Walkin' After Midnight: Crime Stories

by Joe Ricker

In the tradition of Frank Bill, Larry Brown, Jim Thompson and Raymond Carver, a short story collection set in New England's darkest corners from the author Esquire referred to as "A man of letters who's gentle in the way that only the toughest of hard-asses can be."

You might have passed some of the characters from these stories of the damaged underbelly of American society on the street; you were glad you kept walking.

“Joe Ricker is a hard-boiled poet in the tradition of Charles Bukowski. He writes of lonely, scarred men, damaged women, and of haunted places we all know. These shorts are served straight up with no chaser. Like the best of noir, it's about people with few options and often no way out. Highly recommended.”
—Ace Atkins, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Forsaken and The Redeemers

“Tough yet lyrical, bristling with hard-won wisdom, these stories knock you out of any comfort zone you may have found and into the red. Ricker knows people, violence and landscape. He knows truth, too. And these stories beat their fists like drums.”
—Tom Franklin, author of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter and Poachers

216 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2015

About the author

Ricker began his writing career as an undergraduate at the University of Mississippi, where he worked nights as a bartender at City Grocery. In both the bar and on campus, he was mentored by local authors and instructors Barry Hannah, Larry Brown, and Tom Franklin. Esquire magazine referred to him as: “A man of letters who’s gentle in the way that only the toughest of hard-asses can be.” He earned an MFA from Goddard College, and moved on to teach in Ithaca, New York, for nearly a decade. After leaving Ithaca, Ricker spent two years living out of his car and traveling through the western United States with his dog Kamani. He settled in Reno, Nevada, where he currently resides. Ricker has worked as an innkeeper, cab driver, carpenter, ranch-hand, lumberjack, and strip-club bouncer.

Reviews

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve just had the pleasure of reading this collection of dark and compelling stories, seeped in retribution and revenge. Ricker delves deep into the underbelly of New England, with the same adept focus on characterisation and sense of place as writers such as Frank Bill and Daniel Woodrell, that you will find yourself completely immersed in the lowdown dirty lives that Ricker presents. I particularly enjoyed Ecdysis (the Greek for shedding of skin) where a silent man seeks retribution on his mother’s killer, and Closer, which unnerves and disturbs in equal measure, with a central protagonist of a seemingly mild-mannered librarian, drawn into a dark world.

All of Ricker’s stories in this collection are spare and uncompromising, but bring to bear the contrasting moods and characteristics of the humanity contained within them. The stories are littered with despair, brutality, and essentially flawed characters (largely due to environment and circumstance), but there are also glimmers of poignancy and even love, which make them all the more hard-hitting, but also emotionally real. If you like your crime with a good slice of gritty and violent noir, and are ready to embrace the dark side of Ricker’s imagination, then this is the book for you, but don’t expect any happy ever after…

[Erin Fraser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Ricker is a talented and captivating writer. Walkin' After Midnight is not the type of book I normally pick up, but the first story completely drew me in. The darkness of the characters and the plot twists you don't see coming make this a brilliant read. The stories depict the parts of life we know happen but don't want to think about...the brokenness and despair is almost palpable. I highly recommend this book.

[Karen Waller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning Racial slurs, transphobic slurs, rape, suicide

I was looking for a book of short thrillers. What I ended up with was a book full of abuse and hate. A very hard read.

[Laura Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walking After Midnight by first-time author Joe Ricker is must read collection of crime stories.

Ricker is a poet and philosopher of human tragedy. His words quietly penetrate the reader like the crimes of his characters and their victims. They start with a subtle burn - and end with an acute unforeseen chill. His unique voice leaves the reader surprised to want more of that burn and chill equally.

An addiction is keenly created in the mind of the reader. This addiction demands the entering of Ricker's world fully... with the revealed and hidden pains of criminal and victim... as they are all indeed one.

Ricker's intelligent passion and courageous talent bring raw human flaws and desperation to a new level. He sees into the soul of the all his characters for in fact he is the soul of all his characters.

If you read one book this year, make it Walking After Midnight

[Shannon Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of short stories grabs your attention from the first paragraph and won't let go. The character descriptions stir a range of emotions within...love and hate, hope and despair, beauty and wretchedness.

The book is easy to read and nearly impossible to put down. The characters feel real and could easily be someone you know. Might even be you. The stories are dark with surprise twists so don't expect endings wrapped neatly with pretty bows. However, expect yourself wanting more. It's amazing that this collection is Joe Ricker's debut. I look forward to more from this talented writer.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will make you call in sick to work because you can't stop reading. No joke.
No words are wasted. Ricker's character's embody compassion in violence, hatred in love, and the marriage of what is otherwise seen as incompatible.
The stories make it hard to swallow in the best way, Raymond Carver like.
Read it and regardless of your sensibilities this collection is bound to rock you.

[Erin Fraser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Ricker is a talented and captivating writer. Walkin' After Midnight is not the type of book I normally pick up, but the first story completely drew me in. The darkness of the characters and the plot twists you don't see coming make this a brilliant read. The stories depict the parts of life we know happen but don't want to think about...the brokenness and despair is almost palpable. I highly recommend this book.

[Christopher Irvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Ricker is a guy you need to witness read live. Grab his collection and hunt him down. Top notch grit lit.

[Max Everhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, taut crime stories with a distinct voice.