"When I set my Private Investigator Frank Johnson series title, The Blue Cheer, in the alpine wilds of West Virginia, author John Lescroart called my novel in his cover blurb an 'Appalachian noir.'

Later on, I heard the critics use the label in their articles on Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone, both the excellent film and book. The same label, I suppose, could now be applied to my new standalone novel, Lake Charles, offering its similar noirish flavor. Lake Charles is set in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee during the 1970s."

For the rest, please go to my guest post on Jim Thompson's weblog JIMLAND:
http://tiny.cc/vf9pj