A.B.PATTERSON - Blog

An excellent crime thriller from an ex-cop - "Among the Shadows" by Bruce Robert Coffin.

17/5/2018

If you follow my blogs then you'll know about my project "Cops Writing Crime" - so far I've collected over 100 crime fiction authors who have been cops or law enforcement. See the page here Also: Cops Writing Crime
I've only read a small handful of these authors, so one of my reading goals for this year was to start getting into the works produced by my fellow former officers from around the world.
So, number one on my Cops Writing Crime TBR pile was Bruce Robert Coffin, a former cop of nearly 30 years service in the US.
Coffin's debut novel is Among the Shadows, and centres on Detective Sergeant John Byron. It sits pretty firmly in the crime thriller camp, and it has that very most important quality any novel in this sub-genre should have - I didn't want to put it down. I don't do spoilers, so you're not going to get bits of the story here. Suffice to say the plot is gripping.
Of course, my interest with my Cops Writing Crime project revolves around the sheer realism cops-turned-authors can, and do, bring to writing crime fiction, whichever sub-genre they're creating in. The great Joseph Wambaugh was my first ever exposure to this, whilst still a serving officer myself. It resonated so much.
Coffin's work is right up there on the realism scale. Hardly surprising given his long service as an officer. But aside from the realistic crime story and details, it is all those brushstrokes of police life that define such writing. Among the Shadows is right up there with Wambaugh in its superb characterization of police and how they interact, both with their "clients" and with each other. And each other on so many levels - professional and personal are inseparable in real police life, and Coffin captures this flawlessly. What's not flawless, of course, are the cops themselves, and again this aspect is perfectly crafted in this novel. The conflicts for the characters here are both external and internal, and drive their motivations, for good and bad. There's no shortage of corruption in this tale, just as there isn't in real policing. No doubt Coffin had to survive that dark side of the Force, and I can relate to that. In fact, every aspect of this novel simply oozes evidence of bearing personal witness.
I really, really enjoyed this novel and Coffin's direct and realistic prose. If you like your police thrillers realistic, it doesn't come better than Bruce Robert Coffin. Read him.
His second novel is out now, so I'm ordering that ASAP.
Cheers,
ABP

A great pulp and fantasy read - Broadswords and Blasters Issue 2!

16/5/2018

Pulp across the spectrum is the name of the game here, and the editors deliver a great selection of work, once again. I really enjoyed Issue 1 of Broadswords and Blasters, so what does one do then? Get online and buy further issues, of course! So I’ve now read # 2 and # 3, with two more on my TBR pile.
So here’s my wrap for # 2. The cross representation of different types of pulp is in full swing again, ranging from fantasy to sci-fi to crime to western. Yes, I did say western: “A Western Promise” by Calvin Demmer is one of my favourites, with the tough man hero having to keep an awful promise whilst fighting aliens – just excellent.
And I’m loving being taken outside of my normal reading zones. I think I mentioned that in my review of Issue 1, but it was certainly reinforced this issue, too. It's even inspired me to put pen to paper, away from my usual hard-boiled PI yarns.
I enjoyed all the stories here. If I were to pick other highlights for me, they were the stand alone tough female protagonist yarns: “The Oath Breaker” by Grey Harlowe, and “The Eye of the Sun” by D.J.Tyrer. I love a kick-arse female lead, and these both served that up. Being a crime writer, the crime sample did it for me, “Kane and Grable” by Michael T. Best, with an ex-girlfriend of an entirely different type! And then up there as equal top billing for me was “The Soul Plantation” by Sara Codair. This was a human/alien story turned on its head, but in the great tradition of an allegory which stirs your inner thoughts and stays with you.
So, Mr Gomez and Mr Mount, bravo again for editing such an excellent magazine.
My review of Issue 3 will follow in a few days.
Cheers,
ABP

Self-published authors - Democracy and free speech versus the Establishment!

