Pulp

[close] Started somewhat as a reaction to the British cozy mystery of the Agatha Christie style (think Murder She Wrote), there came a demand for something more real, action where the stakes were higher, the participants (good and bad) sleazier, the police on the take, the ladies fatal for any would-be patsy. Thus was born, largely in the 1920s, and often in the pulps (foremost among them Black Mask), the American answer to Sherlock Holmes, the genre that in turn became the basis for the film noir revolution of the 1940s. Our original big three writers in this genre are Dashiel Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and James M. Cain. This modest beginning spawned an international phenomenon with writers in other countries picking up the tropes, some adhering to original themes, others blending in other genres such as science fiction dystopia or urban fantasy, to craft a new literature known simply as noir. These writers and settings come from communities as diverse and complex as can be found throughout the modern world. Half our focus is on original hardboiled crime fiction, its formation in the middle third of twentieth century United States. The other half is on modern noir throughout the world as it has developed since. Join in on the fun as the outsider champion of justice tries to bring its criminal elements to account, won't you?

[close] “Read, read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it." -William Faulkner

[close] Hard Boiled detective novels, noir, and great crime novels (old and new)

[close] Noir, hardboiled and pulp. This is the reading group linked to the Point Blank podcast. If you're a fan already, support the guys through Patreon at : https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime/overview If you've never heard the podcast, find it here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/point-blank-hardboiled-noir-detective-fiction/id1276038868?mt=2 If you have heard it, it's also there. If you're not interested in podcasts, but love pulp and noir, your welcome to stay. Each month we read hard boiled, noir, and pulp fiction along with hosts Kurt and Justin. We are a community that feeds into the podcast and we give feedback and we read a whole bunch of other stuff along the way.