Hard Case Crime, Part 4
11-05-18, 10:31 AM
#451
DVD Talk Reviewer Emeritus
Thread Starter
Re: Hard Case Crime, Part 4
And then, in April 2019, an original: A BLOODY BUSINESS by Dylan Struzan
ON THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF PROHIBITION, LEARN WHAT REALLY HAPPENED.
In 1919, the National Prohibition Act was passed, making it illegal across America to produce, distribute, or sell liquor. With this act, the U.S. Congress also created organized crime as we know it. Italian, Jewish, and Irish mobs sprang up to supply the suddenly illegal commodity to the millions of people still eager to drink it. Men like Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky, Dutch Schultz and Bugsy Siegel, Al Capone in Chicago and Nucky Johnson in Atlantic City, waged a brutal war for power in the streets and on the waterfronts. But if you think you already know this story...think again, since you’ve never seen it through the eyes of one the mobsters who lived it.
Called "one of the most significant organized crime figures in the United States" by the U.S. District Attorney, Vincent "Jimmy Blue Eyes" Alo was just 15 years old when Prohibition became law. Over the next decade, Alo would work side by side with Lansky and Luciano as they navigated the brutal underworld of bootlegging, thievery and murder. Alo’s later career included prison time and the ultimate Mob tribute: being immortalized as "Johnny Ola" in The Godfather, Part II.
Introduced to the 91-year-old Alo living in retirement in Florida, Dylan Struzan based this book on more than 50 hours of recorded testimony—stories Alo had never shared, and that he forbid her to publish until "after I’m gone." Alo died, peacefully, two months short of his 97th birthday. And now his stories—bracing and violent, full of intrigue and betrayal, hunger and hubris—can finally be told.
* First publication ever!
* At nearly 200,000 words, this is the longest book Hard Case Crime has ever published, covering the entire 13 years of Prohibition, 1920-1933
* With cover art and 24 interior illustrations by Drew Struzan, one of the most acclaimed movie poster painters of all time
ON THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF PROHIBITION, LEARN WHAT REALLY HAPPENED.
In 1919, the National Prohibition Act was passed, making it illegal across America to produce, distribute, or sell liquor. With this act, the U.S. Congress also created organized crime as we know it. Italian, Jewish, and Irish mobs sprang up to supply the suddenly illegal commodity to the millions of people still eager to drink it. Men like Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky, Dutch Schultz and Bugsy Siegel, Al Capone in Chicago and Nucky Johnson in Atlantic City, waged a brutal war for power in the streets and on the waterfronts. But if you think you already know this story...think again, since you’ve never seen it through the eyes of one the mobsters who lived it.
Called "one of the most significant organized crime figures in the United States" by the U.S. District Attorney, Vincent "Jimmy Blue Eyes" Alo was just 15 years old when Prohibition became law. Over the next decade, Alo would work side by side with Lansky and Luciano as they navigated the brutal underworld of bootlegging, thievery and murder. Alo’s later career included prison time and the ultimate Mob tribute: being immortalized as "Johnny Ola" in The Godfather, Part II.
Introduced to the 91-year-old Alo living in retirement in Florida, Dylan Struzan based this book on more than 50 hours of recorded testimony—stories Alo had never shared, and that he forbid her to publish until "after I’m gone." Alo died, peacefully, two months short of his 97th birthday. And now his stories—bracing and violent, full of intrigue and betrayal, hunger and hubris—can finally be told.
* First publication ever!
* At nearly 200,000 words, this is the longest book Hard Case Crime has ever published, covering the entire 13 years of Prohibition, 1920-1933
* With cover art and 24 interior illustrations by Drew Struzan, one of the most acclaimed movie poster painters of all time
11-06-18, 10:35 AM
#452
Moderator
Re: Hard Case Crime, Part 4
Great news 
Glad to see another Westlake added to the HCC cannon. Brothers Keepers has been out of print since the early 80s I believe.
That Struzan books is mammoth and I thought Ariel Winter's The Twenty-Year Death was long.
Glad to see another Westlake added to the HCC cannon. Brothers Keepers has been out of print since the early 80s I believe.
That Struzan books is mammoth and I thought Ariel Winter's The Twenty-Year Death was long.
11-06-18, 10:40 AM
#453
DVD Talk Reviewer Emeritus
Thread Starter
Re: Hard Case Crime, Part 4
And check out this interesting news today ...
STEPHEN KING’S THE COLORADO KID RETURNS AFTER A DECADE IN BRAND-NEW ILLUSTRATED EDITION!
On an island off the coast of Maine, a man is found dead. There’s no identification on the body. Only the dogged work of a pair of local newspapermen and a graduate student in forensics turns up any clues, and it’s more than a year before the man is identified.
And that’s just the beginning of the mystery. Because the more they learn about the man and the baffling circumstances of his death, the less they understand. Was it an impossible crime? Or something stranger still...?
No one but Stephen King could tell this story about the darkness at the heart of the unknown and our compulsion to investigate the unexplained. With echoes of Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon and the work of Graham Greene, one of the world’s great storytellers presents a moving and surprising tale whose subject is nothing less than the nature of mystery itself...
*First appearance in bookstores in a decade, and first ever in trade paperback format
*Featuring a new painted cover by Paul Mann and 20 new interior illustrations by Mann, Mark Summers, Mark Edward Geyer, and Kate Kelton
*Afterword by Stephen King, introduction by Hard Case Crime editor Charles Ardai
*THE COLORADO KID was the inspiration for the TV series Haven, which ran for 6 years on the SyFy Network
STEPHEN KING’S THE COLORADO KID RETURNS AFTER A DECADE IN BRAND-NEW ILLUSTRATED EDITION!
On an island off the coast of Maine, a man is found dead. There’s no identification on the body. Only the dogged work of a pair of local newspapermen and a graduate student in forensics turns up any clues, and it’s more than a year before the man is identified.
And that’s just the beginning of the mystery. Because the more they learn about the man and the baffling circumstances of his death, the less they understand. Was it an impossible crime? Or something stranger still...?
No one but Stephen King could tell this story about the darkness at the heart of the unknown and our compulsion to investigate the unexplained. With echoes of Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon and the work of Graham Greene, one of the world’s great storytellers presents a moving and surprising tale whose subject is nothing less than the nature of mystery itself...
*First appearance in bookstores in a decade, and first ever in trade paperback format
*Featuring a new painted cover by Paul Mann and 20 new interior illustrations by Mann, Mark Summers, Mark Edward Geyer, and Kate Kelton
*Afterword by Stephen King, introduction by Hard Case Crime editor Charles Ardai
*THE COLORADO KID was the inspiration for the TV series Haven, which ran for 6 years on the SyFy Network
11-09-18, 07:28 AM
#454
Moderator
Re: Hard Case Crime, Part 4
Meh, cash grab for the holiday season I suppose. I like the cover art, but not enough to get me to purchase a 3rd version of this book. I already have the limited HB and the first illustrated HB.
03-07-19, 11:47 AM
#457
DVD Talk Reviewer Emeritus
Thread Starter
Re: Hard Case Crime, Part 4
So what have been some favorite HCC titles over the past year or so? I confess the only one I've had time for lately is CHARLESGATE CONFIDENTIAL.
Last edited by Jason Bovberg; 04-30-20 at 04:42 PM.
04-02-19, 11:36 AM
#458
Moderator
Re: Hard Case Crime, Part 4
Email from Charles went out today. Nothing necessarily new - references the Struzan, King and Oates books that are due soon.
