MysteryPeople Pick of the Month: ‘City of Margins’ by William Boyle

MysteryPeople’s Pick of the Month for March 2020 is William Boyle’sCity of Margins. It hits shelves on March 3rd, but before you purchase it, check out what Crime Fiction Coordinator Scott Montgomery had to say about Boyle’s latest.

Anybody around me for the last twelve months heard me rave about William Boyle’s A Friend Is A Gift You Give Yourself. The mix of crime fiction and dramedy was a fresh breeze blowing into the genre. The book created some slight trepidation when I cracked open his latest, City Of Margins. I expected a strong piece of writing, but feared it would come off lesser in comparison. Those doubts vanished by the first chapter.

At first glance, City Of Margins, appears to revisit his debut, Gravesend, with him examining the impact of a crime on a Brooklyn community. This time, it is the murder of a…

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Film

Dark Brink of Love

nwr

I guest edited the noir volume of Nicolas Winding Refn’s byNWR.com. The title of the volume is DARK BRINK OF LOVE.

The first of three chapters is now live. Usually you need to create an account to see content on the site (it’s free and easy), but they’ve made this volume available to everyone, no log-in required.

Here are the contents:

First off, there’s the film: STARK FEAR from 1962. Made by two University of Oklahoma professors, Ned Hockman and Dwight V. Swain, it’s a psychological horror noir set and filmed in and around Oklahoma City and Norman. It stars Beverly Garland and Skip Homeier. The first time I saw it was on a very rough public domain copy–it’s been beautifully restored by Peter Conheim. It’s a weird, unsettling, dangerous-feeling picture. Watch it here.

In “Derrick Noir: Okies Go Hollywood,” Philippe Garnier introduces STARK FEAR, showing how the pieces came together on this singularly twisted curiosity. Read his intro to the film here.

In “The Planet Murderer,” Chris Offutt considers how his father Andrew Offutt, a prolific writer of porn novels, crossed paths with STARK FEAR scribe Dwight V. Swain, in the process meditating on literary heritage and the blood that runs from fathers to sons. Chris has allowed us to use some incredible photos of his dad, and there are also many book covers from John Cleve (Andrew Offutt’s alias). Read it here.

“‘Why’d You Go, Daddy? Was I Bad?'” is a stunning story from the author of BUCKSKIN COCAINE, Erika T. Wurth. Wurth imagines what it might have been like for Cortez Ewing, the Native American actor who plays “The Chief” in STARK FEAR. Accompanying the piece are James Mooney’s Ghost Dance Recordings and a selection of noir-infused public domain photos. Read it here.

J David Osborne, author of BLACK GUM, A MINOR STORM, and BLOOD AND WATER, gives us “Oklahoma: Heartland, U.S.A.,” inspired by the title of a tourism ad by Swain and Hockman. It’s head trip noir story about his Oklahoma fifty years after STARK FEAR, populated by a new variety of desperate people on the ropes: juggalos, small-time crooks, and searchers. Also accompanied by some weird, noir public domain photos. Read it here.

Gabino Iglesias, author of ZERO SAINTS and COYOTE SONGS, in a story and photo series, delivers a motel noir infused with paranoia and destruction and inspired by the shadowy locations of STARK FEAR. Read/view “Stark Raving Mad” here.

There’s a bunch of stuff from me and Tyler Keith:
1. I wrote a speculative memoir from the point of view of former child star Skip Homeier, “The Bad Husband.” Read it here.
2. I wrote a long story, “Cruising the El Nora,” inspired by the El Nora Motel, a key location in STARK FEAR. It includes original photos from Tyler Keith. Read/view here.
3. I read “Cruising the El Nora” with an original score from Tyler Keith. Listen here.
4. I interview Tyler Keith about writing noir songs, growing up in the Christ-haunted south, and touring in punk bands, and he plays a handful of songs live in the studio. Listen here.
5. I read a sci-fi story by Dwight V. Swain. It features a nudist camp, x-ray glasses, Nazi secret agents, and goatees that “jerk with contempt.” Listen here.

Also, a couple of byNWR mainstays:
Charlie Beesley helps us discover his Discarded America.
Peter Conheim brings us more tales from the Restoration benches.

If you missed my volume intro, here it is.

And I made a playlist on Spotify for the volume.

