In Bandit Heaven, published by St. Martin’s Press last month, New York Times bestselling author Tom Clavin offers an interesting analysis of three secluded hideouts nestled in Wyoming and Utah that for many decades provided a place of refuge and protection for hordes of robbers, killers, and fugitives. These hangouts—Robbers Roost, Brown’s Hole, and Hole-in-the-Wall—sufficiently […]
Review of Bandit Heaven by Tom Clavin Read More »
My review of Mark Jacobs’ literary fiction novel Silent Light was published this week in the Colorado Review. Here is a snippet: “In this epic journey through brutalized, fractured communities within the Democratic Republic of the Congo, award-winning writer Mark Jacobs presents an intense and poignant novel of vulnerable outsiders at the peripheries of hell navigating inter-ethnic quarrels,
Litchfield reviews Silent Light by Mark Jacobs for the Colorado Review Read More »
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.
Review of Joey Piss Pot by Charlie Stella Read More »
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.
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.
Carter Brown’s Tales of the Passionate, Mistress, Lover Read More »
Published today in the Colorado Review is my review of Robert Wexelblatt’s wonderful story collection Hsi-wei Tales. Here is a snippet: “There is an admirable, lyrical splendor to Robert Wexelblatt’s heartwarming tales centered on the fictional Chen Hsi-wei, an itinerant Chinese shoemaker and celebrated peasant-poet of the Sui period.”
Litchfield reviews ‘Hsi-wei Tales’ for the Colorado Review Read More »
Nicholas Litchfield reviews A Forgotten Evil by Sheldon Russell for the Colorado Review: “Rich in detail and exquisite prose, and with an unpredictable, weaving narrative, A Forgotten Evil is an ambitious, impressively told tale full of vivid landscapes and unique characters with an authentic voice and a distinctive presence.”
Litchfield reviews ‘A Forgotten Evil’ for the Colorado Review Read More »
Published today in the Colorado Review is my review of Michael C. Keith’s story collection Stories in the Key of Me. Here is a snippet:
“Carefully crafted tales of the supernatural, thought-provoking introspection, and relentless black humor can be found in this eclectic new collection from American author and professor emeritus at Boston College, Michael C. Keith.”
Litchfield reviews ‘Stories in the Key of Me’ for the Colorado Review Read More »
Nicholas Litchfield in the Lancashire Post: Fredric Brown, who died in 1972 at age 65, was an accomplished American mystery and science fiction author of more than 30 books and 300 short stories and vignettes. His debut novel, The Fabulous Clipjoint, won the Edgar Award, and a number of his stories were adapted for the screen, including Martians, Go Home, Madman’s Holiday (filmed as Crack-Up), and The Screaming Mimi, which was the basis of a 1958 movie by Columbia Pictures and also an enormously successful Italian film titled The Bird With The Crystal Plumage.
Litchfield Reviews Fredric Brown’s Madball for the Lancashire Post Read More »
Published today in the Colorado Review is my review of Valerie Nieman’s novel To the Bones. Here is a snippet: “In this unusual tale of death and monsters and environmental devastation, horror, science fiction, romance, and satire bleed together to form a vibrant literary delight that is as powerful and imposing as the fearsome orange-hued river that runs through it.”
Litchfield reviews ‘To the Bones’ for the Colorado Review Read More »
