Opinion — Released Today And The Blatant, Very Blatant Book Promotion

They are being called “digital originals” now.  These are books published in e-book format only, or published first in that format and later on paper. 

Released Today

My first digital original, published by the Penguin Group’s imprint, Dutton’s Guilt Edged Mysteries, is Death in the Haight.  It may be regarded as a stand-alone story, but it is related to the San Francisco mysteries that feature Carly Paladino and Noah Lang.  This one is Noah’s story — with, I hope, a tilt toward the early P.I. novels — in keeping with the new imprint.

Death in the Haight is also a novella, which means it is longer than a short story, even a long short story, but shorter than a novel.  The novella is my favorite form — probably closer in size to the pulp P.I. books of the ‘40s and ‘50s.

Noah Lang and his gender-bending friend work for a family trying to find a runaway son.  When the son is accused of murdering a prostitute Lang continues the search at the family’s bequest, but becomes a target of a homicide inspector who has long believed that Lang is dirty. Lang’s “interference” in the case revives the cop’s desire to bring him down.

And because it is short and because it is an ebook and no trees were killed or ink spilled, Death in the Haight is available for a mere $2.99 (high promo mode here). The only hitch is that you have to have a Kindle, Nook or iPad, etc.

And a further note for my friends, the usual disclaimer: I will never know whether you bought this book or not. And I won’t ask.  And if you do and don’t like it, you won’t have to make up some carefully worded note that pits your need to be honest against a desire to spare my feelings.  I’ll never ask.  I promise. However, if you do check it out and you do like it, a multi-star review on Amazon or B&N (or anywhere else) isn’t out of order.

DEATH IN THE HAIGHT by Ronald Tierney

A Dutton Guilt Edged Mystery

On-sale: August 21, 2012 / $2.99 / 9781101610046

Also available from Dutton Guilt Edged Mysteries:

SKIN: A Mike Hammer Story by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins

$2.99 / 9781101595381

and

MURDER IN MUMBAI by K.D. Calamur

$3.99 / 9781101587485

Dutton Guilt Edged Mysteries are available wherever eBooks are sold.

ABOUT DUTTON GUILT EDGED MYSTERIES

From 1947 to 1956, Dutton Guilt Edged Mysteries was a pulp noir publisher that specialized in hard-boiled detective fiction. The imprint published eighty-two novels in ten years, including noir icon Mickey Spillane, whose first seven Mike Hammer novels were published under the Guilt Edged logo. Relaunched in 2012 as a Penguin eSpecial imprint, the program is dedicated to publishing original crime short stories and novellas as eBooks.

Special Release — Penguin Group’s New Mystery Imprint & My Blatant Self Promotion

I am honored to participate in Dutton’s re-launch of Guilt Edged Mysteries.  Penguin, through this Dutton line, is celebrating the 65th anniversary of the imprint that had among its original writers — Mickey Spillane, Frederic Brown and Gore Vidal (writing as Edgar Box) — by publishing new works that reflect the tough, fast reads of the early books, but with a decidedly fresh, contemporary sensibility.  

The launch of the e-book line includes the novella by NPR editor Krishnadev Calamur, Murder in Mumbai as well as “Skin,” a Mike Hammer short story begun by Spillane and completed by the legendary author’s respected collaborator and award-winning mystery novelist Max Allan Collins.  These two are available now.  I’m pleased to announce that my own novella, Death in the Haight, is next in the series of new books released by Dutton as part of this revival and will be available August 21.  Dutton Guilt Edged Mysteries plans to release many more short stories and novellas in the months to come. 

My contribution is a new work that features private eye Noah Lang from the Paladino/Lang San Francisco mysteries.  When Michael Vanderveer goes missing in San Francisco Lang assumes it’s just another runaway escaping to the Haight, San Francisco’s home to the displaced… until the homicide cops pay him a visit. Fifteen-year-old Michael has been implicated in the murder of a prostitute, and the police don’t want Lang mucking up their investigation — especially Inspector Stern, who has strong opinions about Lang’s questionable past. But Lang becomes inextricably involved when Michael’s parents hire him: Michael is being ransomed, and they want Lang to ensure the exchange goes smoothly.   As everyone waits for the kidnappers to make their next move, Lang struggles with the Vanderveers, who are far from their Michigan home; confused by the twisted details of the case; and wrestling with the moral implications of rescuing Michael, only to have to turn him in for murder. All the while, Lang must deal with Stern, whose increasingly volatile behavior may just put Lang’s life in as grave danger as Michael’s.

Death in the Haight will be available August 21 from the usual e-Book sources.