Search donherron.com
About DonHerron.com
In 1977 Don Herron began leading The Dashiell Hammett Tour, now the longest-running literary tour in the nation. On this site you’ll find information on current walks — dates, where to meet, arranging tours by appointment — plus a hard-boiled blog with news, reviews of books and film, and a dash of noir.
The latest and greatest edition to self-guide you up and down the mean streets.
Willeford: The Book
Includes the first “Mr. Hunt” story, “Knives in the Dark.”
Monthly Archives: March 2014
Tour: And As the Year Ended, the MWA Slipped on Their Gumshoes
For the penultimate walk of 2013 I took out no less than twenty members of the Mystery Writers of America on a two hour version of the tour, highlighting The Maltese Falcon — you’ve got to figure that if someone … Continue reading
Posted in Frisco, Lit, News, SFSC, Tour
Tagged 891 Post, Cacophony Society, Claudia H. Long, Clyde Long, Diane R. Chambers, Julie Smith, Miss P, Mystery Writers of America, P. Segal, San Francisco Mysteries, Sheldon Siegel, The Harlot's Pen
Frisco Beat: William Worley
My article on collecting San Francisco mysteries wraps up with a sequence from William Worley’s 1948 novel My Dead Wife, which captures in an evocative thumbnail moment the appeal of that hobby: I ran uphill a dozen paces to the parapet … Continue reading
Rediscovered: “Just Ask Luis Rodriquez”
So, to follow-up on the idea of doing In Memoriam: Willeford, how about we premiere a new Guest Blogger with a new series? The blogger: Michael S. Chong, Willeford fan (who ain’t on the mean streets?). The series: articles with some Willefordian presence he’s … Continue reading
Tour: On Palm Sunday
Jim Dinan sent in the shot above from the walk on September 8, 2013 — 891 Post is in the background, right, with the What a Grind coffee house sign and a bit of the front awning visible. Thanks, Jim. To … Continue reading
Posted in News, Tour, Willeford
Tagged 891 Post, Jim Dinan, Michael Shea, Palm Sunday Tour, What a Grind
Noir: A Fast Dose of Bleak for Monday
Got a note from Nathan Ward to tell me that he took a little break from working on his new bio of Hammett to knock out a 750 worder for Akashic’s “Mondays Are Murder” web featurette. His gritty excursion into … Continue reading
Rediscovered: More on Alice Speed Stoll
A year ago, this very month, our Guest Blogger veteran Terry Zobeck explored the references to real life kidnappings in various incarnations of the Hammett story “Death and Company” — which included the 1934 Alice Speed Stoll caper. Just got … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Lit, News
Tagged "Death and Company", Alcatraz, Alice Speed Stoll, Steven Key Meyers, Terry Zobeck
Tour: And the Oscar Goes To
Per my norm of recent years, I hadn’t seen any of the films up for major awards — still haven’t caught up with Argo from last year — but as usual watched the Oscar ceremonies last night anyway. I guess I consider … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Film, News, Tour
Tagged 12 Years a Slave, Argo, Danny Trejo, Extreme Prejudice, Firsts, George Pelecanos, Jeopardy!, John Ridley, Nick Nolte, Noir, NPR, Oliver Stone, Oscar, Powers Boothe, Sweet Smell of Success, The Raid 2: Berandal, U Turn