06/11/2013 (press release: mjhammond) // Los Angeles, CA, United States // MJ Hammond
Minstrel’s Alley announced it was offering the Blood Orange, a romantic mystery thriller, at discount pricing as a promotion for summer readers. The novel by Gordon Basichis combines the essence of the classic Los Angeles Noir mysteries with the hard edge complexities of modern day L.A.
The Blood Orange draws from the early bandits of Spanish California and melds the tone and textures so unique to the City of the Angels. “The novel is offbeat and quirky, “said M.J. Hammond, Publisher of the Los Angeles based media group, Minstrel’s Alley. “The city itself is a character, and the story is sultry and sexy.
“You can smell the Eucalyptus and the Night Blooming Jasmine,” said Hammond. “Gordon Basichis narrates the internecine struggle between multiple powers vying for dominance and wealth in a landscape dotted with both dead and designer bodies. It’s the glitz and glamour blended into the more lurid side of the city. It is love and death; lowlifes and high fashion. It’s just so L.A.”
Hammond remarked the mystery unveils with an odd murder that leads its protagonist through a labyrinth of Machiavellian plotting and scheming where the rich and the powerful vie for a larger slice of a very small pie. “There are shades of Raymond Chandler, but The Blood Orange is unique until itself. It is a hard edged mystery that is darkly humorous. And in the end it is a love story. What more can you want?”
Hammond noted that Minstrel’s Alley would be offering the book as a summer promotion because it has that sensual nocturnal feel to it that summer readers should enjoy. “The story rolls out like a movie,” said Hammond. “It is small wonder we have been asked about the film rights. It is a rich, character driving story and features the city where those who live here enjoy a fabulous love-hate relationship. Besides, actors wouldn’t have to travel to make this movie. Cast and crew could go home at night. Or wherever else it suited them.
M.J. Hammond is a former entertainment industry executive who founded Minstrel’s Alley to publish popular books not found in mainstream publishing.
Background: Minstrel’s Alley is a Los Angeles based independent publisher that seeks to bring adventure back into the publishing industry by publishing books that have popular appeal but with more complexity than the standard mainstream fare. The new publishing group distributes its books through Amazon, Kindle, and assorted Internet outlets as well as through bookstores around the country. You can view Minstrel’s Alley and its newest romantic mystery, The Blood Orange, at www.minstrelsalley.com
