Welcome and Introductions

[Toby]

Melki, having recently read it for the first time i can't recommend rereading it highly enough

[Mohammed]

The Day of the Locus sounds like a story in seedy noir ala James M. Cain. Very interesting novel it sounds to me.

[Toby]

Mohammed wrote: "The Day of the Locus sounds like a story in seedy noir ala James M. Cain. Very interesting novel it sounds to me."

it is very interesting but im not so sure about the seedy noir aspect. however i am yet to read any cain (seen the movies) so perhaps it is similar to him.

[Mohammed]

Tfitoby wrote: "Mohammed wrote: "The Day of the Locus sounds like a story in seedy noir ala James M. Cain. Very interesting novel it sounds to me."

it is very interesting but im not so sure about the seedy noir ..."

The synopsis sounded like that i meant not that the actual novel is like that.

[Toby]

just didnt want to get your hopes too high Mohammed. :)

[Mohammed]

Tfitoby wrote: "just didnt want to get your hopes too high Mohammed. :)"

I base my expectations on author who i know , respect. This author i can barely remember his name. He isnt exactly Jack London or Albert Camus modern great type name. The story appeals to me. When i read outside my fav genres, i want books that study its times,world and can craft good story from that.

[Adam]

"The Day of the Locust" is really good, Mohammed. I recommend it, although I actually like West's short novel "Miss Lonelyhearts" even more.

[Mohammed]

Adam wrote: ""The Day of the Locust" is really good, Mohammed. I recommend it, although I actually like West's short novel "Miss Lonelyhearts" even more."

I have two weeks without any classes in Uni, i will look for this book. It sounds too interesting to wait months to try it.

[Adam]

Mohammed, the copy I have collects both novels, since neither is very long. This is it:
http://www.amazon.com/Miss-Lonelyhearts-Locust-Nathanael-West/dp/0811202151.

[Chuck]

"Miss Lonelyhearts" is one of my all-time favorite novels by anybody.

[Richard]

I don't normally do this but I wanted to let you know
my second novel, Mr. Glamour, is officially released in paperback today.
If you can post about it I would be grateful, it's offered at a low price today with next day shipping
http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Glamour-Rich...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mr-Glamour-Ri...
All the best,
Richard.

[Michael]

Hey all,

I love pulp movies, comics, and fiction. Currently working on my own pulp webcomic called Runnin' with A Gun.
No web link you will have to search it if you care.(In the spirit of no spam.)

I was essentially reading only fantasy until at the age of 16 I was introduced to Sin City and Reservoir Dogs at the same time. That caused a total change and I have researched the influences for that stuff and everything that came after.

I am always on the look out for new and interesting stuff that explores the dark side of being human.

[Melki, Femme fatale]

Welcome, Michael.
Your webcomic is amazing! I look forward to reading more of it.

[Michael, Anti-Hero]

It's awesome, welcome Michael

[David]

Paul 'Pezski' wrote: "Hi guys!

Great idea for a group, looking forward to joining in. I do love me a bit of noir - sometimes straight, often with a shot of other genres. Scifi, which I freely confess to being my main s..."

Never really thought of Dick as noir-influenced until I read your post, but you're right. Think of Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said as well.

[Michael]

Knowledge Lost wrote: "It's awesome, welcome Michael"

Thank You. :)

[Stephen]

Pulp Fiction Reviews covered my latest novel. Here's an excerpt --

"Author Stephen Jared is an accomplished film actor with a vast knowledge of early Hollywood history which he deftly employs here by creating a truly authentic background for his wonderfully crafted mystery. Refusing to mimic classical noir settings, Jared presents a truly straight forward and original narrative that moves at its own leisurely pace. Then when the reader least expects it, he delivers scenes of gut wrenching violence in such a cold, calculating style, this reviewer was reminded of the late Mickey Spillane’s work."

http://pulpfictionreviews.blogspot.co...

Thanks!
Stephen Jared
Ten-A-Week Steale
www.stephenjared.com

[Checkman]

Hello. My uh Internet name is Checkman, but my real name is Jeff. I'm a big fan of the classic two-fisted hard boiled, smoke a bad guy then smoke a cigarette type of novel.

In the real world I'm a police officer - going on twelve years in a couple of months. I'be been back on patrol for the past few years, but I spent a few years as a detective. My primary area was working fraud cases. Hence my anme "Checkman". I worked so many bad check cases that the other detectives took to calling me Checkman. I liked it so much I took it as my own. You'll find me on a few firearm forums around the Internet as well.

