Jeff Sherratt: Man of Mystery

L.A. Noire, again

2011-05-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

I promised a few pointers on noir, to introduce the newcomers fresh from Rockstar Game's brand new smash hit, L.A. Noire. Just a quick note today, on attitude. It doesn't take a film student to notice that main characters in noir films usually have a certain attitude to them. We call it tragic, fated, and melancholy. You can almost guarantee that the protagonist of a noir story isn't going to end well. Which doesn't bode well for you as you maneuver the game, but should at least lend a certain legitimacy to the experience if you happen to get ousted early on by an unsuspected mobster or a femme fatale playing fast and loose with a .45.

L.A. Noire

2011-05-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a while since my last post, but I haven't forgotten all of you. I've been looking forward to today in particular, as it's the release of one of the most highly anticipated video games in video game history. Not that I know very much about gaming in general, but it's hard to miss this one. L.A. Noire billboards are everywhere and the commercials they're running are fantastic. I've never had the urge to play a video game before, but I'm pretty sure this is about as close as I'll come. If any of you have been the first at the doors of GameStop, be sure to let me know what you think of the experience as soon as you've played for an hour or two.

Since most people picking up L.A. Noire this week aren't necessarily familiar with noire as a genre, I may be running some introductory posts here in the coming week to get you started. But if you live in the L.A. area, I'd suggest getting in your car and driving some of the roads you'll be seeing in the game. There's still a lot of the old world left in these starstruck streets.

Resurrecting Dashiell Hammett

2011-03-12T11:40:00.000-08:00

For those of you who follow All Things Considered on NPR, this will be old news. I can't tell you how excited I am to read the new short story by author Dashiell Hammett, "So I Shot Him." If anything is unusual about this release, it's obviously the simple fact that Hammett has been dead for fifty years.

Hammett defined hard-boiled detective fiction in his day, setting the standards for authors ever since. His works were frequently translated into film, and found success wherever they went - both for his spare, conscientious writing style and the seemingly unsolvable mysteries it conveyed.

If you're looking for a writer to learn from, he's one to top your list. Any new finds in the deep drawers of his imagination, no matter how far from their original source, are worth our time, attention, and excitement.

Interviews, etc.

2011-03-09T11:09:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been full of good conversations. Which is all the more satisfying because they were also interviews and panel discussions, and a good conversation well-shared is twice the pleasure. Yesterday afternoon, I joined A Book and a Chat radio host Barry Eva for an interview. You can listen to all the juicy details here. It was a great conversation about Detour to Murder, developing a story, and writing in general. Be sure to tune into Barry's show regularly for more such interviews.

This past Saturday also saw me joining ZOVA Books publisher Molly Lewis for a conversation on women in the book industry. As a past board member of Sisters in Crime LA, it's a subject I've been familiar with for a while. We talked about changes in the publishing industry, the process of writing, and what resources are available for women in the industry today. There are more discussions lined up at the Ovitt Family Community Library in Ontario, CA, and you can check out the calendar of events here. It's always a pleasure to take part in the writing community at a local level, and I'm excited for more opportunities like these.

Books Worth Reading

2011-03-02T11:37:00.000-08:00

The new question I'm hearing around the book blogs and forums lately is a perfect conversation starter - but one we never would have asked only a few years ago. What's on your Kindle?

I've got plenty of books on mine that I haven't gotten around to reading yet, but I thought I'd list a few that I've been interested in for a while, along with some reviews I've been reading that have peaked my interest.

The first would be David Peace's Nineteen Seventy-Four. Small wonder why I'm interested in this one. The book is the first of a quartet, and Peace's debut novel. Set in the title year, it's a gritty, noirish character driven story that subsequently landed David Peace a Granta nod and a series of film adaptations in the UK. There's an excellent blog review here.

The book industry has been experiencing what we could curiously call a "Swedish Invasion." Cynical readers might refuse to look twice at the broadening library of crime novels coming from the otherwise peaceful northern nation, but there's a reason these Swedish novels are experiencing significant attention. They're just good. Box 21, by Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom is no exception. The writing duo has been getting a lot of attention from serious readers since Publishers Weekly, the New York Times, and a host of other reviewers gave the book a standing ovation upon its release.
T. J. English's The Savage City is a historical narrative of New York City in the '60s and '70s, told with the attention and suspense of a dramatic police procedural. Being a man of Los Angeles, the Big Apple holds a whole different kind of narrative novelty to me. I'd put this book in the queue with Erik Larson's The Devil and the White City in terms of taking the history of a city, finding it's pulse, and turning its narrative into a kind of cult object.

My reading list is always long, but ever open to suggestions. Feel free to add to my list in the comments below. In the meantime, what's on your Kindle?

