By the Balls: The Complete Collection

by Jim Pascoe (Editor), Tom Fassbender

"Readers who enjoy their hard-boiled detective fiction seasoned with self-referential humor will welcome this collection, which includes two new short stories by Pascoe and Fassbender, cofounders of the publisher UglyTown…The title work, a novel first published in 1998, is the highpoint, as a murder in a bowling alley claims the life of Gentleman Joe Biggs, the city’s leading bowler. Along the way to a crafty solution, the authors wink at the readers ('It was Suzi who made a passing joke about this being a detective story, and as it goes in all good detective stories, it was now time to stake out the widow’s house to see what might develop')--a light touch that leavens a grim fictional universe."
-- Publishers Weekly (review)

" By The Balls ...not only launched a series of Ben Drake stories and novels but also put UglyTown on the map as a quirky but serious indie house focused on handsomely designed trade paperback editions and hardboiled crime fiction with a strong sense of place."
-- Publishers Weekly (feature)

" By the Balls is manna from heaven for aficionados of noir and lovers of the classics from older masters of the genre such as Hammett, Chandler, and Cain. The stories are fast with page-turning addictiveness, filled with gems of street-smart dialogue and characters to kill for. Numerous illustrations by Paul Pope adorn the inner pages, all of which are stark and beautifully rendered. And just when you think it can’t get any better, over 20 short essays by industry luminaries are thrown in for good measure. Noir collections don’t get much better than this."
-- New York Journal of Books

"With their tongues well placed in their pulpy cheeks, these stories could be read as fairly faithful homages to the classic mystery noirs of the 1930s (and '40s, and '50s) as well as wickedly playful satires...A definitive package of noir throwbacks that will tickle your fancy if you're a fan of Hammet, Spillane and Chandler."
-- Shelf Awareness

This deluxe volume assembles all the early writing of Jim Pascoe and Tom Fassbender in a redesigned fifteenth anniversary edition, including the two underground cult-classic novels By the Balls and Five Shots and a Funeral , along with two brand-new short stories, a new introduction, and over a dozen short essays by industry luminaries.

Perfect for fans of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, these tales follow the exploits of Ben Drake, a detective with a passion for small cigars and big fights, a love of Old Grand-Dad, and a weakness for women in trouble. North of Las Vegas in the fictional town of Testacy City, Drake sniffs out killers, thieves, kidnappers, cock fighters, double crossers, crooked cops, and numbers runners—all culminating in the bizarre murder of Gentleman Joe Biggs, a well-loved local bowling hero. As he continues to crack clues in the case, Drake is drawn deeper into a citywide criminal conspiracy.

Jim Pascoe is a writer, designer, and an Emmy Award–winning creative director. He is responsible for the packaging design of over one hundred DVDs, such as Mad Men and the 2010 Stanley Kubrick Collection . He has written comics and books featuring Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kim Possible, and Hellboy. His graphic novel series Undertown was serialized in over fifty newspapers worldwide, and his recent crime fiction has appeared in Los Angeles Noir and Florida Heat Wave .

Tom Fassbender is a writer, editor, and content strategist who has written, edited, and published both novels and comics. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Genres: Fiction

477 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2013

Reviews

[Herb]

I love this book more than I can put into words. If you like crime noir with great action, dialogue, and characters, you owe it to yourself to check this out. It's my favorite book I've read this year. Highly recommended.

[Michael Allan Leonard]

At once both a loving throwback tribute to the classic pulp-era noir detective story (complete with a wonderfully bawdy double-entendre title -- what else you gonna call a murder mystery where a pro bowler is the victim), but with the occasional wink / nod / elbow in the ribs at the clichés, tropes, and formulaic nature of the genre without being disrespectful to it or its fans.

Everything you expect turns up like clockwork: femme fatales, corrupt cops, colorful murder scenarios, an odd and endearing supporting cast, capped off with a protagonist who has beautifully dark and troubled past -- Ben Drake is an ex-firefighter turned hard-bitten, hard-drinking private investigator after a tragic accident: he's supposed to meet his wife for dinner but ends up responding to an alarm instead, and while he saves the life of a young girl, his wife dies in a car accident on her way home from being stood up for their dinner date. Pascoe and Fassbender aren't setting out to re-invent the wheel or deconstruct anything, just spin a smooth succession of rides that feel like lost noir relics from a bygone era. All that, and killer illustrations by comics artist Paul Pope as the icing on the bourbon-soaked cupcake.

[Davidg]

I think it was Spike Milligan who wrote a book of bits or bits of a book, and that is what this is. The title book, which is the first book written, is pretty much at the end of this collection and would probably be rated three stars, but with everything else around it, it just doesn't hang together. The authors have written new stories to top and tail the series but they add very little except to add to the general confusion.

A fireman loses his wife and decides to become a detective in the new first story. A couple of stories follow which give no indication of how this happened or how Drake manages to earn any money. Finally it is revealed that he is working for an agency. All this supposed to lead up to that first novel. However, I found that book less believable after having read the previous stories, particularly with regard to the final reveal.

There are much better noir books out there.

[Neil]

By the Balls is a collection of stories about Ben Drake, this collection of his stories is fairly solid from top to bottom. At first I was very happy to see that By The Balls was put in chronological order instead of stick with the publication order. The problem that I ran into is that most of the stories (other than Fireproof & By the Balls) do not hold up very well as individual stories. This is one of the few times that I think the book would have been able to keep more suspense and intrigue if they would have stuck with the publication order. If you are into noire style of writing I do think most people will enjoy the books no matter what order you decide to read the stories.

[Les Gehman]

By the Balls: The Complete Collection is a wonderful collection of pulp fiction stories previously published as two novels and several short stories. The Complete Collection also includes all of the fantastic illustrations done by Paul Pope. This is a very fun, over the top collection of hard-boiled noir mysteries recommended for any hard-boiled mystery fans with a sense of humor.

[David]

It’s hard to believe it’s been fifteen years since UglyTown, the DIY crime house that launched a thousand careers, broke on to the scene. For it’s anniversary, UglyTown founders Jim Pascoe and Tom Fassbender have joined with Akashic Books to bring you this deluxe package edition that includes the debut bowling-alley murder mystery that started it all, By The Balls, the novel Four Shots and A Funeral, as well as five short stories (two brand new ones!) and a slew of essays from industry heavyweights. This is pulpy noir writ with punk rock spirit. An absolute must!

[Elwood D Pennypacker]

I'm glad I read this now after getting heaping doses of the original snuff over the last couple years. An affectionate tribute to the old pulps but really shockingly clean, almost too clean, save for the blood and guts. In other words, more morals than the classics but with modern expectations of violence.

If it accomplished one thing, it reminded me that I too would like to shelve my civil service position for licensed private eye work and unlicensed bourbon consumption.

[Clayton Cheever]

Escapist fun. I was surprised at how well written these stories were. I appreciated the humor as well. Nothing deep, but its not pretending to be either. I could see Tarantino fans really going for this.