Robert McClure's Blog, page 5

Father-son crime thriller, Deadly Lullaby, leaves folks choked up, breathless!

Career hitman Babe Crucci has just come away from a long stint in San Quentin.  He looks forward to making amends with his estranged son, Leo, a detective with the LAPD, and putting a life of crime behind him. But can he?  Leo needs a little help settling a beef over some gambling debts owed to a local mobster.  This kind of thing is child’s play for Babe–until a sudden twist in the negotiations leads to a string of corpses and a titanic power shift in gangland politics.

“Too compelling to put down.”  Roger Hobbs, best selling author of Ghostman.

“Robert McClure is the real deal, an author who produces pulp fiction the way Chandler and Hammett did—with depth and heart.”  Otto Penzler, editor, Best American Mystery Stories.

Release date is Tuesday, 9/29/15.  You can pre-order it today for only $2.99 from one of the following eBook retailers:

Kindle, click here; Nook, click here; GooglePlay, click here; iBook, click here; Kobo, click here.

Filed under: Crime Fiction Novel Tagged: Crime Fiction Thrillers, Deadly Lullaby, father-son stories, organized crime, Pulp Fiction, Robert McClure

Father-son crime thriller leaves folks choked up, breathless!

Career hitman Babe Crucci has just come away from a long stint in San Quentin.  He looks forward to making amends with his estranged son, Leo, a detective with the LAPD, and putting a life of crime behind him. But can he?  Leo needs a little help settling a beef over some gambling debts owed to a local mobster.  This kind of thing is child’s play for Babe–until a sudden twist in the negotiations leads to a string of corpses and a titanic power shift in gangland politics.

“Too compelling to put down.”  Roger Hobbs, best selling author of Ghostman.

“Robert McClure is the real deal, an author who produces pulp fiction the way Chandler and Hammett did—with depth and heart.”  Otto Penzler, editor, Best American Mystery Stories.

Release date is Tuesday, 9/29/15.  You can pre-order it today for only $2.99 from one of the following eBook retailers:

Kindle, click here; Nook, click here; GooglePlay, click here; iBook, click here; Kobo, click here.

Filed under: Crime Fiction Novel Tagged: Crime Fiction Thrillers, Deadly Lullaby, father-son stories, organized crime, Pulp Fiction, Robert McClure

Deadly Lullaby: A Thriller, is a rollicking crime novel of family and felony

Fresh off a nine-year stint in San Quentin, career hitman Babe Crucci seeks reconciliation with his estranged son, Leo, who just so happens to be a rising star in the LAPD.  As Babe sits before him at breakfast, Leo realizes that although his knowledge of psychology is pretty basic, he doesn’t have to be Sigmund Freud to conclude that his father is a criminal sociopath in light of the morning’s jaw dropping events.  What transpires later presents an even rockier path for Babe and Leo.  Can there be any hope for reconciliation between father and son? Order it today and find out!

For Kindle, click here; for Nook, click here; for GooglePlay, click here; iBook, click here; for Kobo, click here.

Click here to read a review of this father-son thriller by Andrew Eichner.  For additional reviews, click Reviews on the Menu above or click here.

Filed under: Crime Fiction Novels Tagged: Alibi, Crime Fiction Thrillers, organized crime, Pulp Fiction, Random House, Robert McClure

Carrots, celery sticks and flank steak make for a healthy dose of crime fiction

There is a scene in my crime fiction novel, Deadly Lullaby, where our man Babe Crucci whacks a bad guy using a “twisted” technique he perfected using a carrot and celery sticks, all wrapped up in a flank steak and anchored in a vise. This lean meat and veggie combo might be good for some people, not so much for those who get on the wrong side of Babe.  With all this in mind, Deadly Lullaby is released in 10 days and Babe strongly suggests that you buy it.

Filed under: Crime Fiction Novels Tagged: crime fiction, Deadly Lullaby, organized crime, Random House, Robert McClure

Bouchercon 2015 / Murder under the Oaks

I’m looking forward to meeting up this October with many of my fellow crime fiction authors at the 46th annual, mystery and crime fiction conference, Bouchercon 2015.  Here’s a special shout out to attendees who share my literary agent, Sobel Weber Associates, and with whom I hope to have a drink (or two) at Bouchercon:  Tom Franklin, New York Times best seller Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter; Brian Panowich, Bull Mountain; Michael Sears, Long Way Down and Black Fridays; and Otto Penzler, anthologist, Best American Mysteries Stories (to whom I’m especially indebted).

