Stephen King’s ‘Joyland’ gets special treatment from Titan Books

Titan Books has announced that three special limited editions of their upcoming Hard Case Crime release by Stephen King, Joyland, are now available for preorder.

Subterranean Press has released special editions of Hard Case Crime books in the past, but these appear to be directly produced by Titan. The three editions are:

• A signed, lettered hardcover edition, limited to 26 copies, signed by King, housed in a clamshell box and featuring the Hard Case Crime logo in gold foil;
• A signed, numbered hardcover edition, limited to 724 copies, signed by King; and
• An unsigned hardcover edition limited to 1,500 copies.

All editions will feature artwork by Robert McGinnis and a map of Joyland, the amusement park that serves as the novel’s setting, by Susan Hunt Yule.

Here’s the synopsis straight from Hard Case Crime:

College student Devin Jones took the summer job at Joyland hoping to forget the girl who broke his heart. But he wound up facing something far more terrible: the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and dark truths about life—and what comes after—that would change his world forever.

A riveting story about love and loss, about growing up and growing old—and about those who don’t get to do either because death comes for them before their time—JOYLAND is Stephen King at the peak of his storytelling powers. With all the emotional impact of King masterpieces such as The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption, JOYLAND is at once a mystery, a horror story, and a bittersweet coming-of-age novel, one that will leave even the most hard-boiled reader profoundly moved.

The paperback version is set for a June 4 release, and these special editions are listed as coming out on June 11. I’d suggest jumping on these quickly if you’re interested, as Stephen King special editions don’t tend to stay available for long.

Review: ‘Seduction of the Innocent’ by Max Allan Collins

From its lurid cover (another stellar effort by Hard Case Crime regular Glen Orbik) to its over-the-top title and scandalous premise, Seduction of the Innocent would appear to be a book as extreme as the comics that figure heavily in its plot.

It’s not. And while that may be something of a letdown it’s a forgivable one, because what you get instead is a solid murder mystery and a fascinating peek into one of the most controversial and misguided smear campaigns in American history.

Author Max Allan Collins uses Dr. Fredric Wertham’s 1954 crusade against comics as the framework for this novel, which he named after Wertham’s own book. (That book, mocked for decades, was recently thoroughly debunked and discredited.) Many of the more sensational elements of Collins’s story – congressional hearings on the evils of comics, mob ties to the funnybook business, drunken brawls and suicidal creators – are based on actual events that took place during that time, and many of its characters are based on real-life players in that saga.

In addition to these historical figures, Collins brings in a couple of his own creations – Jack Starr and his stepmother, Maggie, previously featured in the novels A Killing in Comics and Strip for Murder. Like Seduction, the previous Starr books lift their plots from real stories of the early days of comics (think ripped-off artists and feuding creators), making this the third chapter in a loose history of the medium.

The Starrs aren’t in the comic book business; rather, their company, Starr Syndicate, places comic strips in newspapers all over the country. Maggie runs the company, but Jack’s job may be the more difficult one – given that the artists are a moody lot, it’s Jack’s job to head off trouble when he can, and to extricate his talent from their messes when he can’t.

The Starrs’ comic strip business is deeply intertwined with the comic book business, so when a prominent player in the growing controversy stirred by Dr. Werner Frederick’s book Ravage the Lambs ends up dead, Jack finds himself embroiled in an investigation that encompasses several of his associates. The death doesn’t occur until halfway through the book, but Collins uses the ample lead time to flesh out the characters and lay out some of the fascinating and complicated inner workings of the comic book industry. The rest of the novel is spent shadowing Jack as he tries to find out who committed the murder and how he might minimize the effect it has on his company and the business overall.

While you don’t have to be a fan of comics or a student of that particular era of the business to enjoy Seduction, those who meet that criteria are going to find an extra layer of goodness in its pages. It’s hard to imagine society reaching that level of hysteria in today’s climate (well, in relation to comics, anyway, since comics, like all things geek, are in vogue these days), but Collins draws a vivid portrait of the uproar the country was in at the time – an uproar efficiently whipped up by one man and a handful of carefully manipulated “facts.” Into this he mixes an intriguing murder mystery and a colorful cast of characters. The result is thoroughly entertaining page-turner, and another win for Hard Case Crime.

