Reader Challenges
Crime-Noir in 50 Words
Best-selling author James Ellroy is known for his intense crime-noir novels. He's even been called the Demon Dog of American crime fiction. Venture into the world of hard-boiled cops and criminals and come up with your own 50 word mini-crime-noir. And don't forget to create an intriguing title. James Ellroy himself will judge the entries and select three winners, each of whom will receive a signed copy of Ellroy's new book (released on Sept. 22nd), Blood's A Rover. In fact, for inspiration, you can check out an excerpt of his book here. Deadline for submissions: October 4th (11:59pm EST). We'll announce the winners in a future newsletter. Good luck!
Replies (79)
Posted by
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Another Day in LA LA Land
------------------------------------
The dame waltzed in like she owned the place. She was a few whiskeys shy of my type but she dressed like money.
"My husband's death was no accident", she said.
My cigarette smoke curled towards the ceiling. "Fifty dollars a day," I said "plus expenses" and grabbed my hat.Sep 16, 2009 2:35 pm
by cresswga -
"It's done?" she asked.
He had a photo as proof. She looked closely. Held out a bag.
"Killing his girlfriend was cheaper."
"You hired someone else?" He sounded hurt.
"Simple job," she smiled.
He shook his head.
"Scorned women keep me in business."
"Hits?"
"Arrests," he said, pulling his badge.Sep 16, 2009 3:15 pm
by mstrust -
A Friend in Need
---------------------
In trouble again.
She wiped the rain out of her eyes, or was it tears?
He hesisted...
She wasn't the brightest bulb, but then again, he often had a hangover.
He sighed and offered her his coat.
Later, he'd regret leaving his handcuffs in the pocket.Sep 17, 2009 9:58 am
by snailgenie -
Stranger, Interrupted
--------------
Stranger, Interrupted
The screen door opened and then slammed shut, and boots stomped hardwood. Flies slipped in.
The ceiling fan whined. Jimi wailed. The blonde sighed.
"Your turn," the stranger said, turning the corner into a hail of bullets.
"No, yours," Mick said. He smiled at his reflection in the pooling blood.Sep 17, 2009 4:18 pm
by philipbooth -
When I found her with blood coming out of the mouth, I knew I had to find the killer.
Fortunately, I managed to get to her in time and eventually save her life. She had been pillaged in her dimly lit apartment.
It was the Vikings I thought to myself…Sep 17, 2009 4:45 pm
by andersu -
Joe and Billybob, talking about the odds of committing the perfect crime. Joe says, "No matter how smart, a crook always makes two mistakes. Billybob says, "That makes no sense - logically it only takes one." But Joe says, "Two, because first you do the crime, and second, you talk about it.
Sep 17, 2009 7:53 pm
by royniles -
Foreplay
She leaned close, shrouding me in her scent – perfume, breath, and something almost edible. My vision filled with her – golden skin, dark curling hair, tiny pulse at her throat, star etched on her wrist.
“Yes” she breathed.
I melted towards her, senses on fire, as ice slid between my ribs.Sep 17, 2009 9:44 pm
by Jahna -
Blood in the Moonlight
Moonlight filtered through the blinds turning the color of the blood on the hardwood floor from red to black. All the signs clearly pointed to murder, but I knew better.
“She killed herself.” I said.
“Yeah?” the lead detective asked.
“Yeah.”
I turned and left the room without looking back.Sep 17, 2009 10:52 pm
by Golem100 -
Best Friends can kill
Jared hid in the shadows waiting.
Lisa was opening the door when the hands gripped her throat from behind.
She struggled to breathe, to scream!
Suddenly there was a “whump” sound and the hands let go.
Twisting around she saw Jared standing over her attacker who lay on the path.Sep 17, 2009 11:02 pm
by Fairlady17 -
All ur base r belong to us.
The denial of service attack had crippled over 2 billion websites.
The economic collapse was sweeping.
Some said the Storm Worm had finally shown it's true colours, billions of computers, slaves to one ultimate puppet master.
Cyber terrorism had finally shown itself.
