Barry Graham — video interview

Keith Rawson interviews one of my favorite writers, Barry Graham, for Spinetingler Magazine. Lots of great talk about class and crime fiction, including an excellent argument for why the terms "working class" and "middle class" are horseshit.

In between reading for my upcoming Bouchercon panel, I finished up Graham's The Champion's New Clothes last night. I'll be honest, I don't really know much about boxing, nor mixed martial arts. I watch bouts when they're on at somebody's house, but that's about it. I think the last fights I followed were the the three between Arturo Gatti and Mickey Ward.

But, of course, liking the kind of fiction I like, I've read a fair amount of boxing books. And I'll put The Champion's New Clothes up there with the best of 'em. It's not really a crime novel, almost more of a romance. But it's a Barry Graham kind of romance, so there's plenty of blood, sex, and fuck you humor. Meaning, it's a blast, and as you expect from Graham, one that comes fully fleshed out with complex themes and real characters. At $2.99 on the Kindle, you can't go wrong.