It WAS All Right on the Night... Frickin' Brilliant, Actually

I'm a little bit strapped for time today, and slightly hungover, so this is going to be a pretty short report. But I feel like I should let you all know how the launch for Requiems for the Departed went last night.

Frickin' brilliant, as the title suggests.

The shop was packed, six of the contributors came along to read, copies were sold and signed, and I got to have a few sociable pints with a group of great people.

It was a pleasure to meet John McAllister and Arlene Hunt for the first time, and Arlene's hubby, Andrew. And it was great to see Brian McGilloway, Stuart Neville, Tony Bailie and Tammy Moore again (and congrats to Stuart and his lovely fiancee, Jo, who he introduced us to last night). Unfortunately, Garbhan Downey didn't make it, but I think he was there in spirit alongside Peter Rozovsky and Sean Patrick Reardon.

Adrian McKinty didn't make it either, citing the pitiful excuse that he lives in Melbourne... BUT I was delighted to see Adrian's mum and sister there. Two absolute angels.

I met Wayne Simmons for the first time too. Look out for this guy. He's brought Zombies to Belfast!

Old and new friends showed up and I think I managed to get a couple of minutes with each of them. If I missed anybody, I apologise.

Oh, and there was beer.

By the way, if you're into pub quizzes, you want to get Stuart and Jo on your side. We won a £10 voucher! Go team No Alibis.

George McFly Day

Well, I received the first print run of Requiems for the Departed. A good chunk of the books will go straight to No Alibis for the launch, details as follows:

No Alibis Bookstore is pleased to invite you to the launch of Irish crime fiction anthology, REQUIEMS FOR THE DEPARTED, edited by Gerard Brennan and Mike Stone, on Thursday 10th June at 6:30PM.

Along with co-editor Gerard Brennan (of Crime Scene NI fame), we're expecting appearances from the following contributors: Brian McGilloway, Stuart Neville, Arlene Hunt, T.A. Moore, Tony Bailie, John McAllister and Garbhan Downey, so this is sure to be an evening to remember.

Book your spot now by emailing David, or calling the shop on 9031 9607.

So, if you're in or close to Belfast, come along, guys. These books won't be around forever. They've already started to sell. Check out this pic of the first two customers.

No Alibis Event Tonight!

Wednesday 5th May
7pm
No Alibis Bookstore, Belfast.
Brian McGilloway and Declan Hughes
Book Launch, Chat & Reading

NO ALIBIS BOOKSTORE
83 BOTANIC AVENUE
BELFAST BT7 1JL
david@noalibis.com
ph. 02890-319601
fax. 02890319607

Feckin' Traffic! Bet it wouldn't have held Jack Reacher back, though...

As I rattle out this short post I'm missing what promised to be another great No Alibis event. I was in attendance for the Michael Connelly and James Ellroy ones in 2009 and loved them. And right at this very second Brian McGilloway is chatting to Lee Child in Belfast and I'm not there.

Why?

Because some wing nut crashed his feckin' car on the M1 which led to a queue of rubberneckers coasting along my homeward route at a snail's pace. As a result, I was late home and didn't have enough time to get a quick bite to eat, kiss the kids goodnight and hit the tarmac trail.

So, if you happen to be reading this, Motorway-Prang-Boy, thanks a lot, you tool.

I'd really like to hear how the night went from anybody who managed to make it. If you fancy it, please drop a comment here or even email me a few paragraphs and I'll give you your own post.

In the meantime, I'm going to watch a bit of telly with the missus.

There are worse ways to spend an evening.

Lee Child Competition

(Pictured above, Lee Child, writer and handsome devil.)

David Torrans of No Alibis got in touch with me this morning to offer some giveaway tickets to the Lee Child event in Belfast on Wednesday night (full venue and ticket information here). There are five of these beauties up for grabs.

Since we're strapped for time, I'm going to keep the competition simple. First five people to comment on this post get a ticket. Because you might want to bring a significant other with you, I'll allow a maximum of two entries. Simply comment twice if you want two.

