Treacherous characters, two-fisted action, and an inside knowledge of the mid- and late-Twentieth Century. Jack Bludis has a handle for dark fiction. These are stories not to miss. Check 'em out " -Dave White, Two Time Shamus Nominated author of The Evil That Men. An enthralling collection of mysteries from two time Shamus Award finalist Jack Budis that celebrates the pulp private eye story in a trio of cities famed for their noir settings and mean streets. "From Baltimore to the mean streets of New York, to the smoke-and-gin-soaked Hollywood of the 1940s, Bludis presents a lineup of some of the finest hardboiled literature around. Page after page is filled with bullets, bucks, and broads. This is the good stuff " -Richard Helms, Two-time Derringer Award winning author of Thunder Moon. This masterful volume includes the author's Anthony and Shamus Award finalist tale, "Munchies," plus "Pigtown Will Shine Tonight," "Ticket to the Top," "New Guy on the Block," "Blonds, Blonds, Blonds," and eight more enthralling short stories and novelettes. Jack Bludis is a lifetime resident of the Baltimore area who lived his early years in "Pigtown." His Shamus Award finalist novel, Shadow of the Dalhia, is also available as a paperback and ebook. "In a world of over-hyped, pre-packaged, filter-tip crime fiction, Jack Bludis rolls his own. Lots of copycats profess to write pulp, but Bludis shows how it's done. He's a true original, always his own man, a defiantly loose cannon in the neatly ordered world of genre expectations." -Kevin Burton Smith, Editor, ThrillingDetective.com
This original anthology of noir fiction set in Maryland’s Charm City includes new stories by David Simon, Laura Lippman, Jim Fusilli, and more. As fans of the HBO series The Wire have known for years, Baltimore is home to a rich and diverse underworld that is matched by an equally rich and diverse literary tradition. This is the city where Dashiell Hammett worked as a Pinkerton agent. It’s also where Zelda Fitzgerald came for psychiatric treatment. In this sterling collection of noir fiction, some of Baltimore’s best authors “confront the full irony that is Charm City, a place where you can go from the leafy beauty of the North Side neighborhoods to the gutted ghettos of the West Side in less than twenty minutes, then find your way to the revamped Inner Harbor in another ten” (Laura Lippman, from the introduction). Baltimore Noir includes brand-new stories by David Simon, Laura Lippman, Tim Cockey, Rob Hiaasen, Robert Ward, Sujata Massey, Jack Bludis, Rafael Alvarez, Marcia Talley, Joseph Wallace, Lisa Respers France, Charlie Stella, Sarah Weinman, Dan Fesperman, Jim Fusilli, and Ben Neihart.
5 OUT OF 5 STARS! "Fans of the hardboiled good old stuff should rejoice. Jack Bludis is a true Keeper of the Flame, and The Last Sellout is a more than worthy addition to the PI canon. Five out of five stars!" -Richard Helms, two-time Derringer Award winning author of Thunder Moon. Anthony and Shamus award finalist, Jack Bludis returns with another memorable PI thriller! It's the early 1950s, and former movie audiences were staying home to watch I Love Lucy on TV. Television's big success meant declining attendance and revenues at the movies. Studio executives were taking every means to compete, including subterfuge, double-dealing, theft, and the sin-of-sins, merging with New York, TV production companies. In this compelling mystery, a young studio secretary is missing along with a number of valuable scripts that might be adapted for television. Their author is murdered, and within a few days, he is nominated for an Oscar. At the same time, a New York TV genius is playing studio against studio for production space and artistic control. Hired to investigate the writer's murder, a cynical private eye finds himself involved with a violent motorcycle gang, low-lifes, and studio bigwigs. Then an apparent innocent is murdered, another remains missing, and the detective becomes an avenging angel. His actions endanger not only his own life, but the life of the woman he loves. This mystery as Roman a clef features invented lead characters intermingled with real studios, executives, and actors. Long-time movie fans will recognize the real-life counterparts behind their fictional disguises. "Jack Bludis is the keeper of the flame: an author who puts the hard in hard-boiled, but the heart too. The Last Sellout proves yet again that there is a link to the giants of the genre and his name is Bludis." -Reed Farrel Coleman, three time Shamus Award winning author of Innocent Monster.
The Shamus Award Nominee Back in Print! "Mystery, adventure and a tad of romance. Well done and recommended." -Shirley Johnson, Senior Reviewer MidWest Book Review. Every cop in L.A. Robbery-Homicide is trying to find out who killed Elizabeth Short, "The Black Dahlia." At the same time private eye Rick Page is trying to locate a millionaire's missing wife. In the middle of that case, Page is unwillingly drafted to find a young man who wronged the daughter of a crime lord. Soon, bodies - tortured in the same manner as the Dahlia - begin to pile up, and Page learns that he's in deadly danger. To survive, he must discover whether the murderer is a cunning copycat attempting to confuse the police, or whether he has fallen under the shadow of the Dahlia's killer. "A master of retro noir." -Private Eye Writers of America newsletter. ..".A rousing story, compellingly told ... wonderful read for anybody who loves a good book." -Warren Murphy, Two-time Edgar Winner. ..".A marvelous private-eye novel set in the mid-1940s. The sounds and souls of a generation that survived both the Great Depression and World War II resonate from every chapter, and Rick Page is a realistic and empathetic narrator. Shadow of the Dahlia is a 'keeper'." -Jeremiah Healy, author of Spiral and Turnabout
This original anthology of noir fiction set in Maryland’s Charm City includes new stories by David Simon, Laura Lippman, Jim Fusilli, and more. As fans of the HBO series The Wire have known for years, Baltimore is home to a rich and diverse underworld that is matched by an equally rich and diverse literary tradition. This is the city where Dashiell Hammett worked as a Pinkerton agent. It’s also where Zelda Fitzgerald came for psychiatric treatment. In this sterling collection of noir fiction, some of Baltimore’s best authors “confront the full irony that is Charm City, a place where you can go from the leafy beauty of the North Side neighborhoods to the gutted ghettos of the West Side in less than twenty minutes, then find your way to the revamped Inner Harbor in another ten” (Laura Lippman, from the introduction). Baltimore Noir includes brand-new stories by David Simon, Laura Lippman, Tim Cockey, Rob Hiaasen, Robert Ward, Sujata Massey, Jack Bludis, Rafael Alvarez, Marcia Talley, Joseph Wallace, Lisa Respers France, Charlie Stella, Sarah Weinman, Dan Fesperman, Jim Fusilli, and Ben Neihart.
Brian Kane, Hollywood P.I. is back in this exciting sequel to THE BIG SWITCH.A routine studio security job turns deadly when a star is ambushed, a mysterious kidnapping occurs, and suddenly Kane's swept up in a maze of Hollywood bigwigs' adulterous affairs, underground movies, and some vicious killers from the postwar Hungarian mob! A studio's fate hangs in the balance, an innocent's life is at stake, and Kane's only solution may be to rely on his high-priced call girl's ruse to bring the deal killer to justice.
Brian Kane, Hollywood P.I. is back in this exciting sequel to THE BIG SWITCH.A routine studio security job turns deadly when a star is ambushed, a mysterious kidnapping occurs, and suddenly Kane's swept up in a maze of Hollywood bigwigs' adulterous affairs, underground movies, and some vicious killers from the postwar Hungarian mob! A studio's fate hangs in the balance, an innocent's life is at stake, and Kane's only solution may be to rely on his high-priced call girl's ruse to bring the deal killer to justice.
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