“Too much black for the white.” That was the assessment of the Ayrshire novelist George Douglas Brown when asked what he thought of his novel, The House with the Green Shutters, over a century ago. It’s also, perhaps surprisingly, a very apt summary of a modern phenomenon known as Tartan Noir. In both tone and [...]
Tag Archive for ‘noir fiction’ 
Canarsie and Westlake, Parker and Stark (and Me)
Jun 30, 2011 in Uncategorized
[The below first appears as an introduction to Butcher's Moon, republished in April 2011 by the University of Chicago Press, and is reprinted with the gracious permission of Lawrence Block. You can read his other intros for Backflash and Comeback here and here.] One night around the end of 1960 or the beginning of 1961, [...]
Noir in the Sunshine
Jun 28, 2011 in Writing
So some years ago I was writing this series of P.I. novels about a detective in St. Louis. He wasn’t exactly your classic shamus but he did have Sam Spade DNA and he did walk some pretty mean streets in a gritty industrial city. But what I wanted to do was a second series, something [...]
Continue Reading Duane Swierczynski’s FUN AND GAMES
Jun 10, 2011 in Excerpts, Fiction, Mulholland Authors
In just ten short days, we’ll be publishing FUN AND GAMES, the kick-a$$ first book in the kick-a$$ Charlie Hardie series. Continue reading the novel Josh Bazell called “insanely entertaining,” and which Booklist called “so bloody satisfying.” Missed Chapter 1? Read it here. 2 “California is a beautiful fraud.”—Marc Reisner WHEELS WERE supposed to be [...]
As Dark as Broad Daylight
Jun 10, 2011 in eBooks, Guest Posts, Mulholland Authors, Video Games
We asked all the contributors to LA Noire: The Collected Stories to tell us about their story in the collection. Read Lawrence Block’s contribution “See the Woman” in LA Noire: The Collected Stories. Available free (for a limited time) from your eTailer of choice. Amazon.com | BN.com | iTunes | Kobo | Sony LA Noire? [...]
Betty Short and Norma Jeane Baker Alive Again
Jun 10, 2011 in eBooks, Guest Posts, Video Games
We asked all the contributors to LA Noire: The Collected Stories to tell us about their story in the collection. Read Joyce Carol Oates’ contribution “Black Dahlia & White Rose” in LA Noire: The Collected Stories. Available free (for a limited time) from your eTailer of choice. Amazon.com | BN.com | iTunes | Kobo | [...]
My Own Dark Places
Jun 06, 2011 in eBooks, Guest Posts, Video Games
We asked all the contributors to LA Noire: The Collected Stories to tell us their thoughts on why Los Angeles is so associated with noir. Read Jonathan Santlofer’s story “What’s In a Name?” in LA Noire: The Collected Stories. Available free (for a limited time) from your eTailer of choice. Amazon.com | BN.com | iTunes [...]
Noir Seal of Approval
Jun 06, 2011 in eBooks, Guest Posts, Video Games
As a contributor to LA Noire: The Collected Stories, we asked Andrew Vachss to give us his thoughts on noir. Read Andrew Vachss’s story “Postwar Boom” in LA Noire: The Collected Stories. Available free (for a limited time) from your eTailer of choice. Amazon.com | BN.com | iTunes | Sony I learned, a long time [...]
The Edge of Nothing
Jun 06, 2011 in eBooks, Guest Posts, Video Games
We asked all the contributors to LA Noire: The Collected Stories to tell us their thoughts on why Los Angeles is so associated with noir. Read Megan Abbott’s story “The Girl” in LA Noire: The Collected Stories. Available free (for a limited time) from your eTailer of choice . Amazon.com | BN.com | iTunes | [...]
(Holly)wood Pulp: 15 Books That Helped Me Understand the City of Angels
Jun 02, 2011 in Books, Guest Posts
[Editor's Note: Visit Duane Swierczynski's website for a fantastic opportunity. Check it out before you read this article.] Until Fun & Games, I set most of my novels in Philadelphia. No, I don’t have some kickback deal with the local chamber of commerce. Philly’s where I was born and raised, and for better or worse, [...]