Entrants will need to make their way to No Alibis to collect their tickets before the event (and do Dave a favour -- don't leave it to the last minute, please).

Also, you should know that Brian McGilloway is interviewing Child. How could you not want a ticket to that?

Get in there!

Reading in the Air

Last night I attended the most unconventional book event ever. Seriously, I doubt anyine can beat this. Organised by the folks at Literary Miscellany, Ian Sansom launched The Bad Book Affair at Belfast City Hall’s exhibition space and the Belfast Wheel.

I kid you not, folks.

Attendees were treated to free wine and nibbles as Mister Sansom took the time to schmooze with the crowd. Then Glen Patterson, a Belfast literary giant, introduced Belfast’s lord mayor, Naomi Long, who praised the Northern Irish literary scene then handed the microphone back to Mister Patterson. Following a glowing introduction from said Belfast literary giant, the general theme being Ian Sansom is just great, the man of the moment, the author of The Bad Book Affair, made a wonderful and funny speech about his miserable early years in Belfast, his application to Belfast City Council for a job as a gravedigger and his journey to becoming a writer. He ended the brief talk with a toast and the audience was then led to the Belfast Wheel.

I attended the event alone as my wife, also a Sansom fan, couldn’t make it. Fortunately, my lonely spirits were lifted when I ended up in Ian Sansom’s big wheel carriage. We listened to a pre-recorded reading from The Bad Book Affair as the wheel raised us upwards for a lovely view of the Belfast city skyline in all its orange-lit splendour. Mister Sansom, always good for a chuckle, took the piss out of his reading and treated us to a few quips before disembarking the carriage to sign books as provided by David Torrans of No Alibis.

Not a bad way to spend a Thursday evening, folks.

Incidentally, I've almost finished reading The Bad Book Affair and would heartily recommend that you all run out and buy a copy.

Lee Child Belfast Launch - Venue Details

Transworld Publishers and No Alibis Bookstore are proud to announce that

Lee Child,

Author of the Jack Reacher Novels,
Will be appearing at
The Movie House
DUBLIN ROAD
BELFAST

Chat, Reading and Q&A
Wed 24th MARCH 7pm
To Launch his Latest novel

61 HOURS

Ticket Price £12
Call David on 028-90-319601
Or email david@noalibis.com
To Book Tickets


NO ALIBIS BOOKSTORE
83 BOTANIC AVENUE
BELFAST BT7 1JL
david@noalibis.com
ph. 02890-319601
fax. 02890319607

Reacher Wider Audience - News From David Torrans

LEE CHILD
BELFAST
MARCH 2010

Lee Child, one of the Worlds greatest Thriller Writers, will be heading to Belfast In March 2010.

No Alibis Bookstore, in association with TRANSWORLD Publishers, is proud to announce that they will be hosting an event to promote the new JACK REACHER novel, GONE TOMORROW.

We are in the final stages of confirming the City Centre Venue and will be posting details on our WEBSITE, http://www.noalibis.com/ very shortly.

To register your interest in this event simply email back to david@noalibis.com

Lee Child was born in 1954 in Coventry, England, but spent his formative years in the nearby city of Birmingham. By coincidence he won a scholarship to the same high school that JRR Tolkien had attended. He went to law school in Sheffield, England, and after part-time work in the theatre he joined Granada Television in Manchester for what turned out to be an eighteen-year career as a presentation director during British TV's "golden age." During his tenure his company made Brideshead Revisited, The Jewel in the Crown, Prime Suspect, and Cracker. But he was fired in 1995 at the age of 40 as a result of corporate restructuring. Always a voracious reader, he decided to see an opportunity where others might have seen a crisis and bought six dollars' worth of paper and pencils and sat down to write a book, Killing Floor, the first in the Jack Reacher series.

Killing Floor was an immediate success and launched the series which has grown in sales and impact with every new instalment.

