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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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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

“From Hollywood to Chicago” by Stone Wallace

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

Read More “From Hollywood to Chicago” by Stone Wallace

“Shadows in the Sunlight: On the Noir Western” by Anees Aref

REVIEW ESSAY: “Often described as ‘psychological westerns,’ these films eschewed the conventional heroes of the old west for more complicated protagonists, flawed and motivated by darker impulses….”

Read More “Shadows in the Sunlight: On the Noir Western” by Anees Aref

“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….”

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

“Some Mismanaged Business: Raymond Chandler’s Trouble Is My Business” by Brian Greene

GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: “David and his collaborators deserve credit for taking some detours and tangents that make their book distinctive…. But those pieces aren’t enough to overcome some fatal flaws….”

Read More “Some Mismanaged Business: Raymond Chandler’s Trouble Is My Business” by Brian Greene

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Top Posts & Pages

  • "Hold the Presses: The Bloody Spur/While the City Sleeps (1953)" by William Blick
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  • "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
  • “'It was raining, but it wouldn’t last': An Interview with James Kestrel on Five Decembers" by Theresa Rodewald
    “'It was raining, but it wouldn’t last': An Interview with James Kestrel on Five Decembers" by Theresa Rodewald
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  • Interview: Iain McIntyre by Andrew Nette
    Interview: Iain McIntyre by Andrew Nette

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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