I'm a mystery buff, gun collector, amatuer historian, husband, father, and so on.

Literally in the past couple of weeks I have "discovered" Travis McGee. I'm 44 years old and I'm just now reading them. I've also gotten into the old Matt Helm novels. They're fun. An American JAmes Bond crossed with Sam Spade and Mike Hammer.

I'm a long time fan of Connelly and I like a Canadian novelist called Carsten Stroud.

As a police officer I actually like the escapism. Real world law enforcement isn't like that. It's relaxing to escape. I always have a novel or two with me when I'm working for those slow times in a shift. And we do get the occassional slow period.

There is a thrift shop in my town run by the local animal shelter. This particular thrift shop is popular with the older crowd and as a result they have a huge number of novels from the sixties and seventies. Such as Matt Helm and Travis McGee.

Okay that's it for now.

Oh and I am a short cop with a recedding hairline (actually it's receeded) and I wear glasses. Feel free to make jokes. I have a thick skin.

I am not Travis McGee.

[David]

Checkman wrote: "Hello. My uh Internet name is Checkman, but my real name is Jeff. I'm a big fan of the classic two-fisted hard boiled, smoke a bad guy then smoke a cigarette type of novel.

In the real world I'm ..."

Welcome, Checkman! I, for one, loved the old Matt Helm novels, although I read them as a juvenile (decades ago)!

[Michael, Anti-Hero]

Welcome Joyce

[Michael, Anti-Hero]

We accept people of all ages. If you are interested in suggesting books have a look at this thread; http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/7...

[Toby]

Michael wrote: "Welcome Joyce"

Hi Joyce, I just bought three Manchette novels, they sound incredible and I'm very excited. As this months group read still hasn't arrived I thnk I might even try Fatale as my next book.

[David]

Joyce wrote: "Thank you, Michael, how gallant. I hope I am not out of line, but I thought if one is allowed to make suggestions, I might put forth a couple of lesser known, but excellent works, particularly of t..."

Good to see you here, Joyce. And there are a few others of us who have been around for a few deca . . . years.

[Toby]

Tfitoby wrote: "Michael wrote: "Welcome Joyce"

Hi Joyce, I just bought three Manchette novels, they sound incredible and I'm very excited. As this months group read still hasn't arrived I thnk I might even try Fa..."

of course, but what's a budinsky?

[Toby]

Joyce wrote: "oh oh. showing my roots --- working class Philadelphia!! It is someone who has definite ideas and doesn't hesitate to stick her nose in where it may not belong. If you like Fatale, read The Erasers..."

i'm assuming it's The Erasers that you're recommending? it sounds like i'll either love it or hate it, which makes for a perfect recommendation and anyway isn't that the sign of a great book rather than something nice or ok?

[Mohammed]

Joyce wrote: "Thank you, Michael, how gallant. I hope I am not out of line, but I thought if one is allowed to make suggestions, I might put forth a couple of lesser known, but excellent works, particularly of t..."

Welcome Joyce and Fatale by Manchette is known,liked here. Several people have recommended it to me like Alberto.

Woolrich is one of my fav noir writers. He has depth,suspence like few other writers.

[Carla Remy]

Just saying: I adore Cornell Woolrich. He may be a bit uneven sometimes but he stands alone in plot and suspense.

[Toby]

the Truffaut adaptations of Woolrich novels are truly odd

[Mohammed]

Remy wrote: "Just saying: I adore Cornell Woolrich. He may be a bit uneven sometimes but he stands alone in plot and suspense."

Yeah he wrote some books that doesnt sound like himself.

I was really frustrated when i lost a book of his that i had bought in the bus. I need to read more of him.

Nice to see other Woolrich fans Remy :)

[Carla Remy]

Woolrich is hard to find. Have to save up some $ to buy more online. I've read a bunch of stories but for novels have read only I Married a Dead Man, Rendevous In Black and Bride Wore Black. This gives him an extra glamour for me and he's become my new book quest. Tell me if you have any other Woolrich reccomendations.

[Mohammed]

Remy wrote: "Woolrich is hard to find. Have to save up some $ to buy more online. I've read a bunch of stories but for novels have read only I Married a Dead Man, Rendevous In Black and Bride Wore Black. This ..."

