Loners - Mark SaFranko (for Bukowski Himes Crews fans)

Loners is ideal for fans of SaFranko's Hating Olivia and Lounge Lizard; the realist fare of Charles Bukowski and Dan Fante; and the edgy crime tales of Jim Thompson, Chester Himes and Harry Crews.
Some of stories will shock, some will thrill, some will provoke thought... but all of the stories in Loners will keep you addictively turning those pages....

New York Times bestselling crime author Seymour Shubin [Anyone's My Name] introduces the stories, where he hails Loners as:
"A collection of brilliant short stories that had me twisting inwardly as I read them...They are magnificent."

Praise for Loners:

"From the very first story, ‘The Man in Unit 24,’ the author has the reader on tenterhooks, turning each page with their heart in their throat or mouth, but definitely not where it should normally be. And from here on in there is little respite, 'Alley Night', 'At the Hacienda', 'Alone', 'Life Change', and 'Acts of Revenge' grab the reader’s attention from start to finish, leading them down chilling dead ends and false turnings, but ultimately to thrilling climaxes." 
--- Joseph Ridgwell (The Beat) 

"Reading SaFranko’s fiction reveals a writer who owes an equal debt to Poe, Selby, Bukowski, Miller, Camus, Hammett, Celine….the list goes on. At the same time, he is the consummate stylist, a literary voice that is wonderfully original. Each story is perfectly crafted, each phrase reads effortlessly, though you know it has been laboured over, and each character haunts you long after you have put down the book.
"And it is this that makes 'Loners' such a significant work of fiction... Reading SaFranko’s stories will make you want to dust off your favourite literature and remind you why you fell in love with the power of words in the first place."
--- Zsolt Alapi (The Danforth Review)

 "It’s not surprising that I’d be interested in reading a book called LONERS. It’s a collection of short stories by Mark SaFranko... I guess they’d qualify as noir because they’re dark and bleak as hell.
"SaFranko writes very well, with the ability to capture characters in a few brief strokes, and his dialogue rings true. I also like the fact that several of these stories have enough plot packed into them that they could have been novels, something that author Seymour Shubin comments on in his introduction... Overall, this is a very good collection."
--- James Reasoner (Rough Edges)

Praise for Mark SaFranko:

"SaFranko’s prose is precise, flawless and the work of a man who truly loves and understands great writing. To be a fan of Mark SaFranko is to belong to an exclusive club: to appreciate the work of a man who is a truly great American writer, yet who has not been commodified, exploited and repackaged for the masses."
--- Tony O'Neill (Scarecrow Magazine)

IBSN 095513157X
216 pages
Trade paperback size (as Black Sparrow Press)
Professionally bound with stunning cover and inside cover art... and eight full pages of interior art by Richard Watts and Steve Hussy