ELLROY READS – Kiss Me, Deadly
In the latest episode of Ellroy Reads, I look at the influence Mickey Spillane, in particular his classic novel Kiss Me, Deadly, had on the young James Ellroy.
Spillane never won over the critics, but his Mike Hammer novels sold in the millions and Ellroy has acknowledged them as an influence. Find out more below:
Highbrow Lowbrow – Christopher Walken Special
The latest episode of Highbrow Lowbrow is a Christopher Walken special. My co-host Dan has he highbrow pick this time with the classic crime drama At Close Range, based on the Johnston gang’s reign of terror in Pennsylvania.
My lowbrow pick is the James Bond film A View to a Kill. Once critically derided, Roger Moore’s swansong as Bond, featuring an unforgettable performance by Walken as the villainous Max Zorin, has become a fan favourite.
You can listen to the episode, and all past episodes here.
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I discuss how Bellow’s classic novel made the young, and as yet unpublished, Ellroy want to become a great literary figure, rather than just a crime writer.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.
Zero Ri$k by Simon Hayes – Review
Zero Ri$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 buzz to make me read it and I’m glad I did.
The story begins on the day after the Brexit referendum in 2016. A group of financiers are still reeling from the double-shock of Britain voting to leave the European Union and the Prime Minister David Cameron (you may be forgiven for forgetting the name, there have been five PMs since him) resigning in the wake of the result. However, the real threat to the global economy comes not from politics, these City traders opine, but from the newly-emerging and increasingly common cyber-attacks. As an academic I can attest to this, cyber-attacks have become a frequent menace to UK universities, as they have to all walks of life in the digital world. The story then jumps forward to the near-future – Christmas, 2024. A global financial meltdown begins when some unknown person or organisation begins adding a zero to the balance of every bank account. Suddenly the rich aren’t rich and the poor ain’t poor, as all the value in stocks, shares and property disappears in the blink of an eye.
Simon Hayes makes good use of this ingenious premise as Zero Ri$k is a gripping financial thriller which is well worth investing your time in.
Pentimento Mori by Valeria Corciolani – Review
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 proprietor has been recently murdered. Becoming a thorn in the side of a public prosecutor and a target of some very dangerous people, Silvera must solve an art mystery to truly understand the price of murder.
I’m delighted that Kazabo publishing have finally translated Valeria Corciolani’s assured, playful and absorbing writing into English. She brings her intricate knowledge and first-class scholarship to produce an art mystery which is as delightfully engaging as it is deliciously fiendish, and I hope that many more Dr Edna Silvera mysteries will be published in the future.
Highbrow Lowbrow: Hammer Horror Special
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 argues that The Woman in Black: Angel of Death is an underrated sequel.
You can find all listening options for the series here.
ELLROY READS King’s Ransom
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.
ELLROY READS – The Postman Always Rings Twice
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.
ELLROY READS – To Die in Beverly Hills
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.
ELLROY READS – Elia Kazan: A Life
In the latest episode of ELLROY READS, I look at one of the all-time great Hollywood memoirs – Elia Kazan: A Life.
Ellroy has read Elia Kazan’s autobiography several times, which, given its 800+ pages, gives you some indication as to how he has looked to the controversial and brilliant Kazan for inspiration.
Hope you enjoy the video and please subscribe, share, hit the like button and share your thoughts with me on the World Wide Web, or by carrier pigeon!
The Venetian Vase 