Reed Farrel Coleman (born March 29, 1956) is an American writer of crime fiction and a poet.

Life and career

Reed Farrel Coleman, the youngest of three boys, was born and raised in the

Sheepshead Bay Sheepshead, Sheephead, or Sheep's Head, may refer to: Fish * ''Archosargus probatocephalus'', a medium-sized saltwater fish of the Atlantic Ocean * Freshwater drum, ''Aplodinotus grunniens'', a medium-sized freshwater fish of North and Central Am ...

Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...

Brighton Beach Brighton Beach is a List of Brooklyn neighborhoods, neighborhood in the southern portion of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn, within the greater Coney Island area along the Atlantic Ocean coastline. Brighton Beach i ...

section of Brooklyn. As a teenager, while walking to work, he heard a shot and saw a man lying in the street with a fatal stomach wound. That is when he realized, "People really do get hurt." He started writing in high school. He has worked at an ice cream store, in air freight at Kennedy Airport, as a car leasing agent, in baby food sales, cooking at a restaurant, as a cab driver, and delivering home heating oil. Coleman met his wife Rosanne at

The New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

in a writing class. They have two children, Kaitlin and Dylan. He now lives on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. Coleman did not consider making writing a career until taking a

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus. Being New York City's first publ ...

detective fiction class. He is a multiple award-winning author, particularly his Moe Prager series. Also published are series featuring protagonists Gulliver Dowd, Dylan Klein, and Joe Serpe. The Dowd character was based on a retired police detective that he had met. The Joe Serpe novels were originally written under the pen name Tony Spinosa, but are now available as Coleman titles. He has written the stand-alone novels ''Tower'' with Ken Bruen, ''Bronx Reqiem'' with Det. (ret.) John Roe of the NYPD, and ''Gun Church'', as well as several short stories, essays, and poems. Coleman has won

Anthony Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the ''Antonia (gens), Antonii'', a ''gens'' (Roman naming conventions, Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were ...

Audie Audie or Audy is a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: *Audie Bock (born 1946), American film scholar and politician who served in the California State Assembly from 1999 to 2000 *Audie Cole (born 1989), American Nationa ...

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...

Macavity Macavity the Mystery Cat, also called the Hidden Paw, is a fictional character in T. S. Eliot's 1939 poetry book ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''. He also appears in the Andrew Lloyd Webber 1981 musical ''Cats'', which is based on Elio ...

and Shamus Awards. His books and stories have additionally been nominated for Gumshoe and

Edgar Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, rev ...

Awards. The books have been translated into seven languages. He considers

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

Lawrence Block Lawrence Block (born June 24, 1938) is an American crime writer best known for two long-running New York-set series about the recovering alcoholic P.I. Matthew Scudder and the gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr. Block was named a Grand Mas ...

T.S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National B ...

Wallace Stevens Wallace Stevens (October 2, 1879 – August 2, 1955) was an American modernist poet. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, educated at Harvard and then New York Law School, and spent most of his life working as an executive for an insurance compa ...

William Carlos Williams William Carlos Williams (September 17, 1883 – March 4, 1963) was an American poet, writer, and physician closely associated with modernism and imagism. In addition to his writing, Williams had a long career as a physician practicing both pedia ...

Raymond Chandler Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive durin ...

and

Dashiell Hammett Samuel Dashiell Hammett (; May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American writer of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade ('' ...

to be early influences. Later he found significance in the writing of colleagues

Peter Blauner Peter Blauner (born October 29, 1959) is an American author, journalist, and television producer. Blauner has written nine novels, including ''Slow Motion Riot,'' which won the 1992 Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of Ame ...

Ken Bruen Ken Bruen (born 1951) is an Irish writer of hard-boiled and noir crime fiction. Biography Education and teaching career Born in Galway, he was educated at Gormanston College, County Meath and later at Trinity College Dublin, where he earned a ...

, Jim Fusilli, S.J. Rozan, and

Peter Spiegelman Peter Spiegelman (born 1958) is an American crime fiction author and former Wall Street executive. He is most known for his series of books following the cases of the Manhattan-based private eye, John March, winning a Shamus Award for the first n ...

. He says, though, that his single greatest writing influence was his college poetry professor,

David Lehman David Lehman (born June 11, 1948David Lehman
at poets.org) is an American poet, non-fiction writer, and li ...