11/5/2018

"I'm a self-published author."
Uncomfortable pause.
Sounds like introducing yourself at an AA meeting, doesn't it? We seem to have a similar stigma attached to us.
I haven't tried that line at a bar. I'm guessing I'd bomb out badly. Not that I try lines at bars anymore at my age!
But seriously, there's an epidemic of us, and VIVA US!!!
So my blog today is part of a concerted effort by a group of self-published authors to stand up and shout, "We are writers too. Writing is not owned by the publishing industry, the Establishment."
Now, there are all sorts of aspects of self-publishing that I could discuss, but I'm singling out democracy and free speech. Let me elaborate.
Self-publishing is to writing what the Internet has been to communication: a democratic free-for-all. And YES to democratic free-for-alls! If you can't embrace the finest traditions of western liberal democracy, then go live somewhere else and try that. Perhaps North Korea, or Iran, or Saudi Arabia, or Russia, or China; the list goes on.
Every society in history has expressed its free spirit though its writers. When writers are stopped from expressing themselves, the truths they reveal, in whatever genre they're writing, then fascism creeps in and freedom wilts away. And we should never take that freedom for granted. The camps and the barbed wire soon follow, when we lose sight of liberty and its values.
Self-publishing has become a open avenue for those so inclined, and more power to it. Sure, there's crap out there in the self-published world. But there's crap in the publishing Establishment, too.
The crucial point is this: the traditional publishing Establishment has been an all-powerful censor of what's written and published. But time has moved on. No more can the Establishment have total control over what gets published in books, and therefore what is available to readers everywhere.
This is the true beauty of self-publishing - your voice can be heard. Look, if you want lots of people to buy your writing, you're still going to have to produce good stuff. And so you should. But, and this is the kicker, you now have an avenue to exercise your right to express yourself to readers.
Gone are days of a select group of pretentious, egotistical wankers in the publishing industry determining what our whole society gets to read.
Power to the people, folks!
Cheers,
ABP

A second dose of pulp pleasure - "Pulp Modern" (2,2) edited by Alec Cizak.

7/5/2018

Editor Alec Cizak excels again with Issue # 2 of “Pulp Modern” (volume 2). Every story in this collection of pulp across genres was a great read. One of the features of good pulp writing that I love is the big middle finger it presents to political correctness.
Cizak’s opening editorial is a piece worth reading in itself, as he delivers a succinct and visceral onslaught against the evils of the PC brigades. As he writes, “Honesty is the precise opposite of ‘political correctness’, and that’s the venue I operate in. Corporate-controlled media is garbage.”
Never a truer word spoken on the subject, and long may the likes of such anthologies celebrating raw and honest writing thrive.
As always, I can’t come up with a favourite here, but some choice pieces: Jim Thomsen’s “Black Lab” with the dark humour of violent meth-cookers meeting a Griswald-type family (oh, and the Labrador, of course!); “Eleven Irritated People” by Preston Lang, one of my favourite Indie crime authors, is a delicious twisted take on the jury story; Charles Roland does a great job with his schemers and hustlers in “Quick Cash Fast”; moving to fantasy pulp, Matthew X. Gomez in “A Long Journey’s End” rolls out a kick-arse female warrior to dream about (if you like those sort of women!); and for the dark side of cloning possibilities, “Double Jeopardy” by Susan E. Abramski is a nightmarish treat.
I’ve singled out 5, but all 12 of the stories in this issue are superbly written and a real credit to the pulp tradition.
And if you like the tradition, you simply must start reading “Pulp Modern”.
Cheers,
ABP

Pulp in all its glory and across genres - "Pulp Modern" (2,1) edited by Alec Cizak.

