California crime Archives

"SOURTOE COCKTAIL CLUB is a world-beater of a tale.” —Ivan Doig, celebrated author of 'This House of Sky' Ivan Doig “THE OBITUARY is a damn near perfect mystery!” —John Lescroart, NYTimes bestselling mystery author John Lescroart “Ron Franscell’s masterful storytelling strikes hard at the heart.” —Denver Post Denver Post “Ron Franscell’s ‘THE DARKEST NIGHT gets everything right …” —C.J. Box, NYTimes bestselling mystery author C.J. Box The San Francisco Chronicle listed ANGEL FIRE among its 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century West San Francisco Chronicle “Ron Franscell takes you there ... completely.” —Ann Rule Ann Rule “Ron Franscell spins one masterful tale after another…” —W.P. Kinsella, author of 'Shoeless Joe' (adapted as the Kevin Costner movie 'Field of Dreams') W.P. Kinsella “Franscell’s themes involve a fresh approach to our rural roots as a font for the elusive American spirit." —USA Today USA Today "SHADOWMAN is a thrill ride ..." —Legendary FBI profiler John Douglas John Douglas “If any modern crime writer should bear the mantel of the late, great Jack Olsen it is Ron Franscell... nobody does it better." —Dr. Vincent DiMaio, renowned medical examiner Vince DiMaio “In my view, Ron Franscell is one of the very finest and most exciting true-crime writers in America." —Vincent Bugliosi, Manson prosecutor and author of 'Helter Skelter' Vincent Bugliosi “Ron Franscell has always been in the upper echelon of true-crime authors." —Gregg Olsen, #1 NYTimes bestselling true-crime author Gregg Olsen "[SHADOWMAN] has the ghostly unease of a nightmare." —Michael Cannell, author of 'Incendiary: The Psychiatrist, the Mad Bomber and the Invention of Criminal Profiling' Michael Cannell “One of the finest true-crime writers I’ve ever read." —Craig Johnson, NYTimes bestselling author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries Craig Johnson "[Ron Franscell] reminds the rest of us who write in this genre how it ought to be done.” —Jeff Guinn, #1 NYTimes bestselling author of 'Manson' and 'The Road to Jonestown' Jeff Guinn

by Ron Franscell

10 Los Angeles Crime Facts You Didn’t Know

The darker side of a city built on dreams and illusions is sometimes obscured, sometimes elevated to mythic proportions. In a place where the words Manson, Night Stalker, and Black Dahlia are well known, the supporting cast of a thousand other foul-play tales can be found in the shadows of the neon-pastel Los Angeles landscape. […]

What crime writers do I read? Here’s one

It’s one of the most common questions I get from a roomful of readers: Who’s your favorite author? Fact is, I don’t have just one. And they’re all over the lot, from crime fiction to magical realism to true crime and some classic literary giants whose main attraction for me is simply the way they’ve […]

The Black Dahlia dissected again

Today, it’s been 71 years since Elizabeth Short’s grisly parts were discovered in a vacant Los Angeles subdivision, sliced cleanly in half and posed lasciviously. This obscure waitress suddenly became far more famous in death than the Black Dahlia (as we know her now) ever dreamed in her brief life. Breathing, she was just another pretty face. In chunks on […]