Tuesday, June 07, 2011

What is Ed Lynskey reading?

The current featured contributor at Writers Read: Ed Lynskey, author of Lake Charles, a standalone Appalachian noir set in the 1970s.

The entry begins:
61 Hours (Jack Reacher #14). Lee Child. Delacorte Press. 2010.

I’ve read several of the Jack Reacher high-octane thrillers over the years, and I’m never disappointed. You know what you’re getting when you open one: a breakneck pace, MacGyver’s knowledge, dry as talc humor, and, above all else, fearless tenacity.

61 Hours is no different. This time the adventure kicks off with Jack riding on a tour bus with a group of senior citizens en route to Mount Rushmore. It’s winter, and winter gets cold with a capital C out there in South Dakota. The tour bus skids off the road on a slippery overpass and wrecks. Marooned in an approaching blizzard on the disabled tour bus, Jack manages to have them rescued by the local PD of a fairly large town called Bolton.

Bolton, of course, isn’t your run-of-the-mill hamlet out in the boonies. Jack discovers a new Federal prison has brought the townspeople prosperity and growth. However, with...[read on]
Among the early praise for Lake Charles:
"Lake Charles is going to scorch your soul. Ed Lynskey has given us a geographical and spiritual wasteland that that bears comparison with the best noir fiction being published today. I loved it."
--Ed Gorman, New York Times bestselling author of Sleeping Dogs

"A richly evocative story filled with telling details and real people, not 'characters.' From the 8-track tapes to the Mohawk haircuts and primitive tattoos, the author has the time period and setting nailed. Lake Charles is a haunting and pensive noir-style mystery."
--James DeFelice, New York Times bestselling author of Leopards Kill and Threat Level Black

"Ed Lynskey provides a powerful reading experience with Lake Charles. It's a violent, compelling story of kidnapping, murder, and retribution, told in a distinctive style with a vividly realized setting. This is a fine hardboiled crime yarn you shouldn't miss."
--James Reasoner, New York Times bestselling author of Texas Wind and the Wagons West series

"Ed Lynskey sends his young narrator on a dangerous backwoods quest for justice that gains momentum with every unexpected turn. Filled with vivid characters, Lake Charles is atmospheric and highly entertaining."
--Sandra Parshall, Agatha Award-winning author of Broken Places

"Lake Charles is Tennessee noir, rich with atmosphere and true-to-life characters. You'll feel the heat."
—Meg Gardiner, Edgar Award-winning author of The Liar's Lullaby
Read the first chapter of Lake Charles, and visit Ed Lynskey's Facebook page.

Ed Lynskey's The Blue Cheer, the movie.

The Page 69 Test: The Dirt-Brown Derby.

The Page 99 Test: Pelham Fell Here.

Writers Read: Ed Lynskey (August 2008).

My Book, The Movie: Lake Charles.

The Page 69 Test: Lake Charles.

Writers Read: Ed Lynskey.

--Marshal Zeringue