It was my job to stop it.
Fuck.Sep 18, 2009 12:02 am
by Karo -
Cold Dust
It wasn’t revenge or satisfaction that she felt as she slowly slid the knife out of the limp cold neck. It was an achievement of having saved herself. She answered the doorbell hoping to explain. As soon as it creakily opened, the cop’s bullet found her. And a hope died.Sep 18, 2009 12:14 am
by Dhimant -
A Cold Night In Helsinki
The moon hung fat and gibbous as Mika draped Aki’s cold, dead skin over his own pallid flesh. Shivering, he breathed in the scent of cheap aftershave, cigarettes and booze as sour memories trampled over his thoughts with bloodstained feet. Together, forever, he rasped as tears filled his bloodshot eyes.
by PaulD.Brazill -
Catchup From the Nose
The Grand Master had demonstrated a self-defense move with the heel of the hand, with those words. I was the "bad guy". One other guy and eight women were the new class.
She had been found on the workout room floor, about half-an-hour afterwards, with the red stuff barely liquid.Sep 18, 2009 3:47 am
by travelguy -
The body was old, days old. There was no way that a body could have lain in this alley for days without anyone walking by. So either the good folks of this city had ignored the body, or it had been dumped there recently. Both equally likely in this dive.
by GordonRobertson -
Revenge of the Scavenger
The Don had ruled the ghetto with terror,but his end was nearing.Scavenger brother of a nubile teenage girl who once fell prey to the Don,wants revenge.The next day,in a dark alley, the police finds a stuffed body, lungs filled with feces, sewage circulating in his guts,balls in his throat,eyes open
by krishna.vivek -
Love all
A decade of runners up,to his high school tennis adversary.And now his woman!Visiting the restroom at the school reunion dinner to the restroom,was the ace's final pee. A male body with an abnormally huge adam's apple , tennis racket shoved in posterior was retrieved from the restroom an hour later
by krishna.vivek -
"Did you check your bank account?Its done"
"Wow!That was fast"
"The dork at Kreplachistan who who thinks all languages are phonetic, logged in with account name and password at sitibank.com.It was easy after that'
"What a moron!!"
"Wanna sell fake bonds to their Central Bank governer?I just created www.federalreserve.guv"
by krishna.vivek -
Dead black stockings
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Young, fairly attractive and dead. I had a hard time remembering how many like her I’d seen before. Feels like hundreds. Nowadays I have no trouble falling asleep. How different it once was. Names have blurred together, only one still stands out now. Nancy. This one is just like her.
by jnsch -
It would be easier to start small, he thought.
'Don't worry sweetheart, you will be fine before our evening flight, everything is arranged'
'But I really wanted to keep our baby', she sobbed, getting pushed into operation room.
He had exactly 3 hours to get rid of her husband now.Sep 18, 2009 9:59 am
by Shivangi -
Double Whammy
-------------------------
It would be easier to start small, he thought.
'Don't worry sweetheart, you will be fine before our evening flight, everything is arranged'
'But I really wanted to keep our baby', she sobbed, getting pushed into operation room.
He had exactly 3 hours to get rid of her husband now.
by Shivangi -
Blades, Blondes and Darkness
The café was rundown but clean. Benny the Blade sat at the counter. In a booth, a blonde was reading. She looked up and I caught her eye, returned her smile. Benny, leaving, caught my attention. The blonde turned a page as I followed him out into the darkness.
by Golem100 -
After night
---------------------------------
More cold than dead, Sophie lay on the subway.
‘Dad says, people kill for three reasons – land, women or money. She didn’t seem to have any’.
‘You have a joint left?’
‘Guess I dropped last one near the girl’s body. Want to go check?’
‘She’d have smoked it by now’.
by Shivangi -
Another Night Lived
--------------------------
Mack paid the clerk and reset his hat as the clock overhead clicked toward dawn. The mastermind was dead, his henchmen in custody. The turncoat dame was in the wind. His partner avenged, Mack headed back to the office, alone but for the bottle and his .45. Same old song.Sep 18, 2009 12:14 pm
by CPav -
The Stuff that Nightmares are Made Of.
