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Retreats from Oblivion: The Journal of NoirCon

Retreats from Oblivion: The Journal of NoirCon

Noir, crime, and mystery short stories, scholarship, and so much more

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“On the Mean Streets of Tulsa: FX’s The Lowdown” by Anees Aref

REVIEW: “Lee Raybon calls himself a “truth storian” [p]layed by Ethan Hawke as a cross between Hunter S. Thompson and Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe….”

Read More “On the Mean Streets of Tulsa: FX’s The Lowdown” by Anees Aref

Percival Everett, Author of Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novel James and the Thriller The Trees, to Appear at Rutgers University-Camden

Percival Everett will appear at Rutgers University-Camden on Thursday, March 26, 2026 | 6:00 p.m.

Read More Percival Everett, Author of Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novel James and the Thriller The Trees, to Appear at Rutgers University-Camden

“Guts, Grit, and Glorious Pulp: Edward S. Aarons’ Death in a Lighthouse and Murder Money” by William Blick

BOOK REVIEW: “Aarons’ work is full of many skillful riffs as seen in this pair of rollicking page-burners….”

Read More “Guts, Grit, and Glorious Pulp: Edward S. Aarons’ Death in a Lighthouse and Murder Money” by William Blick

“American Psychos” by Vince A. Liaguno

POETRY: “Cinema and psycho, a fine-tuned formula / of violence and charisma—time-honored and as popular / as warm apple pie on Thanksgiving….”

Read More “American Psychos” by Vince A. Liaguno

Preview: “Home Invasion Horrors” by William Blick

ARTICLE PREVIEW: “The last word on this niche genre, with a dense amount of information….”

Read More Preview: “Home Invasion Horrors” by William Blick

Preview: “from Build My Gallows High to Out of the Past” by Jeremy Carr

ARTICLE PREVIEW: “If there is a lesson to be learned from noir stories, be they in print or filmed, it is that the past never stays in the past for long, and the inevitably ill-fated future closes in faster than expected…..”

Read More Preview: “from Build My Gallows High to Out of the Past” by Jeremy Carr

“The Brass Ring” by Lance Mason

FICTION: “As Tito stepped forward with the pistol in hand, it seemed Corlett’s friend, the quiet, suspicious winemaker, had been right….”

Read More “The Brass Ring” by Lance Mason

“Something as Big as the Moon: from The Moon Has Fallen into a Well” by Vincent Czyz

SHORT STORY EXCERPT: “He’s so concerned for the way he thinks things should be, he forgets a man can’t move something as big as the Moon….”

Read More “Something as Big as the Moon: from The Moon Has Fallen into a Well” by Vincent Czyz

“Vivid Evocations and Deadly Revelations: Manhattan Death Ballad” by WIlliam Blick

BOOK REVIEW: “Jakubowski in the end absolutely triumphs with his rhapsodic prose….”

Read More “Vivid Evocations and Deadly Revelations: Manhattan Death Ballad” by WIlliam Blick

“Keeping the Flame Alive: Dan Bronson’s Shout at the Devil” by WIlliam Blick

BOOK REVIEW: “A return to these origins is refreshing as compared to many of the contributions to the current state of the crime novel….”

Read More “Keeping the Flame Alive: Dan Bronson’s Shout at the Devil” by WIlliam Blick

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Top Posts & Pages

  • Percival Everett, Author of Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novel James and the Thriller The Trees, to Appear at Rutgers University-Camden
    Percival Everett, Author of Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novel James and the Thriller The Trees, to Appear at Rutgers University-Camden
  • "The World Out There: from the Book Purgatory" by John Talbird
    "The World Out There: from the Book Purgatory" by John Talbird
  • "The Dance of the Bashful Bride" by Charles Rammelkamp
    "The Dance of the Bashful Bride" by Charles Rammelkamp
  • "Hollywood Seamy: Scott Phillips on The Devil Raises His Own" by William Blick
    "Hollywood Seamy: Scott Phillips on The Devil Raises His Own" by William Blick
  • "Round Like a Circle in a Spiral: The Poster Art of Film Noir" by Marlisa Santos
    "Round Like a Circle in a Spiral: The Poster Art of Film Noir" by Marlisa Santos
  • "Flashbacks and 'Second Sight': The Ravine" by Ken Hall
    "Flashbacks and 'Second Sight': The Ravine" by Ken Hall
  • Preview – "Patrick Tam’s My Heart Is That Eternal Rose (1989)" by Thomas M. Puhr
    Preview – "Patrick Tam’s My Heart Is That Eternal Rose (1989)" by Thomas M. Puhr
  • "Cheap Hotels, Economical Crash Pads, and Low-Budget Hash Houses" by Peter Rozovsky
    "Cheap Hotels, Economical Crash Pads, and Low-Budget Hash Houses" by Peter Rozovsky
  • "An Inclusive Genre": Stephen Jones on The Art of Pulp Horror
    "An Inclusive Genre": Stephen Jones on The Art of Pulp Horror
  • "Writing from an Illusion: Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961)" by Matthew Sorrento
    "Writing from an Illusion: Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961)" by Matthew Sorrento

Authors

andy rausch Anees Aref Ann Chernow Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Barry Gifford BearManor Media Ben Himmelfarb Brian Greene Burt Kearns Charles Rammelkamp Charles Willeford Chris McGinley Chris Roy Clarinda Harris Craig Faustus Buck D.V. Bennett Dan Bronson Dane Ince David Goodis David Hagerty David Rachels David Ryan Earl Javorsky Gary D. Rhodes George Toles Gerald So Graham Wynd J.D. Smith J.L. Delozier J.M. Tyree Jaap Boekestein Jack Dann Jay Gertzman Jim Towns John McCann John Talbird Jo Perry Joseph Goodrich Joseph Hirsch Ken Hall Kurt Brokaw Lance Mason Lionel White Ly Faulk Mark Krajnak Mark Mayes Mark SaFranko Matthew Sorrento Matt Phillips Melanie Dante Mike Madden Mitchell Grabois Nick Sweeney Patricia Abbott Paul D. Brazill Peter Rozovsky Reed Farrel Coleman Rick Ollerman Robb T. White Robert Cooperman Ryhor Cisiecki Sharon Dempsey Stark House Press Stephen D. Rogers Steve Hodel Steve Levi Susan Hammerman T.L. Huchu Theresa Rodewald Thomas Pluck Tom Leins Vicki Hendricks Warren Moore William Blick Woody Haut

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