Sadly i havent read much because i have some second hand omnibus that is not alot of fun to read. I will have to catch up to you first :P

[Carla Remy]

Well, that's what I'm saying ... Woolrich is a bit hard to find. I buy most if my books second-hand too. That's why he's a quest! Makes life exciting!

[Tom]

Here are my thoughts on Woolrich's The Bride wore black. I originally ran this on my Noir blog http://thedevilsroad.com, and I hope it contributes to the discussion on Woolrich. Great writer, wonderful book....

"Day was breaking when he got back to headquarters, and daybreak wasn’t lovely around headquarters, inside or out. He was tired, and it was the hour when human vitality is at its lowest. He went into his superior’s untenanted office, slumped into a chair at the desk and let his head plop into his pronged fingers. “Why the hell did that woman have to be born?” he groaned softly."

Cornell Woolrich means it. Perhaps more than any other Noir writer I have read. There’s always talk about writing being therapy for the lonely outsiders of this world, the ones who can’t stop their thoughts spinning round their heads, the ones with not a friend in the world. Cornell Woolrich seems to have been such a man. He was gay and lived an unhappy life with his mother. So he had plenty of reason to write bleak stuff. The Bride Wore Black (1940) is as bleak and Noir as it gets. Forget Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice or Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Wollrich out-bleaks the classics of literary pessimism. And the writing’s not bad either.

The Bride Wore Black follows a repetitive pattern – the first chapter is named after the book’s first murder victim and describes the killing. The second chapter is a postmortem of the victim, conducted by the hapless cops on the trail of the murderer. The third chapter is named after the second murder victim, and so on. The cops can’t figure the motive, all they find out is that there’s a female serial killer on the loose (Incidentally, The Bride wore Black is both misogynist and anti-heterosexual) and so the killings continue, chapter after chapter. The murderer is devious, cruel, free of empathy or pleasure. Revenge has consumed her entirely….

Incidentally, The Bride Wore Black was first published under the Woolrich pseudonym William Irish. In 1968, the novel was made into a film called La Mariée était en noir by Francois Truffaut, who has stated on numerous occasions that we would have liked to have changed the movie later because he was unhappy with the way color was used (the French director’s first color movie).

The Eye of the Beholder, a fantastic Noir novel by Marc Behm (the guy who wrote Help, the Beatles movie) covers similar territory, though its author is perhaps not quite so personally affected by our common darkness as Woolrich.

[Dharmakirti]

Hi everyone. I'm Jason from Minneapolis.

I haven't been exposed to too much material from this genre so I'm mainly here to discover new authors/books.

One of my favorite reads of recent years was Disciple of the Dog by R. Scott Bakker, about a PI who suffers from hyperthymesia (essentialy, he doesn't forget anything, ever) hired to find a young woman who has gone missing from a cult she joined.

Another book I recently discovered that kinda blew my mind was Drive by James Sallis. I plan on reading more by him.

[Michael, Anti-Hero]

Welcome Jason, have you read Driven yet?

[A J]

Hi all, I’m Tony from Licola, Italy. I’ve lived here for about six years but I am originally from England and don’t speak much Italian! So... all my book purchases are via Amazon or The Book Depository. Which is a bummer, as I loved going down to our local book shop and thumbing through the selves.

Anyways, I’m a big Ross Macdonald fan and read most of his Lew Archer novels back in the 70’s/80s. Last year I went through a bit of a renaissance and started collecting and reading them again, still am! Currently I’m re-reading ‘The Drowning Pool’.

However, since joining Goodreads, it’s made me think of all, well nearly all the books I’ve read and how I would like to read them again. So many books so little time!

Last year I read a Chandler (I’m sure I read one or two of his in the 70’s) and it got me hooked. I’m now awaiting delivery of ‘The Big Sleep’, ‘The Long Goodbye’ and ‘Farewell, My lovely’

[Toby]

A J wrote: "Hi all, I’m Tony from Licola, Italy. I’ve lived here for about six years but I am originally from England and don’t speak much Italian! So... all my book purchases are via Amazon or The Book Deposi..."

Welcome! Sounds like we need to get you some smashing new authors AJ, not that there's a thing wrong with re-reading such greats and MacDonald and Chandler. The current femme fatale has to be Megan Abbott if you haven't had the pleasure of meeting her yet.

