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Editorial Content for The Cocktail Waitress

Book

The Cocktail Waitress

Contributors

Tom Callahan

Reviewer (text)

Tom Callahan

The publication of THE COCKTAIL WAITRESS is the most important literary event of 2012. It is the last and long-lost novel by the great James M. Cain, author of such classics as MILDRED PIERCE, DOUBLE INDEMNITY and THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE. This book marks the greatest achievement of Hard Case Crime in its short existence. Read More

Teaser

 

Lost since the author’s death in 1977, THE COCKTAIL WAITRESS is the last book by the legendary James. M. Cain. Written during his final years, it shows that he had lost none of the sheer pulp power that marked his earlier classic novels. An innocent young woman navigates her path through a perilous life. But is she so innocent?

Promo

Lost since the author’s death in 1977, THE COCKTAIL WAITRESS is the last book by the legendary James. M. Cain. Written during his final years, it shows that he had lost none of the sheer pulp power that marked his earlier classic novels. An innocent young woman navigates her path through a perilous life. But is she so innocent?

About the Book

Following her husband's death in a suspicious car accident, beautiful young widow Joan Medford is forced to take a job serving drinks in a cocktail lounge to make ends meet and to have a chance of regaining custody of her young son. At the job, she encounters two men who take an interest in her, a handsome young schemer who makes her blood race, and a wealthy but unwell older man who rewards her for her attentions with a $50,000 tip and an unconventional offer of marriage...

Editorial Content for Fobbit

Book

Fobbit

Contributors

Curtis Edmonds

Reviewer (text)

Curtis Edmonds

“Fobbit” is a portmanteau word, which means that it is two different words packed up in one (like a portmanteau suitcase). The concept of the portmanteau word was developed by Lewis Carroll in THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, when he coined the word "slithy" to describe a character who manages to be slimy and lithe all at once. Fobbit also combines two very different concepts: the "Forward Operating Base," which an Army unit uses to occupy hostile territory, and the hobbits of J.R.R. Read More

Teaser

 

Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base is like the back-office of the battlefield. Male and female soldiers are trying to find an empty Porta Potty in which to get acquainted, grunts are playing Xbox and watching NASCAR between missions, and a lot of the senior staff are more concerned about getting to the chow hall in time for the Friday night all-you-can-eat seafood special than worrying about little things like military strategy.

Promo

Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base is like the back-office of the battlefield. Male and female soldiers are trying to find an empty Porta Potty in which to get acquainted, grunts are playing Xbox and watching NASCAR between missions, and a lot of the senior staff are more concerned about getting to the chow hall in time for the Friday night all-you-can-eat seafood special than worrying about little things like military strategy.  

About the Book

Fobbit \’fä-b?t\, noun. Definition: A U.S. soldier stationed at a Forward Operating Base who avoids combat by remaining at the base, esp. during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-2011). Pejorative.
 
In the satirical tradition of CATCH-22 and "M*A*S*H," FOBBIT takes us into the chaotic world of Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base Triumph. The Forward Operating base, or FOB, is like the back-office of the battlefield --- where people eat and sleep, and where a lot of soldiers have what looks suspiciously like an office job. Male and female soldiers are trying to find an empty Porta Potty in which to get acquainted, grunts are playing Xbox and watching NASCAR between missions, and a lot of the senior staff are more concerned about getting to the chow hall in time for the Friday night all-you-can-eat seafood special than worrying about little things like military strategy.
 
Darkly humorous and based on the author's own experiences in Iraq, FOBBIT is a fantastic debut that shows us a behind-the-scenes portrait of the real Iraq war.
 

The Devoted: A Love Story by Jonathan Hull

September 2012

Nine years is a long time to wait for a book from a favorite author. And that’s just what happened to me with Jonathan Hull. After loving LOSING JULIA (2000) and THE DISTANCE FROM NORMANDY (2003), there was no new book from Jonathan Hull until a few weeks ago. When THE DEVOTED crossed my desk, I made a quick visit to his website and saw a note that he has been suffering from the long-term effects of a bout with Lyme disease, which has affected his writing stamina. But ah, THE DEVOTED is a treat worth waiting for as Jonathan proves that the story writing chops he had with his prior work is still in evidence.

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The Diviners by Libba Bray

September 2012

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City, where she lives with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult. When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer --- if he doesn't catch her first.

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Seconds Away: A Mickey Bolitar Novel by Harlan Coben

September 2012

When tragedy strikes close to home, Mickey Bolitar and his loyal new friends find themselves at the center of a terrifying mystery involving the shooting of their friend Rachel. Now, not only does Mickey have to continue his quest to uncover the truth about the Abeona Shelter, the Butcher of Lodz and the mysterious death of his father, he needs to figure out who shot Rachel --- no matter what it takes.

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The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George

September 2012

Put at risk by her ability to hear "whispers" --- the thoughts of others --- Becca is on the run from her stepfather, whose criminal activities she has discovered. Stranded and alone at Whidbey Island, Becca is soon befriended by a Ugandon orphan adopted by a local family; a kindhearted musician and high school dropout; a recovering alcoholic who takes her in; and Diana, with whom Becca shares a mysterious psychic connection.

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Two or Three Things I Forgot to Tell You by Joyce Carol Oates

September 2012

Now in their senior year, Merissa and Nadia need Tink more than they ever did before. They each have secrets they could share with no one but her, secrets that have become toxic and that threaten to unravel their friendship --- and themselves. Tink also had a secret, a big one, but no one knows what it was. And now she's gone. But sometimes the girls feel Tink, trying to tell them something.

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Lou Holtz

Coaching is nothing more than eliminating mistakes before you get fired.

Attribution

Lou Holtz

Jonathan Evison, author of The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving

Having lost virtually everything, Benjamin Benjamin enrolls in a night class called The Fundamentals of Caregiving. He is assigned to 19-year-old Trevor, who is in the advanced stages of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. As the two embark on a wild road trip across the American West, a new camaraderie replaces the traditional boundary between patient and caregiver.

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Eric Van Lustbader, author of Father Night: A McClure / Carson Novel

A tidal wave of reform is sweeping across the Middle East. Up for grabs are major seats of political power, and at the center of it all are two men, giants of the vast criminal underworld. One is known as Dadya Gourdiev, the other is an underworld mystery, known only as the Syrian. But hiding in the shadows is a man history might have forsaken, but whose evil is still very much alive: Father Night.

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