Switchblade: Issue Ten

by Serena Jayne, Jim Wilsky, N.W. Barcus

Rough riders, gangsters, hitters, stick up men, boxers, and box crushers. From the west side all the way back east; featuring the bar flies, cheap motels, and day-old diner coffee in between…From the A-bomb to the B-word (Betrayal) and it’s all about Zulu Time. It’s another motley crew of unusual suspects grinding out yet another set of premium gutter noir. This is Switchblade Issue 10, and it ain’t just another black and blue issue with shades of gray. It’s full color and absolute. Featuring the criminally good fiction work of Serena Jayne, Jim Wilsky, Eddie McNamara, Beaumont Rand, Gene Breaznell, N.W. Barcus, Tim V. Decker, Christian Goss, C.W. Blackwell, Jim Towns, Brian Beatty, and Timothy Friend. And for the very first time, check out our “Person of Interest” special interview section, featuring noir author and rising star in the pulp C.W. Blackwell.

173 pages, Paperback

Published July 21, 2019

About the author

Serena Jayne received her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, and is a member of Romance Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She’s worked as a research scientist, a fish stick slinger, a chat wrangler, and a race horse narc. When she isn’t trolling art museums for works that move her, she enjoys writing in multiple fiction genres. While her first love is all things paranormal, the mundane world provides plenty of story ideas.

Reviews

[Scott Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another issue of the sharpest noir out there right now with a diner theme during the early part of the issue. Really enjoyed the profile on C.W. Blackwell at the back of the issue too. If you've not checked out Switchblade yet, you need to get on it.

[Suz Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of Switchblade Magazine. SB10 is noteworthy in that each story is accompanied by a gorgeous title page, a new “Person of Interest” piece spotlighting one of my favorite authors is included, and the issue is presented in glorious saturated color. The short stories inside are top notch, as is Scotch Rutherford’s editor’s corner and Brian Beatty’s poem.

My favorite stories in issue 10 include C.W. Blackwell’s “For Love or Money,” “Last Stand at the Rough Rider’s Old Town & Gunfight Museum” by Timothy Friend, “Bad Coffee and the Bomb” by Jim Towns, “Roadside Diner” by N.W. Barcus, and “Throw the Fight” by Beaumont Rand.

Blackwell is an auto buy for me. He consistently creates fantastic characters to challenge with compelling conflict. In “For Love or Money,” a couple’s conflicting goals dish up disaster for one of the pair. Friend’s memorable “Bad Dog” was a stand out story in SB5. His newest contribution tells the tale of a love triangle in a oddball tourist trap, where a man, who is forced to to play the villain, strives to be a hero. In Towns’s tale, a snowstorm brings a chance for an epic do-over, but not without a sacrifice. Barcus serves up an unsavory surprise for a hungry criminal and his savvy partner. Rand shows the hard choices a mother must face to make her daughter’s Christmas dreams a reality. Blackwell’s awesome Person of Interest interview highlights his impressive list of 2019 releases and provides his take on the noir/crime genre. Having his pieces as bookends makes the issue extra special.

I look forward to SB11 and Switchblade’s team up with Pulp Modern to release dual Tech Noir Special issues.

[Jon Zelazny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another shotgun blast to the face from L.A.'s premier DIY pulp-slinger Scotch Rutherford. The takeaway this time? Steer clear of cheap diners. No one in crime fiction ever gets shot at Starbucks.

My two faves? Gene Breaznell's "Killing Raskolnikov," which features thoughtful characters and an insider's knowledge of the dark side of the recycling biz, and Beaumont Rand's "Throw The Fight," a portrait of amateur boxing that sinks to whole new levels of white trash.

Scotch is further building the brand by putting together action-packed live readings, so all y'all Angeleno hipsters need to follow his Switchblade Twitter feed and support your local folk art!

[Joe Surkiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of hardcase crime and "gutter noir" (from the blurb). C.W. Blackwell's "For Love or Money" kicks it off. If it was the only story in the collection, it's worth the price of admission. Paige is a femme fatale for the ages and I won't spoil it. (Bonus: Blackwell is the subject of mini-interview in the back of the book.) Yet the always reliable Serena Jayne gives Paige a run for the money in "The Nature of Nurture," with this winning opening line: "Cynthia preferred her men big and dumb." I'm catching up with all the Switchblade issues; they don't disappoint.