Friends --
It's been 6 months since we last wrote to you, and there's a lot to report -- starting with Hard Case Crime's biggest book ever, a 640-page historical novel telling the story of Prohibition and the rise of organized crime in America. A BLOODY BUSINESS by Dylan Struzan is an irresistible read, full of can't-put-it-down stories of gangsters, bootlegging, mob battles, rubouts, heists, tommyguns, and personalities as big as Lucky Luciano and Al Capone. The book is lavishly illustrated with more than two dozen pieces of original art by the author's husband, Drew Struzan, who is one of the most acclaimed movie poster painters in Hollywood history (you know his work from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, and more). And best of all, all the stories in the book were told to Dylan by an elderly ex-mobster, living in retirement in Florida, who was a teenager during Prohibition and actually lived through all the events in the book! I like to think all our books are exciting, but this one is very special and one you won't want to miss.
What else is special? Well, Stephen King is returning to Hard Case Crime with THE COLORADO KID, a story he originally wrote for us back in 2005 but hasn't allowed to be published for more than 10 years! It was the inspiration for the TV series Haven and won raves all over the place, but you haven't been able to buy a copy in stores for a decade. On May 7th, that all changes. And like A BLOODY BUSINESS, this new edition of THE COLORADO KID is also lavishly illustrated, with 21 brand new pieces of art by four artists -- including Kate Kelton, who is also an actress and played the part of Jordan on Haven!
Already in stores now is Donald E. Westlake's delicious tale of monks in Manhattan, fighting to save their monastery from being torn down by a rapacious real estate developer, BROTHERS KEEPERS. And coming in July is an amazing discovery by Joyce Carol Oates, one of the most revered authors of the past century, THE TRIUMPH OF THE SPIDER MONKEY (inspired by the same set of events that inspired Quentin Tarantino's new movie, and hitting bookstores just 10 days before the movie!).
And there's more, lots more, which we'll let you know about when warmer weather comes. But now's already a good time to stock up on beach reading! If you have a moment, we'd be very grateful if you'd pre-order some of these books: Dylan's, Steve's, Joyce's...they're all wonderful. You're not just doing us a favor -- you're doing yourself one.
Warmest regards,
Charles
It's been 6 months since we last wrote to you, and there's a lot to report -- starting with Hard Case Crime's biggest book ever, a 640-page historical novel telling the story of Prohibition and the rise of organized crime in America. A BLOODY BUSINESS by Dylan Struzan is an irresistible read, full of can't-put-it-down stories of gangsters, bootlegging, mob battles, rubouts, heists, tommyguns, and personalities as big as Lucky Luciano and Al Capone. The book is lavishly illustrated with more than two dozen pieces of original art by the author's husband, Drew Struzan, who is one of the most acclaimed movie poster painters in Hollywood history (you know his work from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, and more). And best of all, all the stories in the book were told to Dylan by an elderly ex-mobster, living in retirement in Florida, who was a teenager during Prohibition and actually lived through all the events in the book! I like to think all our books are exciting, but this one is very special and one you won't want to miss.
What else is special? Well, Stephen King is returning to Hard Case Crime with THE COLORADO KID, a story he originally wrote for us back in 2005 but hasn't allowed to be published for more than 10 years! It was the inspiration for the TV series Haven and won raves all over the place, but you haven't been able to buy a copy in stores for a decade. On May 7th, that all changes. And like A BLOODY BUSINESS, this new edition of THE COLORADO KID is also lavishly illustrated, with 21 brand new pieces of art by four artists -- including Kate Kelton, who is also an actress and played the part of Jordan on Haven!
Already in stores now is Donald E. Westlake's delicious tale of monks in Manhattan, fighting to save their monastery from being torn down by a rapacious real estate developer, BROTHERS KEEPERS. And coming in July is an amazing discovery by Joyce Carol Oates, one of the most revered authors of the past century, THE TRIUMPH OF THE SPIDER MONKEY (inspired by the same set of events that inspired Quentin Tarantino's new movie, and hitting bookstores just 10 days before the movie!).
And there's more, lots more, which we'll let you know about when warmer weather comes. But now's already a good time to stock up on beach reading! If you have a moment, we'd be very grateful if you'd pre-order some of these books: Dylan's, Steve's, Joyce's...they're all wonderful. You're not just doing us a favor -- you're doing yourself one.
