“From Hollywood to Chicago” by Stone Wallace

NOVEL EXCERPT: “The expression on the gangster’s face was set and severe. There were no amenities….”

“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….”

“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….”

“Making a Friend of Horror: from The Haunted Screen” by J.M. Tyree

NOVEL EXCERPT: “The old trees read my mind and turned the contents of my brain inside out….”

“A Star Who Knew How To Make an Entrance” by Dan Bronson

NOVEL EXCERPT: “A small price to pay for a sequence that packed them in at the box-office….”

Excerpt: “So Curse the Day” by Jada M. Davis

NOVEL EXCERPT: “Long ago and dim distant there’d been a place like this, a quiet sun-warmed place like this… That was before they took my mother away and before my father locked me in the house and went away forever….”

Somebody’s Done For by David Goodis (Excerpt)

NOVEL EXCERPT: “What it all amounts to, he told himself, is you’re not in shape for a deal like this. You get involved in this sort of thing, you should be properly prepared. I mean mentally, too. It’s a cinch you’re not prepared mentally, because now I’d say you’re just about ready to give up….”

“Kitty at the Window” by Barry Gifford

NOVEL EXCERPT: “You like her, huh?”….“Just looking,” he said. “Do you know her?”

“Nursemaid, Heavyweight, Gatekeeper to the Stars” by Dan Bronson

At the end of the business day, these assets walk right out of the vault and put themselves at risk….The only thing I know about publicity is how to suppress it. I’m a nursemaid. Six-two. Built like a heavyweight. A dandy scar across my cheek. And what do I do? I babysit…for the studios. One […]

“From Ridge to Norristown: A Few Days Away” by Tony Knighton

I counted out nine one hundred-dollar bills onto the desktop and took the pistol and ammunition. I considered suggesting that he give up the business for a while…. I drove through Philadelphia, onto Ridge Avenue and headed west. The antenna farm was visible above the horizon for a stretch, long lines drawn against the gray […]