Hollywood Archives - Ron Franscell

The San Francisco Chronicle listed ANGEL FIRE among
its 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century West

"SOURTOE COCKTAIL CLUB is a world-beater of a tale.”
—Ivan Doig, celebrated author of
'This House of Sky'

“Ron Franscell spins one masterful tale after another…”
—W.P. Kinsella, author of 'Shoeless Joe'
(adapted as the Kevin Costner movie 'Field of Dreams')

“Franscell’s themes involve a fresh approach to our rural roots as a font for the elusive American spirit."
—USA Today

“THE OBITUARY is a damn near perfect mystery!”
—John Lescroart, NYTimes bestselling mystery author

“Ron Franscell’s ‘THE DARKEST NIGHT gets everything right …”
—C.J. Box, NYTimes bestselling mystery author

“One of the finest true-crime writers
I’ve ever read."
—Craig Johnson, NYTimes bestselling author
of the Walt Longmire Mysteries

“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

“Ron Franscell has always been
in the upper echelon of true-crime authors."
—Gregg Olsen, #1 NYTimes bestselling true-crime author

“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'

"SHADOWMAN is a thrill ride ..."
—Legendary FBI profiler John Douglas

“Ron Franscell’s masterful storytelling strikes
hard at the heart.”
—Denver Post

"[SHADOWMAN] has the ghostly unease of a nightmare—
as atmospheric and unnerving a story as you’ll ever read."
—Michael Cannell, author of 'Incendiary: The Psychiatrist,
the Mad Bomber and the Invention of Criminal Profiling'

“Ron Franscell takes you there ... completely.”
—Ann Rule

"[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'

by Ron Franscell

Beware of fast, easy answers about Uvalde’s tragedy

WHY is a natural and human question. I’m not a psychologist, I’m a journalist who has spent a career exploring what some evil, disturbed humans can do to fellow humans. But while it might be natural and human to want to know, we must be patient. Partly because it’s not always evil we’re seeing. We…

by Ron Franscell

So you wanna be a crime writer, eh? Forget these myths

You’ve been exposed to so much Hollywood crapola that I’m surprised you aren’t already on Ducky’s slab.

by Ron Franscell

Before #MeToo, there was Fatty Arbuckle

Nine years ago, HBO announced that “Modern Family” star Eric (“Cam”) Stonestreet had been signed to play Hollywood’s most tragic funnyman Fatty Arbuckle in a new a biopic. Since then—and possibly because of the rise of the #MeToo movement—the project has been deep in “development hell” since 2011 and might never see the light of…

by Ron Franscell

Explore Outlaw L.A. with us at True Crime Uncensored

Listen live at 2pm Pacific time on Saturday, June 10, by clicking here. Where better to kick off the new CRIME BUFF’S GUIDE™ TO OUTLAW LOS ANGELES than at the Los Angeles-based True Crime Uncensored radio show, hosted by the legendary Burl Barer. Los Angeles is where America’s dreams and nightmares got all tangled up. Sunny days dissolved…