Did you like crime novels when you were growing up?
I actually first developed a taste for crime fiction after I finished college. I believe that my favorite novel as an adolescent was Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. That novel so wonderfully depicted a world and events that were so far removed from my own experience growing up in Gary, Indiana, a steel town 35 miles east of Chicago, that I felt I was transported there. It was not until I stumbled upon The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett years later that I became fascinated with crime novels.
What was the first story in that genre that you wrote?
Pigeon-Blood Red was the first crime novel I wrote and the first novel I wrote. It is the beginning novel in a trilogy. It was followed by The Last Straw and my current novel Rico Stays. Each installment of the trilogy depicts a different violent encounter involving two men from different sides of the tracks, Paul Elliott, a black lawyer, and Richard "Rico" Sanders, a killer with a conscience. The two men seemingly have nothing in common, but each secretly harbors a grudging admiration for the other. In Pigeon-Blood Red a loan shark tasks Rico with recovering a priceless "pigeon-blood red" ruby necklace and at the same time sending a message to the thieves. Trouble is, the necklace falls into the hands of Paul's girlfriend Evelyn, and Rico mistakenly believes she is one of the thieves.
What is your favorite part of writing in this genre?
I am a big fan of film noir and I consider my novels to be literary noir. I love the dialogue from classic and neoclassic noir films, and I love trying to reproduce the cadence and hard edge of that dialogue in my novels. One of the qualities of The Maltese Falcon that endeared that novel to me was the realistic yet stylish dialogue. Apparently, Walter Huston, who wrote and directed the most popular of the three films based on that novel, agreed, since much of the dialogue is taken directly from the novel. One of the compliments from a reviewer that has meant the most to me is that in his judgment my dialogue is brilliant. I don't know whether I can live up to that assessment, but it's awful nice to hear.
What do you find most difficult about writing in this genre?
I don't believe that there are any aspects of crime fiction that make writing in that genre any more (or less) difficult than writing in any other genre. Certainly, I don't believe the genre imposes any limitations on a writer's imagination. For instance, the characters can be as complex as the writer wants them to be, and although my stories all take place in cities, as do most crime stories, there is no reason why they couldn't take place elsewhere. Of course, there has to be a crime but not all of the characters need to be criminals with hackneyed back stories. Indeed, all of my novels involve innocent people (with rich back stories) who are unexpectedly thrust into the world of criminals.
Is there an author in this genre that you admire most?
I've already mentioned my admiration for Dashiell Hammett. He is still probably my favorite despite the fact that he wrote in the first half of the last century. A close second, however, is Lee Child. His Jack Reacher novels are expertly written.
What is up next for you?
Rico Stays, which I've just published this month, is the third in my trilogy. I haven't decided yet whether to expand the trilogy. It's informally known as the Pigeon-Blood Red Trilogy. I suppose I could expand it to the Pigeon-Blood Red Trilogy Plus One. Meanwhile, I've written screenplays for each of the three novels, and I'm diligently trying to drum up interest in turning them into films or a TV series. Even with the ever-expanding need for content in today's market, that is is long shot, but I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Praise for the Pigeon-Blood Red Trilogy:
"...It rips along like a .45 bullet rushing past your head....a crime novel in a style you don’t ... see too often... a juggernaut of a story that just won’t quit." - Monkey’s Book Review
"A fast-paced read with complex and morally ambiguous characters that leaves you on the edge of your seat!" - AllieReads.com
"Readers in search of a tight, well-written...crime/action/adventure will find...an engrossing story that will keep them involved to the end. And like me, they will find themselves eagerly awaiting the next installment." - Mike Siedschlag’s Review
"This charming, classically-told crime thriller is a must for noir fans...refreshingly old-school pulp, inhabited by a familiar cast of gamblers, con men and hustlers found in Dennis Lehane and Elmore Leonard novels” – 5 Stars, Best Thrillers
“This Chicago set thriller is a pacy read, written with an edge and style… Ed Duncan’s series will sweep up fans as it goes along.” - Crime Thriller Hound
“With danger looming in every chapter... Duncan skillfully draws the reader into a complex web of characters… A few key twists within the storyline keep the reader intrigued… an outstanding crime thriller…- 5 Stars, Red City Review
"...suspense from start to finish... a fast-paced read... Entertaining, Gritty and Nailbiting." - The Bibliovert
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