My latest book, LAGNIAPPE, is out!

Hi folks,

I’m pleased to announce the release of my new collection of stories, Lagniappe.

Click here

Twenty years after the publication of his first short story collection, Monday’s Meal, Les Edgerton delivers the goods once again in this collection of harrowing tales of outlaws, ex-cons, frightened men and women, rap-partners throwing back tall boys and taller tales, children forced to become killers, stabbings and shootings, bad asses and sad asses…a wide-ranging collection of distinct and memorable characters who will exhibit a kind of wisdom not obtainable from the halls of academia. This is not a gathering of people contemplating their navels but real people facing the consequences of their actions…and it ain’t often pretty.

Praise for Les Edgerton…

“Les Edgerton has swiftly become my favorite crime writer. Original voice, uncompromising attitude and a pure hardboiled style leap him to the front ranks of my reading list. He will become legendary.” —Joe R. Lansdale, author of Paradise Sky, The Bottoms, Edge of Dark Water, The Thicket, and the Hap and Leonard series, the books behind the TV series of the same name, and many others.

“Reading Les Edgerton’s stories is like listening to those old World War II broadcasts from the London blitz, with the reporter crouching under a restaurant table, microphone in hand, while the bombs drop on the city and the ceiling caves in. Edgerton reports on the world and the news is not good. There’s a kind of wacky wisdom in these bulletins from the underside of life; the stories are full of people you hope never move in next door, for whom ordinary life is an impossible dream. This is good fiction; Edgerton writes lean and nasty prose.” —Dr. Francois Camoin, Director, Graduate School of English, University of Utah and author of Benbow and Paradise, Like Love, But Not Exactly, Deadly Virtues, The End of the World Is Los Angeles and Why Men Are Afraid of Women.

“Les Edgerton is the new High King of Noir.” —Ken Bruen, author of The Emerald Lie, The Guards, Pimp, and many others.

For MONDAY’S MEAL

The sad wives, passive or violent husbands, parolees, alcoholics and other failures in Leslie H. Edgerton's short-story collection are pretty miserable people. And yet misery does have its uses. Raymond Carver elevated the mournful complaints of the disenfranchised in his work, and Edgerton makes an admirable attempt to do the same. He brings to this task an unerring ear for dialogue and a sure-handed sense of place (particularly New Orleans, where many of the stories are set). Edgerton has affection for even his most despicable characters—"boring" Robert, who pours scalding water over his sleeping wife in "The Last Fan"; Jake, the musician responsible for his own daughter's death in "The Jazz Player"; and Tommy in 'I Shoulda Seen a Credit Arranger," whose plan to get hold of some money involves severing the arm of a rich socialite—but he never takes the reader past the brink of horrible fascination into a deeper understanding. In the best story, "My Idea of a Nice Thing," a woman named Raye tells us why she drinks: "My job. I'm a hairdresser. See, you take on all of these other people's personalities and troubles and things, 10 or 12 of 'em a day, and when the end of the day comes, you don't know who you are anymore. It takes three drinks just to sort yourself out again." Here Edgerton grants both the reader and Raye the grace of irony, and without his authorial intrusion, we find ourselves caring about her predicament.—Denise Gess. The New York Times Book Review, November 16, 1997

Hope you enjoy the read! If you do, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. That’s probably the best thing a reader can do for a writer they like. I’d really appreciate your support!

Blue skies,

Les

Preorder info for my new book, LAGNIAPPE

Hi folks,

For those who like to be the first in on a new book, my new collection of short stories, titled LAGNIAPPE, published by Down & Out Books, is available for preorder. It becomes available on June 12. The more people who preorder it, the faster start out of the chute it can make and all that's good for me, so...

Here's the info on how to glom onto either an ebook or paperback version.

For Paperback, click here.

For Ebook, click here.

The skinny on it...

Twenty years after the publication of his first short story collection, Monday’s Meal, Les Edgerton delivers the goods once again in this collection of harrowing tales of outlaws, ex-cons, frightened men and women, rap-partners throwing back tall boys and taller tales, children forced to become killers, stabbings and shootings, bad asses and sad asses…a wide-ranging collection of distinct and memorable characters who will exhibit a kind of wisdom not obtainable from the halls of academia. This is not a gathering of people contemplating their navels but real people facing the consequences of their actions…and it ain’t often pretty.

Praise for Les Edgerton…

“Les Edgerton has swiftly become my favorite crime writer. Original voice, uncompromising attitude and a pure hardboiled style leap him to the front ranks of my reading list. He will become legendary.” —Joe R. Lansdale, author of Paradise Sky, The Bottoms, Edge of Dark Water, The Thicket, and the Hap and Leonard series, the books behind the TV series of the same name, and many others.

“Reading Les Edgerton’s stories is like listening to those old World War II broadcasts from the London blitz, with the reporter crouching under a restaurant table, microphone in hand, while the bombs drop on the city and the ceiling caves in. Edgerton reports on the world and the news is not good. There’s a kind of wacky wisdom in these bulletins from the underside of life; the stories are full of people you hope never move in next door, for whom ordinary life is an impossible dream. This is good fiction; Edgerton writes lean and nasty prose.” —Dr. Francois Camoin, Director, Graduate School of English, University of Utah and author of Benbow and Paradise, Like Love, But Not Exactly, Deadly Virtues, The End of the World Is Los Angeles and Why Men Are Afraid of Women.

“Les Edgerton is the new High King of Noir.” —Ken Bruen, author of The Emerald Lie, The Guards, Pimp, and many others.

Thanks for considering getting a copy. I'm very proud of these stories! Several of them have been nominated for some cool awards so keep your fingers crossed for me!

