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Into the Badlands
America and its Crime Writers
Brief Description
In the summer of 1989, John Williams embarked on an epic journey through a deeply troubled USA. A right-wing Republican administration seemed bent on rolling back the advances of the civil rights era; the Supreme Court were partially reversing the Roe vs Wade ruling on abortion;...
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See moreAn instant cult classic that remains deeply relevant today: both an incisive and funny travelogue and a revealing guide to the lives and works of America's finest crime writers, caught at their peak. This updated and expanded edition includes a new afterword by the author and a foreword by acclaimed novelist David Peace....
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Description
In the summer of 1989, John Williams embarked on an epic journey through a deeply troubled USA.
A right-wing Republican administration seemed bent on rolling back the advances of the civil rights era; the Supreme Court were partially reversing the Roe vs Wade ruling on abortion; criminals from the Central Park rapist to the serial killers Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacey were all over the news.
Who did Williams turn to make sense of all this? America's crime writers, that's who. He talked to novelists like James Ellroy and Elmore Leonard, Sara Paretsky and James Lee Burke, and visited the places they write about, like Los Angeles and Detroit, Chicago and New Orleans.
The result was an instant cult classic that remains deeply relevant today: both an incisive and funny travelogue and a revealing guide to the lives and works of America's finest crime writers, caught at their peak.
This updated and expanded edition of Into the Badlands includes a new afterword by the author and a foreword by acclaimed novelist David Peace.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780857306265
Publisher: Oldcastle Books Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 16 April 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Oldcastle Books Ltd
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 300g
Pages: 320
About the Author
John L. Williamswas born in Cardiff and now lives in London. He's written more than a dozen books, ranging from his Cardiff Trilogy of novels to biographies of characters as diverse as Michael X and Shirley Bassey. His latest book, Heatwave, is a history of the long, hot summer of 1976. He also writes crime fiction under the name John Lincoln. His journalism has appeared everywhere from theNMEto theFinancial Times. He co-organises the riotous Laugharne Weekend festival in West Wales.
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