Plots With Guns: UK Noir Issue

Well, folks, the not-so-secret project is finally live. There’s still a few kinks to iron out, which will be taken care of in the next day or two, but the piping hot content is all there to enjoy right now.

First, a brief spiel about how this came to pass: When PWG launched its fall issue last September–the All-Star one that produced an Anthony Award nominated story–I emailed Neil Smith to congratulate him on his efforts and tossed off the idea that oh, maybe for the next star-studded issue, the focus should be on the Brits.

A few emails later, I got the job. My mission: to recruit the talent, write an introductory essay, and create an issue that would turn people’s heads and kick some ass. I quickly latched onto a thesis of sorts, which is that 15 years after John Williams travelled across the USA to interview crime writers for his first published book INTO THE BADLANDS, the tide has turned, and UK noir is where it’s at. It was up to me to prove it by attracting the best names–some well-known, others that should be.

I’ve tried my best. Ian Rankin generously provided a short excerpt of his upcoming Rebus novel, FLESHMARKET CLOSE. Ken Bruen did the same for his next Brixton book, CALIBRE. Original stories were contributed by Colin Bateman (in a typically bizarre take on PI conventions) Stella Duffy (in a story that gets more hardboiled with each successive reading) Simon Kernick (taking the killer confession to new heights and then twisting it even more) Louise Welsh (a lyrical take on a triangle gone awry) and Martyn Waites (whose story is long, savage and uncomfortable, but worth every ounce of invested time.)

In keeping with my overall focus, I tracked down John Williams–author, editor, and a very patient man who endured my questions over a period of about four months–for an interview about the state of noir, his career paths, and whatever else came to mind. Also, Trev Maviano delivers his dose of Earful on his love-hate relationship with Britain, and Gene Gregorits interviews Steve Wynn, a guitarist who fits the noir mold just fine.

Frankly, I’m amazed it’s all there in one issue. I’ve never had more fun on a project, and was always amazed and delighted when any of my contributors said yes. So my thanks to each and every one of them for making their work and taking time out of their busy lives to give a little something to PWG. Thanks also go to Trev Maviano and Victor Gischler for thinking this was a cool project to go along with, and to Alexander Nesterenko for some killer artwork, And of course, to Neil, for putting up with my neuroses, taking my suggestions, and making this project happen.

And now I have a lot of rounds to buy at Bouchercon….