, who provided "permission to be a writer and...the first clues on self-editing".

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

has referred to him as "a hard-boiled poet",

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

says, "Coleman is the resident noir poet laureate of the United States" and

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

has commented, "If you dragged one (of his books) across the asphalt, you'd half-expect it to leave a chalk outline". With a four-book contract, Coleman takes over writing

Robert B. Parker Robert Brown Parker (September 17, 1932 – January 18, 2010) was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. AB ...

Jesse Stone Jesse Albert Stone (November 16, 1901 – April 1, 1999) was an American rhythm and blues musician and songwriter whose influence spanned a wide range of genres. He also used the pseudonyms Charles Calhoun and Chuck Calhoun. His best-know ...

series with the September 2014 publication of ''Blind Spot''. He has also been signed to a two-book deal featuring retired Suffolk County (NY) cop turned PI Gus Murphy. He is an adjunct instructor of English at

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of Ne ...

, a former Executive Vice President of

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the Edgar Award ...

, and a founding member of Mystery Writers of America University.

Bibliography

Dylan Klein series

* ''Life Goes Sleeping'', Permanent Press, 1991. * ''Little Easter'', Permanent Press, 1993. * ''They Don't Play Stickball in Milwaukee'', Permanent Press, 1997.

Moe Prager series

* ''Walking the Perfect Square'', Permanent Press, 2001. * ''Redemption Street'', Viking, 2004. * '' The James Deans'', Plume, 2005. * ''Soul Patch'', Bleak House Books, 2007. * ''Empty Ever After'', Bleak House Books, 2008. * ''Innocent Monster'', Tyrus Books, 2010. * ''Hurt Machine'', Tyrus Books, 2011. * ''Onion Street'', Tyrus Books, 2013. * ''The Hollow Girl'', F+W Media, Inc., 2014.

Joe Serpe series

(writing as Tony Spinosa) * ''Hose Monkey'', Bleak House Books, 2006. * ''The Fourth Victim'', Bleak House Books, 2008.

Gulliver Dowd series

* ''Dirty Work'', Raven Books rca Book Publishers 2013. * ''Valentino Pier'', Raven Books rca Book Publishers 2013. *''The Boardwalk'', Raven Books rca Book Publishers 2015. *''Love and Fear'', Raven Books rca Book Publishers, 2016.

Gus Murphy series

* ''Where It Hurts,'' 2016. * ''What You Break,'' 2016.

Robert B. Parker Robert Brown Parker (September 17, 1932 – January 18, 2010) was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. AB ...
's
Jesse Stone Jesse Albert Stone (November 16, 1901 – April 1, 1999) was an American rhythm and blues musician and songwriter whose influence spanned a wide range of genres. He also used the pseudonyms Charles Calhoun and Chuck Calhoun. His best-know ...

* ''Blind Spot'', G.P. Putnam, 2014. * ''The Devil Wins'', G.P. Putnam, 2015. *''Debt to Pay'', G.P. Putnam, 2016. . *''The Hangman’s Sonnet'', Penguin Random House, 2017. *''Colorblind'', Penguin Random House, 2018. *The Bitterest Pill, Penguin Random House, 2019. *Fallout, Penguin Random House, 2022

Standalone novels

* ''Tower'' (with Ken Bruen), Busted Flush Press, 2009. * ''Bronx Requiem: a detective Jack Kenny mystery'' (with John Roe), Hyperion, 2012. * ''Gun Church'', Tyrus, 2012.

Essays and short stories

(a selection)

Fiction

* "Portrait of the Killer As a Young Man"
''Dublin Noir: The Celtic Tiger Vs. the Ugly American'', ed. Ken Bruen, Akashic Books, 2006, pp. 61–66. * "Killing O'Malley" (as Tony Spinosa)
''Hardboiled Brooklyn'', ed. Coleman, Bleak House, 2006, pp. 108–115. * "Bat-Head Speed"
''These Guns for Hire'', ed. by

J. A. Konrath Joseph Andrew Konrath (born March 29, 1970 in Skokie, Illinois) is an American fiction writer working in the Mystery fiction, mystery, Thriller (genre), thriller, and Horror fiction, horror genres. He writes as J. A. Konrath and Jack Kilborn. In 2 ...

