WRITERS BORN TODAY: Jim Thompson, American Master of Nasty Noir

 It's the birthday of Jim Thompson, born 116 years ago today in Oklahoma. Raised in the hard scrabble oil fields of Texas and abandoned by his father for a time, Thompson struggled from a young age to help support his family. There was no odd job he wouldn't take. His stint as a bellboy introduced him to the seedier side of life as he used his skills to procure women, drugs, and bootleg alcohol for the hotel's clients. 

Along the way he turned to writing for the pulp publishers who flourished after World War II. It was during this time that he produced some of the most vicious characters ever put to paper in American crime literature. His villains were corrupt cops, con men and psychopaths. His protagonists were little better. If someone asks you how to tell the different between the good guys and the bad guys in one of his novels, don't answer; it's a trick question. In many of his stories, there are no heroes. 

Thompson wrote most of his best work in the 1950s and 60s. Eleven novels were written and published just between 1952 and 1954 when he was at the height of his creative output. The two things that drove him to write were his desire to tell a story, and the need to pay his bills. He had a brief and successful fling with Hollywood with Stanley Kubrick's The Killing, and The Getaway starring Steve McQueen. But like most flings. it ended badly. Though Thompson and Kubrick wrote the screenplay for The Killing, Kubrick cheated him out of the credit. After The Getaway, several promising Hollywood options faded away.  Thompson was treated almost like one of the failures in one of his novels, short-changed by grifters and con artists who wore suits and ties instead of cowboy hats and jeans.

By the time Jim Thompson died in 1977 after suffering a series of strokes he was broke, and all of his books were out of print. But he never gave up hope that his literary reputation would be rehabilitated. He told his wife that someday his work would be critically acclaimed. It didn't take long. By the 1990s, Hollywood had discovered him again, and his work was being produced on the silver screen. One of the most notable was a film based on The Killer Inside Me, starring Jessica Alba and Casey Affleck. Most of his books are back in print.

One final mystery surrounds Jim Thompson's life, and it's a doozy. Kubrick commissioned him to write a novel for a future film project, and Thompson delivered. The manuscript, titled Lunatic At Large, was send to Kubrick and then misplaced. Thompson didn't make a copy. But after Kubrick's death, the novel was found. Rumor has it, filming has already begun.

This short documentary on Jim Thompson's life includes great commentary by Donald Westlake, who needs no introduction. 

Twist Phelan Hits The Bullseye with THE TARGET

 What would you do to prove your father's innocence? How far you you go to clear the name of the man who raised you after accusations of embezzlement destroy both of your lives and lead to your dad's suicide?

Would you lie to your boss? Steal from your employer? Betray the woman you love? All three?

Sean Dwyer is about to find out. It's been several years since his life was turned upside down by a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into his father's financial firm. For those of you not in the know, the SEC is Wall Street's version of Darth Vader, feared by every stock broker and financial advisor in the country. A letter from them can tank a company's stock price faster than you can say "No Luke, I Am Your Father!" For Sean, it's goodbye Ivy League law school, goodbye dad, and goodbye to the only girl he ever loved. But a few years later, he stumbles into a chance to work for the very government organization that ruined his life, and he grabs it. In his mind, Sean sees a chance to reopen the investigation into his father's crimes, and perhaps clear his family name. 

There's just a couple of minor problems. 

His new boss hates him. The second person he meets at his job just happens to be the woman he dumped. And the case files on his father's firm are locked behind a door secured by a keypad with 10,000 possible combinations.

Well... they might be larger than "minor" problems. OK, OK, I admit they're massive obstacles on par with Frodo's journey to Mordor to destroy the One Ring. Don't look at me like that. I didn't write the thing!

Frankly, at times I wish I had. This story is good...really good. But I'm not jealous. Really.

The fun in reading this thriller is seeing how Sean overcomes these challenges. One of his best weapons is a tech wiz named Frankie, a girl with fabulous hacking and hardware skills. When not helping Sean break into a secure room at the SEC, she imagines herself to be a Samurai Princess, defeating imaginary enemies, and sometimes, real enemies...like Sean's ex-girlfriend. You see, Frankie's in love with Sean, and she is mighty miffed at seeing Sean reconnect with his former love.

As for Sean, he has some serious decisions to confront once he gains access to his father's files. How can he makes things right without getting fired or tossed into jail, and who can he trust? He's so determined to find out if his father really is innocent he ignores the biggest problem that sits right in front of him...if his dad was innocent, someone must have framed him. And that someone will not look kindly on Sean's efforts to learn the truth.

