My Audrey Totter tribute

Audrey Totter, one of the great Hollywood femme fatales (as well as one of the last of Eddie Muller's "Dark City Dames"), passed away in Dec. 2013, at age 95, while I was writing THE DEVIL'S SHARE, and I was inclined to pay a little homage to her in a scene in the book. Few people have noticed it - it's around page 70 in the hardcover edition - but I'm happy to have gotten it in there, a little tribute from one tough fictional dame to another. The clip I referenced wasn't on YouTube, so I went ahead and uploaded it myself. It's from one of my favorite movies of hers, 1949's TENSION.

"Born to Run" at 40

It's hard to explain what it was like - 40 years ago - to first hear the songs from Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" on the radio (WNEW-FM!) while growing up in Long Branch, N.J., next to Asbury Park. Those songs invested the places I knew so well - Palace Amusements, The Circuit and more - with an almost mystical presence, and elevated them from the prosaic to the poetic. Forty years - and more than 100 shows - later, I'm still along for the ride.

Here's one of my favorite outtakes from the album, an early acoustic version of "Thunder Road."

Mystery People on THE DEVIL'S SHARE

"Hard-boiled heaven ... a fresh take on the tropes we love with more depth than you might expect." MysteryPeople on THE DEVIL'S SHARE. You can read the full review HERE.

Kemper's Book Blog on THE DEVIL'S SHARE

"Stroby has written a top notch crime novel without an ounce of fat in it that still finds time to develop its characters in the midst of its fast paced action." Many thanks to Kemper's Book Blog for this thoughtful review of THE DEVIL'S SHARE.

THE BACKGROUNDER podcast interview

I was interviewed by Paul Brubaker for his podcast THE BACKGROUNDER last month, and it was probably the best interview I've ever had. Paul proved himself a pro by really doing his homework, and the result was a career-spanning interview that dealt witb everything from my overnight reporter days to interviewing Stephen King, my adventures with Showtime, THE DEVIL’S SHARE, and casting Crissa Stone. The interview was conducted at the historic Stephen Crane House in Asbury Park, N.J.

Names were named. No one was safe. You can listen – or download to listen later – HERE and via iTunes. (Thanks to Tom Chesek for making the Crane House available).

Book Reporter on THE DEVIL'S SHARE

"Sets the standard for the contemporary crime novel ... pitch-perfect in every way ... a riveting, unforgettable symphony."
BookReporter.com with some more-than-kind words for THE DEVIL'S SHARE. (You can read the full review HERE)