----------------------------------------------------
The knife was like the others, solid gold, ornately carved, bloody. It lay on the victim’s desk beside a black stone figure, bulbous head, tentacles, wings, also covered in blood.
“What the fuck is going on?” Chambers said.
Elena, from the university anthropology department, replied.
“Not the worst. Not yet.”
by Golem100 -
Not What It Seemed.
I almost fell for the dame. She murdered Case and now she was going down. She yanked her little gun from her purse and fired. She was a lousy shot. I slugged her beautiful face. The wig flew off. I gaped. Then I kicked him in the crotch.Sep 18, 2009 1:21 pm
by seagoat -
seagoat: Yours really made me laugh! Great job.
by cresswga -
Death Leads Out
-------------------------------
The dame lay bleeding at my feet. The combat .45 was hot in my hand hanging by my side. The smell of cordite and blood was heavy in the room. The crackling sound of a phonograph needle trapped in the terminal groove of a worn-out record was the only sound.
by Golem100 -
Same Old Story
She hiked up her skirt, only to reach for the gun in her garter belt.
'Looking for this?' I dangled the petite firearm in front of her.
'Please, Jimmy... you'll never see me again.'
'Right, because you'll be in jail.'
I cracked the case; she broke my heart. Typical.Sep 19, 2009 5:49 am
by zeptimius -
Slice
The white tiles turned crimson as the blood oozed out of him.
She din’t realize he would bleed that much or that long. The goats din’t. The practice helped though; she got it right in the first stroke.
She waited silently behind the door, willing the others to enter.
by madhumita.rajan -
Don’t Wear Black to a Double Cross
He sent his wife. He owed me ten large for knocking off his partner. I got into the sedan. She pulled a heater out, squeezed and it jammed. I grabbed it and laughed. I ordered her to drive. Delores’ black dress was custom made for a soon to be widow.
by Christ7 -
Don't Count Your Corpses
------------------------------------
From the floor, I looked at the gumshoe as I bled. He turned as the cops crashed in, giving me a chance to pull the .25 from my blouse and aim shakily at him. A uniform shouted and pointed, the PI spun around as I fired. Then darkness claimed me.
by Golem100 -
Scarlet Love
---------------
It was so swift and surreal that he wasn't aware of the blood drenched shirt. But he knew in his heart that, betrayal had to end. He could hear the sirens coming for him. Only reason he lived was no more. One deep breath and he jumped into the darkness.
by Kalkoholism -
The Five Deaths of The Dangling Debutante
I looked up from the bottle squeezed tightly in my fingers. Her eyes judged me, making me want to plead the Fifth, though nothing had happened yet. Her laughter, mixing with Beethoven's symphony, rattled my sensibilities. I picked up the bottle and pulled the trigger. Five shots later I stopped.Sep 21, 2009 1:56 pm
by bbibo -
The Dame in the Shadows
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I had taken the bum low and dirty, heard him curse and felt his ribs crack. But then there was an explosion of pain in my head. I awoke slowly and noticed this dame, a real looker but for the expression on her face as she toyed with a sap.
by Golem100 -
The, the, the, the. Really wish you could edit your posts.
by Golem100 -
Dark Alley Rendezvous
-------------------------------
I leaned against the alley wall, just outside the cone of light from the street lamp. The rain soaked through the seams of my trench coat and the cold had seeped through the wet leather of my shoes. But Shelby always came this way, and a harsher cold awaited him.
by Golem100 -
The Answer to all Questions
---------------------------------------------
“What’s this all about?” I said through bloody lips as I strained against my bonds.
“Beats me,” she replied wistfully. “Benny will be here soon.”
She caressed the strap of the blackjack like it was a Cartier bracelet.
“He doesn’t know either,” she continued. “Just wants in on the fun.”
by Golem100 -
More wine?? yes, darling.
He dropped the tablet and swirled the glass.
Biting his ear, she collected the drink. Little did she know.