For the Love of Film

2011-03-01T15:45:00.000-08:00

The history of film is littered with surprises. This year's Academy Awards didn't hold too many of those, though. There may have been a moment when we held our breath in curiosity, but I'm not sure too many of us were actually on the edges of our seats. Most of us knew who and what would win the major awards this Sunday evening, and we weren't disappointed. The King's Speech was an audience favorite, regardless of the impressive titles that shared its nominations.

There has been a lot of blog buzz about the tendency of the Academy to favor warm and fuzzy over gritty and edgy (like the year that Dances With Wolves beat out Goodfellas, for example), but it's hard to imagine anyone characterizing most of the "gentler" Oscar winners as warm and fuzzy when they were first released. They're usually only considered tame in contrast with something else remarkably un-tame. And this year is no exception.

For all my love of gritty, film noir, I can't help but be glad The King's Speech won. It was a pitch perfect movie. The other films in the line-up were impressive, and I'm glad the Academy has expanded the best picture list to give well-deserved attention to otherwise poorly acknowledged films. But there is something so satisfying, so delicately successful about The King's Speech. Not a moment of that movie was wasted, and every actor delivered every line with excellence.

Bravo.

Kindling

2011-02-25T14:41:00.001-08:00

As you can tell from my updated blog design, the original Jimmy O'Brien books are now available to read on your Kindle. You can download them by clicking on the images on the right. Guilty or Else is priced at a tantalizing 99 cents, so it's a good way to sample Jimmy O'Brien's beginnings if you're hesitant about e-reading in general. Nook readers won't have to wait long; the books will be available for Barnes & Noble e-reading pretty soon as well. If you take a look at my publisher's blog, you can read blurbs for each book before the download. I'm looking forward to reviews from new readers, so please share your thoughts when you're done. There's nothing more satisfying than hearing from my readers!

For the Love of Libraries

2011-02-22T12:44:00.000-08:00

This coming weekend, I'll be signing over at the Barnes & Noble in Torrance again. It's one of my favorite stores, as it brings in such a wide variety of readers every day. But more than this, I'm looking forward to the weekend after, when I'll be joining my publisher, Molly Lewis, to discuss women in the book industry - especially in the writing of crime fiction. As a past board member of Sisters in Crime, Los Angeles - an organization dedicated to equality among mystery authors - I've been paying attention to the status of women in the writing community for several years. Many of you have heard me on numerous Sisters in Crime panels, discussing everything from the development of my own series to the state of the industry as a whole.

The event on March 5th is hosted by the Ovitt Family Community Library in Ontario, CA. I'm looking forward to it for a number of reasons - because book sales from the event will benefit the library itself, and because the author discussions every Saturday during the month of March will highlight women writers from all parts of the industry. Please feel free to join me and my publisher in just over a week, but also mark your calendars for the other events that month, from debut novelist Jenny Bellington to seasoned mystery and literary fiction writer, Michele Scott, as well as my good friend Teresa Burrell. Their books will be on sale at every event, which should give everyone plenty of opportunities to support the library with the profits on every sale.

Events like this are also exciting because they give book clubs, reading groups, and writers' organizations a chance to take a fresh look at literature in a focused setting. So spread the word, and I'll see you there!

The Southern California Writers' Conference

2011-02-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

Every year, the conference comes again. In Los Angeles and San Diego, and upon occasion in Palm Springs as well, aspiring and accomplished writers come together to share their work, their experiences and their burgeoning projects, in a three-day weekend of panels, workshops, read-and-critique sessions, and presentations. This weekend, another Writers Conference is scheduled to open its doors to the San Diego community.

I'll be there, as I usually am, along with my editor, Mike Sirota, who will be a guest speaker at the event. Mike is a constant figure at writing conferences from San Diego all the way to Alaska, and this weekend will mark the first event he has scheduled since his book launch last week for his most recent novel, Fire Dance. I'm personally looking forward to his presentation on Saturday morning, as well as the panel on the current and future state of the publishing industry from my own publishers at ZOVA Books.

The conference is a must-attend for any writers within driving distance - if not for the extensive critical help it gives one's own writing, then simply for the sense of community it provides. Writing can seem like a lonely business, and the Southern California Writers' Conferences prove that it simply doesn't have to be that way. I look forward to seeing you there!

Film Noir Foundation's Blogathon, Feb. 14-21

2011-02-14T22:02:00.000-08:00

This week, the Film Noir Foundation is hosting a blogathon to raise awareness - and money - to support its mission of preserving classic film for future generations. The trailer below was created to help promote the fundraiser. It a stunning montage of film noir staples to revisit and remember.

