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Measures of Poison
This hefty noir anthology, from legendary small-press publisher McMillan, offers 23 original stories by many of the best writers in the field today James Crumley, Bill Pronzini, Michael Connelly, Gary Phillips, James Sallis, George P. Pelecanos, A.A. Attanasio plus an unpublished tale by the late Charles Willeford and an unproduced screenplay by the late Howard Browne, "The Violent World of Jake Lingle," which is mainly of academic interest.
Mostly set in the '30s, the stories largely involve lowlifes adrift in their shadowy worlds. The mood is dark, but not all of the characters are losers. Some win, turning the tables on their adversaries. Willeford's "Heathscapes," about a retired businessman with an odd idea of art and commerce, provides a real chill, as does Craig Miles Miller's "Dog." James Sallis's "Drive" is a small work of art about a man who "just drives," but God help anyone who gets in his way. In Scott Phillips's "Sockdolager," an older woman teaches an adolescent entrepreneur a thing or two. Equally saucy is Rick DeMarinis's "Horse Dealer's Lover." Michael Connelly gives a fresh spin to the crooked card game theme in his excellent and atypical "Cahoots."
At least another half-dozen stories are as good as these. The eye-catching dust jacket, featuring an old-fashioned medicine bottle with the contributors' names on the label, perfectly complements this quality package.
Mostly set in the '30s, the stories largely involve lowlifes adrift in their shadowy worlds. The mood is dark, but not all of the characters are losers. Some win, turning the tables on their adversaries. Willeford's "Heathscapes," about a retired businessman with an odd idea of art and commerce, provides a real chill, as does Craig Miles Miller's "Dog." James Sallis's "Drive" is a small work of art about a man who "just drives," but God help anyone who gets in his way. In Scott Phillips's "Sockdolager," an older woman teaches an adolescent entrepreneur a thing or two. Equally saucy is Rick DeMarinis's "Horse Dealer's Lover." Michael Connelly gives a fresh spin to the crooked card game theme in his excellent and atypical "Cahoots."
At least another half-dozen stories are as good as these. The eye-catching dust jacket, featuring an old-fashioned medicine bottle with the contributors' names on the label, perfectly complements this quality package.
- GenresShort Stories
710 pages, Hardcover
First published October 28, 2002
64 people want to read
About the author
Michael Connelly
377 books35.1k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.
After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.
After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with over 30 more novels.
Over eighty million copies of Connelly’s books have sold worldwide and he has been translated into forty-five foreign languages. He has won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho award (Spain) .
Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael is one of the producers and writers of the TV show, “Bosch,” which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Michael lives with his family in Los Angeles and Tampa, Florida.
Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.
After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.
After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with over 30 more novels.
Over eighty million copies of Connelly’s books have sold worldwide and he has been translated into forty-five foreign languages. He has won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho award (Spain) .
Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael is one of the producers and writers of the TV show, “Bosch,” which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Michael lives with his family in Los Angeles and Tampa, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Want to read
October 23, 2017This hardcover edition is signed by 11 of the authors collected in the book, including
Bob Truluck
Craig Miles Miller
Dennis McMillan
Jesse Sublett
Don Herron
Gary Philips
Jon A. Jackson
Kent Anderson
James Sallis
And a couple who's signature I can not read
Bob Truluck
Craig Miles Miller
Dennis McMillan
Jesse Sublett
Don Herron
Gary Philips
Jon A. Jackson
Kent Anderson
James Sallis
And a couple who's signature I can not read
January 19, 2025
24 short stories by some of the best and unfortunately all too obscure writers specializing in the crime genre with a capital 'C". These are writers who have been published by Dennis Macmillan at one point or other in their career - Macmillan has a distinct taste for the noir/crime novel featuing writiers like Jim Crumley, Charles Willeford, Jim Nisbet, George Pelecanos, Kent Anderson et al who are represented here.
September 19, 2018
In the spirit of full disclosure I need to say that I received this book, gratis and signed, from the publisher. In the spirit of even fuller disclosure, I probably shouldn't say (but will say) that I have no problem alienating friends by giving them honest appraisals of their works when I don't dig them, even when I think they might just want some praise or encouragement. I've burnt many a bridge with my trenchant mouth and the light of my star is now wan enough that you need a high-powered telescope just to glimpse my fading career in the pro/paid writer ranks ...
Fortunately, this caveat has zero relevance here, because this is a masterpiece of style, design, and content and its appraisal would require no varnish or sidestepping by even the most tactful reviewer. The book is formidable in length, something like seven-hundred pages plus, with pieces ranging from a couple of pages to novelette length. It's basically a Holy Bible's worth of noir.
Some famous and some lesser-known noir authors contribute stories about everything from corrupt Pinkerton agents to a cheating wife who uses cake shortening as lubricant (!) when engaging in anal sex with the local boy way in over his head with local toughs. Maybe things weren't better in the old days.
My favorite piece is a screenplay by the noir master Howard A. Brown called "The Violent World of Jake Lingle." I was inclined to view this teleplay as just an addendum tacked on as an afterthought, but the thing is so good that it read more like a great, short novel as opposed to an un-produced screen treatment. There's usually nothing worse for me than reading a screenplay on the page (even a good one) as opposed to seeing it executed on the screen, but this brilliant tale about citywide corruption in Capone's gangland Chicago is one of the best morality tales I've come across in some time. Its details are period, but its themes are eternal.
Highest recommendation, in any case, for the Browne screenplay and the book in general.
Fortunately, this caveat has zero relevance here, because this is a masterpiece of style, design, and content and its appraisal would require no varnish or sidestepping by even the most tactful reviewer. The book is formidable in length, something like seven-hundred pages plus, with pieces ranging from a couple of pages to novelette length. It's basically a Holy Bible's worth of noir.
Some famous and some lesser-known noir authors contribute stories about everything from corrupt Pinkerton agents to a cheating wife who uses cake shortening as lubricant (!) when engaging in anal sex with the local boy way in over his head with local toughs. Maybe things weren't better in the old days.
My favorite piece is a screenplay by the noir master Howard A. Brown called "The Violent World of Jake Lingle." I was inclined to view this teleplay as just an addendum tacked on as an afterthought, but the thing is so good that it read more like a great, short novel as opposed to an un-produced screen treatment. There's usually nothing worse for me than reading a screenplay on the page (even a good one) as opposed to seeing it executed on the screen, but this brilliant tale about citywide corruption in Capone's gangland Chicago is one of the best morality tales I've come across in some time. Its details are period, but its themes are eternal.
Highest recommendation, in any case, for the Browne screenplay and the book in general.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews