ONION STREET: A New Review by Theodore Feit

Onion Street By Reed Farrel Coleman, Tyrus Books, May, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4405-3945-9, Hardcover, 289 pp., $24.95

Reviewed by Theodore Feit (posted on various sources)

After seven novels in the Moe Prager mystery series, a retrospective is in order, especially after Moe has undergone surgery and chemotherapy for stomach cancer.  The occasion follows the funeral of a boyhood (and best) friend, after which his daughter, visiting from Vermont, asks him why he became a cop, and what follows is a story by itself.

Moe looks back to events in 1968 when he and his friends were attending Brooklyn College.  The Vietnam War was raging, radicalism was in the air, and Moe was at loose ends.  One night his girlfriend is found in a coma on the street, apparently having been viciously beaten, and suddenly Moe has a mission: to find the man who beat her up, taking him on a journey that later led him to become a policeman and PI.

It is a hard-boiled tale involving all the worst elements of the period, bomb-throwing radicals, dope pushers, rotten cops and the like.  It also is a deep moral story involving right and wrong.  The humor of past Moe Prager novels is missing from “Onion Street,” but that is completely understandable: it is not a light-hearted subject with deaths strewn along the way.  And some of Moe’s various actions can be questioned, while his intentions are always honorable.  All in all, it is a very human saga, and we get to know Moe a lot better in a serious way.  Recommended.

"More Please." The Library Journal Review of VALENTINO PIER...

From Book Verdict at libraryjournal.com on September 1, 2013:

Coleman, Reed Farrel. Valentino Pier. Raven: Orca. (Rapid Reads). Sept. 2013. 
140p. ISBN 9781459802094. pap. $9.95; ebk. ISBN 9781459802117. M

"Brooklyn PI Gulliver Dowd is a dwarf, but don’t underestimate his detecting or martial arts abilities. Dowd helps Ellis, a local street kid, find his lost dog but is then startled to learn that the boy has been viciously attacked and is now hospitalized. After asking around the industrial area of Red Hook, Brooklyn, where Ellis makes his home, Dowd realizes the boy saw something illegal and the crooks want to silence him. It doesn’t take long before Dowd is in danger, too. VERDICT Coleman, the award-winning author of the Moe Prager series, is a welcome addition to the talented stable of writers who have joined Orca’s Rapid Reads line. Mixing accessible prose meant to draw in new and reluctant readers with an exciting plot, Coleman introduces a gutsy, street-savvy hero. More, please."

The website site link to the review (subscription required) is here. 

From Robb Cadigan's Blog: Reed Coleman Talks....

REED FARREL COLEMAN TALKS WRITING, INSPIRATIONS, AND CONEY ISLAND ROLLERCOASTERS

by Robb Cadigan via robbcadigan.com

Some writers entertain, some enlighten, and some inspire. For me and countless others, Reed Farrel Coleman does all three.

The former Executive Vice President of Mystery Writers of America, Reed Farrel Coleman has been called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan and the “Noir Poet Laureate” in the Huffington Post. The author of sixteen novels and two novellas, along with several short stories, essays, and poetry, Reed is a three-time recipient of the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel of the Year and is a two-time Edgar Award nominee. He has also won the Macavity, Audie, Barry, and Anthony Awards. He is an adjunct instructor of English at Hofstra University and a founding member of MWA U.  

I met Reed a few years back at NoirCon, a creative conference and celebration of all things noir. After hearing him discuss the elements of hard-boiled fiction and chatting with him at a break, I grabbed some of his books and was immediately hooked. His Moe Prager series is one of my absolute favorites. If you don't know Moe, you really should. And by getting to know Moe, you'll get to know Reed Farrel Coleman as well.

Click here for the complete interview.

Reed at Bouchercon 2013

 Update (09/15/13): Reed is now part of the Toastmaster's Interview at Bouchercon in Albany on Thursday at 4:00 pm in Room 6.

From a post on the Bouchercon 2013 Facebook page from this year's Toastmaster Steve Hamilton: "The Toastmaster Turns the Tables" I'm gonna have William Kent Krueger, Elizabeth Cosin, Reed Coleman, and SJ Rozan."

* * * 

The panels for Bouchercon 2013 taking place August 19th - 22nd in Albany, New York

are posted in the schedule here. 

Reed's descriptions of the panels that he is doing:

Panel- Night is Still Young

Thrilled to moderate this panel. Hope to discuss what I see as a disturbing trend in Noir fiction. A trend that moves away from the implication of violence toward mindless brutality.

Panel- Famous Last Words

How I earned my spot on this panel I’ll never know, but I’ll be happy just to sit up there with Charlaine, Max, Laurie and Anne. Should be a lot of fun.

It's Publication Day for VALENTINO PIER, the new Gulliver Dowd Novella

VALENTINO PIER is the sequel to Reed Farrel Coleman's DIRTY WORK, a novella written for Rapid Reads. Rapid Reads are short novels and non-fiction books for adult readers. In our increasingly fast-paced world we believe there is a need for well-written, well-told books that can be read in one sitting. Rapid Reads are intended for a diverse audience, including ESL students, reluctant readers, adults who struggle with literacy and anyone who wants an high-interest quick read.

VALENTINO PIER begins when PI Gulliver Dowd is approached by Ellis Torres, a street kid, on Valentino Pier in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn. Ellis has lost his dog, the aptly named Ugly.

To order from Indiebound please click here. 

To order from Amazon please click here.  

To order from Barnes & Noble please click here