“The Length of Days—One: A Simple Routine” by Lynn Kostoff

NOVEL EXCERPT: “Samuel drives his Taurus through northwest Magnolia Beach. On Saturdays, he plays the car radio. Wednesdays, he likes the silence….”

“Confounded: Crime Scene Notes” by Gary D. Rhodes

POETRY: “lacerations throb, even in death….”

“Nobody’s Favorite: from Detroit Massacre” by Barry N. Malzberg (1939-2024, Writing as Mike Barry)

NOVEL EXCERPT: “I don’t want to be anyone’s favorite law enforcement officer. When you’re dealing with shit, the only enforcement is death….”

RFO Editor Discusses Edgar G. Ulmer’s Strange Illusion on SUNY TV

INTERVIEW: Matthew Sorrento discusses Ulmer’s 1945 noir as a guest on Jerry Carlson’s City Cinematheque at SUNY TV.

“Marketing The Sleeping City to The City That Never Sleeps” by Kurt Brokaw

NONFICTION: “The Sleeping City, like so many crime dramas that labored away in the era, won’t make most noir fans’ top ten lists. But its marketing was reflective of its time, more than most noirs that started out trying to hold their theater marquees alone and ended up as the underside of drive-in double bills….”

“I Detest All My Sins” [Excerpt] by Lanny Larcinese

Bill Conlon lay on his belly in the yard of Graterford prison. His head rested on a crooked arm; his right hand clutched a rosary fashioned from raisins strung on thread from an unwound sock. Thirty yards away, Mikey Osborne lay on his back—moaning, gripping his throat with both hands, tightly knitted fingers failing to […]

“The Movie Makers” [Excerpt] by Gary Phillips

For what the mark wanted—needed, in fact—Rachel reflected as she went through her yoga exercises, was vindication. Having reached a certain age and income level in this dog-eat-dog business, his psyche still needed boosting. “Don’t get me wrong,” Mikka Bolarus had said to Rachel one evening after a narcotics anonymous meeting as they sipped quite […]

“See No Evil” by Peter DiChellis

I told the cops the truth. I didn’t see anything. But yes, the murder happened right in front of me. And yes, the killer grabbed me and pushed me out of the way to leave. But like I said, I didn’t see a thing. Nothing at all. And then my hard, angry voice screamed the […]

“A Question of Execution” by Basil Rosa

I’d heard Tiny Aria say a million times that in Fortuna, if you scratched beneath the surface, you’d only find more surface. He laid this on me again when he phoned about the Reno Morelli kidnapping. Reno managed The Gutterball, a dive where mooks, con-men, and low-level operatives met to figure out which cops weren’t […]

“Coffin Dress Girl” by Heather Santo

“I’m looking for someone,” I said. “A girl.” “Aren’t we all?” replied the punk. He took a drag from the cigarette stub pinched between his thumb and index finger, then exhaled dramatically. I watched as the large plume of smoke rose, flashing alternating colors in the club’s strobe lights. Red, blue, green, yellow and back […]