by Dashiell Hammett…
Awards season is upon us, so dust off those red carpet duds and get ready to roll! Last week we gave you the Edgar nominees, and this week it’s time for the Hammett nominees. Wouldn’t that Thin Man sculpture look so cool on your mantlepiece? Well, to get it you have to write like these…
What’s that they say about there only being so many plots? Sure, they’ve all been used up by now. Long ago by the Greeks to hear some people tell it. There may have been a lot of death and destruction but I don’t think the Greeks were writing much crime fiction. Still, plots get recycled.…
As I sat staring at my bookshelves, taking stock of the books that surround and inspire me, I started to notice some titles that seemed like maybe I should shelve them next to each other. I kept looking, dug deeper into the closet, and began playing a little game with titles. It killed some time…
Back in May, we talked about how James Sallis’ fabulous book Drive was being made into a movie to star Ryan Gosling. And then, of course, we got busy and forgot to ask you whether you’d seen it and what you thought. Well, one woman’s opinion is making news. Apparently, Sarah Deming of Michigan is…
The trailer for Drive, adapted from the novel by James Sallis, is out now and it got me thinking. I read Drive and liked it. The trailer looks great, the film even won best director at Cannes, which is rare for a crime drama in a non-Tarantino year. Yes, I may see the movie, but…
