Book Release – Harley Mazuk

I recently started reading a book by one of my former students, Harley Mazuk, and had to come right here to crow about it. It’s that good!

White with Fish, Red with Murder may be a long, funky title, but the book is the best of the best. This is a true throwback to pre-WWII crime novels in the veins of Hammett, Chandler, and James M. Cain. Dynamite stuff that I’m having a great time reading!

It is an atmospheric tale about greed, lust, deceit—and murder–that’s set against the backdrop of 1948 San Francisco and nearby wine country. It stars Frank Swiver, a down-and-out private eye with a taste for wine and women. Fine women! And fine wine! Harley nails it all here, even mid-century SF like a long-time resident.

Frank Swiver has been Harley’s recurring series character ever since his first private eye story, “The Tall Blonde with the Hot Boiler,” published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (Jan. 2011.) EQMM has subsequently published three more of his stories. He has sold longer fiction to Dead Guns Press and Dark Passages.

White with Fish, Red with Murder was just released on Feb 28th from Driven Press. This is definitely a book to check out. Trust me! I’ve been watching Harley for a number of years now, ever since he showed up in one of my online classes at Stanford Continuing Studies with chops to beat the band. This is his first published novel, and I couldn’t be happier to see him getting the success he’s due!

So check out the book, Harley’s blog “From the Spitbucket”–a great catalogue of front-lines writing experience I know you’ll like, and when you send him a note, tell him your boy sent ya!