<DIV>"Readers who enjoy their hard-boiled detective fiction seasoned with self-referential humor will welcome this collection, which includes two new short stories by Pascoe and Fassbender, cofounders of the publisher UglyTown?The title work, a novel first published in 1998, is the highpoint, as a murder in a bowling alley claims the life of Gentleman Joe Biggs, the city’s leading bowler. Along the way to a crafty solution, the authors wink at the readers ('It was Suzi who made a passing joke about this being a detective story, and as it goes in all good detective stories, it was now time to stake out the widow’s house to see what might develop')--a light touch that leavens a grim fictional universe."<br>--<I>Publishers Weekly</I><BR><BR>"<I>By the Balls</I> is manna from heaven for aficionados of noir and lovers of the classics from older masters of the genre such as Hammett, Chandler, and Cain. The stories are fast with page-turning addictiveness, filled with gems of street-smart dialogue and characters to kill for. Numerous illustrations by Paul Pope adorn the inner pages, all of which are stark and beautifully rendered. And just when you think it can’t get any better, over 20 short essays by industry luminaries are thrown in for good measure. Noir collections don’t get much better than this."<BR>--<I>New York Journal of Books</I><BR><BR>"Classic hard-boiled detective fiction reminiscent of Mike Hammer, Sam Spade, and Philip Marlowe. Highly recommended."<BR>--<I>Midwest Book Review</I><BR><BR>"Their noir style narration throughout the collection pays homage to the crime fiction genre’s masters, Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, with crisp dialogue, a gritty tone, a story that grabs readers’ attentions, and a narrator with dry wit . . . this steam trunk of titillating tales is definitely worth checking out!"<BR>--<I>Criminal Class Press</I><BR><BR>"A recommended pick for short story fans who enjoy the classic Hammett and Raymond Chandler genres. Detective Ben Drake loves small cigars and big fights--and women in trouble. His adventures and puzzling cases involve many instances of criminal angst in this riveting account, perfect for fans of hardboiled detective reading."<BR>--<I>The Midwest Bookwatch</I><BR><BR>This deluxe volume assembles all the early writing of Jim Pascoe and Tom Fassbender in a redesigned fifteenth anniversary edition, including the two underground cult-classic novels <I>By the Balls</I> and <I>Five Shots and a Funeral</I>, along with two brand-new short stories, a new introduction, and over a dozen short essays by industry luminaries.<BR><BR>Perfect for fans of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, these tales follow the exploits of Ben Drake, a detective with a passion for small cigars and big fights, a love of Old Grand-Dad, and a weakness for women in trouble. North of Las Vegas in the fictional town of Testacy City, Drake sniffs out killers, thieves, kidnappers, cock fighters, double crossers, crooked cops, and numbers runners?all culminating in the bizarre murder of Gentleman Joe Biggs, a well-loved local bowling hero. As he continues to crack clues in the case, Drake is drawn deeper into a citywide criminal conspiracy.<BR><BR><B>Jim Pascoe</B> is a writer, designer, and an Emmy Award?winning creative director. He is responsible for the packaging design of over one hundred DVDs, such as <I>Mad Men</I> and the 2010 <I>Stanley Kubrick Collection</I>. He has written comics and books featuring Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kim Possible, and Hellboy. His graphic novel series <I>Undertown</I> was serialized in over fifty newspapers worldwide, and his recent crime fiction has appeared in <I>Los Angeles Noir</I> and <I>Florida Heat Wave</I>.<BR><BR><B>Tom Fassbender</B> is a writer, editor, and content strategist who has written, edited, and published both novels and comics. He lives in Los Angeles, California.<BR></DIV>