You can read more about the Blogathon over at Ferdy on Films (and take a look at her take on Detour from several years ago), or over at the Self-Styled Siren. Both blogs are excellent archives for film noir fans, but I expect we'll be finding several more go-to sites as the blogathon continues.

Whether you've been drawn to film noir for years or are only just recently discovering it, the Film Noir Foundation is a wonderful resource. I'm looking forward to the attention the blogathon will bring to the genre, the Foundation, and the incredible blogging community that supports it with wit, intelligence, and commitment.

Noticing Noir

2011-01-27T16:01:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across this blog recently, which is currently featuring classic film posters from across the years with an emphasis on crime movies, or film noir. It's called Where Danger Lives, and it's been growing in popularity lately. Browsing through its archives, I was thinking about the resurgence of film noir interest that's been cropping up. For one thing, people are increasingly interested in well-crafted visuals. There is a certain aesthetic to film noir that makes it especially appealing to our design-oriented society. We are on the hunt for beautiful things, and contemporary film is often too heavily saturated with . . . well, visuals.

Proof of the growing attention to film noir isn't hard to find. Let me just throw down the upcoming video game from Rockstar Games, L.A. Noire. Heralded as one of the most visually stunning games of this generation and the most heavily anticipated game of the year, I need hardly suggest that a renewed interest in the genre will be cropping up on a number of fronts.

My own Detour to Murder is a small testament to that interest. My love for stories began with film noir - watching them at the cinema as a kid - and bringing that into the Jimmy O'Brien mystery series has been very satisfying. If anything, my hope has been that such efforts will serve to remind a new generation about the gems of both film and fiction that lie waiting for lovers of good stories, if they have the mind to look. I'd be interested to hear your own noir discoveries, the detours you may have taken from contemporary film to classic - or the other way around.

More Expectations

2011-01-24T10:10:00.000-08:00

Somewhere near the beginning of this blog, I promised sneak peeks at one of my earlier novels, Expectation of Murder. It's an exclusive ebook release, and the first of my titles released by ZOVA Books. Now that the ebook price has dropped to a tantalizing $0.99 (Kindle edition, and NookBook), I thought I'd give you another chapter. You can read the first chapter here, but there's plenty below to give you an idea of what's going on.
Chapter Two:

Headquarters for Silverman Investigations Incorporated in Downey took up the entire top floor of the office building that housed Rocco's Restaurant. Although Sol had a large staff of operatives and secretaries on his payroll upstairs, he hung out at the restaurant on the ground floor. Rocco's had even installed a separate telephone line in his private booth at the back of the dining room.

Andre, the maitre d', was at his station by the entrance jotting a name in the reservation book when I walked into the restaurant. He looked up at me and waved as I strolled past him. Andre knew I was the only person Sol allowed to go to his booth unannounced.

Sol stood to greet me. "Shalom, my friend," he said. "Now, sit and we'll enjoy a nice lunch."

Sol was taller sitting down than standing up, his chest was huge and matched his stomach, but his legs were short and skinny. His large round head hunkered down directly on his shoulders without a suggestion of a neck. Today he was wearing a rust colored turtleneck that fit tight across his torso, but the folds of the sweater at the top were baggy and covered his chin. He tugged at his collar as he wedged himself into the booth.

I slipped into the booth across from him. "Did Mabel call?"

"Why are you always late?" Sol said.

"I am?"

"Yes, you are, Jimmy my boy, but I've got a system with you."

"What kind of system?" Sol had systems for everything, especially at the track.

"When you say you're going to meet me at a certain time I always show up fifteen minutes later."

"Oh, Sol, I know you do that. And that's why I'm always late, because you're late."

"Yeah, but now you're late being late."

He had me there.

"I can see on your face, you have a problem," Sol said, "and you need my help. Is that why you came to break bread with me?"

"I came to have lunch with my friend. What else?"

A small smile appeared on Sol's face, but his dark eyes bored into me. "Nothing else, I'm sure, but first tell me what you need."

Buck's death was nagging at me. Sol had contacts everywhere, his 'spies', and I thought he might be able to get a copy of the sheriff department’s report. I couldn't come right out and ask him for a favor, but if I told him the story, he’d volunteer his services.

"Guy can't eat with a friend without needing something?" I said.

"Of course, but I know you, Jimmy. Go ahead, lay it on me."

"Yeah, I guess something's bugging me."

"Ah, ha, I knew it! You came here for a favor."

"No, Sol, I just found out about it. My client — "

Sol's bushy eyebrows rose. "A client? You have a client?" The eyebrows fell. "Wait a minute. Is this a paying client or another one of your freebies?"

"This client is dead."

"Oh." Sol paused for a moment. "Dead men pay no bills."

