Blood & Whiskey #1
Jason Matthews, Ivy Pochoda, Stephen King, Bulleit, Tom Waits
Hello friends and readers,
I’ve tried writing newsletters in the past, but most were the “I have a new book coming out” kind. Since my books only emerge into the world every 3-5 years, it never felt like a sustainable way to stay in semi-regular touch with readers, friends, and family. I’m going to try something new here and see if it lasts. On the 15th of each month (give or take), I’ll share some news and reviews on recent and classic crime stories — mysteries, thrillers, noir, spy capers, true crime — occasional author interviews and Q&As (mostly crime fiction writers), a whiskey-based drink of the month (for those so inclined), and some music, including a monthly Blood & Whiskey playlist.
[Note: If you’re seeing this via email, you were likely on a previous newsletter list. If books and bourbon aren’t your thing, you can unsubscribe below. If you’re game to just try a few, I’ll keep these emails to once a month for now.]
To kick things off, I’ll share this interview I did back in 2013 (my past life at Amazon) with Jason Matthews, who passed away earlier this month at 69. Jason worked for the CIA for 33 years before writing his first novel, Red Sparrow, following in the footsteps of ex-agents like John LeCarre and Ian Fleming. His debut was a fantastic read — smart, fast, taut, and all based on his experiences in the field. He went on to write two more books in his “Red Sparrow Trilogy,” and it’s sad to have lost such a talented writer just as he was finding a groove. In our interview (we talked about Putin and Russia, the new Cold War, Arab Spring, North Korea, Iran’s nukes, and more) he described his job as that of a “clandestine journalist,” and he seemed thrilled to have found a way to bring his old life onto the page, just like his literary heroes: “I think the realism that pops off the page is from people who’ve done the work.”
On to new books…
Two of my favorite reads of May were Later by Stephen King (his third book for great crime-fiction publisher Hard Case Crime) and These Women by Ivy Pochoda, a dark slow burn of a story about the lives (and deaths) of women along a scrubby stretch of Western Avenue in Los Angeles. Super smart and beautifully written, it’s stayed with me for many days after. (Coincidentally, just days before meeting Jason Matthews back in 2013, I’d interviewed Ivy for her book, Visitation Street. Our Q&A is archived HERE.) Pochoda is wonderful at capturing place. In Visitation Street, it was Red Hook, Brooklyn. In These Women, it’s a non-beachy chunk of L.A. south of the 10, a neighborhod of fish shacks, prostitutes, strip clubs, and struggling families.
King’s new book is fun and clever, super breezy and often sweet (the mother-son relationship is well-crafted), alternating between goofy and bloody. It feels like the start of bigger idea that got lopped down to a 250-pager. Still, I’m amazed at how effortless he still makes it look. The gist of the story: a kid who sees dead people. The story had a similar vibe/feel to his earlier Hard Case Crime book, Joyland, which is enjoyed even more. In my 2013 review of that book (weird! 2013 seems to be a theme here), I called it “a smart, sweet, spooky, sexy gem of a story … A single-session tale to savor some summer afternoon.” Also in 2013 (!) I’d interviewed Joyland’s editor, Charles Ardai, who founded Hard Case Crime: HERE.
These Women (Bookshop.org | Amazon) — Later (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
Other recent faves:
S.A. Crosby’s Blacktop Wasteland (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
Olga Tokarczuk’s Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
Willy Vlautin, The Night Always Comes (Bookshop.org | Amazon) - I also recently read Don’t Skip Out on Me - he’s a gorgeous, gritty writer, based in Portland, also a musician (I interviewed him in 2014)
Up next:
Steph Cha’s Your House Will Pay (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
Charles Portis’ True Grit (nope, never read it) (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
Jaws (Yep, that one.) (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
Flynn Berry’s Northern Spy — I loved her first two (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
What my wife is reading: Mary’s been plowing through the original James Bond series, and is now on #5, From Russia With Love. She keeps distracting me with hillarious, sexist, brutal, beautiful, campy Ian Fleming lines. The series is now on my Kindle.
Watching: The Bureau! Just two episodes left in the final season of this amazing 5-season French spy drama/thriller (on Sundance Now). Can’t recommend this one enough. So well done. Great writing and acting. Feels like an international spy version of The Wire.
[*Note: You’ll see I’ve included links to books on Bookshop.org and Amazon.com, but I highly encourage you to shop at your local independent bookseller. If need a suggestion for a good bookstore in your area, give me a shout.]
Walter Mosley…
During Covid, I subscribed to that Master Class program, which offers video lessons from experts on everything from guitar (that’s what I signed up for) to yoga to fashion, cooking, acting, hoops... Even Tony Hawk has one for aspiring skaters. I started dipping into the writing lessons, and fell in love with Mosley’s class — his warm voice, his generous and nurturing spirit. I found him wry and wise and feisty and jaded, with a broad and eclectic intellect, and no bullshit advice. And he was just good company. The nub of his advice was simple and sound: write what you love; write every day; read a lot; don't let the publishing industry box you in or keep you down. Follow your heart. He's an endearing "been there" teacher with a "don't sweat it" philosophy, even as he’s realistic, and a little fatalistic... It's hard out there, you'll take some punches, you'll fail.
Anyway, spending time with him on my iPad led me to one of his older (non-Easy Rawlins) books, the twisty 1950s L.A. thriller, Fearless Jones. (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
Drink…
Well, I haven’t gotten out of the house much lately, having been hunkered down on final rewrites for a new book (The First Kennedys, coming in Feb.). So I’ve improvised with what’s left in the liquor cabinet and concocted a mini cocktail that’s a keeper.
2 parts bourbon (I used Bulleitt)
1 part amaro (I used Ramazotti)
dash of bitters (I used Angostura)
cherry
thin-slice orange twist
It’s got a nice moody, dark-red color so I’m going to call it the Blood and Whiskey.
Song…
The title of this newsletter comes from a Tom Waits song, one of my all time favorites, Tom Traubert’s Blues (aka “Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen,” aka “Waltzing Matilda”), about drunk guy in a bad neighborhood in foreign land, with a “wound that will never heal,” wearing “an old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey.”
And here’s that song weaved into an L.A.-themed Blood & Whiskey playlist:
If you’ve made it this far: thanks for reading!
If this is your kind of thing, please spread the word - tell your friends, or the internet. And feel free to send me book (and drink) suggestions.
See you next month. I hope…
-Neal
You can find me on Instagram; occasionally on Facebook and Twitter
My books: Bookshop.org | Amazon
New book coming (2/2/22): The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of an American Dynasty
Hey Neal. Came across your Substack from the fabulous title that caught my attention.
It's a really cool idea to pair drinks with books and I'm doing something similar over on my substack Drink To That.
Recently put out a drinking collection from a protagonist of my horror western world.
https://drinktothat.substack.com/p/monsters-magic-mayhem-and-bourbon?s=w
ill have to check out Later, its been ages since i read a Steven King Book ~2009 since i completely missed his gun slinger series