7/5/2018

A belated review (updated from my initial entry on Goodreads).
This was my first go at this anthology magazine, and I'm really, really impressed. I am definitely going to be a regular reader of this one. As I've said before, one of the aspects of anthologies of short fiction I love is the introduction to a wealth of authors new to my reading list. And I certainly was not disappointed here - I'll be searching out individual works from several of the featured writers.
Of course the collection lives up to its "Pulp Modern" title - full of noir, twists and hard-boiled delights. The editor, Alec Cizak, has done a tremendous job collecting the variety of pulp here – all darkness, but with a great ride across different genres. I did enjoy the whole lot, whether crime, horror, or fantasy. Hard to pick a favourite – a common problem I have with anthologies. However, “Lady of the Mask” by L.S.Engler is up there – it’s a dance with terrible twist. “Now is Not a Good Time to Die” by Mark David Adam is great, and a salutary reminder of the perils of picking up in bars! Also really enjoyed “Housewarming” by fellow Aussie, Lucy Kiff – and it’s the neighbours from hell.
Cheers,
ABP

COPS WRITING CRIME - 5 more members join The Squad! We now number 105!

4/5/2018

Today we welcome 3 more American cousins and 2 more British cousins to The Squad, taking us to 105 in number!
That's 105 cops and ex-cops who have taken to writing crime fiction. You won't get more realistic crime tales than those from this Squad!
WOW again! When I started this project I had no idea it would ever grow to this. And I haven't finished yet!

We have joining us today:
1. Marcus Bruning - former officer for nearly 30 years with the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office in the USA.
2. Lissa Marie Redmond - former officer with the City of Buffalo PD in the USA.
3. Kathleen A. Ryan - former officer with the Suffolk County PD on Long Island, USA.
4. Clive Allan - former officer for 30 years with the Sussex Police in the UK.
5. Ian Douthwaite - former officer with the police in the north of the UK, although I'm unsure which police force.

Our Squad now consists of:

49 American
29 British
9 Australian
3 Finnish
3 Canadian
2 New Zealanders
2 Dutch
2 Swedish
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech
1 Russian

I'll keep adding more as I come across them, and if you know of any others please feel free to drop me a line.

Check out The Squad:
Also: Cops Writing Crime

And please remember, my list is only for CRIME FICTION - not all the true crime and/or memoir writing by cops and ex-cops that's out there (as good as so much of that is).

Cheers,
ABP

"Crooked Roads" by Alec Cizak - My review of this superb gritty collection!

29/4/2018

Crooked Roads, by Alec Cizak.
So, so good! I said in my review of Alec Cizak’s novella Down on the Street that I was looking forward to becoming a rusted-on fan of his work, so much did I enjoy that book.
Well, the oxidation process is at full throttle with this awesome collection of short stories. What sordid and seedy slices of modern life get served up here! It doesn’t come much rawer or grittier, and the characterization is simply superb. Mr Cizak makes his views on the evils of political correctness in writing in his foreword to Issue # 2 of Pulp Modern, and he practices exactly what he preaches in his own writing. A fellow writer after my own heart. If you do belong to the PC brigade, who are doing their best to turn our story-telling art into a vomit puddle of vanilla banalities, then I suggest you go elsewhere with your precious sensibilities, because Mr Cizak’s fine, honest prose will have you running in fear from real life, and real writing.
I just wanted this collection to keep going, but I’ll have to settle for getting online and purchasing anything else I can find by Cizak. It is damned hard to pick a favourite in this assembly of social squalidness. “No Hard Feelings” with its clash of social classes is up there. How good is this? “…his daughter wanted to jab him a little the way daughters always jabbed their daddies – with her choice of boyfriend. If the thought of trailer trash corking her didn’t make her daddy break down and cry, she’d go to college and run a few black fellows through her.”
Later, “A Moral Majority” with its tragedy and scathing look at religious hypocrisy is superb, and as relevant as ever the ways things are going. The twists in “My Kind of Town” are brilliant – and it definitely is one of those towns! If I had to pick a favourite, I think it is “Patience”, with a very different take on the cop and prostitute combination. Try this line: “She stuck out her hand in a half-dainty manner, like the streets hadn’t stripped her of an ounce of civility.” No spoilers here, but civility is the last thing on the mind of the young whore, Patience. But the ending is a hell of a scene of raw justice. And the sort of scene that’ll run rampant during those waking moments at 3 a.m.
Fantastic work, Mr Cizak, I’m coming looking for more.

And if you like gutsy, honest writing, don’t forget to sample Pulp Modern magazine – Mr Cizak is the masterful editor of that very fine magazine of pulp and noir.

