The Venetian Vase
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The Venetian Vase started as a supporting site for two books: 100 American Crime Writers and 100 British Crime Writers. The blog is edited and maintained primarily by Steven and Chris Routledge. Read Book reviews, Interviews, and funny little strolls down the Crime Fiction lane.
The Venetian Vase
6d ago
In the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I look at James Jones’s classic novel From Here to Eternity. I describe how Ellroy discovered the novel at a very young age, and its influence as literary fiction predates Ellroy’s fascination with hardboiled crime fiction. Watch through to the end for a cameo by a (Demon) Dog!
Enjoy the episode, and please comment, share, subscribe etc ..read more
The Venetian Vase
2w ago
In the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I look at the original bestselling Black Dahlia novel True Confessions by John Gregory Dunne. This novel was hugely influential on James Ellroy, even if some of the influences were by default. For instance, the success of True Confessions dissuaded Ellroy from tackling the Dahlia case in his debut novel. Instead, he waited until he was a more experienced writer and we are all the benificiaries of that decision.
Enjoy the episode, and please comment, share, subscribe etc ..read more
The Venetian Vase
3w ago
In the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I look at Mrs Paine’s Garage by Thomas Mallon. This is the first non-fiction book I have covered on Ellroy Reads. It’s a vitally important work that has had a profound affect on Ellroy’s thinking, as it converted him from a conspiratorial view of the Kennedy assassination to one that embraced the lone gunman theory. This impacts how we read Ellroy’s novels today, and how his writing continues to evolve.
I’m not trying to convert anyone myself, but I ask that you leave your preconceptions of the JFK assassination at the door and give Mrs Paine’s Garage ..read more
The Venetian Vase
1M ago
Chicago ’63 is the gripping new novella by Terrence McCauley. If you think you have already read everything there is to read about the assassination of President Kennedy then think again. McCauley sheds new light on the infamous event by focusing on a plot to kill Kennedy in Chicago. It took place one month before Kennedy was shot dead in Dallas.
The protagonist of this story is Secret Service agent Abraham Golden, a thinly-veiled version of the real-life Abraham Bolden, who was the first African-American to be assigned to the Presidential Protective Division. Golden uncovers the Chicago plot ..read more
The Venetian Vase
1M ago
In the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I look at The Digger’s Game by George V. Higgins. I argue that Higgins’ Boston noir dialogue-driven narratives have been a major influence on Ellroy’s writing style, and why Higgins was once the rising star of American crime fiction but never quite fulfilled his commercial potential.
Enjoy the episode, and please comment, share, subscribe etc ..read more
The Venetian Vase
1M ago
I’ve compiled a list for Booklisti of five gripping crime novels which are personal favourites of mine.
Booklisti also invited me to talk about five of my own books.
Enjoy ..read more
The Venetian Vase
1M ago
For the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I look at Portrait in Smoke by Bill S. Ballinger, which Ellroy has described as the ‘ultimate evil woman novel’. I talk a little bit about how Krassy Almauniski is one of the all-time great femme fatale characters, and why the bestselling author Bill S. Ballinger is largely forgotten today.
Enjoy the episode, and please comment, share, subscribe etc ..read more
The Venetian Vase
1M ago
Smoke Kings has the most ingenious premise I have encountered in a crime novel in recent years. Nate Evers is a black political activist. When his cousin is murdered, Evers turns his back on peaceful protest and, with three close associates, begins kidnapping the descendants of hate crime perpetrators and forcing them to confront their past and pay reparations to a community fund. But such a group is bound to make enemies, and Evers and his friends soon find themselves incurring the wrath of a violent white supremacist and a dogged former cop with some racist views of his own. Who will triumph ..read more
The Venetian Vase
1M ago
You may recall I recently started a vodcast. I’ve decided to call it ‘Ellroy Reads’. I’ll be talking about books that were hugely influential on James Ellroy. Here’s the link to the first episode on The Fan Club by Irving Wallace.
Below you’ll find an episode on one of Ellroy’s all-time favourites, Compulsion by Meyer Levin. Please like, comment, share, subscribe etc. And let me know if there any specific books you’d like me to cover ..read more
The Venetian Vase
1M ago
Donald Westlake was one of the most prolific and profound writers of crime fiction in the twentieth century, and a new book by Andy Rohmer provides a comprehensive, highly readable and very entertaining overview of Westlake’s literary and cinematic career. With Flickering Capers – Donald Westlake on Film, author Andy Rohmer looks at every Westlake novel that was adapted into film, comparing the book to its cinematic adaptation. Many of these films will be familiar to both casual and hardcore cineastes. I’m guessing most readers will have seen the delightful Robert Redford caper The Hot Rock, o ..read more