Episodes
E73 — The Third Man (novella) — Graham Greene (6/1/2023) - Blankers! We review Graham Greene’s novella, The Third Man. Is it better than the film? Listen to hear our thoughts! Email the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Twitter: @pointblanknoir Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, and Detective Fiction Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/point-blank-hardboiled-noir-detective-fiction/id1276038868 Support the show: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime Don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts and share the show with your friends!
E72 — Drive (the film) — Sallis, Gosling, Refn (3/22/2023) - Blankers! Last episode we discussed James Sallis’s hard-boiled, neo-noir classic Drive. This time we interrogate Nicholas Winding Refn’s 2011 film adaptation starring Ryan Gosling. In what ways is the film better than the novel and vice versa? Hit play to find out! #crimefiction #refn #gosling #jamessallis #drive #noir #neonoi Email the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Twitter: @pointblanknoir …
E71 — Drive — James Sallis (2/22/2023) - Get in and buckle up! In this episode, we cover Drive by James Sallis. It’s a short work that speaks to the kind of crime fiction we love. For the appropriate listening experience break out your classic car and crank the stereo. #crimefiction #sallis #jamessallis #drive #noir Email the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Twitter: @pointblanknoir Facebook: Point …
E70: Pimp — Iceberg Slim (12/3/2022) - For Episode 70, we visit mid-century urban America with Iceberg Slim’s Pimp. This is a gritty memoir that sold millions of copies, yet remains under discussed in crime writing circles. We will talk about the good of this book, and we also dig into the problems we had with it. Email the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Twitter: …
E69: Swag — Elmore Leonard (9/20/2022) - We finally get to Elmore Leonard! We asked for recommendations and received a lot of great suggestions from our listeners. Swag delivered with a tale of two robbers trying to make a buck. If they stick to the 10 rules, what could go wrong? Get in touch with the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Twitter: @pointblanknoir Facebook: Point …
E68: Book vs. Film — The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (8/23/2022) - With the book fresh in our minds, we take a look at the classic film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart. This is mostly a reaction episode looking at how the film diverged from the source material. Enjoy. Get in touch with the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Twitter: @pointblanknoir …E68: Book vs. Film — The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Read More »
- E67: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre — B. Traven (8/9/2022) - Greed. Ambition. Gold Fever. Adventure. Join us for a discussion of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre by the mysterious author B. Traven. Three men down on their luck strike out to find gold in the mountains of Mexico. Will they find their fortunes? Probably not or else it would be a boring book. While …
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E66: Adios Muchachos — Daniel Chavarria — Cuban Noir (6/6/2022) - Bienvenido a Cuba! Grab a rum and join us for Adios Muchachos by Daniel Chavarria. Alicia is a woman looking for a rich man to help her escape. She’s got a plan that involves a bicycle and seduction. What she doesn’t plan for is a kidnapping. We discuss this novel, provide some short reviews, and …E66: Adios Muchachos — Daniel Chavarria — Cuban Noir Read More »
Episode 65 — Razorblade Tears — Mildred Pierce — The Asphalt Jungle (4/26/2022) - Hello, again, Point Blank Listeners! Sorry for the delay. Kurt’s been sick. Here’s episode 65. We cover the bestselling, award-winning Razorblade Tears. S.A. Cosby delivers another powerful noir tale, and we get down into the grit to examine why this one is making all of the “best” lists. Justin provides a short review of the classic James …Episode 65 — Razorblade Tears — Mildred Pierce — The Asphalt Jungle Read More »
