RAMPAGE!!!

No that’s not a Japanese law firm, that was my lunch today. Naomi Hirahara and I got together to discuss our upcoming setting workshop for No Crime Unpublished over sushi. I had Kumamoto oysters (my favorite!) and caged various tasty bites off Naomi’s plate as well. By the time the coffee mochi came, we had managed to come up with something resembling a plan. I think it’s gonna be… Continue

The always informative and entertaining Rap Sheet has been running a brilliant week long list of answers to this simple question:



“What one crime, mystery, or thriller novel do you think has been most unjustly overlooked, criminally forgotten, or underappreciated over the years?”



Virtually everyone in crime fiction has posted their nominations (including your not-so-humble narrator) but be warned. After tomorrow, your to-be-read… Continue

Victor Gischler has proposed an interesting experiment. He’s asking people who are considering buying Vicki Hendricks’ brilliant, compelling and fiercely erotic noir novel CRUEL POETRY to do so via Amazon on May 25th (and if you’re not considering it yet, start now. You won’t be… Continue

Without the (sort of) daily ritual of the Film Noir festival to keep me posting, I’ve allowed myself to get way too lazy about this blog. So, here’s what’s been up at Casa Faust



I’ve been hip deep in the new book, writing and rewriting and trashing big chunks and working through some of the tangles in the story. I’m spending a lot of time doing research in the beautiful downtown library, one of my favorite places on earth. It sometimes feels like I’m winning this fight and other times… Continue

So this was it. The last night of one of the best Film Noir festivals ever. I reconnected with old friends and made some new ones too. I was really sad to see it end, though I was getting pretty sick of popcorn. Anyway, on to the final round.



The Champ: THE GARMENT JUNGLE (NY)

GARMENT JUNGLE starts with a bang when a cranky garment mogul (Lee J. Cobb) tears an inferior dress off sexy model Gloria Pall. The plot is “ripped… Continue

There’s gonna be a great lucha themed signing at Vroman’s in Pasadena this Friday night May 4th. I’ll be there doing my last official HOODTOWN signing before kicking into full on MONEY SHOT mode. Joining me will be:



Dan Madigan and photographer Edward McGinty from the new Rayo/Harper Collins hardcover MONDO LUCHA A GO GO



SoCal art photographer Daniel Chavira - also a contributor to MONDO, and

he'll have his astounding portfolio of lucha portraits on hand. Daniel is on a… Continue

The Champ: THE PEOPLE AGAINST O’HARA (NY)

It’s amazing to me that Spencer Tracy did only one picture in the Film Noir genre. He seemed like such a natural, with his weathered, everyman features and tormented soul. O’HARA is a about a lawyer, but it’s not strictly a courtroom drama. It has a complex and engaging plot, and needless to say, Tracy is wonderful as the retired attorney who agrees to get back in the ring one last time to… Continue