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Stephen J. Golds is an intimidatingly prolific writer and poetry editor. He’s also an unassuming eminent new author lifter and indie press champion and many people reading this post will have become aware of it through his sphere of influence.

His own writing is heartfelt, honest and deep, without airs of pretension. Comparisons to Beat Generation and Dirty-realism authors fly freely… But, there’s emotional sophistication, awareness and moral ambiguity play too. The dark hearts of his tortured characters ring of Sarah Kane, Patricia Highsmith and Du Maurier’s ghosts too.

Always the Dead came as a welcome break during Lockdown 3.0 in the U.K. I jumped into it and carved out time to escape into it whenever I could. I read with an imagined Clint Mansell soundtrack with direction by Darren Aronofsky that fitted seamlessly. As it’s not without elements of psychological horror and surreal disturbing elements akin to these.

Fact and fiction are blurred beautifully in Golds’ Always the Dead as he guides the reader on a believable search for a missing actress Jean Spangler through the actions and ghosts of a PTSD and tuberculosis suffering war vet: Scott Kelly. Kelly takes us on a tour of 1949 L.A. and the darkness of his memories, actions and lengths he’ll go to to get his delusional love affair, Jean, back.

Right from a cinematic opening, with epic setting and backdrops, it’s filled with hard emotion and action that’s a pure joy to read for a crime fiction and noir fan.

Unparalleled emotional depth with hard grit and searing violence. It’s the darkest type of noir as it should be: rich, uncomfortable and unnervingly believable.

The prologue’s imagery creates nightmarish sequences and flashes reminiscent of Jacob’s Ladder and the more recent Mendes’ 1917. Such is Stephen J. Golds’ depth that he can easily be mentioned alongside modern and classic cult classics effortlessly. His writing feels like it’s from the desk of a well-seasoned pro surrounded in smoke and empty bottles of scotch strewn everywhere. There’s real honest suffering in the writing that’s impossible to resist. It’s full of dark-heart and soul.

My only disappointment with this book is that it’s the start of 2021 and I think it’s the best book I’ll read this year… It can’t get better than this. Can it?

‘I love this modern-retro crime noir. It sings as it embraces you with character and settings that feel steeped in true author experience.’

It sets an intimidatingly high bar for books to reach this year.

‘Its emotional depth is matched by epic cinematic backdrops. Stephen J. Golds is a real master of crime noir! This is an instant noir classic.

Always the Dead is out now with Close to the Bone and Say Goodbye When I’m Gone with Red Dog Press.

Also, his curated collection of poets are launching month by month now in the First Cut series from Close to the Bone.


Review - SJG -Always the Dead

Find out more about SJG in his recent interview with Gabriel Hart on Lit Reactor here:

Stephen J. Golds Interview on Lit Reactor

Our review of Say Goodbye When I’m Gone:

An interview with SJG on Bristol Noir last year:

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