Janine came to the table with a drink for Sol and a cup of coffee for me. She was wearing a new uniform more in keeping with the prevailing feminist movement than the low-cut miniskirt outfits that the waitresses used to wear. "Like the new getup?" Janine did a slow twirl showing off her loose fitting white blouse buttoned at the neck, and her plain black skirt.

"Sweetheart, on you, a gunnysack would look sexy," Sol said.

"Oh, Sol, aren't you the sweetest thing." Janine glanced at me. "How about you, good lookin'? Do you like it?"

Before I could answer, Sol piped up. "Why do you always call him good looking? I think you wore out that joke."

Here we go again. I've been through this before.

"Well," Janine said, angling her head in my direction, "he's got those baby-blues, like Paul Newman. Kinda looks like him too."

In response to the same compliment I’d gotten since my third birthday, I rolled the baby-blues. It was embarrassing. As a kid, when guests came to our home, I wanted to run and hide. Did Paul Newman have the same problem? Nah, he'd love it. That's why he's a star, and I'm me.

"Don't you think he looks like Paul Newman, Sol?" Janine continued.

"Looks more like Ronnie Howard."

"Who's Ronnie Howard?" she said.

"Opie on the Andy Griffith Show. You remember — Mayberry, and all that."

"Thanks, Sol," I said.

Janine laughed. "Maybe you're right. Opie, only taller," she said, giving me the once over. "But he sure has a better build than Barney Fife."

"Cut it out you guys," I said. "Let's order."

"Sure, Opie," Janine said. "What'll you have?"

When they stopped laughing, I ordered a hamburger. Sol told Janine to bring him a new dish he was keen to try. I couldn't pronounce its name, but Sol said it had slices of veal sprinkled with sage, covered with wafer thin prosciutto, sauteed in sweet butter, and then braised in a Pinot Blanc. He told Janine to have the chef toss in some black truffles for an additional flavor boost. Sol ordered a bottle of La Tache '62 to go with the meal. Janine rushed off to instruct the chef how to prepare Sol's lunch.

"Now, Jimmy. What does this dead guy want me to do for him?"

I told Sol about Buck Simpson, my call to the deputy D.A., and my feeling that I wouldn't get the facts. "Sol, the guard said Simpson committed suicide, but — "

"So, maybe he did."

"Maybe he didn't."

"Take it from an expert, Jimmy, if you want to find out about someone, you have to talk to his friends, people he knew. Go to his home, see how he lived. It takes a lot of time."

"Maybe you could find out what really happened from the Sheriff's Department," I said.

"Why?"

"Why, what?"

"Why should you care what happened?"

"I dunno, Sol. Shouldn’t somebody care?"

Sol took a sip of his drink. "Look, my young friend, the guy was a goniff. The State was going to pay you a few bucks for his hearing, no offense." Sol spread his arms out. "Even with your fine eloquence, I'm sure he was doomed, going back to prison," he said. "Isn't it just your job to see that his rights weren't violated?"

"Yeah, now he's dead. What does that say about his rights?"

"Let's enjoy lunch. No more talk of dead guys, suicides, jails."

I felt a little down. I figured Sol didn't think the matter was important enough, or maybe Buck's death wasn't worthy of his time. "What do you want to talk about?" I asked.

Sol wanted to talk about the commodity market. I guessed he wanted to brag a little. I didn't mind. I enjoyed listening to his stories.

Janine appeared with our food, and Sol continued rambling on. We ate, and I listened.

It was almost two o'clock when I slipped out of the booth and got up to leave. "Thanks for lunch, Sol," I said.

"Thought you wanted to know about the dead guy."

"Well, yeah."

"Then sit down."

I sat and Sol picked up the phone. "Julie, get Bob Morgan on the line at the Sheriff's Department in East L.A. and put him through to me. I'll hold."

"Morgan?" I asked.

"The undersheriff, good friend, he'll tell us what he knows, but it'll cost me a dinner at La Scala's. Expensive, but they got the greatest steak tartare, and you wouldn't believe the ..." Sol stopped talking and raised his hand. "Hey, Bobbo, my boy. I need a little help." He paused for a second and nodded. "Thanks, you too." Another short pause. "Whaddya know about a Buck Simpson? Supposedly committed suicide in your jail last night."

After a few grunts, a couple of 'I understands', and one 'You know me, Bob, won't happen,' Sol hung up.

"What did he say?" I asked, perhaps a little too fast.

Sol drained the last of the wine from his glass, picked up a napkin, and wiped his mouth. "The official line is that he committed suicide. Hung himself," Sol said. He stopped right there, but of course, I knew there was more.

We just sat and stared at one another for about fifteen seconds. We were playing one of Sol's little games. I figured in a minute he'd order dessert or something, just to keep the suspense up a little longer before he told me what really happened.