Lee has three homes—an apartment in Manhattan, a country house in the south of France, and whatever airplane cabin he happens to be in while travelling between the two. In the US he drives a supercharged Jaguar, which was built in Jaguar's Browns Lane plant, thirty yards from the hospital in which he was born.

Lee spends his spare time reading, listening to music, and watching the Yankees, Aston Villa, or Marseilles soccer. He is married with a grown-up daughter. He is tall and slim, despite an appalling diet and a refusal to exercise.

NO ALIBIS BOOKSTORE
83 BOTANIC AVENUE
BELFAST BT7 1JL
david@noalibis.com
ph. 02890-319601
fax. 02890319607

No Alibis Calendar Launch

From the No Alibis website...

Once again we are delighted to announce that Neil Shawcross will be launching the No Alibis Calendar for 2010 on Friday 4th December at 5:30PM.

The Shawcross/No Alibis Calendar launch has become an annual celebration of all things “Noir” and this year is no exception. New images based on the works of Simenon, Chandler , Christie and many others will be on display along with the limited edition Calendar, priced £15. The artist will be here on the night to sign individual Calendars.

To book a spot for this event, email David, or call the shop on 9031 9607.

No Alibis Event - Stephen Rea

From the No Alibis Newsletter...

Stephen Rea
Monday 30th November at 6:00PM

No Alibis Bookstore is pleased to invite you to an evening with Stephen Rea, who will be discussing his book, FINN MCCOOL'S FOOTBALL CLUB, on Monday 30th November at 6:00PM.

After jetting around the world, Stephen Rea left Belfast to settle in New Orleans in 2004. Life in the Deep South proved to be startlingly different from that in Northern Ireland, and Rea struggled to find an outlet for his love of soccer. Before long, the Ulsterman stumbled upon Finn McCool’s pub and the wonderfully eccentric, international crowd that gathers there to watch European football games.

Frank “the Tank,” the pot-growing Dutch national; Dave “the Rave” Ashton, a forty-six-year-old physiotherapist from Manchester dubbed “the world’s oldest teenager”; and Benji Haswell, a former political activist from South Africa, are three of the rare and vibrant characters who populated the pub’s stools. Soon Rea, along with this idiosyncratic mix of locals and ex-pat regulars, formed a pub soccer team, joined a league, and started dreaming of victory.

On August 27, 2005, with former pro footballer Scottish Steve “Macca” McAnespie as their coach, members of the team sat in the pub discussing their upcoming match. The next day, Hurricane Katrina enveloped the Gulf Coast, scattering Rea and his teammates around the world in seek of shelter and stability.

This luminous, gripping work follows the author and Finn regulars as they rebuild their lives and their team. With a masterful combination of dry humor and astute profundity, Rea reflects on his adopted city, providing powerful insight into the lives of the foreign-born and minority groups that stayed behind during Katrina due to the little they had to lose. Filled with equally hilarious and sobering anecdotes and no shortage of good soccer stories, Rea seamlessly weaves his experiences alongside his teammates’ harrowing survival stories. A breathtaking and incredible debut celebrating camaraderie, sportsmanship, and survival, Finn McCool’s Football Club stands out as a haunting and powerful memoir filled with laughter, loss, astonishment, and of course, soccer.

Stephen Rea is a freelance writer who has contributed to national and international newspapers, magazines, and Web sites for more than twenty years. He has worked for the Sun in the United Kingdom, as well as regional newspapers in the news, features, sports, and entertainment departments. He lives with his wife and daughter in New Orleans, Louisiana.

To book a spot for this event, email David, or call the shop on 9031 9607.



NO ALIBIS BOOKSTORE
83 BOTANIC AVENUE
BELFAST BT7 1JL
david@noalibis.com
ph. 02890-319601
fax. 02890319607

No Alibis Event - Jack O'Connell

From the No Alibis newsletter...