, Bleak House, 2006, pp. 299–306. * "Another Role"
''Indian Country Noir'', eds. Sarah Cortez & Liz Martínez, Akashic Books, 2010, pp. 214–238. * "Mastermind" (fr. ''Long Island Noir'', ed. K. Jones)
''USA Noir: Best of the Akashic Noir Series'', ed.

Johnny Temple John Ellis Temple (August 8, 1927 – January 9, 1994) was a Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Redlegs/Reds (1952–59; 1964); Cleveland Indians (1960–61), Baltimore Orioles (1962) and Houston Colt .45s (1962–63). Temp ...

, Akashic Books, 2013, pp 170–179. * "The Terminal"
''Kwik Krimes'', ed.

Otto Penzler Otto Penzler (born July 8, 1942) is a German-born American editor of mystery fiction, and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City. Biography Born in Germany to a German-American mother and a German father, Penzler moved to The B ...

, Thomas & Mercer, 2013, pp. 93–96.

Nonfiction

* "Go East, Young Man: Robert B. Parker, Jesse Stone, and Spenser"
''In Pursuit of Spenser: Mystery Writers on Robert B. Parker and the Creation of an American Hero'', ed. Otto Penzler, BenBella Books, 2012, pp. 193–210. * "Tomato Red by Daniel Woodrell (1998)"
''Books to Die For'', eds. John Connolly & Declan Burke, Hodder & Stoughton, 2012, pp. 649–654.

Poetry

* ''The Lineup: Poems on Crime 2'', ed. Gerald So, with Patrick Bagley,

Richie Narvaez Richie Narvaez (born 1965) is an American author and professor. In 2020, he won an Agatha Award and an Anthony Awards, Anthony Award for his novel ''Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco.'' His work focuses on the Puerto Rican and Nuyorican exper ...

& Anthony Rainone, Poetic Justice Press, 2009. * ''The Lineup: Poems on Crime 3'', ed. Gerald So with Sarah Cortez,

& AnthonyRainone, Poetic Justice Press, 2010. * ''The Lineup: Poems on Crime 4'', ed. Gerald So with Reed Farrel Coleman, Sarah Cortez, &

, Poetic Justice Press, 2011.

Awards

Anthony Award

* 2006 Best Paperback Original - ''The James Deans'' - WINNER * 2010 Best Paperback Original - ''Tower'' (w/Ken Bruen) - finalist * 2012 Best Novel - ''Hurt Machine'' - finalist

Audie Award The Audie Awards (, rhymes with "gaudy"; abbreviated from ''audiobook''), or simply the Audies, are awards for achievement in spoken word, particularly audiobook narration and audiodrama performance, published in the United States of America. They ...

* 2013 Original Work - ''Gun Church'' - WINNER

Barry Award

* 2006 Best Paperback Novel - ''The James Deans'' - WINNER * 2008 Best Novel - ''Soul Patch'' - finalist * 2012 Best Novel - ''Hurt Machine'' - finalist

Gumshoe Award

* 2006 Best Novel - ''The James Deans'' - finalist

Edgar Award

* 2006 Best Paperback Original - ''The James Deans'' - finalist * 2008 Best Novel - ''Soul Patch'' - finalist * 2014 Best Short Story - "The Terminal" in ''Kwik Krimes'' - finalist

Macavity Award

* 2006 Best Mystery Novel - ''The James Deans'' - finalist * 2010 Best Mystery Novel - ''Tower'' (w/Ken Bruen) - WINNER * 2008 Best Mystery Novel - ''Soul Patch'' - finalist * 2014 Best Mystery Short Story - "The Terminal" in ''Kwik Krimes'' - finalist

Shamus Award

* 2006 Best PI Paperback Original - ''The James Deans'' - WINNER * 2008 Best PI Hardcover - ''Soul Patch'' - WINNER * 2009 Best PI Hardcover - ''Empty Ever After'' - WINNER *2017 Best PI Hardcover - ''Where It Hurts'' - WINNER

References

External links

Official Web Site

Mystery Writers of America University

Interview on Beaks and Geeks Podcast
June 10, 2014, accessed July 29, 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Reed Farrel 1956 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American mystery writers Crime novelists Hofstra University faculty Anthony Award winners Barry Award winners Macavity Award winners Shamus Award winners People from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn Writers from Brooklyn American male novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) Brooklyn College alumni