Nicholas Litchfield

Nicholas Litchfield is the founding editor of the literary magazine Lowestoft Chronicle, author of the suspense novels When The Actor Inspired Chaos and Bloodshed and Swampjack Virus, and editor of twelve literary anthologies. His stories, essays, and book reviews appear in many magazines and newspapers, including BULL, Colorado Review, Daily Press, Pennsylvania Literary Journal, Shotgun Honey, The Adroit Journal, The MacGuffin, The Virginian-Pilot, and Washington Square Review. He has also contributed introductions to numerous books, including twenty-two Stark House Press reprints of long-forgotten noir and mystery novels. Formerly a book critic for the Lancashire Post, syndicated to twenty-five newspapers across the U.K., he now writes for Publishers Weekly. You can find him online at nicholaslitchfield.com.

The Sailcloth Shroud / All the Way by Charles Williams (Introduction by Nicholas Litchfield)

Seafaring Thriller Launches Charles Williams Revival

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As crime fiction collections go, few will better the latest twofer from Stark House Press – The Sailcloth Shroud and All The Way by Charles Williams. These reprints from the late 1950s, released this past month, are a couple of taut, tough, cleverly crafted stories that firmly hold the reader’s attention all the way to the journey’s end.

The second story, All the Way (sometimes known as The Concrete Flamingo), is a gripping noir that tugs at your heartstrings. Whatever your views regarding the intense ending, few can fault the masterful quality of the writing or the intriguing plot. It’s a noir that deserves to be remembered.

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Story “Old Tennis” in BULL: Men’s Fiction

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My short story, “Old Tennis,” about a reunion between two aging, amateur tennis players, was published in BULL: Men’s Fiction this week. I guess you might say of this work that it’s a long in the tooth tale that’s been reoutfitted and newly served. Primarily because I wrote it in 2006, as part of a much longer work, and have been revisiting it and making extensive revisions ever since.

Sometimes, it’s frustratingly hard to let go of a story, even if you are content with how it reads and have a suitable publication in mind. Perhaps the one positive aspect about holding onto it for so long is that it has almost doubled in length over the years. And, doubtless, it’s in much better shape now than if I had presented it to BULL in 2013, which was my original intention.

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A Certain Man's Daughter by Timothy J. Lockhart

Litchfield reviews “A Certain Man’s Daughter” by Timothy J. Lockhart for The Virginian-Pilot

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In 2017, Stark House published an impressive debut novel by Timothy J. Lockhart titled SMITH. It was a hard-boiled noir that featured an interesting female lead character with plenty of grit and toughness. Lockhart’s subsequent novel, PIRATES, published the following year, was a modern-day high-seas action-adventure yarn set in the Caribbean. This thrilling, blood-and-guts page-turner benefits from a distinctive, memorable lead character – a tough but sensitive loner named Hal Morgan, who is a former Navy SEAL. His latest, A CERTAIN MAN’S DAUGHTER, published recently by Stark House, is another excellent hard-boiled tale that warrants reading. Completely different from his previous work, it is brisk-paced, exhilarating, and just as rewarding as the earlier novels.

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The Lover / The Mistress / The Passionate by Carter Brown (Introduction by Nicholas Litchfield)

THE LOVER, THE MISTRESS, and THE PASSIONATE Bookgasm Review

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A couple of weeks ago, Bookgasm published a glowing review of the newly released Stark House Press collection THE LOVER / THE MISTRESS / THE PASSIONATE. These three novels by Carter Brown (pseudonym of the late British-born Australian pulp writer Alan Geoffrey Yates) are part of the publisher’s ongoing Al Wheeler Mystery Series. This collection marks Wheeler’s thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth adventure and is volume number five in the current Carter Brown reprints series.

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The Lover / The Mistress / The Passionate by Carter Brown (Introduction by Nicholas Litchfield)

Carter Brown’s Tales of the Passionate, Mistress, Lover

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The phenomenally successful mystery series by Carter Brown, the pseudonym of British-born Australian pulp writer Alan Geoffrey Yates, spawned close to 300 titles and allegedly sold more than 100 million copies. Considering the popularity of these swift-paced, tongue-in-cheek stories featuring wise-cracking detective Al Wheeler, I suppose it’s not surprising that my bookshelf contains almost two dozen of these novels. And, fortunately, my collection is growing, owing to Stark House Press continuing to reissue the early Al Wheeler adventures.