Jack O'Connell
Wednesday 25th November at 6:30PM

www.enterlimbo.com

www.noalibis.com

Attendees of our Evening with James Ellroy, and followers of the excellent Crime Scene NI will be aware that we have Jack O'Connell lined up to appear at the store. Now, we're pleased to invite you an evening with the man, to celebrate the UK launch of his fifth novel, THE RESURRECTIONIST, on Wednesday 25th November, at 6:30PM.

Described as a "cyberpunk Dashiell Hammett", Jack O’Connell is the author of five critically acclaimed novels, which have earned him something of a cult status. His work has been praised by James Ellroy, Neil Gaiman, Katherine Dunn and Jonathan Carroll, among others.

Another fan, George Pelacanos (author of The Night Gardener), wrote, “In [his] remarkable books, Jack O'Connell has riffed on language, fire-cleansed genre conventions, and stripped the artifice from the modern noir novel, creating a body of work both exciting and entirely original.”

The author lives with his wife and two children in Worcester, Massachusetts.



NO ALIBIS BOOKSTORE
83 BOTANIC AVENUE
BELFAST BT7 1JL
david@noalibis.com
ph. 02890-319601

Photographic Evidence...

(L-R Nat Sobel, Stuart Neville, James Ellroy and David Torrans)

Some joker said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Fair enough, says me. Makes for a very short blog post when you've photos like these to display. Many thanks to Hilary Knight for sending the pics through.

(Ellroy, Neville and Sobel in deep literary discussion in the super-chilled surroundings of No Alibis.)

The event itself was one of the best I've attended to date. Ellroy is a showman. He didn't read. He performed. During the performance, it struck me; if this writing business hadn't worked out for him, he could have fallen back on a career as an evangelist. Of course, the subject matter of his sermons might have been a bit close to the knuckle. This cat doesn't hold back.

(Sobel, Neville, Ellroy and Torrans a few hours before the big event.)

Stuart Neville did very well as Ellroy's onstage interviewer. With an audience of close to 800 in front of him and James feckin' Ellroy beside him, it couldn't have been easy to play it cool. He fell right into the role, though.

(Ellroy and Torrans waiting for Adrian McKinty to make a bald joke.)

So, Mister Torrans, proprietor of No Alibis bookstore and proven event manager... what's next?

Legendary US crime novelist James Ellroy at Waterfront Hall

(I could introduce the following piece, but I think it speaks for itself in all its PR professionalism. As for what this event is doing for the crime fiction scene in Northern Ireland? Just have a look at the smile on Stuart Neville's face in the accompanying photo [Stuart is the slightly smaller giant on the left]... gb)

Following the success of his recent book ‘The Twelve’, internationally recognised Armagh author Stuart Neville will be joining legendary US crime writer James Ellroy, at the Waterfront Hall on Saturday 7th November.

The evening audience with Ellroy is an opportunity to hear one of the greatest crime novelists in recent years speak about his work, read from his latest and long awaited new novel, ‘Blood’s a Rover’ and listen to his views on crime fiction literature. Local crime novelist Stuart Neville will interview Ellroy as part of the evening.

Ellroy is author of the acclaimed LA Quartet, The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential and White Jazz, as well as the first two parts of this Underworld USA trilogy, American Tabloid and The Cold Six Thousand which were both Sunday Times bestsellers.

The forthcoming event has been organised by Belfast’s specialist crime bookstore No Alibis, a bookshop becoming well known for the role it plays in the crime fiction scene in Northern Ireland. Even the shop itself is the setting for the latest Colin Bateman thriller ‘The Day of the Jack Russell’, which will be released in November.

No Alibis owner and crime fiction guru David Torrans said, “It is the first time that Ellroy has visited Belfast and the event is an opportunity to hear the inspired and critically acclaimed crime fiction novelist face to face. The ‘Demon Dog’ of American crime fiction Ellroy, will be talking about his new book, ‘Blood’s a Rover’, which is the third and concluding part of the ‘Underworld USA’ trilogy.”

