Return to France

Very excited to announce I'm coming back to France this September as the guest of the departmental Media Landes. To all my friends, old and new, in France, I hope you'll drop by and say hi.

Here's where I'll be:
- September 15 at the bookstore Words and Things in Boulogne-Billancourt
- September 16 at Tramway Bookstore in Lyon
- On 17 and 18 September at the Polar Festival organized by the departmental Media Landes
- September 20 at the bookstore Hirigoyen Bayonne
- September 21 at the library Tonnet Pau
- September 22 at the bookstore Campus Dax
- September 23 at the library of characters Mont-de-Marsan
- 24 and 25 September at the Polar Festival cabins in Bordeaux

Nice Write Up And Review in MetroNews

Here is a link to a nice piece on the French version of THE POSTHUMOUS MAN in MetroNews in France. The piece has a nice little intro to yours truly and the segues into an enthusiastic  review. Pretty cool.

 

THE POSTHUMOUS MAN Reborn! (and we're giving it away)

THE POSTHUMOUS MAN has gotten a makeover courtesy of David Cranmer, the mastermind over at Beat To A Pulp, who enlisted the brilliant designer Michael Kronenberg to retool the cover.

We're so excited about the new edition of THE POSTHUMOUS MAN we're doing a giveaway. Just comment on this thread and answer this question: What is your favorite film noir? (Neo or classic, don't matter to me. I'm a DETOUR man myself.) We'll put all the names of the people who respond into a hat and draw seven random names.

The new edition will drop early next week, so respond soon. 

THE POSTHUMOUS MAN Goes to France (And So Will Its Author)

I'm thrilled to announce that my second novel, THE POSTHUMOUS MAN, is being released next month in France. As with my previous book, this one has been translated by the great Sophie Aslanides. I'll be traveling to France for a book tour in September. I had the greatest time of my life there last year to promote HELL ON CHURCH STREET, so I could not be more excited to go back.

More details to come!

HELL ON CHURCH STREET and THE POSTHUMOUS MAN news

Exciting doins are a-foot. First, HELL ON CHURCH STREET is switching homes, leaving New Pulp Press and heading to 280 Steps. More on this to come, but for now let me say that if you want to grab a copy of the original first run of the book (with original cover by the late great Leonard Fritz) now would be the time to get it. The New Pulp Press version of HELL ON CHURCH STREET will be taken down in a few days. Get 'em while they're still here people. After that, HOCS will take some time off, cool its heels, and return with a bang on the 280 Steps imprint.

Speaking of covers, THE POSTHUMOUS MAN is getting a makeover. The great Michael Kronenberg has designed the book a doozy of a new cover, which we'll release shortly.

Nice review of THE POSTHUMOUS MAN

One of the greatest pleasures that comes from writing a book is watching it travel through the world. I put out THE POSTHUMOUS MAN back in 2012, and people are still discovering it. Sometimes those people are cool enough to take time out and tell the world they liked my work. Doesn't get much better than that.

Check out this great, new, review of the book by Richard Vialet. It made my day.

Review of THE DEEPENING SHADE

Over at Professor Mondo, Warren Moore has written a really smart and pointed review of my forthcoming story collection THE DEEPENING SHADE. Moore says:

"[T]he sensibility here holds elements of the Evangelical and Calvinistic. Hinkson’s stories show us a world of the Elect and the Reprobate, with an eye toward the particular agonies of those honest enough to acknowledge that they can’t quite be sure in which camp they belong."

Here's a link to the rest of the review Jake Hinkson Waves at Flannery O'Connor.

THE DEEPENING SHADE will be available Jan. 5th.

THE BIG UGLY

I'm thrilled to announce the release of my new novel, THE BIG UGLY.

Ellie Bennett is an ex-corrections officer who has just served a year inside Eastgate Penitentiary for assaulting a prisoner. She’s only been out for a day when she accepts a strange job offer from the head of a Christian political advocacy group. He wants her to track down a missing ex-con named Alexis. Although no one knows where Alexis has gone, it seems like everyone in Arkansas is looking for her—from a rich televangelist running for Congress to the governor’s dirty tricks man. When Bennett finds the troubled young woman, she has to decide whether to hand her over to the highest bidder or help her escape from the most powerful men in the state.

You can get it in paperback.

You can get it as an e-book.

The Crimespree Interview

I did an interview with Tim Hennessy over at Crimespree Magazine. We cover a lot of topics including: HELL ON CHURCH STREET, THE POSTHUMOUS MAN, SAINT HOMICIDE, growing up in the south, the greatness of Bogart, and the terrible beauty of dying of a snake bite.

You can read it all here. 

As 2013 Draws To A Close...

Well, I've been away a few weeks visiting family and friends, but I'm back in Chicago and getting down to work on a number of projects.

All in all, I've had a pretty great year. SAINT HOMICIDE marks the third book I've had published in three years. I couldn't have planned that, but I'm thrilled that it worked out that way. 

I owe a sincere thanks to everyone who bought HELL ON CHURCH STREET, THE POSTHUMOUS MAN, and SAINT HOMICIDE. A writer's ulitmate goal (beyond paying the bills) is to be read by a reader who understands and appreciates the work. I've been incredibly fortunate in this regard. Many people have written to let me know that they liked one book or another, and it never ceases to thrill me. Thank you.



 

SAINT HOMICIDE is Coming Soon

Got the cover art for SAINT HOMICIDE, and I'm thrilled by it. They might make a little tweak or so (the ISBN number here is a dummy until the actual one gets assigned), but it's a thing of beauty. I've been pretty lucky with cover art, I have to say. My first two book covers were pulpy and fun. This one is clean and elegant--old fashioned in a different way. Love it.

SAINT HOMICIDE is a crisp 15,000 word novella released by the good folks at Crime Factory Publications, the second in their line of short Single Shots. The first book was Jedidiah Ayres's FIERCE BITCHES, so old Saint Homicide is in some fine company.

The book should be ready for order soon, so stay tuned.

Upcoming Readings

I've got some readings coming up. If you can come out you'll get to hear me read from HELL ON CHURCH STREET and THE POSTHUMOUS MAN, and maybe a little from some upcoming work. I'll post more details as they become available, but here's what the schedule looks like right now:

Nov. 7th: Community and World Literary Series at Cal State San Marcos. In the Grand Salon, room 113, of the Gordon M. Clarke Field House. 7pm.

Nov. 10th: Noir At The Bar-L.A. At Mandrake, 2692 S. La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles. I'll be reading alongside Josh Stallings, Paul D. Marks, and Stephen Blackmoore. 8-11pm.

Dec. 7th: Noir At The Bar-St. Louis. I'll be reading alongside Scott Phillips, Jedidiah Ayres, J. David Osborne, and William Boyle.

Jan. 7th: Wit Rabbit reading series. Quencher's Saloon, 2401 N. Western Ave, Chicago. 7pm.  

Talking Writing and Movies with Mike Monson

The crime writer Mike Monson was nice enough to ask me to sit down for an interview for his "Mike Monson Annoys His Favorite Writers" series. 

Our talk was wide-ranging--from growing up in the religious environment of rural Arkansas, to the glory of Queen of Noir Lizabeth Scott (above), to how much an author should worry about making a character likable.

Check it out the interview here.

And click here to find out about Monson's books. 

HELL ON CHURCH STREET And THE POSTHUMOUS MAN Go International

I'm thrilled to announce that my novels HELL ON CHURCH STREET and THE POSTHUMOUS MAN are going to France.

French publisher Editions Gallmeister is translating both books for release in Europe sometime next year. I'll post more details going forward. For now, I'll just say that it's fun to contemplate that my Arkansas noirs will soon have their French doppelgangers--actual noir noir.

Rave Review for THE POSTHUMOUS MAN

In the latest issue of Crime Factory, Eva Dolan gives THE POSTHUMOUS MAN a rave review.

A bit of what she has to say:

THE POSTHUMOUS MAN is a lesson in the art of the novella, with spare prose, striking set-pieces and big themes distilled down into a few perfectly conceived moments, it is the kind of book you will find yourself thinking about for days after you finish it.

To read the first chapter of the THE POSTHUMOUS MAN click here.

Best Novella Nomination for THE POSTHUMOUS MAN

This just in from the unexpected good news department: the fine folks at Spinetingler Magazine have released the nominees for this year's Spinetingler Awards and THE POSTHUMOUS MAN is up for Best Novella!

(Also up for an award, BEAT TO A PULP: ROUND TWO, for Best Anthology/Short Story Collection. I'm happy to say that this fine collection features my story "Night Terrors".)

If you'd like to cast a vote, here's the link. 

Thanks to the Spinetingler team for including me in a really impressive line-up of authors! 

Interview with MysteryPeople

I did an interview with Chris Mattix of Austin's MysteryPeople bookstore. We discuss Hell On Church Street, The Posthumous Man, noir, Southern Gothic, and creepy youth ministers. 

Check it out at MysteryPeople.

The Posthumous Man: Reviews Are In

My new book, THE POSTHUMOUS MAN, has been out for about a month now and I thought I'd link to a couple of full-length reviews.

Mike Parker over at Crime Fiction Lover says "This is a quick read, but so much is packed in." Connecting the book to my previous novel, HELL ON CHURCH STREET, he notes, "Once again, religious questions predominate..." a point he explores by focusing on the relationship between the protagonist Elliot Stilling and his chief tormenter, and grand inquisitor, Stan the Man. Read what Parker has to say about the book in his five star review here.

At Spinetingler Magazine the Nerd Of Noir writes "Jake Hinkson follows up his head turning debut...with THE POSTHUMOUS MAN, another tightly written piece of nasty Southern noir that's dripping with old-time religion and blood." Read the rest of the review here.

In addition to these reviews, I've gotten some really nice reviews over at the book's Amazon page.

All in all, it's been a pretty good month for my nasty-ass little book. 
 

The Posthumous Man

I'm happy to announce the release of my new novella THE POSTHUMOUS MAN.

The book is being published in both print and ebook by BEAT to a PULP, the fine press run by David Cranmer.

Here's the scoop on the book:

When Elliot Stilling killed himself, he thought his troubles were over. Then the ER doctors revived him. It’s infatuation at first sight when he meets his nurse, Felicia Vogan, a strange young woman with a weakness for sad sacks and losers. After she helps Elliot escape from the hospital, she takes him back to her place. He’s happy to go with her, even when she leads him straight to a gang planning a million dollar heist. Does Felicia just want Elliott to protect her from the outfit’s psychotic leader, Stan the Man? Or is Elliot being set up to take the hard fall? One thing’s for sure: if he’s going to survive this long night of deceit and murder, Elliot will have to finally face himself and his own dark past.

Eddie Muller, president of the Film Noir Foundation and Shamus-award winning author of THE DISTANCE:
In THE POSTHUMOUS MAN the existential and theological themes buried inside the best noir are pulled to the surface, hungry for air and clutching a last chance at redemption. Jake Hinkson crafts this bullet-fast novella with qualities emblematic of my favorite best crime fiction: empathy, gravity and brevity. Much appreciated and highly recommended.

Scott Phillips, award winning author of THE ICE HARVEST and THE ADJUSTMENT:
THE POSTHUMOUS MAN is every bit as crazily entertaining as Hinkson's hard-rocking debut, HELL ON CHURCH STREET, and it reads like a streamliner rocketing across the Bonneville Salt Flats.