That’s a lot. Sorry. This is a project I’ve been working on for about a year, and I’m glad it’s finally out there. Thanks to the amazing contributors. Thanks to James Banks, Jules Holland, and everyone at Bureau in the UK. Thanks especially to the minds behind byNWR: Jimmy McDonough and Nicolas Winding Refn. If you want to get a peek behind the curtains of byNWR, check out this piece in The Quietus.

One more quick note:
-Chapter 2 of DARK BRINK OF LOVE will go live on April 1st. It features contributions from Ace Atkins, Laura Lee Bahr, Violet LeVoit, and Theresa Starkey.
-Chapter 3 will go live on May 1st. It features contributions from Sarah Weinman, Scott Adlerberg, Marya E. Gates, and Jack Pendarvis.

Thanks for reading.
You are now entering the Dark Brink of Love…

Music

My Favorite Albums and Songs of the 2010s

My favorite albums of the decade:

1. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, SKELETON TREE

2. Mount Eerie, NOW ONLY

3. Purple Mountains, S/T

4. Joanna Newsom, HAVE ONE ON ME

5. Sharon Van Etten, TRAMP

6. Julien Baker, SPRAINED ANKLE

7. Leonard Cohen, YOU WANT IT DARKER

8. Kanye West, MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY

9. Tom Waits, BAD AS ME

10. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.

11. Lucinda Williams, DOWN WHERE THE SPIRIT MEETS THE BONE

12. Jason Isbell, SOUTHEASTERN

13. Bob Dylan, TEMPEST

14. Angel Olsen, MY WOMAN

15. Richmond Fontaine, YOU CAN’T GO BACK IF THERE’S NOTHING TO GO BACK TO

16. Fiona Apple, THE IDLER WHEEL…

17. Charles Bradley, CHANGES

18. Bill Callahan, APOCALYPSE

19. John Prine, THE TREE OF FORGIVENESS

20. Damien Jurado, MARAQOPA

21. Courtney Marie Andrews, MAY YOUR KINDNESS REMAIN

22. Phoebe Bridgers, STRANGER IN THE ALPS

23. Water Liars, WYOMING

24. Titus Andronicus, THE MONITOR

25. Sun Kil Moon, BENJI

****

My favorite songs of the decade:

1. “Working Titles,” Damien Jurado

2. “Riding for the Feeling,” Bill Callahan

3. “Serpents,” Sharon Van Etten

4. “Margaritas at the Mall,” Purple Mountains

5. “Higgs Boson Blues,” Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

6. “Rejoice,” Julien Baker

7. “Scott Street,” Phoebe Bridgers

8. “Shut Up Kiss Me,” Angel Olsen

9. “Emmylou,” First Aid Kit

10. “You Want it Darker,” Leonard Cohen

11. “Table for One,” Courtney Marie Andrews

12. “On a Good Day,” Joanna Newsom

13. “Ways of This World,” Kelly Hogan (written by Vic Chesnutt)

14. “Relatively Easy,” Jason Isbell

15. “Hell Broke Luce,” Tom Waits

16. “Depreston,” Courtney Barnett

17. “When I Get to Heaven,” John Prine

18. “Head,” Lydia Loveless

19. “Foolishness,” Lucinda Williams

20. “Change for the World,”’Charles Bradley

Uncategorized

My Favorite Movies of the 2010s

My favorite movies of the decade, the ones I think about the most. I watched a lot of movies —probably a few thousand—and I’m sure I’m forgetting plenty of stuff I loved. I left TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN off because I don’t want to get into arguments about whether it’s a film or TV show, but it’s my favorite anything of the decade, century, whatever. I also limited myself to one from Paul Thomas Anderson in my top thirty-five, though he made three top ten masterpieces this decade.

FIRST REFORMED (Paul Schrader)

INHERENT VICE (Paul Thomas Anderson)

CERTAIN WOMEN (Kelly Reichardt)

YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE (Lynne Ramsay)

THE IRISHMAN (Martin Scorsese)

UNCUT GEMS (The Safdie Brothers)

SOMEWHERE (Sofia Coppola)

THE TREE OF LIFE (Terrence Malick)

ON THE BEACH AT NIGHT ALONE (Hong Sang-soo)

PHOENIX (Christian Petzold)

MOONLIGHT (Barry Jenkins)

CERTIFIED COPY (Abbas Kiarostami)

CAROL (Todd Haynes)

THE HANDMAIDEN (Park Chan-wook)

LEAVE NO TRACE (Debra Granik)

