This first novel by "New York Times" bestselling author Burke--a long-out-of-print Pulitzer Prize winner---tells the story of a Korean war veteran and ex-con who tries to put the past behind him, even as he becomes embroiled in a heated political fight. Now available in this Premium Edition.

As Frank Riordan wages a one man campaign to shut down the local pulp mill that is polluting the air and devastating the environment, tensions are growing and so is the level of power he's up against. It is becoming more than he can handle and the man who can help already has troubles of his own.

"A gazetteer of American noir."- Daily Telegraph In the summer of 1989 John Williams donned a baseball cap and took off for the States to search out the mythical America of modern crime fiction-to find James Ellroy's Los Angeles, Elmore Leonard's sleazy South Beach of Miami, Sara Paretsky's Chicago, and many others on a tour of the American underbelly. The result was Into the Badlands, a riveting collection of interviews. In 2005 Williams returned to discover that much had changed in the intervening years, both in crime writing and in America as a whole. As Williams crosses America in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, he finds himself in a profoundly uneasy country. Whether their territory is inner-city DC, like George Pelecanos, or the rural white poverty of the Ozark Hills, like Daniel Woodrell, the best crime writers today are sending dispatches from the edge. John Williams brings their visions together to construct a powerful, personal portrait of America today. Includes interviews with James Lee Burke, James Ellroy, James Crumley, Sara Paretsky, Eugene Izzi, Elmore Leonard, George V. Higgins, Vicki Hendricks, Kem Nunn, Kinky Friedman, Daniel Woodrell, and George P. Pelecanos.

A reference and overview of the genre of crime fiction, primarily covering the 1950s onwards, although major earlier writers, such as Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler, also have entries.

A social history of country music from the 1920s to the present, discussing such artists as Patsy Cline, Grandpa Jones, Dolly Parton, and Garth Brooks.

Contains biographical and critical essays on the work of important American writers. Presents scholar-signed essays prepared by experts in the field.