"Want more coffee, Jimmy?" he said turning his head. "I'll get the waitress."

"No thanks."

After a moment or two, Sol said, "Yep, hung himself, all right. After he was stabbed in the back...three times."

Update at Last

2011-01-20T09:47:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since my last post, and for good reasons. The holiday season was packed full of signing events throughout the LA, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties. I barely had time to breathe, let alone blog. This January has been no less full in its own way, but I'm delighted to find some time to work on the next Jimmy O'Brien novel - and even read a few books on my new Kindle. I confess, I was a little hesitant to buy into the whole e-reader business until I sat down with one of my own. I'm sure I'll still buy print books here and there, but the efficiency and simplicity of the Kindle has nearly converted me. Which is one of the reasons why I'm looking forward to the re-release of my own backlist titles - The Brimstone Murders and Guilty or Else - under my new publisher. They'll be available as ebooks very soon for both the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook. Even now, the price of my novel Expectation of Murder has dropped to the tantalizing price of $0.99. That's so cheap, I've already bought it myself - and I wrote the thing!

My greatest hope with ebooks is simply to reach out to a wider audience of readers, and perhaps to get even more feedback from the readers I already have. I love to hear from you. You are the ones who inspire me with new stories and more interesting characters. Feel free to drop a comment or shoot me an email with your thoughts. You are why I do what I do.

December Signings

2010-12-06T10:02:00.000-08:00

This month is so full, I hardly have time to get home at the end of the day before I'm turning around and jetting off to somewhere new. This week, I'll be at the Barnes & Noble in Torrance, followed by the Barnes in Manhattan Beach. They're good neighbors, and both fabulous bookstores with fascinating readers and wonderful staff. Mike and Penny, the respective community relations managers of each, are two of the best in the business. It's always great to work with them.

The biggest reason I look forward to signing events is the wide variety of readers I meet wherever I go. Last time I was at the store in Torrance, I met enough characters to populate the next Jimmy O'Brien novel. This past week while I was signing in Montclair, a woman walked into the store, took one look at the cover of Detour to Murder, and said, "That's Tom!" Tom Neal, the lead actor in the film Detour, lived for some years out in Palm Springs. The man is not forgotten, and his brief appearance on the cover of my novel has garnered yet another Jimmy O'Brien reader.

I've talked with a good deal of writers, too, from self-published entrepreneurs to such big names as Tim Powers, two-time winner of the World Fantasy Award. And December's just begun! There's no saying who I'll come across in the next few weeks. Perhaps it'll be you!

More to Come

2010-11-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

It has been a fascinating opportunity to join with other ITW authors on their new roundtable discussions these past few weeks. Anyone can add their two cents, which makes the process all the more interesting. The questions are great, the responses from authors, readers, and everyone in between have been phenomenal. The thriller community is a big one, but forums like this make it possible to communicate with the openness and immediacy of a small one. If you haven't visited their site, hop on over and join the conversation. I'm especially looking forward to next week's roundtable, as it will feature the author of the Advocate series - and a good friend of mine - Teresa Burrell.

Meanwhile, this Thanksgiving will be a welcome rest from the back-to-back signing events I've got lined up from the beginning of December till Christmas. I can hardly keep track of it myself! Check booktour for details on where I'll be and when. And have a happy Thanksgiving!

Joining the Thrill

2010-11-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

This month, ITW is beginning an online author/reader roundtable over at their website. Throughout this week and the next, I'll be joining a host of other thriller lovers discussing the nature of a thriller and the thriller writers who've inspired us. It's a conversation that anyone can join, so feel free to put in your two cents on the subjects as they come up. You'll be joining some highly notable authors as well as some of the most avid readers of the genre. It's well worth a look, especially as the roundtable will be continuing well into the coming year. Perhaps a permanent fixture for the thriller organization - and certainly a welcome one!

Suspense Radio

2010-11-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

The talk has all been about the election today, of course, but anyone who wanted to get away from all that for about an hour was listening to the interview I gave on Suspense Radio. The station is also the source for Suspense Magazine, a monthly print and online journal that provides cutting edge perspectives on suspense, mystery, horror, and thriller fiction from a variety of well known authors. (Example: R. L. Stine, Brad Thor, and David Morrell, among others, contributed to the November issue.)

Of course, if in all the political buzz you happened to have missed it, you can still catch up on the interview over at blogtalkradio.com. I come on right after Alan Dershowitz discussing his most recent novel, The Trials of Zion. His book is a remarkable diversion from my own, Detour to Murder, but that's quite a testament to the breadth and diversity of the suspense genre. Especially when you consider that both are, technically speaking, politically relevant legal thrillers.

