I’m mostly a reader of noir and violent, ultra-realistic crime fiction. But it never hurts to be reminded that a good story is a good story, regardless of genre.

What IS a thriller, anyway? You won't find a coherent through-line in these selections beyond that of individual taste.

Action beats—those pauses in the midst of physical or emotionally intense scenes—are essential to commercial story craft. But some are so overwrought that they pull you out of the story. Or do they?

Hundreds of novelists, librarians, editors and other book lovers voted. See how their ballots stack up.

This photo, a combination of sneakiness and sheer good fortune, seems to have struck a chord in the world. Seven years after I made it, some thoughts about making your own luck.

YouTube video by James McMurtry - Topic

Stephen Dobyns (1941-2026) was the author of more than thirty-five novels and poetry collections, including The Burn Palace, The Church of Dead Girls, Cold Dog Soup, Cemetery Nights, and...

The 1987 novel by Stephen Dobyns, who died this month, is criminally overdue for a critical reexamination. As is the growing apathy surrounding the definition of noir.

A new thriller from an unheralded master of suspense.

The second-to-last episode of the HBO series was the perfect ending to its five-season run. So what was the finale for?

“Writers don’t like to write. Writers are decent writers. Writers read interviews with themselves. Writers turn off Wi-Fi. Writers are under thirty-five. Wri...