Dead Extra

(Paperback)

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Description

A smartly plotted mystery in this classic 1940s L.A. noir novel involving dirty cops, B-movie script girls, alcoholic screenwriters, a women's mental hospital, blackmailing dirty-movie-makers, and a lousy former cop who was presumed dead in WWII (but is very much alive) will appeal to noir and broader mystery readers alike
Strong female character in Gertie (protagonist's sister-in-law), especially given her role in the glaringly sexist Hollywood system of the 1940s.
Author is well connected to L.A. and California writing scene
The vividly drawn historical Los Angeles setting, written by a resident who knows it, will appeal to residents and visitors.
Blurbs from mystery/crime writers Steph Cha, Lisa Brackmann, Denise Hamilton, Patricia Smiley, and Phoef Sutton
Both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus have praised author's previous works and ability to write noir in the short story that focused on Raymond Chandler
Library Journal picked his 2016 title The Metaphysical Ukulele as one the Top Spring Indie Fiction titles.
Author's novels and short story collections have drawn praise from J. Ryan Stradal, Dorothy Allison, Ben Loory, Pam Houston, Howard Zinn, and Joe Meno, among others.

Reviews

"Dark, seamy, and complex, Dead Extra is, at first glance, an excellent, faithful foray into old school L.A. noir. Jack Chesley is a hard-drinking former cop and World War II vet, pushed into investigating his wife's suspicious death by her identical twin sister. But Sean Carswell is a writer who understands this genre well enough to subvert it left and right, particularly when it comes to the dead woman, whose gutsy misadventures occupy almost half of the book. Come for your hardboiled comfortsthe violence, the corruption, and the mood are all there, as are the sharp prose and snappy dialogue. Stay for Carswell's fresh, intelligent point of view." Steph Cha, author of Dead Soon Enough and Follow Her Home Sean Carswell has written a moody, atmospheric page-turner that kept me up all night and left me hungover with longing for glamorous, gritty 1940s Los Angeles. Carswell's shell-shocked, world-weary vet is a realistic protagonist, but it's the dames who really steal this show. Denise Hamilton, Los Angeles Noir editor and author of Damage Control and the Eve Diamond mysteries "Like a deadly cross between The Day of the Locust and L.A. Confidential, Dead Extra is a stunning exploration of Hollywoods postwar history: dark, dream-like, and very dangerous. I loved it." Phoef Sutton, New York Timesbestselling author (with Janet Evanovich) of Wicked Charms and Curious Minds and author of the Crush mysteries "Sean Carswells Dead Extra is a refreshing take on classic hardboiled 40s noir. Theres a world-weary hero who can take a knock and give plenty back, a dead woman with a scandalous past, corrupt cops, and Hollywood scandals, but whats really striking is the extent to which the story is largely driven by womennot your typical femme fatales, but smart, flawed, determined women with their own dreams, traumas, and stories. Carswells women live in a time that limits their ambitions and routinely victimizes them, but they push back in spite of the consequences, finding both tragedies and triumphs." Lisa Brackmann, New York Timesbestselling author of Rock Paper Tiger and Black Swan Rising "Dirty cops, unscrupulous mental health workers, and shady Hollywood actorsSean Carswell spins a noirish tale with razor-edged prose and memorable characters who confront sexism, corruption, and the exploitation of the powerless. Dead Extra is a compelling story from the way back when that feels uncomfortably contemporary." Patricia Smiley, author of the Pacific Homicide crime novels Carswell weaves an intricate tale that keeps interest high. Fans of the post-WWII pulp magazines and film noirs will find plenty to like. Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

Sean Carswell is the author of several books, including Drinks for the Little Guy, Train Wreck Girl, Madhouse Fog, The Metaphysical Ukulele, and the academic book Occupy Pynchon. He co-founded the independent book publisher Gorsky Press and the music magazine Razorcake. His writing has appeared in such diverse places as the skateboarding magazine Thrasher, prestigious literary journals like The Southeastern Review and The Rattling Wall, and peer-reviewed journals like The Journal of American Culture. A resident of Ventura, he is an associate professor of writing and literature at California State University Channel Islands.