[A J]

Tfitoby wrote: "A J wrote: "Hi all, I’m Tony from Licola, Italy. I’ve lived here for about six years but I am originally from England and don’t speak much Italian! So... all my book purchases are via Amazon or Th..."

Something I don't like reading is a lot of swearing or graphic sex and violence. I suppose I'm a bit old school when it comes to this genre. My wife has a couple of R J Ellory's and she says they're good but as for Megan Abbott, she's a mystery to me! And, I guess I would be committing a crime if I didn’t investigate her.

[A J]

Alberto wrote: "A J wrote: "So... all my book purchases are via Amazon or The Book Depository"

Hi A J. I order most of the new books via the Book Depositoy, too. I always recommend it: Tons of books and shippin..."

I started my ‘new’ Macdonald collection last year and I liked the look of the ‘Vintage Crime’ editions so I’ve continued with these for Chandler.

[Dharmakirti]

Michael wrote: "Welcome Jason, have you read Driven yet?"

No I have not. I look forward to it, though.

[[deleted user]]

Hi, folks. I'm Robert from Iowa.

Was excited to this group as I've been hooked on classic noir for years.

A lot of my reading has been in those thick, black Library of America collections of the masters: Chandler and Hammett. James Cain. Jim Thompson. And I hope to get started on David Goodis and Ross Macdonald soon.

While most of my exposure has been to the giants, I'm interested in learning about new writers working in the "classic" style, too. I saw Megan Abbott plugged above, and she's now on my list. And glad to see people talking about James Sallis, who I've been curious about since seeing the film version of Drive.

(I'm as big a fan of noir films as I am the books--love to see how they influence each other.)

Looking forward to learning more.

[Mohammed]

Dharmakirti wrote: "Hi everyone. I'm Jason from Minneapolis.

I haven't been exposed to too much material from this genre so I'm mainly here to discover new authors/books.

One of my favorite reads of recent years wa..."

Welcome wonderful to see another James Sallis fan. He is one of those cult authors who feeds on the love,respect he gets from his fans.

Drive was awesome and also my first Sallis book. His Lew Griffin series is his masterwork, his most acclaimed works.

[Nigel]

New here and can't believe I've not hooked up earlier.

I came hoping to plug a competition for a free copy of my book In Loco Parentis - a noir novel - at http://nigelpbird.blogspot.co.uk/2012...

I co-edited the collection Pulp Ink last year with the wonderful Chris Rhatigan and we'll be putting out Pulp Ink 2 soonish.

I read a lot of crime fiction these days (in fact almost exclusively), but of the noir variety rather than the police-procedural.

Favourite novels of late have been by Donald Ray Pollock, Ray Banks, Doug Johnstone, Chris Holm, Megan Abbott, Frank Bill, Allan Guthrie...actually, the list could become long (though never dull).

I look forward to following up links to interesting reads.

Thanks,

nigel

[Ctgt]

Just joined the group about a week ago. I have read Hammett and Chandler but otherwise I am woefully under-exposed to classic and modern pulp writing. I must say I'm really enjoying the group read The Lady in the Lake. It's been several years since I read any Chandler and I can't figure out why.

[Ian]

This is so cool glad a group like this exists. I'm new to the pulp novels generally other than a occasional short story or a Doc Savage novel; can't wait to start reading some new Pulp fiction.

[Algernon (Darth Anyan), Hard-Boiled]

Hello, everybody. I've been reading noir for a long long time, but there's still room to expand with books from this group. Looking forward to discuss them, and some classic movies.

[Jim]

Welcome all.

[Stuart]

Hi all,

My name is Stuart,I've written two short technology thrillers based in Asia and will happily provide free copies for any members who would provide reviews. If you're interested, add me as a friend and I'll send you the link.

Thanks
Stuart

[Toby]

Stuart wrote: "Hi all,

My name is Stuart,I've written two short technology thrillers based in Asia and will happily provide free copies for any members who would provide reviews. If you're interested, add me as ..."

Welcome to the group Stuart, I hope you'll enjoy our discussions.

You've got some nice cover art for your books I see but perhaps you'd like to post this invite in the forum dedicated to authors promoting their work, writers corner? You might get more interest that way.

[Stuart]

Thanks Tfitoby that's also good advice. It's a case of casting the net far and wide.

Thanks also for the comment about the cover art. I did them myself.