He settled beside her with a grin; a fleeting pain in the butt and the prick had done its job!
Victory!! she thought and took a sip!
by MithunShankar -
Blood Stained Memories
---------------------------------
The door was solid oak and easily supported me as I slouched against it, my hands still tingling with renewed circulation. Benny and the dame were moaning in the room behind me. They had known more than they let on. Too bad they had to repeat it so many times.
by Golem100 -
The Hunters' Vengence
--------------------------------
The dead girl’s face was a pale jigsaw puzzle. The cops stopped milling around the scene when they noticed me standing at the mouth of the alley, my fists jammed into the pockets of my overcoat. I knew why she was here. And now, that was why I was here.
by Golem100 -
Above "Vengence" = "Vengeance" (damn spell checkers)
by Golem100 -
Pulling Sugar
She looked tight as a G-string. Smelled like sex. Peppermint. I knew candy when I saw it. That ass. Those legs. She was Candy. “You’re a big woman,” I said. “You don’t look so good big.” Wrong thing to say. She beat me to a candy cane pulp.
By Kelly Jameson
by jamesonk -
Devil in the dark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He saw pale eyes and exposed breasts in the headlights; Knife in one hand, a male organ in the other and a man
writhing at her feet.
"Had no choice, officer", she stuttered.
Covering her in his jacket; "Let's talk at the station"
The devil had found it's next prey!
by MithunShankar -
Promises
--------------
Me: welterweight, punchy, aging.
She's nineteen. Likes boxers.
Daddy's mobbed-up.
Downtown poker, easy.
Two men, two guns, she'd drive.
Plans went bad, people died.
We grabbed cash, ran.
I wiped her tears: "I’ll keep you safe."
MEXICO:
Hotel phone rings.
"Your life for hers."
A promise is a promise.
by artypartyvictim -
The 'Family' Debt
------------------------
The shot echoed around the palatial house as the body crumpled. Blood pooled on the Italian marble.
His debt was squared with the mob and now he just had to worry about the police.
He carefully rehearsed his story, picked up the phone and got ready to turn himself in.
by cresswga -
A Case Home
--------------------
As I sat, I thought back. Flicking an arc of cigarette.
The train rolled on. Like cradle.
My black hat shielding worn eyes.
He sat further on, pupils gray.
I moved towards him. Metal tucked in my sleeve.
He drew first, a grin on his face.
A scream.
"Hello Max."Sep 23, 2009 7:21 pm
by catman221 -
Tea For Two
Or
Brownie Points
The scheming hostess bit into her carefully procured serving of the delectable chocolate morsel - pondering what was just said. Her companion smiled with a sickeningly sated look and placed her untouched dessert down.
She shuddered realizing the table had been cunningly turned and helplessly gulped back the growing acrid taste.Sep 23, 2009 10:48 pm
by ladydi -
Thus spoke Nietzche
I woke up in the middle of night startled. It was a thunderstorm. All I could think of is who killed Jack. I suddenly remembered he quoted Nietzsche weeks ago.
He had said “Of all that is written, I love only what a person has written with his own blood.”
by Kalkoholism -
Dazzling Debts Must Be Paid
In this economy, death ends all debts... yet her lawyer was paid in loose diamonds. Was she the victim or the operator? Only glittering Gloria knows, as she winks and leaves the station. Arsenic has been known as the inheritance-maker throughout history.
by dreamdust -
Hot Days of Despair
Beware the treachery of desire, our pleasures wheedle and caress-only to strangle us.Sweating, he stuck to his clothes...he had been blind, the past overheated his bitter passions with stab wounds of lust. Together a moment that sealed fate-in prison alone. A man held captive by desire.
by dreamdust -
IT TAKES TWO
He didn’t want to, but lying there, blood-soaked but not dead, he knew. The suite had been dark, and he was asleep when the deadbolt failed and a blade skewered his stomach first, then his neck. But it was there, floating around him: his wife’s perfume, the same lavender mist she’d worn since college. And dammit if he still didn’t love her.
by LitLover888 -
Bleeding Ego
After the gun shot rang out, fading away with the death scream of the escaping assailant, He walked into the room to the eerie silence of death. That deafening silence that marks the end of a struggle between demise and redemption. That empty hollow that makes it clear that the darkness conquered the light. Through the grey haze he could see her delicate form where it lay, motionless. A final photograph of the evil of Dr. Mortimer. And as the last drops of her blood seeped from her quieting veins, he died a little bit, inside.
by agogodavid -
TO ACCEPT THE UNEXPECTED
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Being the eldest son of the dying king, he knew he was destined for the king's sword. But what was it doing in a stranger's hand.
