Reviews

Review of Joey Piss Pot by Charlie Stella

The heavily populated saga, involving a shady FBI operation, lies, deceit, misplaced trust, and numerous vendettas, requires intricate plotting and careful attention to character. Many have said it before, but there’s a blunt realism to Stella’s dialogue and a compelling rationale for his underworld characters’ pitiless behavior. Richard Lipez writes in an article in The Washington Post: “It’s too bad that virtually none of Stella’s best dialogue is repeatable in this newspaper. Like “The Sopranos” writers, Stella is a kind of obscene Ring Lardner, finding a lean, rancid poetry in his characters’ vernacular, and rendering it with flawless precision and humor.” With Joey Piss Pot, the prose is spare, the conversation sharp and colorful and thick with profanity, and when the action kicks in, the slick, graphic violence leaves a mark. Fans of underworld fiction will drink this up and hungrily hold out their bowl for more.

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The Philosopher Stories by Jerry Levy

The impressive The Philosopher Stories, published a few months ago, is the third story collection from Canadian writer Jerry Levy. As with his 2020 collection, The Quantum Theory of Love and Madness, it’s released by the independent publisher Guernica Editions. Dissimilarity, this book might almost pass as a novel.

Segmented into twelve stories, it covers the ever-interesting ups and downs of Karl Pringle, an intelligent, socially awkward outsider “full of contradictions and insecurities, carrying around an entire Louis Vuitton set of heavy baggage.” A voracious reader, aspiring writer, philosopher, and guru, he’s also a slovenly layabout incapable of holding down a job.

His life takes a downward spiral when he’s thrown out of college for assaulting his professor, and a succession of poor decisions and disappointments push him further into the abyss. But then he’s thrown a lifeline when he meets the joyful and inquisitive Solange, a French woman in her thirties looking for love. Suddenly, there’s hope and a world of possibilities. But Levy’s narrative never goes in the direction you imagine it will, and maybe that’s just as well.

Articulate and original, The Philosopher Stories is an imaginative, thought-provoking pleasure that’s filled with equal parts humor and pathos.

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Murder in Monaco & Death’s Lovely Mask by John Flagg (Introduction by Nicholas Litchfield)

Yet More Espionage from John Flagg

My essay, “The Further Adventures of Fearless Agent Hart Muldoon,” introduces the volume Murder in Monaco / Death’s Lovely Mask, published recently by Stark House Press. These 1950s spy thrillers mark the final time Muldoon saw the Mediterranean. His final adventure, set in the Sixties, sent him beyond Europe and into the midst of battle on one final mission. But I’ll stop there, as that’s for another day.

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LC Interview with Jim Daniels

Daniels’ most recent story collection, The Luck of the Fall, was published last June by Michigan State University Press. This seventh collection is full or varied voices and the author covers all sorts of heavy subjects, including addiction and recovery, grief, and mental illness. Daniels has given a ton of interviews over the years, but in this latest one he discusses some of the stories in his recent collection, as well as his brand-new chapbook, Comment Card.

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Interview with Don Winslow for PW

A couple of weeks ago, Mr. Winslow graciously discussed his series and this final book with me. A small but interesting piece of the interview can be read in Publishers Weekly, titled “Iliad on the Strip: PW Talks with Don Winslow.” A version of that article also appears in the 02/12/2024 issue of Publishers Weekly under the headline “Iliad on the Strip.”

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Lowestoft Chronicle #56

Lowestoft Chronicle Issue 56

The winter 2023 volume of Lowestoft Chronicle features exceptional travel essays by Tim Morris and Daniel Robinson, poetry by David Havird, Julie Allyn Johnson, Susanna Kittredge, and George Moore, and stories by James Gallant, Mark Jacobs, Brian Sacca, Stuart Watson, and Chila Woychik. There’s also an absorbing story from Diana Senechal, author of Republic of Noise and Mind over Memes. Senechal had this to say of the current edition: “What fun! My favorite pieces include “The National Road” by Tim Morris (a magnificent piece), “High Relief” by David Havird (full of wonderful twists), “The Fires” by George Moore, “The Bear’s Bear” by Brian Sacca, and “Paris Is Still Burning” by Daniel Robinson. Something about Lowestoft Chronicle makes me savor the reading throughout. There’s a feel of curling up with a book, or a pile of books, and traveling along. Maybe it’s the travel and humor theme that generates this momentum: the mind follows the pieces’ travels and wants to keep on going (and laughing).”

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The Accused / The Snatch by Harold R. Daniels (Introduction by Nicholas Litchfield)

The Harold R. Daniels Twofer: The Accused and The Snatch

Earlier this month, Stark House Press published both novels as a twofer. The collection includes my essay, “The Solidly Considerable Talent of Harold R. Daniels,” in which I speak about the power of these two stories and the author’s relatively short but impactful writing career. There’s a lot more I can say about Daniels. His final two novels certainly ought to be reissued. But for now, I’ll hold off and simply say that these two stories are worth seizing while you still can.

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24 Hours to Kill / Blue Mascara Tears by James McKimmey (Introduction by Nicholas Litchfield)

The High-profile Prisoner and the Detective’s Obsession

The newest compilation released this month, 24 Hours to Kill / Blue Mascara Tears, includes a couple of varied, well-written novels from the 1960s. My essay, “Idolatry and Playing God to Cure “The Fix,” which introduces the volume, explores McKimmey’s writing career and these two works in particular. Those who enjoy hardboiled fiction from the golden era will not be disappointed.

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An Adventurous Spirit Reviewed in Seattle Book Review

Over the years, I’ve appreciated book reviews in the Sacramento Book Review and San Francisco Book Review. These websites, managed by City Book Review, are just two of the nine brands. Since the days I started reading them, the company has rapidly expanded. Apparently, a tenth brand, New York Book Review, is coming soon. Surprisingly, the content on each of the websites is distinctly different.

So, imagine my surprise and absolute delight when I stumbled across a glowing review of An Adventurous Spirit, the most recent book in the Lowestoft Chronicle Anthology Series. I wish I had seen it sooner.

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