Gary Phillips

Gary Phillips‘ community activism in Los Angeles over a quarter century—on issues ranging from affordable housing to gang intervention to neighborhood empowerment—served him well when he began writing crime novels.

Phillips was born in Los Angeles in 1955, the son of a mechanic and a librarian. Early on, he discovered the writers Arthur Conan Doyle, Ellery Queen, Ross Macdonald, Richard Wright, Rod Serling, comic book artist Jack Kirby, Zora Neale Hurston, Donald Goines, Joyce Carol Oates, and pulp writers Kenneth Robeson (creator of Doc Savage) Walter Gibson (creator of the Shadow). He attended San Francisco State University from 1972 to 1973 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Los Angeles, in 1978. He has worked as a union organizer, political campaign coordinator, radio talk show host and teacher. He has written op-ed pieces for the L.A. Times Magazine, San Francisco Examiner, Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Miami Herald and other newspapers. He has served as co-director of the MultiCultural Collaborative. While he had long dabbled in writing and comic book drawing, it was only when let go from a job with the American Federation of State and County Municipal Employees that he took a class in how to structure a mystery novel with writer Robert Crais (Elvis Cole series). Students were required to write fifty pages of a proposed mystery, which Phillips did. The course ended, but Phillips wasn’t satisfied. He completed the manuscript. It found no takers among publishers. Then rioting in Los Angeles followed the acquittal of Los Angeles police officers in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King. Phillips wrote a new book, Violent Spring, and set the action against the true-life backdrop of the riots. Thus was launched his Ivan Monk private detective series.

Gary was co-editor of the Switchblade imprint and his anthology The Obama Inheritance: fifteen Stories of Conspiracy Noir won an Anthony.  He is story editor on “Snowfall”, a show on FX about crack and the CIA in 1980s South Central.

• Book events
• Reviews
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With Contributions from Gary

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Praise

“Phillips, author of the acclaimed Ivan Monk series, takes elements of Jim Thompson (the ending), black-exploitation flicks (the profanity-fueled dialogue), and Penthouse magazine (the sex is anatomically correct) to create an over-the-top violent caper in which there is no honor, no respect, no love, and plenty of money. Anyone who liked George Pelecanos’ King Suckerman is going to love this even-grittier take on many of the same themes.”
—Wes Lukowsky, Booklist

“Enough gritty gossip, blistering action and trash talk to make real life L.A. seem comparatively wholesome.”
—Kirkus Reviews  

“Gary Phillips writes tough and gritty parables about life and death on the mean streets–a place where sometimes just surviving is a noble enough cause.  His is a voice that should be heard and celebrated.  It rings true once again in The Jook, a story where all of Phillips’ talents are on display.” 
—Michael Connelly, author of the Harry Bosch books

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Praise

“Honesty, distinctive characters, absurdity and good writing are here in Phillips’s work.” —Washington Post

“Magrady’s adventures, with a distinctive noir feeling and appreciation for comic books, started as an online, serialized mystery. Drawings and an interview with Phillips enhance the package, offering a compelling perspective on race and class issues in South Central L.A.” —Booklist

“Phillips writes some of the most earnest and engaging crime noir currently being written.” —Spinetingler

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About

An incendiary mixture of genres and voices, this collection of short stories compiles a unique set of work that revolves around riots, revolts, and revolution. From the turbulent days of unionism in the streets of New York City during the Great Depression to a group of old women who meet at their local café to plan a radical act that will change the world forever, these original and once out-of-print stories capture the various ways people rise up to challenge the status quo and change up the relationships of power. Ideal for any fan of noir, science fiction, and revolution and mayhem, this collection includes works from Sara Paretsky, Paco Ignacio Taibo II, Cory Doctorow, Kim Stanley Robinson, and Summer Brenner.

