Cover Girl

Over the holidays, J. Kingston Pierce's The Rap Sheet blog polled its crime fiction-loving readers to name their favorite genre book covers of 2014. It was an fast-moving competition with some fine jackets and more than 1000 votes, and I peeped through my fingers as Paul Rogers' design for The Kept Girl duked it out with Jonathan Pelham's noirish British cover for Benjamin Black's The Black Eyed Blonde. It was a close contest, and in the end, Pelham took the crown, with The Kept Girl at #2. But it was an honor just to be nominated, and the recognition is a real thrill for the first publication of an independent press.

KPCC's "Serial" Season 1 finale and debrief at the Crawford Family Forum

A lively conversation on the complex legal, ethical and journalistic issues raised by the podcast Serial was held on December 18, 2014 at KPCC's Crawford Family Forum, following a communal listen to the final episode of the series. Topics of discussion at the packed event included the discomfort some audience members felt in experiencing the story of a young woman's murder as entertainment, troubling aspects about the legal case against Adnan Syed and the bizarre plea deal offered to Jay Wilds, and the impact of semi-moderated internet sleuthing on the real people impacted by the case.  From left to right are attorney Alan Jackson (Partner with Brown White & Newhouse LLP and former Assistant Head Deputy District Attorney with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office), attorney Lisa Kang (Alternate Public Defender for Los Angeles County), moderators Kristen Muller (KPCC managing editor of news) and Sanden Totten (science reporter) and crime historian and novelist Kim Cooper (Esotouric /The Kept Girl).

Holiday gifts... on the noir side

Stumped for what to give the true crime and mystery lover in your life?

Perhaps a personalized, autographed copy of The Kept Girl, Kim Cooper's critically-acclaimed novel of 1929 Los Angeles featuring the young Raymond Chandler on the trail of a cult of murderous angel worshippers, would fit the bill. The book is just $14.99 (plus shipping + tax, where applicable), or $24.99 for the deluxe edition in silver-foiled Art Deco wraps.

There's also The Raymond Chandler Map of Los Angeles, which is the perfect size to slip into a stocking or into a holiday card envelope, and which author Kim Cooper can inscribe on request. The map is $10 postpaid in the US, $14 elsewhere.

And for those visiting or lucky enough to live in Los Angeles, there's a seasonal sale on gift certificates for Esotouric's award-winning bus adventures, each of them hosted or co-hosted by author Kim Cooper.

To order your holiday gifts and ensure quick shipment before the holidays, just make a list of what you'd like, and email to reserve.  

Raymond Chandler's Secret

When I hopped the fence from true crime to historical fiction, I couldn't anticipate that my background research would uncover a completely unknown musical comedy libretto by Raymond Chandler that shatters the familiar narratives of his late-life literary career and legendary marriage. But I am so, so grateful that it did.

In The Guardian, Sarah Weinman shares the story of my discovery of the comic operetta The Princess and the Pedlar, and why the Chandler Estate would rather you didn't know about it. If you'd like to help me stage this remarkable show in Los Angeles, please click here.

In memory of Bob Baker

Farewell to my brilliant, sweet friend Bob Baker, master puppeteer, native son, educator, enthusiast. With him goes so much knowledge of L.A. lore!

I'll treasure the memory of our last visit, when I read to him from the first chapter of my novel. He said he thought I'd succeeded in capturing the feeling of the 1929 Los Angeles he remembered, and I replied that talking with him over the years had helped. 

Strings down, now. No funeral--only joy in his memory. Go do something daring and delightful, with a twinkle in your eye.    

Debuting the Book Trailer for "The Kept Girl"

Now you don't have to be a passenger on one of Esotouric's Los Angeles bus adventures to enjoy author Kim Cooper's lilting tones on this short video trailer that introduces the real-life cast of characters that people her debut mystery, The Kept Girl. 

Bruckman Rare Book Friends talk at Los Angeles Public Library

The Bruckman Rare Book Friends invited Kim Cooper and her husband Richard Schave to speak on November 2, 2014 at the Central branch of the Los Angeles Public Library. After presenting an inscribed copy of the deluxe first edition of her novel The Kept Girl to the library's Rare Books Department, Kim shared the weird story of the Great Eleven cult's activities, and how her research into Raymond Chandler's life and work revealed a way to fictionalize this notorious true crime narrative. Then Richard discussed the digital tools he used to design the 1940s pulp-style paperback and decorative wraps for the deluxe edition. As a bonus, architectural historian Nathan Marsak made a surprise appearance, assisting Richard with an overview the demolished Victorian neighborhood of Bunker Hill.

Photo: John Okanishi