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LowestoftChronicle_issue45

Issue 45 of Lowestoft Chronicle

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This Spring edition of Lowestoft Chronicle includes some very good work by returning contributors Mary Donaldson-Evans, Charles Holdefer, Jacqueline Jules, Robert Mangeot, dl mattila, and James B. Nicola. Holdefer, author of the recent micro-story collection Agitprop for Bedtime: Polemic, Story Problems, Kulturporn and Humdingers, provides a particularly memorable fictitious memoir that is truly something to savor. Notable Lowestoft Chronicle newcomers include Shannon Cuthbert, DAH, Catherine Dowling, Christian Harrington, Bruce Harris, and Robin Michel. Harris, author of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson: ABout Type, had this to say of issue #45 of the magazine: “Come for the covers, stay for the content. This issue, like its predecessors, contains a wide-ranging mix of fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction. You don’t have to be a detective to deduce that the March 2021 number packs a punch. Don’t take my word for it. Check out a sample, like Charles Holdefer’s, “Espèce de Cowboy.” Here’s the link: (http://lowestoftchronicle.com/issues/issue45/charlesholdefer/). Enjoy!”

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The Money by David Shawn Klein

Debut Novel by David Shawn Klein

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In 2012, David Shawn Klein wrote a memorable short story (“The Final Ascent of Hal Tripp”) about a playboy adventurer attempting to conquer Everest. It was a gripping drama, set against a stunning backdrop, published in issue #12 of Lowestoft Chronicle and anthologized in INTREPID TRAVELERS the following year. Immediately, I had high hopes for Klein (forgive the weak pun). Many years have come and gone, and during that time, Klein has had some quality stories published in venues like The Hudson Review. Finally, though, he has a novel due for publication. It’s titled THE MONEY, and it’s an action-packed literary thriller with strong doses of humor and very fine plotting.

I was fortunate to have read an advanced draft of the novel, and all I can say is that the writing exceeded my expectations. Klein’s deft mix of razor-sharp wit, astute observations, and fierce action turn this riveting tale of a knavish lawyer embarking on a perilous moral crusade into a sublime literary debut. THE MONEY will shock, surprise, seduce, and, ultimately, satisfy those who appreciate dry humor and gritty drama.

Late last month, Black Rose Writing finally published the novel.

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Woman of Cairo and Dear, Deadly Beloved by John Flagg (Introduction by Nicholas Litchfield)

WOMAN OF CAIRO and DEAR, DEADLY BELOVED Bookgasm Review

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This month, Bookgasm gave a very encouraging review of the recent Stark House Press publication WOMAN OF CAIRO, and DEAR, DEADLY BELOVED— two Fawcett Gold Medal originals that are back in print for the first time in decades. “John Flagg, the pen name for John Rex Gearon, introduces us to his series character, Hart Muldoon, in the two novels from the 1950s reprinted here by Stark House Press,” writes book critic Alan Cranis of Bookgasm. “An introduction by editor and author Nicholas Litchfield traces Flagg’s career, the development of the Muldoon character, and how Flagg’s various occupations provided material for his novels and short stories. Both novels are noticeably more hardboiled than other spy novels of the era, but remain as alluring and entertaining as they were when first published.”

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Woman of Cairo and Dear, Deadly Beloved by John Flagg (Introduction by Nicholas Litchfield)

John Flagg’s Colorful Tales of Freelance Agent Hart Muldoon

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Back in November 2016, I read an excellent pair of novels by John Flagg, pseudonym of American crime writer John Gearon (1911-1993). Death and the Naked Lady (a thrilling tale of stolen jewels, murder, and espionage aboard a luxury ocean liner) and The Lady and the Cheetah (a deadly case of blackmail and sabotage among European nobility at an Italian palace) featured an interesting introduction by bestselling author James Reasoner. The volume also contained a very good short story concerning murder in high society (“Faces Turned Against Him”). You can read my verdict on the collection in the Lancashire Post or one of its 25 syndicated UK newspapers. You’ll find at this weblink archived online access to my review as it originally appeared in the Lancashire Post, featuring the Nicholas Litchfield byline: https://web.archive.org/web/20170105140113/https://www.lep.co.uk/lifestyle/books/book-review-death-and-the-naked-lady-and-the-lady-and-the-cheetah-by-john-flagg-1-8316256/.

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