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 […]

“Death Takes a Byline: the Interview” by D.S. Lliteras

The below was excerpted from Death Takes a Byline (Book One, Chapters 1-3) by D.S. Lliteras (Rainbow Ridge Books, 2020; Copyright © 2020 by D. S. Lliteras). She reached into a canvas bag that hung from her shoulder, pulled out a notepad, and studied him. He walked as if he was being followed; he was afraid […]

“The World Out There: from the Book Purgatory” by John Talbird

It has been a week since the first murders…. he looks slowly around the store, dark, still, and empty. Usually, William parks near the back of the lot in the Westabout strip mall so customers can have spaces closer to the door. In his four years of managing Book Purgatory, he has waged a never-ending […]

“Night Shoot” by Nat Segaloff

Sad news to report. Little Steffi Batchelder is dead….A beam of sunlight struck her and she turned into ash. From the book Hollywood and Venal by Nat Segaloff, illustrated by Thomas Warming. Text © 2020 Nat Segaloff; Illustrations ©2020 Thomas Warming; from BearManor Media. Sometimes you have to lie in order to get to the […]

“Bakersfield: Kern River, June 13” by Pierre Ouellette

The following is excerpted from Bakersfield: a Crime Novel by Pierre Ouellette (Jorvik Press, 2018). “You ever meet Hitchcock?” “Yep.” “I hear he hates cops. That right?” “Wouldn’t know. Never asked him.” “What about Bogart? Is he really an asshole?” “Hard to say. He didn’t talk much.” “I bet he drove a Cord or something […]

“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 […]