Hack Writing

Two new novels featuring Chicago private detective Nick...

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:56:00 -0600

Two new novels featuring Chicago private detective Nick Acropolis are now available on Kindle. “Highway Side,” and “Dancing on Grave,” join “Westerfield’s Chain,” a Shamus Award Finalist. Here’s what the critics said about that book.

“A pure delight…the best mystery of the month…There a memorable moment [on] virtually every page.” Chicago Tribune

“Jack Clark’s descriptions are beautifully haunting and his plotting is exceptional.” Romantic Times

“A likeable protagonist and spirited, uncluttered prose: a promising debut by a Chicago cabbie who may drive a hack but doesn’t write like one.” Kirkus Reviews

“Clark knows his city: the geography and flavor of the neighborhoods are vividly presented, and interesting, often quirky characters are introduce along this facinating ride.” Chicago Reader

Listen to Jack on Fresh Air on NPR

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:13:56 -0500

Listen to Jack on Fresh Air on NPR

"“NOBODY’S ANGEL” available in paperback and on Kindle. Meet Chicago cabbie Eddie..."

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:30:00 -0600

“

“NOBODY’S ANGEL” available in paperback and on Kindle. Meet Chicago cabbie Eddie Miles.

Washington Post: “A gem.” Nobody’s Angel “doesn’t contain a wasted word or a false note.”

Publishers Weekly: “[A] slim, sparse, and heartbreaking novel.”

Booklist: “[A] fine atmospheric thriller…The cynical, melancholy cabbie point of view is perfect for this kind of neon-lit, noir-tinged, saxophone-scored prose poem, and Clark hits all the right notes.”

Chicago Sun-Times: “Heartbreaking… Captivating… Clark’s true subject [is] his city…Each page turn feels like real, authentic Chicago.”

Chicago Reader: “From the driver’s seat of his cab, Eddie negotiates a city splintered by race and class and rapidly losing its economic underpinnings. Nobody’s Angel has the wry humor and engaging characters typical of the best of the hard-boiled genre, but Clark’s portrait of Chicago in the 1990s, with its vanishing factories and jobs, its lethal public housing projects, its teenage hookers climbing into vans on North Avenue, is what gives it legs. Sure there are a couple murderers on the loose, but the larger violence is coming from systemic forces wreaking havoc in a place that, maybe, used to be better.”

Barnes & Noble Ransom Notes: “The anecdotal structure pulls you along at just the right pace and the economics of his story telling are commendable. There’s a world of intriguing and memorable detail expertly packed into two-hundred pages and just the right amount of heartache. The book’s close features one of the best final lines of any book I’ve ever read. Please don’t pick it up and read that last page first, it’s so worth getting there naturally.”

Chicago Dispatcher: “It’s a great read.”

Lansing State Journal: “[A] memorable, dark and gritty tale… Laced with dark humor and insights into a wide assortment of passenger behavior, this slim paperback has strong characterization and a great sense of location.”

Bookreporter.com: “NOBODY’S ANGEL is a powerhouse of a book, a genuine work of noir and one of the best books of the year. Clark can write….This is an incredible book that you will not soon forget”

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Order from Amazon

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:27:00 -0600

Order from Amazon:

"“I may have discovered the most brilliant book of 2010: Nobody’s Angel by Jack Clark. It..."

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:26:00 -0600

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“I may have discovered the most brilliant book of 2010: Nobody’s Angel by Jack Clark. It rocks on so many levels.” Dana Kaye on Twitter

No. I don’t know her, Jack says. But I’d sure like to thank her.

Thanks, Dana.

”

Grey singing Jack’s “West Side Lullaby.” If...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:25:00 -0600

Grey singing Jack’s “West Side Lullaby.” If you’ve read “Nobody’s Angel,” this might sound familiar.

Here's a book review told in comic form. From the Unshelved Book Club

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:25:00 -0600

"“A likeable protagonist and spirited, uncluttered prose: a promising debut by a Chicago cabbie..."

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:24:00 -0600

“

“A likeable protagonist and spirited, uncluttered prose: a promising debut by a Chicago cabbie who may drive a hack but doesn’t write like one.” —Kirkus Reviews on Westerfield’s Chain

“A pure delight for many reasons, not the least of which is the way Jack Clark celebrates and rings a few changes on the familiar private-eye script…There’s a memorable moment [on] virtually every page.” —Chicago Tribune

“Clark knows his city: the geography and flavor of the neighborhoods are vividly presented, and interesting, often quirky characters are introduced along this fascinating ride.” —Chicago Reader

”

Available in hardcover and in a Kindle edition.

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:10:00 -0600

Available in hardcover and in a Kindle edition.

"“Jack Clark’s descriptions are beautifully haunting and his plotting is..."

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:08:00 -0600

“

“Jack Clark’s descriptions are beautifully haunting and his plotting is exceptional.” —Romantic Times on Westerfield’s Chain

“Jack Clark’s wondrous celebration of his working-class mother and her natural gifts as a storyteller has touched me deeply. Hurray for Mary Jo Ryan Clark and her boy Jack.” —Studs Terkel on On the Home Front

”

Available in paperback and in a Kindle edition.

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:02:00 -0600

Available in paperback and in a Kindle edition.

"The book itself is a marvel of writerly restraint. Jack…fades into near-invisibility, as his..."

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:00:00 -0600

““The book itself is a marvel of writerly restraint. Jack…fades into near-invisibility, as his mother narrates in her own no-nonsense voice…Some are private moments—being 4 years old, getting shiny new shoes and remembering looking down at them as she toes circles in the sawdust on a butcher shop floor.
“Others brush against history—news of Pearl Harbor, or the Dorchester, a World War II troop ship sunk off the coast of Greenland. It was famous for the four chaplains who gave up their life vests to other sailors, but Bill, who was dating Mary Jo’s younger sister, wasn’t one of the lucky survivors…
“The book’s strength is that it doesn’t stoop to Greatest Generation mythologizing. The Clarks are real people and Mary Jo doesn’t try to make them heroes.” —Neil Steinberg, Chicago Sun-Times”

Next show Tuesday, January 31. 9:30 PM. Be there or be square.

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:01:00 -0600

Next show Tuesday, January 31. 9:30 PM. Be there or be square.

Adam Johnson’s version of Jack’s song,...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:00:00 -0600

Adam Johnson’s version of Jack’s song, “Waitin’ for My Drug (to Kick in)”

Jack’s latest take on his hometown: “The City of...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:57:00 -0600

Jack’s latest take on his hometown: “The City of Chi-(cago).” Music by Bob Sutter.

Jack live at the Grafton Pub: “Another Nickel Saved for...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:50:00 -0600

Jack live at the Grafton Pub: “Another Nickel Saved for Wine.”

"Nobody writes songs like Jack Clark. Nobody."

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:00:00 -0600

“Nobody writes songs like Jack Clark. Nobody.””

- Eddie Holstein, Chicago folk legend.

Jack Clark behind the wheel of his taxi Photo by Lisa Rinzler

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Jack Clark behind the wheel of his taxi

Photo by Lisa Rinzler