This story works on so many levels. It's a mystery (and a locked room mystery at that), a romance, and a thriller. There's something here for everyone. So if you love to read and you're looking for something new, stop reading my review and buy this book! 

As for me, I have my own mystery to solve, mainly, how did Twist write such a fabulous novel? Maybe if I ask her nice, she'll spill the secret. Wish me luck.

A former attorney, Twist Phelan travels, writes thrillers, and short stories. Besides her latest thriller, she's been on fire, having several stories accepted for publication in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Once You Start Reading BRING HER HOME, You Won't Leave The House.

Writer David Bell invites us to witness every father's worst fears with this nail chewing thriller. Two years after his wife dies in an accident, Bill Price and his teen daughter, Summer, are battling to maintain their fractured lives. But when Summer and her closest friend go out, what begins as a normal weekend turns into a nightmare. Both girls disappear and Bill will stop at nothing to find out what happened. Along the way, he'll learn secrets that will make him doubt his ability as a parent, and force him confront what kind of husband he was to his wife. 

Desperate to assist in the search, Bill barges into hospital rooms, schools and public parks. He's sometimes his own worst enemy as he ignores pleas from the police to let them investigate without his interference. At one point, his quick temper leads the police to put him on the list of suspects. But the reader is hard pressed to blame him as he staggers between grief and outrage.

David Bell throws plenty of roadblocks into Bill's path and like a crafty old pitcher, tosses a few curve balls that leave both our hero Bill and the reader swinging at air, and wondering what just happened. The surprises keep coming until the final shock. Read fast, because you'll be holding your breath for the last few chapters. Better yet, keep an oxygen tank handy. 

Did You Miss This Book When It Came Out? Maybe You Were BLINDSIDED.

    Dr. Cadence Lawrence's successful career as a young surgeon takes a wrong turn when she sees Dirk Lyons, an old high school acquaintance in a fellow doctor's office. Her shock and anguish become clear once the reader learns that Dirk was once accused of murdering Cadence's best friend....by Cadence herself. Within days, she's being stalked by him and now fears she may be his next target. Without hard evidence, the police are helpless to protect her, so she flees into the North Woods. In her haste, her car becomes stuck on a side road during a major snowstorm. She faces a chilly death, until a knock on her car window by a stranger offers her hope for survival. Having just fled the horror of a suspected killer, can she trust the offer of shelter in a storm from a total stranger?

    

    Thus begins this thriller by Kate Watterson, a terrifying tale that almost feels like a romance novel once Cadence settles in with her rescuer in a snow bound cabin, cooks for him, chats, and begins to fall in love with this tall stranger with a chiseled jaw, his own construction company and some really good wine! 

    OK, I admit a good wine will catch my attention as well, but the tale soon moves from the improbable to the absolute terrifying as Cassandra decides to return to her hometown and confront her stalker. She's accompanied by Mick, the man who couldn't turn his back on a stranded motorist in a snowstorm (and begins to like his decision on a personal level).

    The author interrupts the storyline several times by shifting the point of view to give the reader a glimpse into the mind of the killer. This is what kept me reading, and it will keep you reading as well, assuming you're not too scared to turn the page as the true malevolence of this skilled predator is unveiled.

If a poor little rich girl is kidnapped in the woods, does anyone hear it? THE GIRL WHO CRIED WOLF by Robert Ferrigno

 

This thriller tackles some of the usual suspects…fast paced action, a dedicated protagonist, and the threat of widespread destruction and death. It adds another underused theme by its emphasis on eco-terrorism. When the daughter of a wealthy capitalist is kidnapped, the ransom demand includes turning

over an old growth forest to a conservation group, which will save it from clear-cutting by ruthless loggers…or so we are told. Remy Brandt, the victim, has a history of making false claims, which complicates the case. It seems the police and the FBI have a hard time believing she’s actually been kidnapped. Her wealthy father doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to rescue her, which adds to the problem. Remy’s boyfriend has no doubts however, and his skills as a security expert and determination to find Remy make him a powerful ally…perhaps Remy’s only ally.

                The villains are part of an underground network of ecological misfits and tree huggers who cross the line from peaceful protest into violence. The leader of the kidnappers, Glenn, has more than saving the earth on his mind. Greed dominates his mind. His partners, Eli and Tree, are faithful followers who begin to doubt the wisdom of this crime as time passes. Each of them has their own personal motives for aiding Glenn. Eli begins to fall in love with Remy, while Tree loves only the woods, especially the forest where they’ve hidden Remy. Tree may be the most interesting character. He appears to be a brute, but we learn that he was once a foreman on a lumberjack team, until he heard screams in the forest…the screams of the trees being destroyed, and turned against capitalism.

