In the latest episode of ELLROY READS, I look at one of the most literary influences on James Ellroy’s life and career – The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow. I discuss how Bellow’s classic novel made the young, and as yet unpublished, Ellroy want to become a great literary figure, rather than just a crime writer. I hope you enjoy the episode and please like, comment, subscribe, share etc ..read more

Zero Ri$k arrived in the post with a bunch of books I was asked to review, and my first instinct was to decline. It’s a financial thriller and appeared to be self-published, in a roundabout way through a company owned by the author, and this usually disqualifies a book from being put on my already over-burdened to be read pile. However, something changed my mind. The reader reviews have been excellent, Hayes has a background in the murky world of high finance and clearly knows his stuff, and there’s a book launch at a swanky venue in the City of London next week. In short, there was enough buz ..read more

Valeria Corciolani is an illustrator, teacher and one of the most prominent mystery writers in Italy today. Despite the fact that her novels are popular, well-reviewed and have been adapted into films in her native country only her latest novel, Pentimento Mori, has been translated and published in English. In addition to this startling first, Pentimento Mori is also the first in a new series of mystery novels to feature renowned art historian Dr Edna Silvera. Silvera inadvertantly finds herself playing detective when she discovers a potentially priceless medieval painting in a junk shop whose ..read more

After a short break, during which time I have been filming the ELLROY READS series on YouTube, Dan Slattery and I have brought back our HIGHBROW LOWBROW podcast. If you’re unfamiliar with the podcast, I choose a ‘highbrow’ film and discuss its merits, and then Dan picks a ‘lowbrow’ film broadly on the same topic and argues it’s just as good. Yes, we know these are subjective terms but that’s all part of the fun! If you are already familiar with the podcast, then I hope you enjoy it’s return. Today’s episode is a Hammer Horror Special. My pick is the Bette Davis classic The Nanny, and Dan’s arg ..read more

In the latest episode of ELLROY READS I look at one of the all-time great crime novel series – the 87th Precinct by Ed McBain. I discuss some of the many identities of McBain, focusing specifically on his novel King’s Ransom and its superlative film adaptation High and Low by Akira Kurosawa. Finally, I discuss the considerable impact McBain had on James Ellroy’s work. Hope you enjoy watching and please comment, subscribe, share, like etc ..read more

In the latest episode of ELLROY READS I attempt to solve the mystery as to why James Ellroy never wrote his much-touted novel on President Warren G. Harding. Harding’s life and political career could have made good Ellrovian material for a novel, and Ellroy gleaned most of his knowledge on the man from Francis Russell’s excellent biography The Shadow of Blooming Grove: Warren G. Harding in His Times. Hope you enjoy watching and please comment, subscribe, share, like etc ..read more

In the latest episode of ELLROY READS, I look at The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain. James Ellroy has named The Postman Always Rings Twice as the great Depression-era novel that was the genesis of the Hardboiled school of writing and film noir. The influence of the novel is huge. Hope you enjoy watching and please comment, subscribe, share, like etc ..read more

In the latest episode of ELLROY READS, I look at To Die in Beverly Hills by Gerald Petievich. Petievich’s novels, particularly the quartet of novels featuring Treasury agent Charles Carr, are greatly admired by James Ellroy, and I talk about the connections between Ellroy and Petievich and their friendship. Hope you enjoy watching and please comment, subscribe, share, like etc ..read more

If I could name one True Crime story that deserves more attention it would be the murder of Roy Radin – the Cotton Club case. I say that because the odds are that you probably haven’t heard of it, although kudos to those of you who have. It’s relative anonymity is unusual as it contains more grisly twists and turns than the OJ Simpson trial and, quite frankly, it should be equally ingrained in the public consciousness. It’s a classic American story of Hollywood comebacks turning to scandal, dreams of movie stardom evaporating as drug deals go sour, and finally, murder. Perhaps most notably, th ..read more

In the latest episode of ELLROY READS, I look at James Ellroy’s love of baseball and his admiration for the baseball novels of Mark Harris, specifically Bang the Drum Slowly. I also discuss baseball as a subject in Ellroy’s novel, particularly his portrayal of the Battle of Chavez Ravine in White Jazz. Hope you enjoy watching and please comment, subscribe, share, like etc ..read more