Noir's Greatest Director

Classic noir had its share of great directors. Anyone's shortlist of the best of the best would probably include heavyweights like Jules Dassin, Robert Wise, Anthony Mann, Fritz Lang, Orson Welles, Billy Wilder, and Richard Fleischer.

But who a) did his best work in noir? b) made more great noirs than anyone? and c) put such a stamp on noir that his style is essentially a synonym for the genre itself?

Click here to read my essay on Robert Siodmak.

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.

Jake Hinkson Reading at Cal State San Marcos

I'm excited to announce that I'll be doing readings from HELL ON CHURCH STREET and THE POSTHUMOUS MAN on November 7th at 7pm at Cal State San Marcos as a part of the Community and World Literary Series. If you're in that neck of the woods and you're wondering what I sound like when I really put the okra into my accent, then I'd love to meet you. I'll sign books and provide a vigorous handshake with every copy.

Here's a link to more details. 

The Girl They Loved To Kill: The Many Deaths Of Peggie Castle

NOIR CITY e-magazine has posted my essay "The Girl They Loved To Kill: The Many Deaths of Peggie Castle" over on the magazine page of the Film Noir Foundation website. Click on the link above and check it out. Then you can click here ("Me And Peggie Castle") to read my thoughts on writing the essay.

People ask me sometimes which of my pieces of writing is my favorite. Easy. This one.

I hope you enjoy it.

The Mutiny On The Bounty

Why did the mutiny aboard a grimy little cutter on a mission to transport breadfruit plants become on of the most famous incidents in all of naval history? I toss around some possible answers to that question over at Criminal Element this week when I look at the history and myth-making surrounding the failed voyage of the HMS Bounty in 1789. I also try to evaluate the best and worst of the many literary and cinematic interpretations of those events.

Read my piece here.