Filed under: Bouchercon 2015, Crime Fiction Novels Tagged: Bouchercon 2015, Brian Panowich, Crime Fiction Thrillers, Crime Mysteries, Michael Sears, Otto Penzler, Sobel Weber, Tom Franklin

The Last Good Kiss, by James Crumley

This morning I absentmindedly picked up a book that has remained untouched on my bookshelf for many years, James Crumley’s The Last Good Kiss, and was treated to one of the best (arguably the best) opening line in hardboiled crime fiction history:

“When I finally caught up with Abraham Trahearne, he was drinking beer with an alcoholic bulldog named Fireball Roberts in a ramshackle joint just outside of Sonoma, California, drinking the heart right out of a fine spring afternoon.”

What a setup. There’s not a true fan of fiction in the world who wouldn’t read the next sentence, and it’s a killer one, too.

R.I.P., Mr. Crumley, your work lives on, and inspires.

Filed under: Book Reviews, Crime Fiction Novel Tagged: book review by author robert mcclure, crime fiction novels, crime thrillers, hardboiled crime fiction, James Crumley, The Last Good Kiss

French translation of crime novel, Deadly Lullaby by Robert McClure

Today I firmed up plans to meet with my French publisher of Deadly Lullaby, esteemed editor Robert Pepin of Calmann-Levy, the oldest publisher in France. Robert is also a renowned translator of American crime fiction authors, and though he is a very busy senior editor at Calmann-Levy, he has paid me the distinct honor of deciding to translate Deadly Lullaby himself.  Robert was one of the first to believe in one of my favorite authors, Michael Connelly, who has authored many crime novel series, one involving lawyer Mickey Haller, the main character in The Lincoln Lawyer.  Thanks a million to Robert for searching out and discovering new authors with works that inspire him.  Vive Robert!

Filed under: Crime Fiction Novel Tagged: Bouchercon 2015, Calmann-Levy, crime fiction novel, crime thrillers, Deadly Lullaby, French translation of novel, organized crime, Robert Pepin

15 days and counting until release of Deadly Lullaby: A Thriller

The Random House e-originals imprint, Alibi, which specializes in mystery and thrillers, is currently featuring Deadly Lullaby: A Thriller, on its list of Upcoming Titles (click here).  If you are attending Bouchercon 2015 in October and are interested in posting a review of Deadly Lullaby, look me up to get a complementary copy.  I’ll be at the meet and greet fan event for new authors Thursday morning of the conference.  Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Filed under: Bouchercon 2015, Crime Fiction Novel Tagged: Alibi, Bouchercon 2015, crime fiction, crime thrillers, Deadly Lullaby, organized crime, Random House, Robert McClure

Roger Hobbs’ Vanishing Games: A Great Thriller!

I highly recommend the novel, Vanishing Games, by the critically acclaimed and award-winning author, Roger Hobbs.  Vanishing Games is the sequel to Hobbs’ international best seller Ghostman. Set in the casinos and slums of Macau, a sapphire heist skids off the tracks and our hero Ghostman battles a coldblooded psychopath, a mob boss and a host of others to recover the loot for his boss and mentor, a sexy chameleon who calls herself Angela. Roger Hobbs portrays criminals and the crimes they commit to a level of detail they come alive on the page.  Click here to read Hobbs’ synopsis of his latest crime fiction thriller.

Filed under: Book Reviews Tagged: book review by author robert mcclure, crime thrillers, roger hobbs, vanishing games

18 days and counting until Deadly Lullaby!

Random House will publish my novel,  Deadly Lullaby: A Thriller, on September 29, 2015, as an e-book with the usual major e-book sellers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play Books, etc.).  I’ll be bringing a few paper copies to Bouchercon 2015 for distribution to my devoted followers and readers.  All I ask in return is for a brief review (or long if that’s your style) on what aspect of the book you like the best, provided you liked any aspect of it, of course!  :-)

I look forward to seeing all my crime fiction compatriots at Bouchercon in October!

Filed under: Bouchercon 2015, Crime Fiction Novel Tagged: Bouchercon 2015, Crime Fiction Thrillers, Crime Mysteries, Deadly Lullaby, organized crime, Pulp Fiction, Robert McClure