Warmest regards,
Charles
07-10-19, 10:44 AM
#459
Moderator
Re: Hard Case Crime, Part 4
Another Quarry - due in November
Another Westlake - due in February
DePalma(!) - due in March
Another Westlake - due in February
DePalma(!) - due in March
WHO PUT QUARRY IN THE CROSSHAIRS?
Formerly a Marine sniper in Vietnam, the man known professionally as Quarry has spent the past decade killing for money, first in the service of an agent called the Broker, and then as a freelance hitman. But he’s always been on the right side of those contract kills—until now.
It seems someone has taken out a contract on Quarry himself. But who? And why? And how does a mysterious figure from his past figure in? Quarry will find the answer—or die trying.
Since his first appearance in 1976, Quarry has been the star of a Cinemax TV series, a graphic novel (Quarry’s War), and a dozen other novels. But he’s never faced an assignment deadlier or more personal than this...
Formerly a Marine sniper in Vietnam, the man known professionally as Quarry has spent the past decade killing for money, first in the service of an agent called the Broker, and then as a freelance hitman. But he’s always been on the right side of those contract kills—until now.
It seems someone has taken out a contract on Quarry himself. But who? And why? And how does a mysterious figure from his past figure in? Quarry will find the answer—or die trying.
Since his first appearance in 1976, Quarry has been the star of a Cinemax TV series, a graphic novel (Quarry’s War), and a dozen other novels. But he’s never faced an assignment deadlier or more personal than this...
- First publication ever!
- Featuring the return of a character not seen since QUARRY’S DEAL in 1976
THE MOVIE STAR AND THE MOVIE CRITIC—
HOW FAR WOULD THEY GO
TO KEEP THEIR SECRETS BURIED?
Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Donald E. Westlake was also an Academy Award Nominee—for the screenplay of The Grifters—and a lifelong fan of the movies. So it’s no surprise that some of his most brilliant writing intersected with Hollywood in unexpected and unforgettable ways.
In New York City, a movie critic has just murdered his girlfriend—well, one of his girlfriends (not to be confused with his wife). Will the unlikely crime-solving partnership he forms with the investigating police detective keep him from the film noir ending he deserves?
On the opposite coast, movie star Dawn Devayne—the hottest It Girl in Hollywood—gets a visit from a Navy sailor who says he knew her when she was just ordinary Estelle Anlic of San Diego. Now she’s a big star who’s put her past behind her. But secrets have a way of not staying buried...
These two short novels, one hilarious and one heartbreaking, are two of the best works Westlake ever wrote. And fittingly, both became movies—one starring Jack Ryan’s Marie-Josee Croze, and one starring Fargo’s William H. Macy and Desperate Housewives’ Felicity Huffman.
HOW FAR WOULD THEY GO
TO KEEP THEIR SECRETS BURIED?
Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Donald E. Westlake was also an Academy Award Nominee—for the screenplay of The Grifters—and a lifelong fan of the movies. So it’s no surprise that some of his most brilliant writing intersected with Hollywood in unexpected and unforgettable ways.
"One of the great writers of the 20th Century."
—Newsweek
—Newsweek
In New York City, a movie critic has just murdered his girlfriend—well, one of his girlfriends (not to be confused with his wife). Will the unlikely crime-solving partnership he forms with the investigating police detective keep him from the film noir ending he deserves?
On the opposite coast, movie star Dawn Devayne—the hottest It Girl in Hollywood—gets a visit from a Navy sailor who says he knew her when she was just ordinary Estelle Anlic of San Diego. Now she’s a big star who’s put her past behind her. But secrets have a way of not staying buried...
These two short novels, one hilarious and one heartbreaking, are two of the best works Westlake ever wrote. And fittingly, both became movies—one starring Jack Ryan’s Marie-Josee Croze, and one starring Fargo’s William H. Macy and Desperate Housewives’ Felicity Huffman.
- First appearance in bookstores in 40 years!