THE SOUVENIR (Joanna Hogg)

THE NICE GUYS (Shane Black)

MAPS TO THE STARS (David Cronenberg)

HIGH LIFE (Claire Denis)

LADY BIRD (Greta Gerwig)

AMERICAN HONEY (Andrea Arnold)

THUNDER ROAD (Jim Cummings)

A BREAD FACTORY (Patrick Wang)

PERSONAL SHOPPER (Oliver Assayas)

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (The Coen Brothers)

MARGARET (Kenneth Lonergan)

THINGS TO COME (Mia Hansen-Løve)

THE LOVE WITCH (Anna Biller)

THE RIDER (Chloé Zhao)

CREED (Ryan Coogler)

DESTROYER (Karyn Kusama)

4:44 LAST DAY ON EARTH (Abel Ferrara)

OUTSIDE IN (Lynn Shelton)

CHI-RAQ (Spike Lee)

BEFORE MIDNIGHT (Richard Linklater)

Others I loved: PHANTOM THREAD; THE MASTER; PETERLOO; HER SMELL; HAIL, CAESAR!; COSMOPOLIS; THE DAY AFTER; LET THE SUNSHINE IN; BASTARDS; PASOLINI; WELCOME TO NEW YORK; BONE TOMAHAWK; BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99; BLUE JAY; MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT; GOOD TIME; BLACKKKLANSMAN; PARADISE TRILOGY; ANIMAL KINGDOM; IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK; COLUMBUS; THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND; MEEK’S CUTOFF; BLADE RUNNER 2049; THE WOLF OF WALL STREET; SILENCE; SONG TO SONG; KNIGHT OF CUPS; A HIDDEN LIFE; TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT; WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN; CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA; THE LOBSTER; THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER; AMOUR; SPRING BREAKERS; ELLE; ALWAYS SHINE; DRIVE; ONLY GOD FORGIVES; THE NEON DEMON; BERNIE; BOYHOOD; EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!!; DREAMS OF A LIFE; OUT OF BLUE; ANOMALISA; IT’S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY; JACKIE; ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD; THE HATEFUL EIGHT; DJANGO UNCHAINED; A SEPARATION; RAY MEETS HELEN; WIDOWS; SULLY; THE 15:17 TO PARIS; THE MULE; BROOKLYN; MAD MAX: FURY ROAD; FRANCES HA; THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES; MISTRESS AMERICA; DE PALMA; LEMONADE; BLUE RUIN; GREEN ROOM; I DON’T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE; THE GREAT BEAUTY; THE IMMIGRANT; MANDY; CALVARY; GO FOR SISTERS; THE GRAND BUDAPEST MOTEL; MOONRISE KINGDOM; HOLY MOTORS; RUST AND BONE; TWIXT; BLEAK STREET; SUN DON’T SHINE; TAKE SHELTER; ENOUGH SAID; FROM THE HEAD; UNDER THE SKIN; THE UNKNOWN GIRL; NEBRASKA; IDA; THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL; CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?; THE FITS; ANNIHILATION; PRISONERS; FAST FIVE; GET OUT; THE LAST JEDI; NIGHTCRAWLER; ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE; PATERSON; THE GREY; LINCOLN; THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER; SUPPORT THE GIRLS; WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS; THE DEATH OF STALIN; RAW; ROAD TO NOWHERE; THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT; A STAR IS BORN; NOCTURAMA; THE INTERN; TRANSIT; KNIVES OUT; UNCLE DREW; VALLEY OF LOVE; BY THE SEA; GONE GIRL; THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO; MEMPHIS; UNCLE KENT 2; WIN IT ALL; HAPPY CHRISTMAS; I AM LOVE; CALL ME BY YOUR NAME

Film

My Favorite Movies of 2019

My favorite movies of the year so far… still lots to catch up on.