The polls are closed, so feel free to get comfortable and listen in. An author always enjoys feedback on his interviews, so drop a line on my facebook page if you have any comments, or add your questions to the queue by joining in on the Thriller Roundtable next week over at ITW.

Bouchercon and Back Again

2010-10-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

Bouchercon was last week, and what a weekend! It was the first of many opportunities to show Detour to Murder around, and I enjoyed every minute of it. There were so many eager readers at the event sharing their passion for mystery and suspense. The panels were fabulous, and the cast of characters was impressive. I was able to make it to Teresa Burrell's Saturday morning panel appearance on "The Continuous Conversation," which was great. It's always good to see authors and friends in their element. Be sure to check the Bouchercon website for pictures from the event, and keep an eye on the calendar for next year. If you didn't make it to this one, you'll want to join the crowd in 2011!

Back in Southern California, the calendar is filling up with events. If you're in town, I'm at the Barnes & Noble in Torrance all weekend. Yesterday was my first official day of signing Detour to Murder, and it's been a blast. Stop on by!

Bouchercon 2010

2010-10-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

The calendar is filling up with events for Detour to Murder, but there's one in particular that fills all my anticipation. It's one of the premier events for mystery writers and readers in the country: Bouchercon. This year, the conference is being held up in San Francisco, which gives me an opportunity to visit with family during the four-day action-packed weekend.

Bouchercon by the Bay will feature some unique events, both due to its location and its special guests. Exclusive book room offers, feature film presentations, and sunset cruises out on the open bay are just some of the many remarkable opportunities the weekend affords. I'll be meeting up with friends like Teresa Burrell, author of the Advocate series, who flew up to the city just today, as well as superstar authors Lee Child, Laurie R. Kind, and Denise Mina.

Overall, it's an event not to be missed. I look forward to seeing you there! For other events I've got lined up, take a look at my calendar on BookTour. Or sign up to receive my monthly newsletter straight to your inbox. And be sure to check back on the blog for news and views from the Bouchercon extravaganza!

Feature Articles and Thrills

2010-10-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

Today is the first of October, marking the start of an important month for Jimmy O'Brien fans - and for me. Detour to Murder will be released this month, and there's a whole line-up of events scheduled to celebrate it. From Bouchercon up north to local Barnes & Noble signings, the next few months will be busy. What better way to ring in this October than with a feature article from Thriller Writers' on the book, the movie, and how the two tie together? Read the full article here, and browse through the list of all the other wonderful October releases on their home page.

Less than a Month!!

2010-09-15T10:18:00.001-07:00

Check out my publisher's post on the upcoming release of Detour to Murder over at the ZOVA Books blog. They reference my BookTour profile, which is a great way to keep on top of all the signings and events I've got coming up in the next few months. From the Southern California Writers' Conference in just over a week, to a few pre-release events, the first official book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Torrance on October 12th, and Bouchercon up north, the schedule's looking pretty full. They're all wonderful opportunities for me to catch up with my fellow readers and writers, my friends and my family. Hope to see you there - at any or all of them!

The New Home of Detour

2010-08-31T15:01:00.000-07:00

Because every good book deserves a home on the world wide web, there's now a website exclusively devoted to my upcoming novel, Detour to Murder. With information on the book, the film, and the author (yes, me...), it's a one-stop shop. Literally, since you can buy the book there, too.

While we're talking about Detour to Murder, I thought I'd share the new cover with you. Take a look and let me know what you think! Personally, I'm more than a little jazzed about the new look of the title.

Darrell James's blurb is still featured at the top. If you can't quite see it in the image, it reads: "Like fingernails on a blackboard, Sherratt finds the raw nerve of a story and rakes it till it screams." Why thank you, Darrell. Same to you.

The Southern California Writers' Conference - A Preview

2010-08-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

Just a short month away is one of the biggest events for authors in the Southern California area. Naturally, I'll be there. The Southern California Writers' Conference is a must-attend opportunity for anyone trying to make their voice heard in the book industry. You may not be signing book deals as you walk out the door, but you'll have a unique opportunity to get your manuscript read by professional editors and authors - like me.

Of course, that's not the only reason to attend. From workshops to panels to one-on-one consultations, this conference is a wonderful way to learn how to fine-tune your craft, pitch a book to an agent or editor, and see the process right through to the end. The schedule is packed full with events, and the list of guest speakers is impressive. Take a look at their website, especially this page here, which not only introduces me, my work, and my publishers, but also reminds one and all of the upcoming deadlines for registration. Don't let them slip by without signing up! I'll see you there....

2010-08-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

This review of Ellroy Penzler's The Best American Noir of the Century would feature the upcoming Detour to Murder... if I'd written it a year or two earlier. Ah well! That just means it'll be featured in The Best American Noir of the Next Century. Despite this most obvious of shortcomings, this still looks like an essential read for all noir-buffs. Keep it on the calendar of good October releases this 2010.