Review: ‘Femme’ by Bill Pronzini

Bill Pronzini’s Femme is the latest pitch-black entry in his Nameless Detective series, a series that encompasses more than 30 books and spans over 40 years. This is only my second encounter with Nameless (the first being Kinsmen, which Cemetery Dance released simultaneously with Femme earlier this year), but the one-two punch of these releases is enough to send me scrounging for the rest of the books.

The “Nameless Detective” moniker comes from the fact that Pronzini never refers to the character by name. I don’t know how or why Pronzini made this decision, but it works because the author hasn’t allowed it to become a gimmick that overshadows the story. He doesn’t get cute in hiding the name, doesn’t cover over it with a black line or anything like that. It just doesn’t get mentioned to us, even when given to other characters in the story. Regardless, I’ve already got a strong sense of who Nameless is after reading only a couple of his adventures.

In Femme, Nameless becomes embroiled with a woman named Cory Beckett through what seems on its surface to be a simple bail jumping case. Nameless is retained to track down Cory’s brother, Kenneth, who’s taken to the hills to avoid robbery charges. In their initial meeting, Cory is sugar and spice and everything nice, but her demeanor proves to be a thin veneer covering an evil that stuns Nameless with its completeness and ferocity.

Working alongside Nameless is Jake Runyon, an associate often tasked with the tedious legwork of the agency’s cases. In between the interrogations, car chases and shootouts, there’s usually copious amounts of doorbell ringing and phone calls – work that Runyon enjoys and even thrives on. It’s Runyon who first realizes Kenneth’s predicament isn’t entirely what it seems, and it’s his tentative relationship with the hapless young man that pulls him (and Nameless) deeper into Cory Beckett’s madness.

Cory is a young woman of insatiable appetites – for money, yes, but also for power. She thrives on manipulation and deception, and she’s absolutely fearless in the way she’ll throw her body at anyone she thinks she can use to advance her own objectives.

Pronzini’s prose, honed over a career that’s closing in on 50 years, is as streamlined as any you’re likely to find. Femme is an effortless read, pure storytelling that’s as clean and uncluttered as a mountain stream. Clocking in at a lean 175 pages (a page count boosted by the smaller design and format of the book), Femme delivers a compelling story punctuated with subtle character work that brings its characters to vivid life. I hope Cemetery Dance continues to bring us more of the Nameless Detective, and I look forward to tracking down the rest of the series in the meantime.

‘Blood Related’ offers old questions, few answers

It’s an age-old question: what plays the bigger role in the development of evil men – nature or nurture?

William Cook examines the question in his novel Blood Related, but he never really takes a side. The killers he’s created, twin brothers Charlie and Caleb Cunningham, could be presented as compelling evidence for arguments either way. On the nurture side, both boys suffer through a horrific childhood in which they are the victims of, and witnesses to, mounds of physical and psychological torture. Their father, Errol, is a sadistic killer, luring prostitutes to the family’s labyrinthine home and dispatching them without remorse. After Errol plugs a hose into his car’s exhaust pipe, killing himself and disappearing into local legend, Charlie and Caleb move quickly to take up the “family business.”

Counterbalancing the Cunninghams is Ray Truman, a local cop who has spent a good portion of his career in pursuit of the killers terrorizing the small town of Portvale. Ray is consumed with bringing the Cunningham clan to justice – even if his version of justice is tainted by the lengths he’s willing to go to in order to obtain it.

Cook has fashioned portions of his book after the “true crime” books that document the careers of real serial killers, telling the story not only through Caleb’s eyes but also in sections written as case studies, letters, and accounts from other characters. It’s a good way to look at the events from a number of angles rather than seeing everything from a killer’s point of view, but those sections don’t always ring true as written. The overall “voice” of the book doesn’t vary enough to make these transitions as distinct as they need to be.

In his pursuit to dredge up the bottom-most depths of human depravity, Cook makes it difficult to find anyone in the novel to sympathize with. I think we’re meant to view Caleb as a victim – perhaps he’s the “nurture” side of the equation, whereas the utterly cold and remorseless Charlie is the “nature” side – but it’s hard to empathize with someone who views murder as art. As for the victims themselves, they are largely ignored, treated mostly as anonymous cannon fodder for the brothers’ killing sprees. Even their mother is reprehensible.