1. THE IRISHMAN (Martin Scorsese)

2. UNCUT GEMS (The Safdie Brothers)

3. THE SOUVENIR (Joanna Hogg)

4. HIGH LIFE (Claire Denis)

5. LITTLE WOMEN (Greta Gerwig)

6. A HIDDEN LIFE (Terrence Malick)

7. TRANSIT (Christian Petzold)

8. HOTEL BY THE RIVER (Hong Sang-soo)

9. ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD (Quentin Tarantino)

10. HER SMELL (Alex Ross Perry)

Others I really liked:

PETERLOO (Mike Leigh); ROLLING THUNDER REVUE (Martin Scorsese); ASH IS PUREST WHITE (Jia Zhangke); KNIVES OUT (Rian Johnson); GRASS (Hong sang-soo); OUT OF BLUE (Carol Morley); BURNING CANE (Philip Michael Youmans); SWORD OF TRUST (Lynn Shelton); MARRIAGE STORY (Noah Baumbach); RICHARD JEWELL (Clint Eastwood); US (Jordan Peele); WILD ROSE (Tom Harper); DOLEMITE IS MY NAME (Craig Brewer); DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE (S. Craig Zahler); KNIFE + HEART (Yann Gonzalez); DOMINO (Brian De Palma); BETWEEN WORLDS (Maria Pulera); STATE LIKE SLEEP (Meredith Danluck); HIGH FLYING BIRD (Steven Soderbergh); PADDLETON (Alexandre Lehmann); THE KID (Vincent D’Onofrio)

Favorite performances:

Elisabeth Moss, HER SMELL; Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, and Robert De Niro, THE IRISHMAN; Adam Sandler and Julia Fox, UNCUT GEMS; Honor Swinton Byrne and Tom Burke, THE SOUVENIR; Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche, HIGH LIFE; Paul Walter Hauser, RICHARD JEWELL; Jessie Buckley, WILD ROSE; Ray Romano, PADDLETON; Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD; Da’Vine Joy Randolph, DOLEMITE IS MY NAME; Wendell Pierce, BURNING CANE; Lupita Nyong’o, US; Ana de Armas, KNIVES OUT; Kim Min-hee, HOTEL BY THE RIVER; Paula Beer, TRANSIT; Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, and Bob Odenkirk, LITTLE WOMEN; Ethan Hawke, THE KID; Zhao Tao, ASH IS PUREST WHITE

Still need to see & very excited about:

AD ASTRA

CLEMENCY

CHAINED FOR LIFE

THE FAREWELL

THE NIGHTINGALE

DIAMANTINO

INVISIBLE LIFE

PAIN AND GLORY

THE DEAD DON’T DIE

WAVES

BLACK MOTHER

THE BEACH BUM

PARASITE

FORD V. FERRARI

BOOKSMART

JOJO RABBIT

THE STANDOFF AT SPARROW CREEK

MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN

HUSTLERS

LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT

THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN

LITTLE WOODS

THE LIGHTHOUSE

MIDSOMMAR

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

DIANE

DARK WATERS

ATLANTICS

COLOR OUT OF SPACE

HOBBS & SHAW

CRAWL

JOHN WICK C3

WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE

HONEY BOY

Uncategorized

My Favorite Music of 2019

My favorite music of the year. Interested to see what I missed or just don’t know about, what endures and what changes, and to spend more time with some records I haven’t gotten very deep into yet.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen

Purple Mountains – s/t

Leonard Cohen – Thanks for the Dance

Lana Del Rey – NFR!

Hallelujah the Hills – I’m You

Heather Valley – Desert Message

Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster – Take Heart, Take Care

Karen and the Sorrows – Guaranteed Broken Heart

Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow

Molly Sarlé – Karaoke Angel

Mount Eerie & Julie Doiron – Lost Wisdom, Part Two

Buddy & Julie Miller – Breakdown on 20th Avenue South

The Delines – The Imperial

The Paranoid Style – A Goddamn Impossible Way of Life

Joan Shelley – Like the River Loves the Sea

Other stuff I loved:

(Sandy) Alex G – House of Sugar; Alexa Rose – Medicine for Living; Bonnie Prince Billy – I Made a Place; Kate Teague – s/t EP; Ian Noe – Between the Country; Bill Callahan – Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest; Jake Xerxes Fussell – Out of Sight; Tom Russell – October in the Railroad Earth; Bruce Springsteen – Western Stars; Spencer Thomas – Hangin’ Tough; Craig Finn – I Need a New War; Heather Woods Broderick – Invitation; Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising; Rod Melancon – Pinkville; Jenny Lewis – On the Line; Bark – Terminal Everything; Damien Jurado – In the Shape of a Storm; Mark Lanegan – Somebody’s Knocking; Kevin Morby – Oh My God; Will Johnson – Wire Mountain; Neil Young – Colorado; Jack Oblivion and the Dream Killers – Lost Weekend; Simon Joyner – Pocket Moon