Stand Alones

Stand AloneS

The best part about writing a series is that the voice lives within you already. When I was writing Victor, I always knew how he should sound. When you write stand alones, you don’t have that head start, but you do have the freedom of creating a new world in each book. I’m proud of each of these books and in the descriptions I’ll try to give you an idea of what personal aspects drew me to the story and the character. There is always something that lights the spark.

"For a son, every funeral before his father's death is a rehearsal and every funeral thereafter is a memorial."

My grandfather died when I was in second grade and for the longest time I kept seeing him in the city streets or in crowds. Somehow I still kept him alive even though I knew he was dead. I wondered how that would affect a young man who kept seeing his dead dad in the streets. And then, one day, what if it really was him.

Blood and Bone strikes a resounding chord on a visceral level; it asks the reader to examine his or her own life, to look back and acknowledge what our own keynote events may have been. In telling the story, Lashner employs wonderful language and colorful turns of phrase. And the twists and turns of plot will keep the reader turning pages long after he should have shut off the lights and gone to sleep. Highly recommended. Gumshoe Reviews

David Goodis wrote a short story about an elevator operator-assassin called "Professional Man" and I used that to build the bartender hero of my barkeep novel. The plot was based on a murder case in New Jersey where a rabbi hired a hitman to kill his wife. The thing that I found so horrid was that it was the son who found the mother's body. What that must have done to him. That's what the book is about. I called it a novel of zenspence and it was a number one digital best seller, so there's that. And it was nominated for an Edgar, so there's that. But it didn't win, so there's also that. Not that I'm bitter.

“The Barkeep is one of those books that you start reading and cannot put down, even as you almost wish you never reach the ending. William Lashner is primarily known for his series of legal thrillers featuring Philadelphia attorney Victor Carl, but this stand-alone work cements his deserved place in the constellation of master thriller authors.”
Book Reporter

Some politician once said he had two close friends that he called every day even if just to say he was too busy to talk and that got me to thinking. What if you called to just say you've still gotten away with something. So there's the story. Two things about it. First, the early parts take place in the neighborhood I grew up in, the very street, the very house in Roslyn Pa. Second one of the friends lives in Vegas and when I went to visit the house I was using, I was shocked at how wrecked the neighborhood was. Everything was covered with dirt, every house was for sale, the desert dust was caked on the street signs. It was like a bomb had gone off, and it had, a bomb called easy money. I hadn't realized the book was about the Great Recession until I went to Vegas, but the visit changed everything. Research matters.

"A stand-alone work that ranks easily among Lashner's best . . . a noirish cautionary tale about past sins and redemption. . . Worth waiting for." 20SomethingReads

When I read that Detroit had disincorporated part of the city, I wondered what would happen to the people living there. Then I wondered what would happen if we as a country, for some reason, disincorporated the entire Midwest. And that's the book. There's a scene in the beginning where I recreate Hopper's NIghthawks at the Diner, one of my favorite paintings. I always make a pilgrimage to the Art Institute when I'm in Chicago. And one of my characters, Moonis Fell, is modeled on one of my great heroes, Jimi Hendrix. As the book progresses you can see him move closer and closer to the great man. Neal Cassidy also makes an appearance for you Beat Heads out there. The ending is controversial, as I knew it would be. Tell me what you think.

“A departure from the courtroom dramas longtime fans know him for, Guaranteed Heroes creates a chilling vision of a post-apocalyptic America, yet is populated with all-too-human characters forced to confront timeless challenges that will surely resonate with readers in today’s world.”
The Big Thrill

This is an Atlantic City novel. My parents took us there as kids, before the casinos, staying in the old hotels, walking the boardwalk with my grandparents. As I wrote this I sent each finished chapter to a group of friends with one request, they don't give me any comments. Just knowing my first draft was being read changed the writing process in an interesting way. The book goes in wild directions but I worked to makes sure each chapter was complete in itself. The experiment that changed my writing.

“Opens with a blistering trial scene…After the razzle-dazzle opening, Lashner slips into a thoughtful reflection on the failings of the legal system…There is also lively action, great steamy sex, and witty dialogue. The phrasemaking is dazzling.” Booklist

When I was in college I studied Abnormal Psychology and was a bit obsessed with psycopathy. What creates a psycopath? And more importantly, what makes some psycopaths evil mutants and some upstanding members of society. Is the first being true to itself, is the second just faking. Can a psycopath be truly good? Phil Kubiak has one rule, and that rule seems to make all the difference.

Another amazing piece of work by Lashner.. .. Maybe this is the most cunning of all the Lashner books. PeopleinSorrow

This is my old hippie novel. Everyone needs to write an old hippie novel. Is the old hippie still a believer or disillusioned, surrounded by a loving family or lost and alone, and what about the cause, the cause? The book starts in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention in 1968, and ends with a gunfight at the old commune. A couple things to note. There's a scene at my favorite hot dog place in the world, The Weiner Circle on Clark Street in Chicago. There's a beautiful rendition of Fast Cars, written by the amazing Tracey Chapman. And the old hippie loves the old music but hates the Eagles. Oh, and this too was nominated for an Edgar. And this too didn't win. Not that I'm bitter, but don't spread me on toast.

"It's poignant, in your face soul-stirring, emotional. Not really a crime novel, more of a family noir thriller? But definitely awesome literary fiction that resonates long after you've finished." Rosepoint Publishing