In the end, the bleakness of the book and its characters becomes numbing. Yes, it raises some serious and interesting questions about the human capacity for obsession and bloodlust. But the lack of relatable characters – just a sliver of light in the gloom – makes it difficult to muddle through. Perhaps reading this is a glimpse into how the social workers, beat cops and detectives of the world must feel, sifting through human wreckage day after day in an attempt to bring some order to the chaos. Or maybe I’m just a wimp. Either way, Blood Related overwhelmed me.

Hard Case Crime plans February 2013 ‘Seduction’

Hard Case Crime seems to have settled comfortably into its new home at Titan Books, where it continues to publish some of the most intriguing and exciting titles out there for lovers of crime fiction. This week, HCC announced they will continue their long and fruitful relationship with author Max Allan Collins by publishing their eighth book together, Seduction of the Innocent.

The title may sound familiar; it’s also the title of the infamous 1954 tome by Dr. Frederic Wertham, in which the good doctor laid the blame for the “corruption” of America’s youth squarely at the door of comic book publishers – particularly publishers of violent horror comics like EC Comics. Collins’ tale is inspired by the real-life witch hunt that Wertham’s inflammatory book unleashed. Here’s the synopsis from HCC’s press release:

“Written by best-selling novelist Max Allan Collins (author of Road to Perdition and long-time scripter of theDick Tracy newspaper comic strip) and featuring 16 pages of interior illustrations by comic-book artist Terry Beatty (Batman, The Phantom), SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT tells the story of comic book industry troubleshooter Jack Starr and his investigation into the death of a moralizing crusader out to get violent comics banned. “

If I’m not mistaken, this will be the first time a Hard Case Crime release will feature interior illustrations. The cover manages to capture both the pulp detective feel of all HCC books and the flavor of those EC Comics covers, and the HCC website states that the illustrations will be in “the classic EC style.”

I’m excited any time Hard Case Crime announces a new book, but this one feels like something special. The movement against comics that Wertham incited is a fascinating period of our country’s history, and I’m sure Collins is going to use that as a backdrop for a great detective story. The book is set for release in both paperback and digital formats in February 2013, and it can’t get here soon enough.

Cemetery Dance’s new anthology sounds ‘Criminally Good’

A couple of weeks ago, Cemetery Dance made a low-key announcement about a new book they’ll be publishing later this year: The Interrogator and Other Criminally Good Fiction edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Ed Gorman. It’s an unusual endeavor for the publisher on a couple of levels: 1) It’s an all-reprint anthology, and 2) it’s straight crime fiction as opposed to something with a supernatural twist.

Typical of a Cemetery Dance project, however, is its stellar table of contents. CD alumni David Morrell and Tom Piccirilli are represented alongside renowned thriller/noir authors such as Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, Michael Connelly, and Don Winslow.

I’m excited to see Cemetery Dance branching out this way, and I hope it’s only the first of many noir/crime offerings they bring us. And who knows, maybe they can lure a few of these mystery writers over to the dark side….

Stephen King’s ‘JOYLAND’ finds a home at Hard Case Crime

Hard Case Crime announced this morning that it will be publishing Stephen King‘s JOYLAND, the crime novel he’s mentioned at several recent speaking engagements, in June 2013. This will be King’s second Hard Case Crime release, following The Colorado Kid from 2005.

While Kid left some crime fans flat because of its ambiguous nature (it was, literally, a story about mysteries that have no solutions), the synopsis of JOYLAND makes it sound like a more traditional crime novel:

Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, JOYLAND tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever.

“JOYLAND is a breathtaking, beautiful, heartbreaking book,” said Charles Ardai, Edgar- and Shamus Award-winning editor of Hard Case Crime, in the publisher’s press release.  “It’s a whodunit, it’s a carny novel, it’s a story about growing up and growing old, and about those who don’t get to do either because death comes for them before their time.  Even the most hardboiled readers will find themselves moved. When I finished it, I sent a note saying, ‘Goddamn it, Steve, you made me cry.’”

The book will initially be published in paperback only – an interesting move for King, who has long been a dabbler in, and supporter of, digital publishing. King cites his love of paperback crime as the reason for the move, and considering that the entire impetus behind Hard Case Crime is to recapture the feel of those old spinner-rack crime novels, it’s a move that makes sense. The press release does not give a timetable for what I feel will be an eventual e-format release

There’s also no mention of special editions, but Hard Case Crime has been working with Subterranean Press as of late on special hardcover editions of their books, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see something announced at a later date.

