I have always been a active reader, from childhood.  Somewhere back in the 1980's, I bought a paperback book published by Black Lizard.  I was intrigued by the cover art, and the small description of the author (it was a Jim Thompson novel).  The story really grabbed me, and a week later I went to the bookstore and bought another, by Thompson again.  The routine repeated itself every week or two, and Black Lizard kept putting out a few additional books every three or four months.

I discovered Charles Willeford, David Goodis, Fredric Brown, Charles Williams, James Cain, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and others.  But while some got close, for me, none of them were equal to Thomson.

I've read most of the Black Lizard published books I bought back then.  I continued buying as things came out, but at some point toward 2000 it just seemed like the releases overwhelmed me.  For years, my collection has been boxed up in storage, but I've recently re-entered the world of Black Lizard / Vintage Crime here in 2018!

The most recent book completed, was David Goodis "Shoot the Piano Player".  This book was originally published in 1956.  Just like in a Thompson story, you know there most likely won't be a happy ending.  I enjoyed it, and plan on continuing to explore the depths of the down and out, Black Lizard style.