                As Mack, Remy’s boyfriend, scours the Seattle underground looking for clues, he grapples with Glenn and then Cleo, journalist for an underground newspaper who offers to help him. But Cleo has secrets of her own and may not be the ally Mack has hoped for. As the ransom deadline draws near Mack, Remy, the kidnappers, and Cleo collide. The reader will find it hard to put this book down until the violent ending.

Double Wide Is A Triple Threat To Reader Boredom

When a story opens with a dismembered human hand, the reader and the protagonist both know that trouble lies ahead. There's something else that lies in wait for the reader...a great story with a narrator who has a wry, understated sense of humor and a strong desire to seek justice for the death of a close friend.

Double Wide, by Leo W. Banks, is a simple story well told. The narrator, Prospero Stark, is a former major league star pitcher fallen on hard times. He runs a trailer park populated by a collection of characters you'd expect to find in a David Goodis novel, with one important difference. They're down on their luck, but not desperate. Indeed, they often have more faith in Stark than he has in himself. With their help, and some assistance from a ruthless TV reporter who is hungry for a good story, Stark uncovers a scheme by a famous baseball agent to break the rules for his prospects.

It's a con that worth millions of dollars, and could be the key to learning what happened to Stark's friend, who was a promising catcher until he disappeared. Whoever left that hand for Stark to find wanted to reveal the truth, but now that witness is dead, murdered by Mexican drug runners. Stark has just one shot to break open the case, if he can face some personal demons, get back on the pitching mound and prove he still has the power to face down a batter. He still has the name recognition from his glory days, but it may not be enough if his arm can't back it up.

Leo Banks paints a vivid portrait of the southwest that would impress Georgia O'Keeffe. The setting and the characters are absorbing. It's a gripping tale of friendship, the things we lose as we age, and the redemption we gain when we face our worst fears. That's a lot to pack into 352 pages. And you may not notice all that because you're too busy turning the pages, engrossed in the story. But later, when you're done, you'll wake up in the middle of the night and mutter under your breath, "Wow." Then you'll reach for the book, because you'll want to read it again.

Well done, Mr. Banks.

Book your next vacation to Gangster Nation

Sal Cupertine, a mob hit man, screws up and kills some FBI agents by mistake. Now every cop in the country is looking for him. There's no way out, right? So naturally, he does the only thing left to do...he heads for Las Vegas, gets some plastic surgery and takes on a new role as...a Rabbi?

This is the implausible premise behind Gangster Nation, by Tod Goldberg. Hard to believe? But then I read the book. And somehow, by hook or by crook (or by some damn fine writing) he makes it work. Meet Sal Cupertine, aka Rabbi David Cohen. With the help of another Rabbi with ties to the mob, he gets a gig at a synagogue and school in Vegas. It's appropriate since Vegas is the city where nothing is real. Sal fits in by hiding behind the glitter and polish.

When he's not dispensing advice from the Torah to his congregation, he's helping to dispose of rival gang members at the local cemetery, and making a fast buck at the same time. His long term plan is to reunite with his wife and son once the heat cools down. That may take a while, seeing that the reward for his capture is a half million bucks. While he waits and stashes cash in several safety deposit boxes in town, we learn his background and begin to understand what made him the killer he is. As a kid, he sees his father tossed out of the window of a skyscraper and splatter on the pavement. Who wouldn't be traumatized by that? His brother heads a crime syndicate in Chicago, so Sal enters the family business.

But he's had enough. He doesn't want the same future for his own son. Soon, he'll have enough money to make his escape, maybe to South America. But then, Sal makes a mistake. He kills a woman who'll be missed, and comes to regret it. Not only was she not the threat he suspected, her death alerts an ex-FBI agent who was the partner of one of Sal's victims. As Sal, aka Rabbi Cohen, prepares to go under the knife once more to rebuild his botched plastic surgery, an accumulation of bad decisions by him and his family threaten to expose his secrets. The writer doesn't reveal the shocking conclusion until the very last line.

Tod Goldberg is a craftsman from the old school, a man who knows how to tell a story. He makes you sympathize with a main character who has killed dozens of people, which is not an easy task. As a writer, I'm still trying to figure out how he does that. But don't concern yourself with my problems. Just buy his book. It would be a crime not to read it.