Looking for Links?

2010-08-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

Detour is all over the internet. Granted, so are a lot of other things, but this film has earned a special place among Hollywood buffs and film aficionados across the world wide web. Check out some of the links below:

Row Three writes about anything Hollywood...except the blockbusters.

Noir of the Week recounts...well, a noir a week. Written by a veritable expert in the genre, it's a wonderful resource for all things related to the dark and moody Hollywood movement.

If you thought imdb.com was the one stop for the minutia of movie info, check out Digitally Obsessed. From summary to history to trivia, this one will surprise you.

Roger Ebert always has something clever to say. Here's his take on Detour.

Richard Corliss and Richard Schickel of Time Magazine include Detour in their list of 100 most influential movies.

Apart from an awesome font choices and possibly one of the most awkward stills of Ann Savage, this blog post offers a little more than the usual summary. Looking for a more in depth take on the film? The best article on Detour I've found yet is by Gary Morris of Images. An intelligent, thorough look at the film, its history, and the director behind it all. And if you want a little more about Edgar Ulmer: Check out 'Magic on a Shoestring' by Geoffrey Macnab.

"If only I'd known what I was getting into that day in Arizona."

2010-07-28T17:43:00.000-07:00

You'd think after writing a whole novel based around the 1945 film, Detour, that I'd be tired of watching it by now. But there are some great lines in this film that never get old. Here are a couple, just from the first 30 minutes or so:

"That tune! Why was there always that rotten tune, following me around, beating in my head, never letting up. Did you ever want to forget anything? Did you ever want to cut away a piece of your memory and blot it out? You can't, you know. No matter how hard you try. You can change the scenery, but sooner or later you'll get a whiff of perfume or somebody will say a certain phrase or maybe hum something. Then you're licked again!"

"You know Emily Post oughtta write a book about guys thumbing rides. Because as it is now, you never know what's right and what's wrong."

"It's amazing what a full belly can do to your imagination."

"So what else could I do but hide the body?"

That last line's a kicker. Come on, Al. You sure there are no other options? And as for the Emily Post book, we'll settle for a novel, shall we? And call it Detour to Murder.

Expectation, Chapter One

2010-07-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peak at the exclusive ebook release, Expectation of Murder - available on Amazon and iBooks, and coming soon to Nook and Kobo. I'll give you more from the opening chapters in the coming week.

Chapter One

Dead clients are definitely a cause for concern. My windshield wipers beat back a torrent of rain as I rushed up the Santa Ana Freeway toward the Los Angeles County Jail. I wasn't rushing because I was late meeting my client, Buck Simpson. He wasn't going anywhere, but it was ten-thirty, and I told Sol I'd meet him for lunch back in Downey at noon. I figured I could get to the jail, spend a few minutes with Buck listening to his side of the story, and, if I hurried, be at the restaurant only ten or fifteen minutes late.

The parking lot at the jail was full, so I drove around and found a spot not far away on Bauchet Street. Holding my briefcase over my head, I trudged through the rain to the attorney's entrance. After wiping the excess water from my briefcase onto the back of my wet pant leg, I walked to the counter, shoes squishing with each step.

I quickly filled out the visitor request form and handed it, my bar card, and driver's license to the guard behind the wire mesh screen.

"Take a seat," she said.

"Could you put a rush on it? I'm in a hurry."

The guard, a heavy woman bulging out of her Los Angeles County deputy sheriff's uniform, give me a look and mumbled, "Tough tittie. Aren't we all?" She handed back my ID. "Take a seat," she said again.

What a charmer, I thought. I turned and glanced around. A wooden bench, bolted to the concrete wall across from me, ran the length of the room. I sat down, opened my briefcase on my lap, and took out the Simpson file.

Henry "Buck" Simpson, career criminal, received his nickname from the Buck Knife he carried when rolling drunks late at night outside of trendy nightspots scattered around Hollywood. Buck’s current stint in prison was the result of rolling the same guy twice in a row. The victim had no problem picking him out of a line-up. Buck was the guy with the crooked nose and a lumberjack beard.

I wasn't his lawyer when he was convicted five years ago. Last month, he had been released from San Quentin on conditional parole and assigned to a halfway house for rehabilitation.

But around midnight a few nights ago, Buck had been caught with a knife in his pocket lurking in the shadows outside of the Whiskey A Go-Go during a sold-out Johnny Rivers performance. Lurking with a weapon is a no-no for parolees, and the Adult Correction Authority was about to revoke his get-out-of-jail-free card. I was assigned by the court to represent him at the parole hearing set for later in the month. It was routine. I'd do what I could, and Buck would be sent back to prison to serve out the remainder of his term.

