New York Times Archives - Ron Franscell

"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

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 […]

by Ron Franscell

New York Times lists ‘Darkest Night’ as Wyo’s best true crime

Eleven years after it was first published by St. Martin’s Press, “The Darkest Night” is still getting attention. This week, the New York Times published a list of the top true-crime books in every state. “From the safety of your armchair, lose yourself in some classic — and completely terrifying — real-life stories of murder, […]

by Ron Franscell

Is true crime as entertainment morally defensible?

I’ve been writing true crime for 10 years. I confess to occasional pangs that I am reopening wounds for a few people, but the old-school journalist in me rationalizes that these stories can have a universal, positive, human impact to the greater society. Whether they reflect something in us that we should (and don’t want […]