- Donald E. Westlake won every major award in the mystery genre and gained fame both under his own name and writing as "Richard Stark"
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF SCARFACE AND DRESSED TO KILL—
A FEMALE REVENGE STORY
When the beautiful young videographer offered to join his campaign, Senator Lee Rogers should’ve known better. But saying no would have taken a stronger man than Rogers, with his ailing wife and his robust libido. Enter Barton Brock, the senator’s fixer. He’s already gotten rid of one troublesome young woman—how hard could this new one turn out to be?
Pursued from Washington D.C. to the streets of Paris, 18-year-old Fanny Cours knows her reputation and budding career are on the line. But what she doesn’t realize is that her life might be as well...
A FEMALE REVENGE STORY
When the beautiful young videographer offered to join his campaign, Senator Lee Rogers should’ve known better. But saying no would have taken a stronger man than Rogers, with his ailing wife and his robust libido. Enter Barton Brock, the senator’s fixer. He’s already gotten rid of one troublesome young woman—how hard could this new one turn out to be?
Pursued from Washington D.C. to the streets of Paris, 18-year-old Fanny Cours knows her reputation and budding career are on the line. But what she doesn’t realize is that her life might be as well...
- The first novel from the legendary film director and a former editor of the New York Times
- Brian de Palma’s more than thirty films include Carrie, Scarface, The Untouchables, Dressed to Kill, Body Double, Blow Out, and the original Mission: Impossible
- Original cover painting by Paul Mann
07-12-19, 06:20 AM
#460
Re: Hard Case Crime, Part 4
I was excited about the DePalma book and then I realized that his weakest scripts over the years are the ones he wrote, -they're great for directorial flourish, but short on logic. Perhaps the co-writer will provide the logic.
03-23-20, 09:22 AM
#464
DVD Talk Reviewer Emeritus
Thread Starter
Re: Hard Case Crime, Part 4
Arriving in August! First publication anywhere.
"This new collection contains 20 stories, including classics of the genre and rare, little-known gems such as the title story, Bradbury’s first published mystery. A number of the stories were adapted by the author for his popular TV series, The Ray Bradbury Theater, and fans of Bradbury’s work will recognize his touch with crime stories about circus sideshow performers and ventriloquists’ dummies, sunken cathedrals, time travelers, and robots that look just like people. But they will also discover plenty that is startling and unfamiliar, such as the original short story that inspired a portion of Bradbury’s famous novel Dandelion Wine, as well as that story’s dark and psychologically disturbing sequel, written at the prompting of no less a figure in the mystery field than Ellery Queen."
"This new collection contains 20 stories, including classics of the genre and rare, little-known gems such as the title story, Bradbury’s first published mystery. A number of the stories were adapted by the author for his popular TV series, The Ray Bradbury Theater, and fans of Bradbury’s work will recognize his touch with crime stories about circus sideshow performers and ventriloquists’ dummies, sunken cathedrals, time travelers, and robots that look just like people. But they will also discover plenty that is startling and unfamiliar, such as the original short story that inspired a portion of Bradbury’s famous novel Dandelion Wine, as well as that story’s dark and psychologically disturbing sequel, written at the prompting of no less a figure in the mystery field than Ellery Queen."
08-03-20, 10:30 AM
#466
DVD Talk Reviewer Emeritus
Thread Starter
Re: Hard Case Crime, Part 4
SOMETIMES GROWING UP
MEANS FACING YOUR DEMONS
The son of a struggling single mother, Jamie Conklin just wants an ordinary childhood. But Jamie is no ordinary child. Born with an unnatural ability his mom urges him to keep secret, Jamie can see what no one else can see and learn what no one else can learn. But the cost of using this ability is higher than Jamie can imagine—as he discovers when an NYPD detective draws him into the pursuit of a killer who has threatened to strike from beyond the grave.
LATER is Stephen King at his finest, a terrifying and touching story of innocence lost and the trials that test our sense of right and wrong. With echoes of King’s classic novel It, LATER is a powerful, haunting, unforgettable exploration of what it takes to stand up to evil in all the faces it wears.