Cheers,
ABP

COPS WRITING CRIME - 2 more American cousins join The Squad. We are now 100!

19/4/2018

Today we welcome 2 more American cousins to The Squad, and we hit the 100 member mark!!!
That's 100 cops and ex-cops who have taken to writing crime fiction. You won't get more realistic crime tales than those from this Squad!
WOW! When I started this project I had no idea it would ever grow to this. And I haven't finished yet!

We have joining us today:
1. Ed Kelemen - ex. Allegheny County Police in Pennsylvania.
2. J.J.Hensley - ex. US police (but not sure which department) and also ex. US Secret Service.

So, today our 2 new members above join The Squad, now making us 100 in number!

46 American
27 British
9 Australian
3 Finnish
3 Canadian
2 New Zealanders
2 Dutch
2 Swedish
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech
1 Russian

And I still have more candidates to check out.

I'll keep adding more as I come across them, and if you know of any others please feel free to drop me a line.

Check out The Squad:
Also: Cops Writing Crime

And please remember, my list is only for CRIME FICTION - not all the true crime and/or memoir writing by cops and ex-cops that's out there (as good as so much of that is).

Cheers,
ABP

COPS WRITING CRIME - Our first Russian member and two more Brits for The Squad!

18/4/2018

We welcome our first Russian cousin to The Squad as well as two more Brits. And today all our new Squad members are female ex-cops!

We have joining us today:
1. Karen Campbell - ex. Strathclyde Police.
2. Alexandra Marinina - ex. Russian Police (Moscow, I believe).
3. Pam Chambers - ex. UK, but not sure which police force.

So, today our 3 new members above join The Squad, now making us 98 in number!

44 American
27 British
9 Australian
3 Finnish
3 Canadian
2 New Zealanders
2 Dutch
2 Swedish
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech
1 Russian

And I still have more candidates to check out.

I'll keep adding more as I come across them, and if you know of any others please feel free to drop me a line.

Check out The Squad:
Also: Cops Writing Crime

And please remember, my list is only for CRIME FICTION - not all the true crime and/or memoir writing by cops and ex-cops that's out there (as good as so much of that is).

Cheers,
ABP

COPS WRITING CRIME - The Squad's first Swedes, two, and one more Aussie!

7/4/2018

We welcome our first Swedish cousins to The Squad as well as another fellow Aussie.

We have joining us today:
1. Anders de la Motte - ex. Stockholm Police.
2. Fleur Ferris - ex. Victoria Police (I believe).
3. Anna Karolina - also ex. Stockholm Police.

So, today our 3 new members above join The Squad, now making us 95 in number!

44 American
25 British
9 Australian
3 Finnish
3 Canadian
2 New Zealanders
2 Dutch
2 Swedish
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech

And I still have more candidates to check out.

I'll keep adding more as I come across them, and if you know of any others please feel free to drop me a line.

Check out The Squad:
Also: Cops Writing Crime

And please remember, my list is only for CRIME FICTION - not all the true crime and/or memoir writing by cops and ex-cops that's out there (as good as so much of that is).

Cheers,
ABP

COPS WRITING CRIME - 3 more Brits join The Squad!

6/4/2018

So here are 3 more British ex-police cousins to join The Squad.

We have joining us today:
1. John Rigbey - ex. CID from the Metropolitan Police.
2. Gavin Smith - ex. Lincolnshire Police.
3. Kate London - also ex. CID from the Metropolitan Police.

So, today our 3 new members above join The Squad, now making us 92 in number!

44 American
25 British
8 Australian
3 Finnish
3 Canadian
2 New Zealanders
2 Dutch
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech

And I still have nearly a dozen more candidates to check out.

I'll keep adding more as I come across them, and if you know of any others please feel free to drop me a line.

Check out The Squad:
Also: Cops Writing Crime

And please remember, my list is only for CRIME FICTION - not all the true crime and/or memoir writing by cops and ex-cops that's out there (as good as so much of that is).

