Brash Blog

Big Ideas and Big Names in suspense from Brash Books

Get the big ideas from the biggest names in suspense on the Brash Books blog. Here, you'll find posts by some of your favorite mystery authors sharing their views on crime fiction - along with inside stories about everything from how they wrote their bestselling thrillers to what inspires them.

You'll also hear from experts in the mystery and suspense genre, along with fans, publishing insiders, and of course, Brash Books. Posts will range from informative to controversial - but you can bet every one will be a compelling read. This is your destination to explore great crime fiction writing - past, present and future - from the authors, readers, and publishers who keep it alive.

I think it was Heywood Hale Broun who said, “When a professional man is doing the best work of his life, he will be reading only detective novels,” or words similar. I hope, even at my age, I have my best work ahead of me, but when I was writing The Death of the Detective, in my leisure hours I was exhausting the classic English who-dun-its written between the Wars, favoring Dorothy Sayers and Freeman Wills Croft, while also re-reading Raymond Chandler and re-discovering Nero Wolfe. In this regard I shared the addiction with the likes of William Butler Yeats, William Faulkner and FDR, among others. My first two novels, the companion novels, Toyland and House Across the White... more

Read More of Mark Smith on Writing THE DEATH OF THE DETECTIVE

Bang out of the gate.  Or else. Are you one of those readers who scan the first paragraph of a book and puts it down if it doesn't grab you?  I am.  If I'm feeling ornery, I'll give the author only one line to snag me.  So, as a writer, I make a point of trying to write openings that pop in order to avoid losing those readers who are as quick to judge as I. The first line has to be a grabber. A lot of writers like to set the scene before diving into a story, but most readers aren't interested in what a character feels or how a setting looks unless they're already invested in that character or wonder about that setting.  As Elmore Leonard famously advised, "Never open a book with... more

Read More of You’ve Got To Open with a Grabber…

The editors of CrimeSpree Magazine had some terrific things to say about Brash Book in this month's issue. Here's what they said: Lee Goldberg and Joel Goldman founded Brash Books and these guys have been around the business for a while and wow, do they have a great eye for what to publish. They are putting out books by damn fine authors and they are terrific looking books as well. Two recent books that crossed our desk are Jack Lynch's The Missing and the Dead and The Dead Never Forget. What I love about what Lee and Joel are doing is that in a climate where so many people just want to bitch and moan about publishing, these guys rolled up their sleeves and said 'let's do this the... more

Read More of Some Very Kind Words for Brash Books

I just got back from Bouchercon 2014 in Long Beach and I can only speak in a whisper. Fried my vocal cords talking to so many authors and readers, spreading the word about our crime novels and thriller books. The conference had special significance for me and my Brash partner Joel Goldman. It was only 12 months ago, at Bouchercon 2013 in Albany, that we came up with the idea of launching this publishing company. And now, a mere 12 months later, we've published thirty books and we've got more on the way. We can't believe it! I am so glad that we made that decision. We love the the books we're publishing and we are so excited to finally get them into the hands of readers. And we are having... more

Read More of Brash Books at Bouchercon

Novelist James L. Thane, author of No Place to Die and Until Death, shares his fondness for Tom Kakonis' thriller Michigan Roll Timothy Waverly's business card describes him as an "Applied Probabilities Analyst," which is Waverly's idea of a little joke. Timothy is an ex-con out of Michigan who now makes his living in south Florida as a professional gambler, trimming the doctors, dentists and others who search out a little high-stakes action while on their Florida vacations. Waverly did a stretch for accidentally killing his ex-wife's lawyer. The ex-wife is now remarried and living in Traverse City, Michigan, with the young son that Waverly never had a chance to know. Restless,... more

Read More of Michigan Roll: For Fans of Elmore Leonard

Any self-respecting fan of Law & Order knows that the popular cop show franchise often draws its inspiration from crime stories that are “ripped from the headlines.” And no matter how many disclaimers emphasize that if the characters or plot bear any resemblance to a real-life individual or event it is completely coincidental, we instinctively recognize the original source. As consumers of popular culture, as participants in everyday modern life, we encounter dark and mysterious circumstances on a daily basis. Unless you have been residing among the Amish, or have elected to forego all modern conveniences by choice, you likely have heard about the activities of Jodi Arias —... more

Read More of Ficton That’s Ripped from the Headlines