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Showing posts from October, 2012

The Mystery of Jersey Tomatoes

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My copy of Jersey Tomatoes, the first book Stevens wrote as J.W. Rider. I've always wondered about the cover design for Jersey Tomatoes . It's so similiar to Way Uptown In Another World . Both books feature the title and author as graffitii on a a brick wall. The main difference is Uptown is gritty photorealism and Jersey is dated 80s cheese.  But is it that a purposeful or coincidental similiarity? Truthfully, it's probably just coincidence. But it feeds the mystery of Stevens' pseudonum.  On one hand, Shane registered J.W. Rider as the copyright holder on his P.I. novels. Yet, if you look up the larger record, which doesn't take much effort, Rider is clearly listed as a pseudonym for Stevens. The first line of the so-so Kirkus review of Jersey Tomatoes  outs Rider as a pseudonym, but doesn't say for whom.  The book won the Shamus Award for Best First P.I. novel. When I spoke to Robert Randisi, he remembered speaking to Shane over the phone. While Stev

Both Barrels

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The first collection from Shotgun Honey officially launches today. If you haven’t already, you should go purchase your copy of Both Barrels  now. Since its launch a little over a year ago,  Shotgun Honey has remained one of the few sites I go out of my way to read every day. The lineup on this collection looks fantastic, and, hell, I’d pay $15 just to read the stories from Garnett Elliott, Nik Korpon, and Thomas Pluck.