Noir fiction for the modern reader.

Setup On Front Street is now out. It’s my latest novel, a noir tale from the shadows of Key West. But before you rush to buy a copy…

Here’s the deal with this book. It’s the first in a trio of novels set in Key West. What I want to do is lift the veil off this town and reveal it as a true noir city, on a par with Los Angeles, New Orleans, or Miami. You won’t find any margarita-guzzling goofballs in these pages, no clichéd characters.

People have told me not to do this, that readers actually want all that quirky stuff. They tell me readers want to open a book about Key West and feel like they’ve stepped into a Jimmy Buffett song. Word is, readers won’t accept Key West as having a dark center. Well, maybe they’re right, but I’m hoping they’re wrong. I’ve lived here for the better part of 20 years and I can easily say it’s a noir city. Rest assured you will find no Margaritaville stereotypes between these covers. Just noir, baby!

This is not a trilogy in that there’s no continuing story arc. Each novel is a standalone. But there are recurring secondary characters and locales, and of course, Key West itself is a great character in each book.

Now here’s a brief description:

Key West, 1991. Don Roy Doyle is back in town. Tough and quick-witted, he’s fresh out of prison, where he served three years for a diamond swindle. Now he’s back to collect his share of the proceeds, about $200,000, but the money has vanished.

A local family dynasty which has controlled the island’s politics for generations, a cop with a grudge, the FBI, and the Russian mob all have a stake in the action. They’re convinced Cuba is on the verge of “opening up”, and they all want Doyle gone.

In this tightly-knit town, who can be trusted? And how long can Doyle stay alive?

SETUP ON FRONT STREET takes you inside the world of Key West noir, a world tucked way back in the shadows, where the tourists never go.

The print version is $12.95, the ebook is $2.99. Print will be up in a few days. The ebook is available now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Also, if you would be so kind, please go to the CreateSpace Preview Gallery, where there is a gripping excerpt from this novel, and leave a rating. It just takes a second.

There’s an excellent website called whatbookisthat.com, which is primarily a review site. They review many different genres, and I was very pleased when they agreed to have a look at my noir novel, The Take. They gave it an A- and I’m delighted. You can check it out here and when you do, please leave a comment. It will really, really help out.

The folks over at PowderBurnFlash.com have been kind enough to publish one of my very short stories, called Ringtone. It’s there now. Go there and leave a comment. They’ve published some great crime/noir flash fiction and I’m very pleased to be included on their site.

Mary Pat Hyland has posted an excerpt from my noir short story Block over on her fine website, The Hylander Diner. Block is one of the “three stories from the dark side” which can be found in my very noir collection called Bloodstains On The Wall. Check out the excerpt here, then leave a comment. Mary Pat’s one of the “good guys”, and I’d like us to support her and her website.

Then, of course, after reading the excerpt, if you are so totally electrified, you can get the entire book here in either digital (99¢) or paperback ($9.95).

A kind of last-minute thing happened whereby I’ll be appearing on KONK-AM this morning at 10:30 EDT. I’m going to be discussing my books, especially the just-about-to-be-released Key West noir novel, Setup On Front Street. I know, I know, it’s only 20 minutes from now, but you can check out a live video feed of it by going here. If you don’t read this in time, no problem. The shows are archived, so you can watch it later, then have friends over to analyze the show, then post about it on Facebook, then write an essay on it, then see which other kids on your block watched it, then prepare for next April 27 to throw an anniversary party.

Nadine Earnshaw has featured an interview with me on her great website Indie Ebooks, along with a nice excerpt from Bloodstains On The Wall. Check it out, and while you’re there, look over the entire site. She’s got lots of different genres…something for everyone.

The good folks over at DailyCheapReads.com have posted a little feature on my noir novel, The Take. This is pretty amazing, since they usually feature only very inexpensive books. The Take weighs in at $4.79 for the digital version and $12.95 for the paperback (both prices set by my publisher). They’ve got a great site going over there at DailyCheapReads. Check it out here.

The Caffeinated Diva has weighed in on Bloodstains On The Wall, and she…well, I’ll let her tell you. Go here.

Syria Evans has just posted an interview I did with her on her good-looking website syriasays.com. Check it out. It’s worth the visit because she has a lot of other very interesting stuff on there, too. Her reviews are quite thoughtful, and she features blogs from other authors. It’s a good boost not only to my books, but to noir fiction in general. All very nice. Thanks, Syria.

My short story collection, Bloodstains On The Wall/Three Stories From The Dark Side, is now available in print, thanks to Amazon’s CreateSpace. Copies are available for only $9.95. Signed copies will soon be available from this website, but for now, it’s CreateSpace, specifically here. The back cover, which had to be specially designed for the print version, was done by Jeroen ten Berge, who did a terrific job.

These are three stories which will escort you to the other side of the human condition. I recommend them (now wasn’t that a surprise?).