Heartbreak and vine: Crime writers, screenplays and studios

A companion piece to Woody Haut´s two acclaimed histories of post-war American crime fiction, Pulp culture and Neon Noir, Heartbreak and Vine tells the story of the intimate links between crime fiction and films. Almost all the grat names of crime fiction, from Hammett to Chandler, Leonard to Ellroy, have spent in Hollywood and Haut recounts their experiences and provides an acute commentary on the developement of the crime movie from Little Caesar to The Big Sleep, Kiss me deadly to L.A. Confidential. Haut iluminates the movieland careers of early greats like W.R. Burnett and James M. Cain, and then brings the story right up to date with original interviews with contemporary crime novelists like Eddie Bunker, George P. Pelecanos and James Lee Burke talking about their Hollywood experiences.