- The new novel by the world’s most popular author—first publication anywhere!
- Featuring an original cover painting by Paul Mann
- Will also be available as a limited-edition hardcover with two cover paintings by Gregory Manchess
NEW STEPHEN KING NOVEL, LATER,
COMING FROM HARD CASE CRIME
LATER to be published in March 2021
COMING FROM HARD CASE CRIME
LATER to be published in March 2021
New York, NY; London, UK (August 3, 2020)—Hard Case Crime, the award-winning line of pulp-styled crime novels published by Titan Books, today announced it will publish LATER, a brand-new novel by Stephen King, in March 2021. LATER tells the story of Jamie Conklin, a boy whose unusual abilities could aid his single mom and her police detective lover—but only at a terrible cost. One of the most beloved storytellers of all time, Stephen King is the world’s best-selling novelist, with more than 350 million books in print.
Called "the best new American publisher to appear in the last decade" by Neal Pollack in The Stranger, Hard Case Crime revives the storytelling and visual style of the pulp paperbacks of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. The line features an exciting mix of lost pulp masterpieces from some of the most acclaimed crime writers of all time and gripping new novels from the next generation of great hardboiled authors, all with new painted covers in the grand pulp style. Authors have ranged from literary figures such as Joyce Carol Oates and Gore Vidal to giants of the mystery genre such as James M. Cain, Erle Stanley Gardner, and Mickey Spillane, as well as film directors Brian De Palma and Samuel Fuller, titans of speculative fiction such as Ray Bradbury and Michael Crichton, and numerous Grand Masters of the Mystery Writers of America including Donald E. Westlake, Lawrence Block, and Ed McBain.
LATER is the third book Stephen King has written for Hard Case Crime. Both of the previous two, THE COLORADO KID and JOYLAND, were New York Times bestsellers.
Stephen King commented, "I love the Hard Case format, and this story—combining a boy who sees beyond our world and strong elements of crime and suspense—seemed a perfect fit."
"LATER is a beautiful story about growing up and facing your demons—whether they’re metaphorical or (as sometimes happens when you’re in a Stephen King novel) the real thing," said Charles Ardai, the Edgar Award-winning editor of Hard Case Crime. "It’s terrifying, tender, heartbreaking and honest, and we’re so excited to bring it to readers."
Like Stephen King’s previous books for Hard Case Crime, LATER will be published initially as a paperback original, featuring an original cover painting by Paul Mann. This edition will be followed by a limited-edition hardcover that will feature two new cover paintings by award-winning artist Gregory Manchess, one for LATER itself and one for a fictitious novel within the novel that features prominently in the plot. An ebook edition of LATER will also be available.
08-24-20, 09:57 AM
#468
DVD Talk Reviewer Emeritus
Thread Starter
Re: Hard Case Crime, Part 4
This one's on shelves now. I wanted to purchase it from a local store, even a Barnes & Noble, but I couldn't find it anywhere. Ended up going the Amazon route. There's probably a few factors right now getting in the way of availability--COVID and the high price tag ($39.95!) being two--but I thought Bradbury's 100th birthday would get this out more widely. At any rate, it looks like an excellently curated collection, so seek it out and support HCC!
11-10-20, 01:48 PM
#472
DVD Talk Reviewer Emeritus
Thread Starter
Re: Hard Case Crime, Part 4
Barnes & Noble just slashed the prices of 21 Hard Case Crime titles. Check out the sale here.
12-07-20, 12:53 PM
#475
DVD Talk Reviewer Emeritus
Thread Starter
Re: Hard Case Crime, Part 4
A note from Hard Case Crime about that one. "Following the publication of SKIM DEEP (December 2020), Hard Case Crime will be publishing new paperback editions of all the original Nolan novels, two in each volume: TWO FOR THE MONEY, DOUBLE DOWN, TOUGH TENDER, and MAD MONEY."
