Ross Macdonald wrote, "Fred Zackel's first novel reminds me of the young Dashiell Hammett's work, not because it is an imitation, but because it is not. It is a powerful and original book made from the lives and language of the people who live in San Francisco today."Now that’s impressive! The heir apparent to Chandler and Hammett passed the torch to a young writer, and a friendship between the two developed (this was highlighted in a wonderful article from January Magazine). Zackel's novel that Macdonald spoke of, Cocaine and Blue Eyes, went on to be a bestseller and later made into a TV film.
We were looking forward to a new short story from this talented author but due to unforeseen circumstances we won’t be able to feature it. However, Mr. Zackel has graciously offered us an excerpt from his 1980 novel, CINDERELLA AFTER MIDNIGHT, which has just been re-released via Kindle after being out of print for thirty years. And you, faithful BTAP readers, get a free preview with "Big and bright and colorful, like the California Dream."