Author Gary Phillips joins us in this episode of CrimeFiction.FM to discuss his most recent work, a collection of hard-boiled novellas titled, 3 the Hard Way.

Notes from 3 the Hard Way Interview

We discuss each of the three novellas in the book: The Extractors, 10 Seconds to Death and The Anti Gravity Steal. Each features a different protagonist.

We discuss the character of Malcolm Cavanaugh Bleekston, AKA McBleak, a thief who works and lives among his victims. Gary shares some of his inspirations for McBleak.

10 Seconds to Death features Noc Brenner, an extreme athlete who just happens to be exceptionally good at nearly everything he tries. Gary describes Noc as a modern day riff on the great pulp characters of the 1930s.

We spend some time discussing the way Gary develops his characters, which includes the creation of a backstory, which in some instances is only hinted at in the stories.

In The Anti-Gravity Steal, we’re introduced to Luke Warfield, another richly developed character who was built along the lines of the vigilante characters made popular in the 1970s, though set in the modern era.

From the Publisher:

Malcolm Cavanaugh Bleekston, MC Bleak, McBleak, enjoys hobnobbing with the one percenters and stealing from them. In The Extractors, he puts his life on the line to take a greedy man’s gain while wondering if his girlfriend sees through his façade.

Ned “Noc” Brenner is a drifter with an unusual skill set—he’s an extreme athlete good at whatever he does be it MMA fighting to riding a motorcycle off a mountaintop. After winning in an all-night poker game, this sets in motion a series of events in The Anti-Gravity Steal where Noc must use all his abilities to prevent wholesale destruction.

Part Shaft and part Batman sans the cowl, Luke Warfield, a philanthropist with a black ops background, the Essex Man, goes on the trail in 10 Seconds to Death of the villain who killed his foster father and uncovers not only ghosts from his past, but must stop a deadly plan of mass slaughter in his own backyard.

Bonus Essex Man short story, “Murder by Remote Control.”

Purchase 3 the Hard way at Amazon

Gary’s website www.gdphillips.com

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