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Praise

“Great fun…Fil is a hyperbolic character, spewing enough acerbic opinions to fill half a dozen average mysteries. A spirited sequel.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Wishnia’s world is like a New York subway train—fast, loud, dirty, and dangerous—but it’s well worth the ride with Filomena Buscarsela in the driver’s seat. A hard-edged story gracefully told.”
—Booklist

“Sharp and sexy… Hilarious and exciting… [Wishnia] has a perfect ear for female urban angst.”
—Chicago Tribune

“Nonstop activity, wry humor, mordant characterizations, and a solid dollop of police procedure make this a hugely appealing follow-up to 23 Shades of Black.”
—Library Journal

“Sizzling…memorable characters, genuine surprises, and fine writing… 23 Shades of Black took the mystery world by storm. Soft Money keeps the winds in full swirl.”
—Book Page

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Praise

“Eye-catchingly, it brings together the most outlandish, hilarious and beautiful pulp cover-art…. But the book also presents deeply researched articles on the writers, publishing houses and subgenres of this vast underground milieu.”
—Andrew Male, Mojo magazine, on Girl Gangs, Biker Boys, and Real Cool Cats

“Something that seems almost unthinkable: this is a reference book for pulp work written in a pulp-style. What I mean by this is that it is addictive, a quick read, and it leaves you wanting more.”
—Ariel Schudson, Dangerous Minds, on Girl Gangs, Biker Boys, and Real Cool Cats

“Come for the covers—some of which may be familiar or indeed inspire a Proustian moment—but do stay for the essays. These are well researched, informative and fascinating.”
—Michael Jongen, Newtown Review of Books, on Girl Gangs, Biker Boys, and Real Cool Cats

“It takes scholarly love and a fan’s enthusiasm to devote oneself to putting together a 300-plus-page book dissecting obscure pulp fiction. That Nette and McIntyre have produced a book that is not esoteric serves as a testament to their clarity of purpose.”
—Scott Adlerberg, Literary Hub, on Girl Gangs, Biker Boys, and Real Cool Cats

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Praise

“Stirring. Evocative. Penetrating.”
—Elie Wiesel (on Stephen Jay Schwartz’s “Yahrzeit Candle”)

“Wishnia presents the world of Ashkenazi Jewry with a keen eye for detail. Wishnia never judges his characters, but creates three-dimensional people who live in a very dangerous world.”
—The Jewish Press on The Fifth Servant

“[Wishnia writes for] a diverse audience of intelligent readers. I predict a bright future for Kenneth Wishnia, filled with loyal readers who enjoy a serious and entertaining story. I eagerly await his next venture into any period of Jewish history.”
—Jewish Book World, on The Fifth Servant

“Wishnia’s works are addictive, thought provoking page-turners.”
—Impulsive Reviews

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Book Events

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Reviews

• The Underbelly: A Booklist Review
• The Underbelly Is a Great Mystery Read for Black History Month
• The Revolution Will Be Fictionalized: Send My Love and a Molotov Cocktail! in Tor
• The Jook in The Denver Times
• Soft Money: A Starred Review
• Shots Magazine Reviews the Jook
• Send My Love and a Molotov Cocktail!: A Review
• Send My Love and a Molotov Cocktail!: A Mystery Gazette Review
• Send My Love and a Molotov Cocktail! on City Book Review
• Send My Love and a Molotov Cocktail! in Publishers Weekly
• Send My Love and a Molotov Cocktail! in Briarpatch Magazine
• Send My Love and a Molotov Cocktail! A SF Revu Review
• Radical Noir: 26 Activist Crime Novels: Revolutionaries, Agitators, and Organizers in Crime Fiction
• It’s Gary Phillips’s World
• Chasers: My Year in Novellas: 4 of Top 10 Are PM Releases
• BSC Review of The Jook

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Interviews

• Crime fiction authors Christa Faust & Gary Phillips discuss Peepland on Noir on Authors On the Air Radio
• An Interview with Author Gary Phillips
• Gary Phillips Interviews Gary Phillips
• Chin Wag at the Slaughterhouse: Interview with Gary Phillips
• Video: Kim Stanley Robinson, Gary Phillips, and Terry Bisson @ CounterPULSE 10/13/2010

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Mentions

• Judging Book by Its Cover Long Gone
• From South-Central to Noir Cool: Gary Phillips

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Blog

• The Paperback Show— Ep 19 Holloway House and the Rise of Black Pulp Fiction. Special Guest: Gary Phillips
• Of Crime and Sports by Gary Phillips
• A Brief History of the Drug War In Pop Culture by Gary Phillips
• Gary Phillips on SleuthSayers
• Crime fiction authors Christa Faust & Gary Phillips discuss Peepland on Noir on Authors On the Air Radio
• Shotgun Honey: 9 Questions with Gary Phillips
• Gary Phillips Author Portfolio
• The Unacknowledged: Black Crime Fiction, the Roaring ’20s to the 1930s