"O'Brien. Where's O'Brien?"

I stood and saw a deputy coming toward me. He was studying a visitor request form, presumably the one I had turned in before. "That's me."

"James O'Brien?"

"Yeah, call me Jimmy."

He looked at me, shaking his head. "I'm Officer Davis. I need to inform you that your client, one Henry Simpson, a.k.a. Buck Simpson, was found dead this morning in his cell. He hung himself."

"What?"

"I need to inform you — "

"No, I mean, why would he kill himself?" I said.

"He didn't say."

The deputy wouldn't tell me any other details. Maybe there wasn't anything else to tell, but I doubted it. I talked to Simpson when they brought him in. He didn't seem depressed or even too concerned about going back to prison. He figured it would all work out, just routine. In fact, he was eager to get back to San Q. Buck played on one of the prison's baseball teams, the Junk Yard Dogs. As the “big dog” on the team, he told me he didn’t want to miss the big game coming up against the Mother Fs. He didn't want to miss the action.

It was hard for me to swallow the suicide yarn. As an ex-cop, I know how violent it is in the jail system. Murders happen on a regular basis, but suicide? Rarely. This whole thing sounded like a crock.

From a payphone on the wall, I called my office, and Mabel answered on the first ring. After hellos were exchanged, I said, "My new client killed himself. Least that's what they told me, but anyway, he's dead."

"Did you get the cash?" Mabel said.

"No, not Kangaroo Kelley. The other client," I said. Kelley was a guy who liked to write checks that kept bouncing around. "I'm at the jail. Came to see Simpson. The State is picking up the tab for this guy. At least they were, but now he's dead."

"Oh, the parole violator. Yeah, well, we still have to bill the State for your time."

"He's dead."

"Okay, then we'll bill them half your normal rate."

"Mabel, just give me the phone number for Delacorte. We'll talk about the money later." Steve Delacorte was the deputy D.A. who was prosecuting the Simpson case. I knew the so-called suicide wasn't any of my business, but I just couldn't let it go. "And, Mabel, call Sol."

"Already did. Told him you'd be late. He said, 'What's new about that?' Hang on I'll get the number."

Mabel ran the business affairs of my office so efficiently, it seemed like she could read my mind. If I needed a letter typed, it would be done before the words were out of my mouth, but she was always crabbing about collecting from my clients. What the hell. Somebody had to worry about the cash flow, and I didn't want it to be me.

"Here's the number." Mabel gave me Delacorte's direct line, then said, "Pretty hard to kill yourself in jail, I expect. Without a little help from the locals, I mean."

"Yeah, maybe so." I hung up and dropped another dime in the slot.

"Well, well, Jimmy O'Brien, friend of the downtrodden. What do you want now?" Delacorte said when he answered the phone.

"Steve, tell me about Simpson's supposed suicide."

He gave me his usual 'happens all the time' speech, so I pressed for more information. Delacorte said he'd look into the situation, and get back to me if he found anything that looked suspicious. The whole thing looked suspicious to me, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for his call. The Sheriff's Department would sometimes cover up a murder when a prominent or notorious prisoner got nailed while locked up in their jail. It was terrible PR after all. But then again, maybe I was off base. Why would the sheriff's department cover up the murder of a nobody like Buck Simpson?

And We're Up... Again.

2010-07-13T19:47:00.000-07:00

Anyone who's been following this blog till now will get a little start when they see this new post. It's been a while since I've used this thing as a forum for my writing life, but so it is. From now on, this will be the place to hear directly from me what I've been writing, where I've been signing, who I've been speaking with, and what projects are in store for the future. It's a whole new world for writers and readers, and I'm not about to deny the importance of representing yourself in the blogosphere. Especially when your craft is the written word.

I'm excited to share all the work that's in progress for the coming months. Anyone who's followed my website or facebook pages, the personal one or the fan page, knows that I've got a new Jimmy O'Brien novel coming out October 12. It's the start of a new series developed around film noir classics. All you cinema buffs beware!

In the meantime, I'm releasing an exclusive ebook edition of an earlier novel, completely rewritten, with a brand new title and streamlined narrative. It will be interesting to see how ebooks fare in this newly developing phenomenon of digital libraries and digital bookstores. If you haven't taken the plunge yourself, try it out on this new release. Expectation of Murder is available for the Kindle through Amazon. You'll also find it on iBooks for iPads, iPods, and other Apple devices. It is only a matter of time before it'll be available on the Barnes & Noble NOOK and Borders' Kobo. It's a perfect way to get yourself in the mood for the October release of my newest title, Detour to Murder.