He plunged...for the face first...snatched off the scarf...
He was dead before the sword penetrated his heart.
His brother...now the king...
by sidmary -
Tribute to Guy Noir
She slunk into the office with fear stamped all over her. The dame was a looker with a musical lilt to her voice. I couldn't focus on what she was saying, because of her sexy body. Her dog popped-out of her purse and laid the weapon at my feet.
by dreamdust -
Yikes!
She hated spiders with a passion beyond reason. And for eight, long, creeping years he reveled in this knowledge.
Grinning wickedly, he wove the finishing touches into his tale. The final spin contained a perfectly compelling amount of particulars and pathos.
He heard her screaming bloody murder in the distance.
by ladydi -
The Big Pay Off
----------------------
The Boss flicked the ash of his smoke into an ashtray that looked suspiciously like a skull fragment.
"Want the job?" he asked.
"No," I replied. "Already got a job."
He raised an eyebrow questioningly
I pulled my piece, shot him through the heart.
The ashtray made a nice souvenir.
by Golem100 -
EVIL
No evil is without its compensation.
"Seneca, isn't it?"
"The quote...exactly-before crime, there was war." The pathologist gets the last word on murder victims. This one is a donor.
by dreamdust -
DEATH KISS
___________________________
The gunshot rang, fading in unison with the death wail of her assailant. He walked into the room wrapped in the deafening silence of death's victory. Her delicate form lay, motionless. And as the last drops of her blood seeped away in surrender, he died a bit, inside.
by agogodavid -
Doin’ the Jive
Glenn Miller sprechen ze Deutsch. Swinging spy. Occupied France. Swinging man swung too high. Gotham bookie Moe’s moll dug Glenn till he dug back. I was in to Moe. Glenn’s trombone deep in French whore. She screamed incidental gut shot. Miller, officially missing. Missing in action.
by CraigRenfroe -
A MOUTH LIKE ECSTASY
The first bullet hit her shoulder. She wrote initials on her blouse.
The second: her heart.
When she was found I got the call.
Her mouth looked like ecstasy.
How did I know? I knew.
Removing her blouse to see her wound, the blood smeared.
We never caught him.
by CoralPress -
He’ll never see Louisiana again
-------------------------------------------
New interrogation tactics. But effective. Nothing rough. Instead: Feed him an explanation. Explanation = confession. Appeal to guilt. It’s always there. Find it. Wheedle it.
Say: You didn’t mean to. See pictures: Infant body broken.
To have been born is to be fucked with guilt.
Say: You didn’t mean to.
by Daniel_Silliman -
Circle of Death
____________
I sat on the steps of the brownstone, the rain dripping from the rim of my hat. The cops would be here soon but that was just a technicality. I’d found the killer, delivered justice and vengeance. I’d loved her and I’d killed her. It always ends the same.
by Golem100 -
In from the Rain and the Dark
----------------------------------------
I looked up through the rain as the heap pulled up to the curb. The passenger door swung open.
“James.” Susan’s voice. “Randall told me where to find you.”
I looked at her blankly.
“James, it’s over.”
I slid in, closed the door.
“Us?” I asked.
“Just beginning.” She replied.
by Golem100 -
Death by Magic
--------------------
She looked down at the severed head of The Great Dante at the guillotine. “Serves him right,” she thought.
The blood had already started dripping onto the stage floor.
