Tag Archives: southern crime

Episode 148: Interview with Eli Cranor, author of Broiler

July 31, 2024Author InterviewArkansas, broiler, Don't Know Tough, Eli Cranor, Ozark Dogs, Ozarks, Soho Crime, Soho Press, southern crime, southern fiction, southern noirtopshelfatmerricklibrary

“This gripping, gritty noir is Upton Sinclair on hormones, the Coen brothers deep-fried.” ~ –Minneapolis Star Tribune about Broiler by Eli Cranor

Eli Cranor’s third book, Broiler, is another edge-of-your-seat noir thriller that exposes the dark, bloody heart of life on the margins in the American South and the bleak underside of a bygone American Dream. I was thrilled to host him for the third time to talk about his brand new book. In this episode, Eli shares his deep personal connection to Broiler. He opens up about the inspiration he draws from his family, the influence of his students, dives into his unique writing process, and explains how this story stands apart from his previous works. But that’s not all! Eli also gives us a sneak peek into his upcoming book, which promises to be quite a departure from his usual style. And for all you sports fans, we couldn’t resist talking a bit of college football! Tune in for an engaging and inspiring conversation. You won’t want to miss it!

Eli joined us for Episode 87 and for Episode 120, if you want to catch up on either of those! Place your holds here for all Eli Cranor’s books. Thanks so much again, Eli!

Eli Cranor recommends: Holy City by Henry Wise; Great State of West Florida by Kent Wascom; A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. The work of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen. Follow Eli Cranor on social media: @elicranor

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Episode 143: Interview with Henry Wise, author of Holy City

May 29, 2024Author Interviewgrove atlantic, henry wise, holy city, southern crime, southern noirtopshelfatmerricklibrary

For this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing author Henry Wise. He sat down with me to talk about his terrific southern crime debut, Holy City. We talked about his poetry, the craft of writing, his book recommendations, and more. Henry, thank you so much for joining me.

Holy City is a captivating debut about a deputy sheriff who finds himself on the outs from his sheriff’s department over his unwillingness to look the other way when an innocent man is arrested for murder.

Henry Wise recommends: Broiler by Eli Cranor; Don’t Let the Devil Ride by Ace Atkins; Smoke Kings by Jahmal Mayfield; Lilith by Eric Rickstad; The Great State of West Florida by Ken Wascom; Sanctuary by William Faulkner; Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad.

Follow Henry Wise on Instagram: @buzzbuzzbang and on Twitter (X): @henrywise05

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Episode 133: Interview with Suzanne Crain Miller, author of Temperatures

October 12, 2023Author Interviewnorth carolina, southern crime, southern noir, suzanne crain miller, temperatures, winding road presstopshelfatmerricklibrary

I am so late to the Suzanne Crain Miller party, and boy am I thrilled to be here! I read Suzanne’s most recent novel, Temperatures, over the summer and to say I was riveted is an understatement. Temperatures is a Southern noir page-turning thriller set in the oppressive summer heat of rural North Carolina. Police officers Mitchum Cobb and Cyrus Hogue partner up to battle what the volatile south dishes out in the wake of 2020.

For this episode we talk about her amazing book Temperatures, how she develops her characters, how improv classes help her writing; what she’s working on next, and more! Thank you so much for joining me Suzanne!

Suzanne Crain Miller recommends: Galveston by Nic Pizzolatto; Invention of Sound and Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk; Hurt For Me and Walking Through Needles both by Heather Levy; Heartbroke by Chelsea Bieker; My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout; Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett; American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis; Little Children and Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perotta; Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby; Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano; Lakeview Terrace: The Movie; True Detective: the HBO Series; Copycat: The Movie.

Get all your Suzanne Crain Miller titles right here!

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E120: Interview with Eli Cranor, author of Ozark Dogs

March 30, 2023Author InterviewArkansas, Don't Know Tough, Eli Cranor, Ozark Dogs, Ozarks, Soho Crime, southern crime, Thrillertopshelfatmerricklibrary

“A feud between Arkansas families escalates with the fury of Greek tragedy. Family loyalty, young love, honoring the dead—they’re all here, and they all go terribly wrong in Ozark Dogs.” –Kirkus

Eli Cranor joined me for Episode 87 to talk about his gripping debut, Don’t Know Tough, and for this episode he joins me to talk about his brand new book, Ozark Dogs. Once again, Eli’s book hits all the must-read lists and it’s easy to see why: in this Southern thriller, two families grapple with the aftermath of a murder in their small Arkansas town. I devoured Ozark Dogs in two days – it’s fantastic. Give a listen to our conversation. Thanks so much to Eli Cranor for joining me once again!

Eli Cranor recommends: Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper; Five Decembers by James Kestrel; The Hunt by Kelly Jo Ford; The Good Ones by Polly Stewart; The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames; How Children Succeed by Paul Tough; the works of Alex Taylor; the works of Walter Tevis

Follow Eli Cranor on Twitter: @elicranor. Reserve copies of both of Eli’s books here.

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E108: Interview with Scott Blackburn, author of It Dies With You

December 9, 2022Author InterviewAuthor Interview, crooked land books, debut, debut author, Friday Reads, it dies with you, Readers Advisory, scott blackburn, southern crime, southern fiction, Staff Picktopshelfatmerricklibrary

“It Dies With You is a satisfying gut-punch of a story. Gritty and surprising, the small-town Southern mystery is populated with big characters that make this novel truly special. I can’t wait to read whatever Scott Blackburn writes next.” —Tiffany Quay Tyson, award-winning author of The Past is Never.

In Scott Blackburn’s debut, It Dies With You, protagonist Hudson takes over his dad’s salvage business after his father is murdered. But Hudson gets more than he bargains for and must join forces with two unlikely accomplices. It Dies with You is a timely story about the long shadows cast by sins of the past.

I also can’t wait to read what Scott Blackburn writes next and he talks about that and more in this episode! Scott also shared a few book recommendations to get you ready for the holiday season, and you can find those below. What a great interview, thank you so much Scott!

Scott recommends: The Past is Never by Tiffany Quay Tyson; After the Lights Go Out by John Vercher; Every Hidden Thing by Ted Flanagan; the work of William Boyle; Kill the Prince by Dan Fogarty; The Devil Himself by Peter Farris; Living the Gimmick by Bobby Matthews; In the Lonely Backwater by Valerie Nieman; Something Bad Wrong by Eryk Pruitt; Hemlock Hollow by Culley Holderfield; and The Nightmare Man by JH Markert. That ought to get y’all started!