The press release states that the book will feature a painted cover by Robert McGinnis, the artist responsible for the Sean Connery James Bond movie posters, and Glen Orbik, who’s painted numerous covers for Hard Case Crime (including the cover of The Colorado Kid). It’s not clear if there will be two covers, or if McGinnis and Orbik are collaborating on a cover, but hopefully we’ll know soon.

The Hard Case Crime line is published by Titan Books under the leadership of creator/editor Charles Ardai.

Finally, JOYLAND is a real place. It’s an amusement park in Wichita, Kansas, abandoned since 2006. As Buzzfeed writer Gavon Laessig noted when he first posted this a year or so ago, “This is the stuff that Stephen King novels and awesome roman candle fights are born of.”

Looks like he was right.

Tom Piccirilli shares a few words on ‘The Last Kind Words’

Ernest Hemingway is quoted as saying, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” I think of Tom Piccirilli every time I see that quote. Piccirilli’s work is as honest, raw and emotional as anything you’ll find on the shelves. It’s also as beautifully written as anything out there, and I’ve always felt that he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.

Hopefully that’s all about to change. His new novel, The Last Kind Words, is due from Bantam on June 12, and early reviews are liberally tossing around words like “perfect,” “stunning,” and “superb.” Tom’s doing a blog tour leading up to publication, and I’m honored that he’s stopping by October Country for a visit.

I’m intrigued by the idea that the characters in The Last Kind Words are all named after dog breeds. It’s one of those little details that few writers can pull off – or could even think of in the first place. Where does the quirky stuff like that come from?

Dogs are iconic symbols for me. A dog alone in the yard, howling at night, running wild in the street. A mad dog, a bad dog, a good dog. Symbolically they just seem to dovetail perfectly when discussing a family whose idiosyncratic members are always clashing. They attack, they bark, they bite, they offer company and unconditional love.

Writing is such an intensely personal act for you. Have you ever written anything that you were afraid to let your friends and family read – things that might cause them to worry about you, or that they might recognize and be upset about? If so, what did you do in those situations?

I try to get as close to blood and bone as I can when dealing with certain familial and personal issues/emotions. What’s the point of writing about something and lying about it? Or holding back? Or only going half as deep as you really feel? If I’m going to go deep then I’m going to present whatever I find there the way that it is, whether that’s ugly or embarrassing or painful. I don’t know if I’ve ever gotten to close to a deep nerve for anyone else in my circle. As I’ve pointed out before, almost nobody I might write about reads my stuff. And since they won’t read this either, they still don’t know I’m writing about them or my relationships with them.

If you had to pick one book right now to represent who you are as an author, which one would it be, and why?

Well, since we’re talking who I am now, what I am now, what I think and feel now, then it would have to be The Last Kind Words. It contains the themes and substance and elements that interest me the most at the moment, that have the most powerful draw, the most powerful effect. Most of my work contain similar, if not the same, ingredients, but the stew’s always cooking and changing. An extra dash of salt here or there, a new gravy, a new garnish.

You’ve often said that you didn’t choose writing – writing chose you. Do you wish something else had chosen you instead? If so, what?

Monarchism. I’d like to rule the nation with an iron hand.

Let’s say that The Last Kind Words becomes the breakout hit that you deserve, and Hollywood comes calling. To me, the important thing about a Tom Piccirilli movie wouldn’t be the cast, it would be the screenwriter and director adapting the work. Who do you think could capture your unique sensibilities and voice and bring a faithful adaptation to the screen?

If I could choose anyone I think I’d choose (David) Fincher. The man’s a genius, especially of dark mood and style. His crime films are among the most effective ever. Seven and Zodiac are two personal favorites, and you could probably say Fight Club fit under the umbrella of “crime,” at least partially. But I wouldn’t kick any Hollywood gun off my futon for eating crackers.

Internet crime in one ‘Click’

A little over a week ago I shared a link with you to a new online horror magazine some very talented people are working to get off the ground. (If you haven’t pledged support to them on their Kickstarter page, I’d like to pause here and ask you to consider doing so. Thanks.) Now I’d like to point you in the direction of an online crime fiction venture that’s already off and running with its second issue now available: The Big Click.

