In one quick blow The AP updates James Ellroy’s 1950’s noir as contemporary political sleaze. National Enquirer hid damaging Trump stories in a safe WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Enquirer kept a safe containing documents on hush money payments and other damaging stories it killed as part of its cozy relationship with Donald Trump... Tabloid … Continue reading American Tabloid*
noir
The Mess We’re In
Only in our currently defiled situation could an unpaid intern have the gall and patience to assert moral power... This month's Foreign Service Journal features an incisive review of Patchworks by author and retired Foreign Service Officer Dan Whitman. Generous praise from a great writer. Dan served as French interpreter for the State Department's International … Continue reading The Mess We’re In
Avery Dick Disappoints
I had high hopes for the Avery Dick series. Diplomatic Security (DS) Agents have some of the most colorful stories in the Foreign Service trade. They walk like cops. They talk like cops. They’re security professionals steeped the gritty detail of protective service. Their beat is peculiar: sniff out bombs and throw up barricades; investigate … Continue reading Avery Dick Disappoints
Fireworks in the Kingdom
News sources are reporting three suicide attacks in different cities around Saudi Arabia during the last 24 hours, just as Ramadan comes to an end in the Kingdom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EgZ-gpdx3I An explosion in the Eastern Province targeted Shiites at a mosque in Quatif. There appear to be no injuries or deaths other than that of the suicide bomber. An explosion outside one of … Continue reading Fireworks in the Kingdom
Diplomatic Security
This trailer from the film America's Diplomats shows how our diplomatic security personnel train for the worst case scenario---from protests and threats to bombings and outright assaults on our missions overseas. Their storied bureau turned 100 this year. https://youtu.be/-QTzTP9vZRk Learn more about the daily grind of our DS personnel in Two Pumps for the Body … Continue reading Diplomatic Security
DeWildt’s Brutal Rural Noir
C.S. DeWildt writes a sick rural noir in Kill ‘Em With Kindness, no surprise given the strength of his previous release Love You to a Pulp. The narrative blazes through the rural backwoods of Horton burning down churches and meting out vengeance on more than a few good ol’ boys—some who deserve it, some who don't. And … Continue reading DeWildt’s Brutal Rural Noir
Dark, hilarious, cutting
Exactly the kind of review that makes it all worth the effort. Somebody thought enough of Two Pumps for the Body Man to post this. Mission Accomplished. Came on top of a great plug from killer noir writer C.S. DeWildt (Love You to a Pulp and just last week Kill 'em with Kindness) who said of Two Pumps: "...Full of … Continue reading Dark, hilarious, cutting
Get Pumped–The Cover Issue
I never pictured myself a graphic designer. But in putting out Two Pumps for the Body Man, I had the chance to try my hand. Here are a few samples I drew up before arriving at the finished product. Classic cover sheet for SDDTS material. Wait, SDDTS material? Too racy. Too much desert. Creepy in a … Continue reading Get Pumped–The Cover Issue
A Catch-22 for Diplomacy
Two Pumps for the Body Man Set in Saudi Arabia, Two Pumps does for American diplomacy and the War on Terror what Catch-22 did for military logic during the Second World War: The enemy can’t kill us if our institutions kill us first. Jeff Mutton walks the diplomatic beat protecting American officials in Saudi Arabia. … Continue reading A Catch-22 for Diplomacy
Debut San Francisco Cyber-Noir
Mark Richardson’s Hunt for the Troll (New Pulp Press) is a step up from ordinary pulp. It’s what happens to San Francisco noir when the shiny new promise of Silicon Valley comes to town, pushing back the fog to play some light in the corners. In this case, the light is more ominous than the dark. Our … Continue reading Debut San Francisco Cyber-Noir
Ben East Books 