Charles in Charge

This week brings the official release of Russell Atwood’s new novel, Losers Live Longer, the second installment of his series featuring New York City private eye Payton Sherwood--and his first book to be published by Hard Case Crime (HCC). Here’s the back-cover description of Atwood’s plot:

The death of legendary private eye George Rowell looked like an accident--but searching for the truth behind it will put down-and-out East Village detective Payton Sherwood on the corpse-littered trail of a runaway investment scam artist, a drug-addicted reality TV star--and the bewitching beauty whose appearance set it all in motion ...

Atwood’s story is brimming with eccentric Manhattan color and the traditional pleasures of a private-eye yarn (lust, lack of trust, and leads gone bust). But what’s also interesting about this book is its horizontally oriented cover, boasting an illustration by that famous paperback artist Robert McGinnis. As Hard Case editor Charles Ardai (shown above) explains, “Horizontal covers were never really popular. They’re a quirky aberration, and are unlikely ever to catch on. But I happen to like them.” I was curious to know more about the front of Losers Live Longer. So I prevailed upon Ardai’s generosity to interview him on the subjects of paperback design, how he works with cover artists old and new, the origins of his popular paperback imprint, how idiosyncratic American tastes affect its jackets, and the future of both HCC and its newer sister line, The Adventures of Gabriel Hunt. You can enjoy the results of our discussion today in The Rap Sheet’s spin-off blog, Killer Covers.