“It’s great to have one of our most recent novelists Stuart Neville, interviewing Ellroy as part of the evening. Ellroy himself said of Stuart’s first novel ‘The Twelve’ that ‘it is an all out-terror trip and the best first novel I have read in years,’” explained David.

Stuart will have just have returned from a book signing tour of the US to launch his book there, where it is receiving excellent reviews. It was during one of the booksigning events in Denver, that Stuart met up with the literary giant, Ellroy





“James Ellroy was one of the first supporters of my own work, which was fantastic for a first time author like me. It was so great to finally meet up with him over in the US. I’m really looking forward to the event at the Waterfront Hall, when we will get the chance to hear Ellroy talk more about his work and what inspires him.”

To celebrate Ellroy’s first visit to Belfast, the Queen’s Film Theatre, Botanic Avenue is also showing a special matinee edition of his best known films, the modern classic LA Confidential, on Saturday 7th November at 2pm.

The Waterfront show starts at 8pm. The ticket includes free entry to the Tiger Room after the show to help celebrate the event and will allow guests to mingle with authors from the vibrant Northern Ireland crime fiction scene. Musical entertainment will be provided by The Sabrejets.

Tickets, price £12 are available from Waterfront Hall Box Office and from No Alibis Bookshop, Botanic Avenue, Belfast on 028 9031 9601 http://www.noalibis.co.uk/

ELLROY VISIT JUST GETS BETTER

From the No Alibis newsletter

TO CELEBRATE THE UPCOMING VISIT TO BELFAST BY AWARD WINNING AND CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED NOVELIST

JAMES ELLROY

WATERFRONT BELFAST SAT 7TH NOVEMBER 8PM

THE QUEENS FILM THEATRE IS SHOWING A SPECIAL MATINEE EDITION OF THE MODERN CLASSIC

LA CONFIDENTIAL

SAT 7TH NOVEMBER 2PM

Check out these links for more information.

http://www.queensfilmtheatre.com/films/laconfidential/

http://www.noalibis.com/Ellroy.asp

http://www.waterfront.co.uk/whatson/performancedetails.aspx?id=39931

NO ALIBIS BOOKSTORE
83 BOTANIC AVENUE
BELFAST BT7 1JL
david@noalibis.com
ph. 02890-319601
fax. 02890319607

No Alibis Event - John Connolly

(From the No Alibis website)

No Alibis Bookstore is pleased to be hosting the launch party for John Connolly's latest novel, THE GATES on Friday 9th October at 6:30PM.

THE GATES OF HELL ARE ABOUT TO OPEN. MIND THE GAP.

Young Samuel Johnson and his dachshund Boswell are trying to show initiative by trick-or-treating a full three days before Hallowe'en. Which is how they come to witness strange goings-on at 666 Crowley Avenue.

The Abernathys don't mean any harm by their flirtation with Satanism. But it just happens to coincide with a malfunction in the Large Hadron Collider that creates a hole in the universe, a hole through which can be glimpsed a pair of enormous gates.

The gates to Hell. And there are some pretty terrifying beings just itching to get out...

John Connolly was born in Dublin and has, at various points in his life, worked as a journalist, a barman, a local government official, a waiter and a dogsbody at Harrods department store in London. He studied English in Trinity College, Dublin and journalism at Dublin City University, subsequently spending five years working as a freelance journalist for The Irish Times newspaper, to which he continues to contribute.

His first novel, Every Dead Thing, was published in 1999, and introduced the character of Charlie Parker, a former policeman hunting the killer of his wife and daughter. THE LOVERS is his tenth novel, and the eighth featuring Parker.

John Connolly is based in Dublin but divides his time between his native city and the United States, where each of his novels has been set.

You can find out more on John's website.

We expect this to be a popular event, so reserve your spot now by emailing David, or by calling the shop on 9031 9607.

No Alibis Event - Patrick Marrinan

Patrick Marrinan

Wednesday 30th September at 6:00PM

No Alibis Bookstore and the Directors of Robert Hale Ltd request the pleasure of your company at a book launch to celebrate the publication of SCAPEGOAT by Patrick Marrinan on Wednesday 30th September at 6:00PM.