Episode 64 — Margaret Millar — Beast in View (2/15/2022) - Blankers! This episode we discuss Margaret Millar’s terrific noir classic Beast in View. This book’s got it all: murder, threatening phone calls from bar telephones, a waterproof woman, domestic drama, gender politics, unreliable narrators, and a twist that will knock your socks off. Want to get in touch with the show? Email: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pointblankpodcast/ $ Support: https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime Give us …
E63 — Tartan Noir — Laidlaw (1/19/2022) - We are back! Sorry for the delay. We needed an extended holiday break. In this episode, we discuss Tartan/Scottish Noir through the lens of what is considered the first Tartan Noir Laidlaw. Laidlaw is a gritty detective novel taking place on the streets of Glasgow in the 1970s. William McIlvanney (or Gus to his friends) is considered …
E62 — Ed McBain — Cop Hater (12/6/2021) - Hey Blankers – Kurt & I finally got around to recording Episode 62. This time we take a walk down the mean streets of Isola with Ed McBain’s Cop Hater. The first novel in the acclaimed 87th Precinct series, Cop Hater (1956) set the blueprint for modern police procedurals. Does it hold up? Tune in …
E61 — Ecological Noir — The Monkeywrench Gang (11/6/2021) - What in the world is ecological “eco” noir? We attempt to answer that question by discussing a few crime fiction texts that might be ecological noir, including: The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey Animals by Will Staples Zodiac by Neal Stephenson The Glass Factory by Kenneth Wishnia Nature Noir by Jordan Fisher Smith Captiva …
E60 — 5 Round Reviews: Summer Edition! (8/16/2021) - Blankers! Find your sun hat, stab that beach umbrella into the sand, and break out the Banana Boat — this is Five Round Reviews: Summer Edition. We have 13 short reviews for you–from Jim Harrison & Dorothy B. Hughes to David Heska Wanbli Weiden & Nick Kolakowski. (See the full list below.) Get in touch with the show: …
E59 — Miami Blues — Charles Willeford (8/12/2021) - Throw on your white blazer, power up the speed boat, and cut yourself a line. We’re head to ’80’s Miami for Charles Willeford’s ‘Miami Blues.” In what can only be described as a “weird and unsettling novel,” we join Hoke Moseley, Frederick J. Frenger Jr, and Susan Waggoner for a bizarre tale of Floridian crime. …
E58 — Chicago Noir (6/22/2021) - Blankers! Zip up your windbreakers and don’t forget change for the highway tolls — in Episode 58 we head to Chicago to wrap our heads around Chicago Noir. We talk about Chicago as a city for noir, and we look at crime fiction by Nelson Algren, Howard Browne, Frederic Brown, Sara Paretsky, Michael Harvey, Danny …
E57 — Ride the Pink Horse — The Expendable Man –Dorothy B. Hughes (5/24/2021) - We are back to discuss two masterpieces from Dorothy B. Hughes, one of the masters of 20th Century crime fiction. At first, we set out to cover The Expendable Man but we just couldn’t resist the temptation to read more, so we added Ride the Pink Horse to the discussion. Both books are excellent in …E57 — Ride the Pink Horse — The Expendable Man –Dorothy B. Hughes Read More »
E56 — Five Round Reviews (4/28/2021) - In Episode 56, we review the hell out of nearly a dozen books, + a couple films! We review: Run Man Run by Chester Himes Plan B by Chester Himes Darktown by Thomas Mullen The Man with the Getaway Face by Richard Stark If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned …
E 55 — S.A. Cosby — Blacktop Wasteland (4/5/2021) - Buckle your seat belts! This is going to be a wild ride! We take a deep dive into “Blacktop Wasteland” by SA Cosby, a novel we both describe as a modern classic. Cosby takes us on a journey through the rural hills of Virginia in this exhilarating, timely work that highlights everything godo that modern …
E 54 — Raymond Chandler — Farewell, My Lovely (3/8/2021) - In Episode 54, we revisit to one of the masters of hardboiled detective crime fiction, Raymond Chandler, and his acclaimed second novel, Farewell, My Lovely. Damn, this book is boozy. (And racist!) But also rich with memorable secondary characters (Moose Malloy and Jessie Florian) and Marlowean one-liners. It’s a classic example of hardboiled detective fiction …