The Big Click is a bi-monthly mag featuring fiction and nonfiction devoted to the crime genre. Contents from the current issue are serialized on the website, and current and back issues are available for downloading at an extremely reasonable price. The first issue, which contains fiction by Ken Bruen and an interview with Joe R. Lansdale, can be had for a buck, and this month’s issue is dirt cheap at $2.99.

These kinds of ventures are popping up like mushrooms as digital publishing continues to gain a foothold, and I for one welcome them with open arms. Affordable, targeted content by talented people with a vision for what’s good and unique – what’s not to love? Let’s help the good ones thrive, shall we?

Ace Atkins hits the road behind new Spenser, Quinn Colson novels

Ace Atkins has a busy month ahead of him.

On May 1, the crime novelist (The Ranger, Infamous, Crossroad Blues and a fistful of others) begins an eight-stop jaunt in support of Lullaby, his first effort as the new scribe behind Robert B. Parker’s popular series of Spenser novels. Atkins was hand-picked by Putnam and the late Parker’s estate to continue the series, and this first book is getting good early reviews. Of course, the real reaction everyone is waiting for is what happens when the die-hard Spenser fans get hold of the book. If Atkins can please them and manage to construct a fresh take that doesn’t feel like a stale retread – a fine line, to be sure – then it will be a job well done. Having read a good bit of Atkins’ work, I think the series is in good hands, and I hope this opens up a whole new fanbase for him.

A few weeks later – beginning on May 31, to be exact – Atkins will be on tour again, this time supporting The Lost Ones, the second book in his own Quinn Colson series. Atkins introduced Colson, a former Army Ranger who returns home to Mississippi to find a county overrun with corruption and violence, in last year’s well-received book The Ranger. The Lost Ones finds Colson, who is now the sheriff of troubled Tibbehah County, trying to bust up a bootleg baby racket that’s taken root in his own backyard. The Ranger was a fun read, and there’s a lot of potential for some good Southern noir in the series and the setting. Atkins lives in Mississippi and is a former crime reporter, so he knows of what he writes, and I’m anticipating great things from the Colson books to come.

Below is the full list of tour dates, ripped straight from the author’s website. If he’s coming to your area, make the time to stop by and try one of his books. He’s a personable guy, takes the time to really have a conversation with his fans at these signings, and he’s a helluva writer.

Lullaby Tour, Summer 2012
Tuesday, May 1: New York, New York | Mysterious Bookshop
Wednesday, May 2: New York, New York
Thursday, May 3, 4:30 p.m.: Boston, Massachusetts | Project Jumpstart
Friday, May 4, 7:00 p.m.: Boston, Massachusetts | Porter Square Books
Saturday, May 5, 2:00 pm: Minneapolis, Minnesota | Once Upon A Crime
Sunday: May 6, 12:30 p.m.: Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Mystery One
Monday: May 7, 7:30 p.m.: Denver, Colorado | Tattered Cover
Tuesday, May 8, 7:00 p.m.: Scottsdale, Arizona | Poisoned Pen

The Lost Ones Tour, Summer 2012
Thursday, May 31: Oxford, Mississippi | Square Books
Friday, June 1: Birmingham, Alabama | Books-A-Million
Saturday, June 2: Houston, Texas | Murder By The Book
Sunday, June 3: New Orleans, Louisiana | Faulkner House
Tuesday, June 5: Memphis, Tennessee | The Booksellers at Laurelwood
Wednesday, June 6: Austin, Texas | BookPeople
Thursday, June 7: St. Louis, Missouri | Library Event
Friday, June 8: Nashville, Tennessee | Parnassus Books
Saturday, June 9: Montgomery, Alabama | Capitol Book & News
Wednesday, June 13: Jackson, Mississippi | Lemuria
Thursday, June 14: Tampa, Florida | Inkwood
Thursday, June 14: St. Petersburg, Florida | Haslam’s

So, what are your thoughts on characters like Spenser continuing on without the original author? Good idea, if in the right hands? Greedy cash grab? Blasphemy? Personally, I like the idea of having other authors interpret established characters – imagine Neil Gaiman writing a “Dark Tower” novel, or Michael Crichton’s take on James Bond. You still have the originals if that’s all you want, but you can also get different perspectives on your tried-and-true favorites.

What do you think?