Josh Stallings

"Josh Stallings is the kind of writer who shouldn't have to publish for himself, but here he is slugging it out the hard way. Just like one of the hardasses in his own books. The man knows what to do with paper and ink. Read the damn thing." -Charlie Huston "Someone once said of Raymond Chandler that he wrote 'as if pain hurt and life mattered.' That's true of Josh Stallings, too. Hop on, kick the starter, and let him lead you on a long, painful, but entertaining ride through Moses McGuire's world. One hint: wear your helmet and your leathers. It might get messy." -Tad Williams BEAUTIFUL, NAKED AND DEAD is hard-boiled crime novel. Moses McGuire a suicidal strip club bouncer is out to avenge the death of one of his girls. From his East L.A. home, through the legal brothels of Nevada and finally to a battle with the mob in the mountains above Palo Alto, it is a sex soaked, rage driven, road trip from hell.

Beautiful, Naked and Dead

Tricky

ANTHONY AWARD NOMINATED. From the author of the critically acclaimed Moses McGuire crime series comes a brutally honest memoir. Raised in the 60's counter-culture, a teen in the 70's, and a father in the go go 80's. White boy in a ghetto high school. Guns. Drugs. Sex. Fatherhood. Heart warming, uplifting and tough. A life writ large. ***"Josh has done an incredible job with the hand life dealt him. I admire the hell outa that. All the Wild Children is simply Stunning." - KEN BRUEN***"What is most remarkable about All The Wild Children isn't the rhythmic fleetness of it's earnest prose, nor the relentless pace, nor the fantastic nature of its plot, nor, even, the fact that it is all true. What is most remarkable is that Josh Stallings managed to survive malicious fate, addiction, and the belligerent idiocy of his youth, and somehow find some dregs of fortitude remaining that allowed him to put it all on the page with a rare degree of honesty; willingly admitting that truth is fleeting and that this is no more than his best recollection of the storms and what they left behind. Laughing in the face of brutal misfortune and epic poor judgement is a tonic. One that Stallings graciously invites us to imbibe with him. Drink up. God knows Josh did." - CHARLIE HUSTON***"Someday, this will read much better than it lived." - LARK STALLINGS (1975)

A Noir Memoir

All the Wild Children

ONE OF THE 10 BEST CRIME FICTION NOVELS OF 2021—LIBRARY JOURNAL 2021 CRIME FICTION PICKS OF THE YEAR—DIVERSE VOICES BOOK REVIEW HONORABLE MENTION, THE BEST CRIME NOVELS OF 2021—CRIMEREADS HONORABLE MENTION, THE BEST NOIR FICTION OF 2021—CRIMEREADS ONE OF THE "MOST ANTICIPATED CRIME BOOKS OF 2021."—CRIMEREADS PICK OF THE MONTH—MysteryPeople Does your past define you forever? That's the question LAPD homicide detective Niels Madsen must answer after he gets in the middle of a standoff between two uniformed officers and Cisco, an intellectually disabled man. Cisco is found armed and standing over the body of a man with Down syndrome. Cisco swears the dead man was his good friend, and he didn’t hurt him, but in his earlier life, Cisco had been gang member, a brilliant and brutal killer. After he was badly beaten, brain injuries left him him—if he is to be believed—with the intellectual intelligence of a child. Madsen's search for the truth leads him through the special needs community, East LA gang life, and pits him up against the corrupt LA Sheriff’s Department. More than a police procedural, Tricky explores questions of human nature: Whether a man can change, for better or worse, and whether redemption is possible.

Jay Stringer

Steve Cavanagh

Lori Rader-Day

Laura McHugh

Alex Segura

John Rector

Michael Kardos

Lili Wright

Andrew Case

Jon McGoran

Dana King

James R. Tuck

Nick Kolakowski

David James Keaton

Chris Holm

James W. Ziskin

Terry Shames

Bill Crider

E.A. Aymar

Kris Calvin

Scott Loring Sanders

Dave White

The Anthony-nominated collection of crime stories without guns—the collection we didn't want to be necessary—is back for Volume 2. Two dozen more crime writers have come together to raise their voices and take pen in hand to call for a sensible and reasoned debate about guns in America. As the mass shootings continue, the avoidable accidents, the suicides, the gun violence that consumes our country rolls on unabated and unaddressed by our leadership other than to say, “Now is not the time to discuss it,” these crime writers have chosen to start the dialogue. In stories of crime, mystery and suspense these authors have left the guns out to show for a short while that we can do without them and the plot doesn’t fall apart. Maybe, in a small way, we can show that the American way of life doesn’t cease to be, either. Not anti-gun, Unloaded Vol. 2 is pro-reason. These authors comprise gun owners and non-owners, voters on both sides of the political aisle. The cause that unites us all is the desire to see the senseless killing stop and to be able to have the discussion without the divisive language, vitriol and name calling that too often accompanies this debate. The top priority in these stories is to entertain with thrilling action and suspense that readers know and love about a crime story. To do so without guns leads to some creative leaps from writers who spin tales of simians on the loose, androids with buried secrets, punk rock shows and tattoo shops. Bestselling authors like Chris Holm, Lori Rader-Day, Bill Crider, Laura McHugh, James Ziskin and John Rector along with many more join together to call for an end to the needless violence and a start to a reasoned debate. With a forward by legendary Sara Paretsky, Unloaded Vol. 2 is a book we wish wasn’t needed. But staying silent is no longer an option. Proceeds go to the non-profit States United To Prevent Gun Violence. Praise for UNLOADED VOLUME 2: “[A collection of] entertaining and often thought-provoking stories.” —Publishers Weekly

More Crime Writers Writing Without Guns

Unloaded Volume 2

Anthony Award and Left Coast Crime nominated BEST NOVEL 1976 New Year's Eve, San Francisco. A Firebird transports a crew of glitter kids away from the city. Forget the trunk full of cash and illegal firearms. Forget the disco heist and sea of felonies left in their wake. They are five friends happily rolling down thunder road with no horizon in sight. They are YOUNG AMERICANS.

Young Americans

Josh Stallings

About

Books

Join the club