Ken Bruen: Dublin Noir

CRAIGMcDONALDwas a contributor to the 2004 New York Times nonfiction bestseller Secrets of the Code . His short stories and articles have appeared in the Mississippi Review and the Australia-based Crime Factory . Another short story won the 2005 Philadelphia City Paper mystery fiction contest. He is also the author of Art in the Blood , a collection of interviews conducted with twenty top crime fiction writers.

PATMULLANwas born in Ireland and has lived in England, Canada, and the U.S.A. Formerly a banker, he now lives in Connemara, in the west of Ireland. He is the author of two novels, The Circle of Sodom and Blood Red Square . His poetry and other work appears frequently in The Dublin Writers’ Workshop (www.dublinwriters.org). For more information, visit him at www.patmullan.com

GARYPHILLIPS’Swork has been influenced by the likes of Ralph Ellison, Rod Serling, and Stan Lee. With Jervey Tervalon, he coedited the acclaimed anthology The Cocaine Chronicles for Akashic Books. His story in this anthology is a prequel in the life of protagonist Zelmont Raines who previously appeared in the crime novel, The Jook. And taking his cues from Zelmont, Phillips is busy hustling his next writing gig.

JOHNRICKARDSis the twenty-seven-year-old author of Winter’s End and TheTouch of Ghosts. He writes full-time and lives in the UK. He drinks an obscene amount of Guinness.

PETERSPIEGELMANis the Shamus Award-winning author of Black Maps and Death’s Little Helpers , both of which feature private investigator John March. He currently resides in Connecticut, where he is at work on another March novel.

JASONSTARRis the author of seven noir crime novels, which are published in ten languages. His novel Tough Luck was an Anthony Award finalist and a Barry Award winner. He lives with his wife and daughter in New York City.

OLENSTEINHAUERhas been nominated for numerous awards, including the Edgar and the Dagger. His most recent novel is 36 Yalta Boulevard . He lives in Budapest.

DUANESWIERCZYNSKI’Srecent crime thriller The Wheelman features a mute Irish getaway driver named Lennon. As his last name indicates, he’s not exactly Irish, but his wife and kids are. And that’s good enough for him. His other books include Secret Dead Men and TheBig Book O’ Beer. Visit him at www.duaneswierczynski.com.

CHARLIESTELLAis a former “knockaround guy” who spent eighteen years working the streets of New York while trying to break into the crime fiction business. He’s done everything from window cleaning (for ten years) on scaffolds high atop New York City skyscrapers to word processing to collecting for loansharks and running a bookmaking office. He’s not as cute as Rocky Balboa, but he has a beautiful wife and doggie.

SARAHWEINMANis the crime fiction columnist for the Baltimore Sun and the editor of the literary blog “Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind.” Her work has appeared in many venues, including the Washington Post , the Globe and Mail, and the Philadelphia City Paper. “Hen Night” was inspired by a trip to Dublin during the 2003 Bank Holiday weekend, after which she vowed never to go back to Temple Bar.

KEVINWIGNALLstudied Politics & International Relations at Lancaster and is a member of Chatham House, the institute for international affairs in London. His novels include People Die and For the Dogs , and he’s a regular contributor of short stories to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. His story for this collection is, he tells us, semi-autobiographical, though he refuses to elaborate further.