Tonight on Court TV, Murder by the Book premieres. This new show covers the true crimes that inspired some of the greatest living writers of crime fiction to start telling tales. The first episode features James Ellroy talking about his mother’s death, which inspired him to write The Black Dahlia.
Back when I was working on the original Mutant Chronicles RPG, Target Games’ managing editor Henrik Strandberg told me that to get the tone right I should read James Ellroy. I started with The Black Dahlia. No piece of fiction ever creeped me out that much or has done so since. The prose is boiled diamond-hard and leaves cuts more jagged than a rusty knife. If you like that sort of thing, read it. Devour it.
I’ve already set my ReplayTV.
