On The Printed Page, San Francisco Is Crime Central

Recently the San Francisco Chronicle has been asking Bay Area writers "what's the best book that you've read that features San Francisco in it?" There has been a conspicuous absence by the interview authors of crime fiction, in specific? A certain novel about a bird that would eventually go on to make Humphrey Bogart a true leading star and put John Huston on the map.

Well, Eddie Muller was nice enough to take care of that omission and more, by picking out a list of some of the best "Crime Novels Set In The Bay Area." Click the purple and take a gander. Then he takes it step further by saying on the printed page "San Francisco Is Crime Central" and he backs that up with interviews of Bay Area authors.

Of course Mr. Muller cannot in good conscious add his own two great contributions to that list...

"The Distance"

and "Shadow Boxer"...











...so I will.

Also, I would like to add "Street Raised" by Pearce Hansen...






and "Cons, Scams and Grifts (A DKA File Novel)" by Joe Gores...










...to that esteemed list.

"Street Raised" Is Reviewed By The God of Noir

Eddie Muller reviewed "Street Raised" in the San Francisco Chronicle today! That is destiny in a sense, one underrated writer reviewing another. Maybe the New York Times and publishers will do the right thing sooner than later, by vaulting these overlooked authors on to the nation level where they belong, instead of so much airport paperback tripe.

The Godfather of Noir

Here's an article, ladies and gentlemen, on Eddie Muller. San Francisco's Godfather, of all things Noir and a pretty damn good author too.

Blogpourri

What is, "it's hard being a screenwriter," Alex?

For some reason, Terrence Howard's "Djay" is in my ha-yed, mah-nn. Mostly the accent.

What is, "going Annie Wilkes?"

Mind you, I wouldn't lock up some of my favorite authors and force them to write. That's just stupid (facial tic, facial tic) and wrong. If they won't become more prolific, then it's up to me to write the kinds of stories that I want to read.

Still, Eddie Muller has to have another book in him and The Blonde doesn't come out until November. Elvis Cole is strictly on vacation.

There is a promised Harry Bosch novella at the New York Times, that is serialized. I don't think the person who came up with that idea is a working parent. Otherwise, Echo Park isn't coming out until September 6th, where the folks across the pond get it before us. We have to wait until October 9th...WTF??? Did Tony Blair swing that deal?

What is, "put a cork in all that whistling?"

A certain product for men that has a mascot named "Smiling Bob," has an annoying theme song that is whistled. I'm not mentioning the product, only because I don't want to draw those people here when they Google for the stuff. I don't mind it when people whistle, but I'm not a fan of whistling themes, "Colonel Bogey March" from "The Bridge on The River Kwai" being the one exception.

But damn, that theme is annoying. Then Wendy's bought a whistling jingle that sounds just like a continuation of the "Smiling Bob" theme. Thank God for mute buttons or I'd go off on the jingle writers like Djay did on Skinny Black.

San Francisco Confidential

There’s not enough crime in San Francisco for James Ellroy, imagine that.

According to Leah Garchik’s column...

Noir writer James Ellroy, who made an experimental move to San Francisco in early February, is said to be moving back to Los Angeles. Noir City impresario Eddie Muller, who was at Enrico's with him the other night, says crime and boxing were what they talked about. San Francisco "apparently offers neither in sufficient measure,'' says Muller.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/05/DDGNSGUF0T1.DTL

Yeah, Jimmy Boy, enjoy your daily bowl of smog in the morning. Along with a nice heaping helping of traffic for lunch, followed by seconds, thirds, and if you haven’t had enough? Some more traffic for dinner. Mmm-mmm, tasty ground level ozone.

The back of the last James Ellroy book that I’ve read claimed that he moved to Kansas, but there you go. Anyway, time to get my rant on. We have crime, Jimmy Boy, we have crime. Last year, we had the highest homicide rate in over a decade...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/31/MNG62H06931.DTL

If you say that ninety-six murders are not a lot? Well, that’s a bunch considering that we’re just one small city of 46.7 square miles. Plus, we have fun incidents like this...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/31/BAG5II1AIF1.DTL
Believe you, me, Mr. Ellroy, callous and cold-blooded are not unique to the southern part of the state. That’s just one story of the senseless variety, but there are at least four of these type of incidents a week.

Yet, why confine ourselves to inopportune violence? How about the drug-dealing corridor on Sixth Street, between Market Street and Mission Street? Or as our own police call it, “Sixth and Mayhem.” We’ve got Bloods, Crips, Norteños, Sureños, Chinese gangs, Vietnamese gangs, Russian gangs, MS-13’s, etc... Don't get me started on the street life in the aptly named "Tenderloin," or the shootings in the Mission and on Third Street.

Why stop there? Take our police. We got your Rampart Division right here, Jimmy Boy...
http://www.sfgate.com/useofforce/

So, why would I take umbrage when someone says that there is not enough crime in San Francisco? Because nothing could be further from the truth. Every city in America has crime, but for you to say that you cannot find crime in San Francisco is like saying that you couldn’t find any fog either.

Do I think he was being serious when he allegedly made that statement or do I think that the superb Eddie Muller didn’t have his tongue in cheek when he related this to Ms. Garchick? No, and I think Eddie was half-pulling her chain.

What I do believe, was that James Ellroy was saying that San Francisco couldn’t inspire him as a writer. This was the same city that did just fine by Dashiell Hammett, whom Ellroy has cited as one of his greatest influences.

This little city has not been short of inspiration for Jack Kerouac, David Eggers, Amy Tan, Daniel Handler, and the aforementioned Eddie Muller. It has been said that Anne Rice wrote some of her best material here, as well as Mark Twain. John Steinbeck wrote newspaper articles here that would eventually become “The Grapes of Wrath.”

So Mr. Ellroy, go on back to Kansas or Los Angeles, but don't bother coming to San Francisco anymore. We have no use for you and apparently you've lost the ability to recognize crime, even if it bit you on the “hush-hush, on the q-t.”