Blue skies,

Les

I don't know about Joe Lansdale here, but I know that I thank you! As you can see, I'm down to my last cigarette here so if you buy a copy it helps me out in a big way...

Dana King's review of THE BITCH and words from Ken Bruen

Hi folks,

The reviews keep coming in and I'm stoked. Here's one that one of my favorite writers, Dana King, just published on his blog, One Bite at a Time.

One Bite at a Time 

A humble writer, with much to be humble about

2013 was a good year. Kudos for Grind Joint included:

Woody Haut named it one of the fifteen best noir reads in the LA Review of books.

Spinetingler Magazine cited it as among the best crime fiction of 2013

Nick Forte’s debut, A Small Sacrifice, was named runner-up by the Sons of Spade web site.

Thanks to everyone who helped to make 2013 such a great year here at OBAAT, from posters to interviewees to commenters.

Monday, January 27, 2014

The Bitch, by Les Edgerton

 

True noir is hard to find. By “true noir,” I mean the classic story of a person who is not necessarily bad, but can be nudged in that direction, either through opportunity, or forced by events. This person makes decisions that go sour, though the options at the time ranged from bad to worse; the die was cast with the first unfortunate choice. The stories are engrossing because readers can’t help but wonder what they would do in the same situation, and are relieved at the end because they didn’t have to do it.

 

Today we have plenty of neo-noir and “thrillers.” Too much neo-noir consists of bad people reveling in their own depravity. Bad things happen, and they’re often okay with it. The “protagonist” may, or may not, face consequences. Readers rarely empathize, because the reader would never be in circumstances remotely similar; too many unconscionable decisions were made in the backstory. The stories are often more schadenfreude than noir.

Modern thrillers often have protagonists with noir potential, but the opportunity is lost when the protagonist invariably chooses the option most likely to make the situation worse at every opportunity. Readers wonder what they would do for a while, until—if you’re like me—they start to root against the protagonist because he/she’s too dumb to be allowed to reproduce.

 

The Bitch is true noir.

 

Jake is a two-time loser. Another felony conviction will mark him a habitual criminal, which carries an automatic life sentence. (The “bitch” referred to in the title.) He learned to cut hair in prison and found he had a talent for it. He’s gone straight, married a woman who accepts his past and loves him for his present and future, and whose family has done the same. Jake and Paris have saved enough money to open their own shop in a few weeks; Paris is pregnant.

 

Enter Walker Joy, Jake’s old cellmate. Walker saved Jake’s life once in the joint, and he’s calling in the marker. Walker has not gone straight, lost some diamonds, and needs the help of master burglar Jake to make things right. Jake is torn, and doesn’t have as many options as he at first thinks.

 

What happens next put me in mind of the classic A Simple Plan. Decisions are forced on Jake that continue to escalate the situation. He chooses as best he can from limited options, all foul. Every decision is framed by the fact he can never cut his losses and turn himself in; The Bitch looms. Only his conscience acts as a governor on his behavior; the law’s position is set in stone, no matter what else he does.

 

Les Edgerton has written a story that is effective on multiple levels. Time and again the reader will see a new crisis and realize almost simultaneously with Jake what has to be done, cringing as it happens, not knowing what else could be done and still avoid The Bitch, which will cost him Paris and his child forever.

 

As if the engrossing personal situation isn’t enough, Edgerton weaves social commentary into the story without ever preaching about it. Habitual Offender laws have become commonplace, society’s way of dealing with people who just don’t seem to get the message. I had no problem with them—when properly applied—until I read The Bitch and realized a two-time loser has no reason not to go all the way once an act worthy of Strike Three has been committed. He’s already getting the maximum sentence; anything else he does to evade capture is without risk.

The Bitch is a fascinating story of how close any of us might be to the edge, where a single event could change our lives forever for the worse. True, few of us are twice-convicted felons, but it’s only the scale of Jake’s misfortune that differs. We’re all one phone call--chance meeting, lost job, medical emergency, car crash, random act of violence—away from a situation where every option is a bad one, and the most likely favorable outcome is to slow the rate at which your life circles the toilet while hoping for a miracle.

Read The Bitch. If it doesn’t affect you on multiple levels, read it again. You weren’t paying attention the first time.

Thanks, Dana! He made a prescient observation when he compared it to Scott Smith's A SIMPLE PLAN. That's how this novel came to be, actually. Some years ago, my then-agent Jimmy Vines asked me to write a novel along the lines of Smith's book and this was the result. I'm so glad he didn't ask me to write one along the lines of LITTLE WOMEN... That would have been difficult...

If the folks here are looking for some great noir and/or thrillers, check out any of Dana's books--they're superb!

Blue skies,

Les

P.S. This morning, along with seeing this review, I received an email from the great Ken Bruen who had just read THE BITCH and THE RAPIST and, while I hadn't asked him for a blurb--I sent him these two books (via an intro from mutual buddy Larry DeVore) and simply because I just wanted to get on his radar because I respect him so much as a writer--here's what he wrote:

Dear Les

              Thank you so much for the books and the superb novels.

You sure have lived the life and have a nice light touch in describing it.

I loved the novels.

Here is my blurb

 

Les Edgerton is the reincarnation of our beloved Eddie Bunker.

The writing is as tough and tender as Bunker with that wonderful sense of dry humour that underpins even the most violent of scenes.

This guy can write and like a focused Bukowski.

Make no mistake, here is the real deal.

The books cry out for movie deals.

 

Warmest wishes

Ken

 

If you catch me this morning, you'll see me with a grin from ear to ear that I can't wipe off!