She turned to the audience whose faces she could not be read. She decided that it would be prudent to scream.
by swap -
MESSY BUSINESS
--------------------------
What a mess. On my own. In every sense. No more Lucia. Hard just thinking about her.
But the law wouldn’t do shit. Totally up to me. And I was up to the job.
Stuck his head in a vice and power-drilled the little brains he’d got. What a mess.Oct 3, 2009 6:36 am
by donalom1 -
What Should Not Be Happening
I fire six shots with the nine millimeter.
The trailer fills with smoke.
I can’t hear.
My ex-partner’s body twitches on the couch.
His head isn’t much to look at.
In the bedroom is what’s left of the little girl.
Now, where would this asshole hide the fifty thousand?Oct 3, 2009 10:26 am
by rmidgett -
A Splash on the Sidewalk
Wet pavement. Ceiling fans. Shot glasses. Dangerous broads walking into your office at the end of the week.
All bullshit.
It's nothing but tedium, shadows, unpleasant smells.
Grease, sweat, coffee, desperation.
Sometimes, like tonight, it ends with the sharp tang of blood.
Horrific. I vomit out the window. And wait.Oct 3, 2009 4:52 pm
by andeparks -
Twelve Sky Gold
---------------------
Top of the towers.
I obsessed over coins tossed from skyscrapers killing pedestrians.
I pondered the idea of a mischievous group of school children turning "pennies from heaven" on its head by flinging their milk money off the top of the Trade Center.
by Doellner -
Captive Audience
I read the name and address. "Your…"
"Yes. My husband."
I shrugged. Her money, her call.
***
He was handsome and enthusiastic—grinning while I tied his wrists and ankles to the bed, whistling as I lowered my jeans.
It wasn't until he saw the knife that he began to scream.
by ReneeH -
Peroxide: A love story
His breathing deepens. She gets up and goes to the bathroom where peroxide sits on the shelf. She lifts it, returns to the bed. She kneels beside him, her tapered fingers trembling around the bottle.
“Darling,” she says. He opens his eyes, the pupils expanding as she tilts the bottle.Oct 4, 2009 7:03 pm
by sandraknz -
The Widow's Secrets
We fought, our bodies pressed together, then I pushed inside.
"Remember me? I killed your husband for you."
She wouldn't meet my eyes.
"You've been ducking me."
Then someone coughed. I wheeled around.
"Tommy?"
Tommy laughed and wagged his gun.
"Shut up," he said. "Get out."
by behamilton_87112 -
Real Love
We'd made up our minds.
He was leaving me. True lust. He was packing, his face so grim it made me cry. Real tears. Awkwardly, he tried to hold me.
It was so easy -- the gun was right there in my pocket. I'd decided he was staying with me.
by behamilton_87112 -
Everlasting Love
On a windy day in October, standing in Central Park I told the most horrifying words to my newlywed husband. I looked into his eyes and told him I had melanoma cancer with only 6 months to live. I felt his tears as he leaned over to kiss my cheek.
by MonicaR -
Exhumed
Four bodies: one rotting, two breathing rancid air in black conspiracy, and me.
They thought it was done, buried, but I dug deep -- unearthed their skeletons 'til they had no choice.
Dispose of the evidence. For good, this time.
I emerge, smiling -- soon, I'll have three bodies on my hands.Oct 4, 2009 11:49 pm
by emilyyoung -
Frotteurotic
Black stiletto caught in the crack of the sidewalk; she looks up at the smoking stranger like Bambi in a bear trap so he has to help her, huh? He helps himself to the feel of her...
Doesn't notice his missing wallet until he goes to pay his tab.
by Lit-terbox -
Thanks, everyone, for participating in our Reader Challenge! Stay tuned here and on our blog for info about when the winners will be announced.
by MaggieH (admin) -
We've just announced the winners of the challenge! Congratulations to snailgenie, seagoat, and mstrust! You can read their entries above or all together on our blog.
by MaggieH (admin) -
Well done. Those were some of my favourites too.
Now I can go and buy my copy without waiting to see if I had won :)
by cresswga -
yes. well done. mstrust was definitely THE best
by sidmary