Review Excerpt:

Craig McDonald, a genuine expert on the history of crime fiction (with a wonderful book of author interviews, "Art in the Blood," to prove it), gives free rein to all his obsessions in a debut novel that's a berserk 1957-based caper running roughshod through the politics and pop culture of the latter half of the 20th century. His hero, Hec Lassiter, a pulp fiction writer, gets caught up in plot involving Ivy League skulduggery (yes, the Bush family appears), Mexican federales and revolutionaries and an assortment of real-life icons (Hemingway, Dietrich, Welles) - all whipped into a violent, frothing frenzy. McDonald stomps hard enough on the gas that there's no time to reflect on the preciousness of it all. Strap in, hold on, enjoy the ride.