Patrick Marrinan is amongst Ireland's top Senior Counsel and he defended many notable trials during the height of the Troubles. Since moving to Dublin, he has established himself as one of the country's leading criminal lawyers, working on a variety of high profile murder trials. Scapegoat is his first novel.

"Public outrage at the brutal killing of a young man in the heart of 'pink Dublin' provokes a high profile murder investigation. As the circumstances of the killing unravel, the police suspect they are hunting a homophobic serial killer. When the investigation stalls, Detective Sergeant Pat O'Hara, a police officer with a dubious past, pursues a hunch and adopts unorthodox techniques in tracking down the killer. Mohamed Barouche, a doctor working in a Dublin hospital, emerges as his prime suspect, and he allegedly breaks down under interrogation and confesses. But have the police framed Dr Barouche? Has the lawyer hired to defend him got a hidden agenda? Not until the shocking conclusion of this outstanding crime thriller will all these mysteries be resolved."

To book your spot, email David or call the shop on 028 9031 9607.

NO ALIBIS BOOKSTORE
83 BOTANIC AVENUE
BELFAST BT7 1JL
david@noalibis.com
ph. 02890-319601
fax. 02890319607

Blood's a Rover Day

According to Wikipedia, James Ellroy's Blood's a Rover is released today. Why is that of interested to Crime Scene NI? Well, Ellroy is Stuart Neville's favourite writer. See what Stuart had to say in his CSNI review of the conclusion to the American Underworld Trilogy.

Also, Ellroy will do an Irish launch for the book at the Waterfront in Belfast (another top class No Alibis event) where Stuart Neville will interview him on stage. Better get yourself sorted with a ticket soon. Check out this post to find out how.

No Alibis Event - James Ellroy (Updated)

(From the No Alibis Newsletter)

James Ellroy

7th November

8pm

Waterfront Hall, Belfast

No Alibis Bookstore is very pleased to announce that we will be hosting an event with none other than the Demon Dog of American crime fiction, James Ellroy, on November 7th to celebrate the release of the final book in his Underworld USA trilogy, BLOOD'S A ROVER.

James Ellroy was born in Los Angeles in 1948. He is the author of the acclaimed LA Quartet, The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential and White Jazz, as well as the first two parts of this Underworld USA trilogy, American Tabloid and The Cold Six Thousand which were both Sunday Times bestsellers.

It's 1968. Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King are dead. The Mob, Howard Hughes and J Edgar Hoover are in a struggle for America's soul, drawing into their murderous conspiracies the damned and the soon-to-be damned. Wayne Tedrow Jr.: parricide, assassin, dope cooker, mouthpiece for all sides, loyal to none. His journey will take him away from the darkness and into an even greater darkness. Dwight Holly: Hoover's enforcer and hellish conspirator in terrible crimes. As Hoover's power wanes his destiny lurches towards Richard Nixon and self-annihilation. Don Crutchfield: is a kid, a nobody, a wheelman and a private detective who stumbles upon an ungodly conspiracy from which he and the country may never recover. All three men are drawn to women on the opposite side of the political and moral spectrum; all are compromised and ripe for destruction. Only one of them will survive. The final part of James Ellroy's "Underworld USA" trilogy is set during the social and political upheaval of 1968-72. "Blood's a Rover" is an incandescent fusion of fact and fiction and is James Ellroy's greatest masterpiece.

Tickets £12.

Available from No Alibis Bookstore and the Waterfront Hall box office

The ticket includes free entry to the Tiger Room after the show to help celebrate the event. Musical entertainment will be provided by The Sabrejets.



NO ALIBIS BOOKSTORE
83 BOTANIC AVENUE
BELFAST BT7 1JL
david@noalibis.com
ph. 02890-319601
fax. 02890319607

No Alibis - What's Coming Up...

Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the Paul Charles event at No Alibis Bookstore last Friday. I welcome comments from anybody who made it, though. Meanwhile, I can still look forward to Paul's appearance at Lisburn City Library on Thursday 1st October at 8PM for a reading and Q&A for The Big Big Reading Group. Admission is free and all are welcome.

And although I missed out on that particular reading (and Liam McIllvanney's) David Torrans has a helluva lot coming up in the next few months:

James Ellroy is coming to Belfast!

Jack O'Connell will be at the shop in November (one of James Ellroy's favourite authors, dontcha know).

CWA winner Denise Mina is also booked in.

John Connolly will launch The Gates in early October.

And looking a little further ahead, Michael Connelly will return to Belfast in 2010 for another No Alibis event.

But wait until you hear this...

David recently had dinner with George Pelecanos. This crime fiction giant and TV writer for the hit series, The Wire, said, "David, I'm coming to Belfast," before David even had a chance to lay out his practiced spiel to persuade the man to come over. Apparently, Michael Connelly had been on the phone to Pelecanos after his successfull appearance in Belfast and sold him on the idea! Go Mr T!!!

You know what... if you're a crime fiction fan, you could do a lot worse than to get your backside to Belfast. Come on. Don't even think of it as a holiday. Move here. Houses are cheap enough right now. What's stopping you?

Are You Ready...?

TICKETS TO THIS EVENT ARE NOW ON SALE AT NO ALIBIS!!!

Call in to the store for yours now!

(Open Monday to Saturday.)

David Torrans has outdone himself yet again. This from his mailing list:

James Ellroy

November

No Alibis Bookstore is very pleased to announce that we will be hosting an event with none other than the Demon Dog of American crime fiction, James Ellroy, in early November to celebrate the release of the final book in his Underworld USA trilogy, BLOOD'S A ROVER.

As with the Michael Connelly event that we hosted earlier in the year, we fully expect this one to grow beyond the confines of the shop, so we would like to gauge interest so that we can find a suitable venue for this once-in-a-lifetime event. If you would like to attend, please click here to send us an email with your details (or send an email to the address at the top of the page with the subject line "James Ellroy 1109", and include your name, phone number and the number of tickets you might be interested in in the body of the email message). We will be in touch closer to the time with a firm date, time, location and ticket price, and people who sign up for this event will be notified before we send the regular email to our wider email group.

James Ellroy was born in Los Angeles in 1948. He is the author of the acclaimed LA Quartet, The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential and White Jazz, as well as the first two parts of this Underworld USA trilogy, American Tabloid and The Cold Six Thousand which were both Sunday Times bestsellers.



It's 1968. Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King are dead. The Mob, Howard Hughes and J Edgar Hoover are in a struggle for America's soul, drawing into their murderous conspiracies the damned and the soon-to-be damned. Wayne Tedrow Jr.: parricide, assassin, dope cooker, mouthpiece for all sides, loyal to none. His journey will take him away from the darkness and into an even greater darkness. Dwight Holly: Hoover's enforcer and hellish conspirator in terrible crimes. As Hoover's power wanes his destiny lurches towards Richard Nixon and self-annihilation. Don Crutchfield: is a kid, a nobody, a wheelman and a private detective who stumbles upon an ungodly conspiracy from which he and the country may never recover. All three men are drawn to women on the opposite side of the political and moral spectrum; all are compromised and ripe for destruction. Only one of them will survive. The final part of James Ellroy's "Underworld USA" trilogy is set during the social and political upheaval of 1968-72. "Blood's a Rover" is an incandescent fusion of fact and fiction and is James Ellroy's greatest masterpiece.


NO ALIBIS BOOKSTORE
83 BOTANIC AVENUE
BELFAST BT7 1JL
david@noalibis.com
ph. 02890-319601
fax. 02890319607

I imagine Stuart Neville will be there, and Adrian McKinty (very favourably compared to James Ellroy here) will be hopping mad that he's on the other side of the world. (gb)