Cheers,
ABP

COPS WRITING CRIME - 5 more members join The Squad today!

3/4/2018

I did say yesterday that I'd been busy on this project, and so here are 5 more members join The Squad today: three Americans and two British. And two of our American cousins are pretty big names in the crime fiction world, but their pasts also have police and PI backgrounds.

We have joining us today:
1. Nancy Taylor Rosenberg - deceased recently in late 2017. She served in three police departments: Dallas, New Mexico, and Ventura.
2. Jonathan Ross - deceased in 2005. The pen name for John Rossiter, who served as Chief Detective with the Wiltshire Constabulary.
3. Parnell Hall - worked as a PI in New York.
4. Don Winslow - also worked as a PI in both New York and California.
5. John Wainwright - deceased in 1995. He served in the West Riding Constabulary.

So, today our 5 new members above join The Squad, now making us 89 in number!

44 American
22 British
8 Australian
3 Finnish
3 Canadian
2 New Zealanders
2 Dutch
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech

And I still have nearly a dozen more candidates to check out.

I'll keep adding more as I come across them, and if you know of any others please feel free to drop me a line.

Check out The Squad:
Also: Cops Writing Crime

And please remember, my list is only for CRIME FICTION - not all the true crime and/or memoir writing by cops and ex-cops that's out there (as good as so much of that is).

Cheers,
ABP

COPS WRITING CRIME - 3 more members for The Squad!

2/4/2018

I've had a fresh burst of research for this project, so 3 more members join The Squad today: one Canadian, one American, and one Dutch.

We have joining us today:
1. Ted Wood - British born, but moved to Canada and served in the Toronto Police.
2. Joe Gores - deceased in 2011. Was a PI in San Franciso for many years.
3. Janwillem van de Wetering - deceased in 2008. Was in the Amsterdam Reserve Police.

So, today our 3 new members above join The Squad, now making us 84 in number!

41 American, 20 British, 8 Australian, 3 Finnish, 3 Canadian, 2 New Zealanders, 2 Dutch, 1 French, 1 Bahamian, 1 Norwegian, 1 Italian, and 1 Czech.

And several hours of research this morning has given me over a dozen more candidates to check out.

I'll keep adding more as I come across them, and if you know of any others please feel free to drop me a line.
Check out The Squad: Also: Cops Writing Crime

And please remember, my list is only for CRIME FICTION - not all the true crime and/or memoir writing by cops and ex-cops that's out there (as good as so much of that is).

Cheers,
ABP

Hard-boiled romp with style - "Pine Box for a Pin-up" by Frank De Blase.

31/3/2018

This was my second De Blase novel, and I loved it every bit as much as the first, A Cougar's Kiss.
Great character, Frankie Valentine, along with the ladies, cops and bad guys in his world. It's a really good hard-boiled yarn, up there with the very best in the genre.

A sample:
‘She looked both delicious and dilapidated, a beautiful bleach blonde train wreck. I didn't know whether to feel bad for her or feel her up.’

Aside from a fantastic cast, the story rolls along at a good speed with action and twists. Absolutely loved it!

Cheers,
ABP

Femmes fatales abound in this great hard-boiled collection - "Busted Valentines and Other Dark Delights" by Frank De Blase.

31/3/2018

I’d previously loved Frank De Blase’s novels, A Cougar’s Kiss and Pine Box for a Pin-up, and so went looking for more.
This collection of short stories delivers the same hard-boiled style I liked so much in the novels. There are hustlers, hookers, and desperados aplenty. Even a paedophile priest - always good for a dark, twisted crime tale.
And, as seems to be a trademark of De Blase, those femmes fatales. So well done.
Try these:
The ‘red-hot redhead’ at the bar: ‘whoever poured her into that green dress had obviously forgotten to say “when”.’
Or the ‘brunette knockout with a brain that wouldn’t start and legs that wouldn’t stop...’.

De Blase creates the characters who inhabit his seedy worlds with absolute style, and his plots are always a great read.
I love his work. Off to find another one now!

Cheers,
ABP