By the Balls [Unabridged] [Mass Market Paperback]

Packaged like a pulp detective novel from the '30s, this pocket-sized mystery is packed with the kind of dialogue that makes gumshoe fiction so ripe for parody: "One false step and it's curtains for the floozy!" "There's nothing like a mourning widow ... and Suzi Biggs was nothing like a mourning widow." "Consider this an advance on a beating to come." Every cup of coffee, sleazy witness, and see-through negligee is critiqued in hard-bitten style by detective Benjamin Drake in this doubly amusing book, which works as both straight whodunit fiction and a winking satire of all things Hammettesque. Not to be missed by fans of the genre, fans of genre, or any genre of fans. --James DiGiovanna

Packaged in a vintage crime format modeled after the Dell "keyhole" mysteries of the 1940s, and cram-full of dime-novel derring-do, By the Balls bears proudly its ligatures to the hard-boiled genre. Its spotty dialogue and drunken plotting; its dubious heroics and jaundiced idealism; its "romantic realism," in Ellery Queen's phrase, and fantastically cold-blooded denouement -- By the Balls has it all, and suitably moody illustrations by the critically acclaimed Paul Pope thrown in for good measure. -- Alan Wieder, APB Online, 01/99

"By the Balls" is a bowling alley murder mystery set in the fictional town of Testacy City. The story follows the exploits of Ben Drake, a pulp-style detective with a passion for small cigars and Old Grand-Dad and a weakness for women in trouble. Drake is employed by the Always Reddy Detective Agency, and his latest assignment is to investigate the bizarre murder of Gentleman Joe Biggs, a well-loved local bowling hero. As he continues to unearth clues in the case, Drake is drawn deeper and deeper into a city-wide criminal conspiracy. Designed in the fashion of a 1940s pulp detective novel.

What this Mystery is about- A family bowling center turns into a scene of BLOODY MURDER . . . An age-old CONSPIRACY is brought to light . . . A revealing visit to a LUXURIOUS BATHROOM . . . A promise of VIOLENCE at the hands of ANGRY BOWLERS . . . A hot CUP OF COFFEE becomes a reckless young man's only friend . . . A 20-foot orange extension cord becomes a DEADLY TOOL . . . An OVERLOOKED CLUE is found embedded in shag carpeting . . . A STRONG PAIR OF HANDS leave a mark where nobody was supposed to look . . . A botched set-up ends with a VIOLENT GUNFIGHT . . . A painful reminder from a LIPSTICK-STAINED cup . . . A single .38 BULLET provides a gleeful release for a demented man . . . An unlikely alliance reveals a WEB OF DECEIT.

Wouldn't You Like to Know-
What would cause a bowling champ to get his head crushed between two bowling balls?
Where to get the best chicken-fried steak in Testacy City?
What an eight-letter word for "hairless" that starts with g is?
How a much-maligned character can be clear and refreshing?
What goes on in the bathroom at Penny's Lane Bowling Center?
Why sleeping in the nude can be bad?
What a sexy pathologist can tell you about the Illuminati, the U.S. government, and the Great Depression?
What stirs the loins of a bowling groupie?

YOU will find the answers in this engaging tale of murder which is not only a brilliant mystery but also a fascinating excursion into the eclectic and absurd facets of life in a crime-filled desert city.

In the tradition of 1940s pulp novels, "By the Balls" features a colorful crime map of Testacy City highlighting locations relevant to the story on the back cover.

Jim Pascoe and Tom Fassbender Fassbender & Pascoe own UglyTown Productions, a Los Angeles-based company that specializes in storytelling and creating written entertainment for a multitude of media. By the Balls is its first publishing venture.

Jim Pascoe writes monthly reviews and essays for Amazon.com. He is an outspoken philosopher-author-musician and pataphysician whose interests include semiotics, quantum mechanics, and the Tower of Babel. Pascoe also has a fondness for wearing wigs. His drink of choice is Ketel One vodka on ice. His blood type is A negative.

Tom Fassbender is a good-natured misanthropic philanthropist who writes about pop culture. He is a student/teacher of coincidence and is interested in molecular biology, natural selection, and biotechnology. He's been known to wax nostalgic about the future. When drinking, he, too, prefers Ketel One vodka. His blood type is B positive.

Fassbender & Pascoe are currently assembling another Dashiell Loveless book, Small Frame Model 637, a collection of Loveless' early short stories. They are also working on The Red Hat, a detailed account of Dashiell Loveless' disappearance.

They seldom sleep.

Paul Pope

Paul Pope is an internationally renowned, New York-based illustrator and creator of the hit graphic novel, The One Trick Rip Off, published by Dark Horse Comics. Word on the street has it that he is the sexiest man alive. His drink of choice is Drambuie. His blood type is A negative.