About John Ireland
I grew up in the movie business...watching them be made...and going to the movies all night long with my grandmother. The movies were my reality...life captured in two-hour stories...a garden of fantasies. My father was an academy award nominated actor. My mother was a more private artist. Along the way, I fell in love with words. Over the years I've written and produced movies for television, shot documentaries, acted in and written stage plays, and directed the indie film "Johnny Morran."
OTHER BOOKS
Reviewed by: Carol Thompson
Bebop Noir (The Los Angeles Stories) by John Ireland is a blend of dark humor, sharp wit, and a keen eye for the absurdities of human nature. Set against the gritty, sprawling backdrop of Los Angeles, Ireland weaves a tapestry of intertwined lives and twisted fates, creating a narrative that is as unpredictable as it is compelling. A schoolteacher by day and a serial killer by night, one protagonist's double life is as chilling as it is fascinating. Ireland introduces various characters and explores the dichotomy between the mundane and the macabre, using drama and plenty of comedy. Bebop Noir is a masterful blend of genres, incorporating noir, literary fiction, and dark comedy elements. The interplay of sex, murder, and jazz creates a mix that keeps readers turning the pages, never quite sure what to expect next. John Ireland’s ability to juggle multiple storylines and character arcs is impressive, supporting a cohesive and engaging narrative. The characters are vividly drawn, and their peculiarities are plentiful. I especially loved Jackie and Johnny and the “eyes” of March, and Eddie is such a colorful character who’s really full of it—or not! Ireland entertains with many quirky lines that will make readers laugh. He writes with such depth that the City of Angels is like a character itself. Bebop Noir is a darkly humorous, profoundly human, and endlessly entertaining read. Readers of adult humor who aren’t offended by mature content and profanity will enjoy the tales Ireland spins as he points out the contradictions of the home of television and film.
Reviewed by: K.C. Finn
Bebop Noir: The Los Angeles Stories is a work of fiction in the literary and interpersonal drama genres. It is best suited to the general adult reading audience. Penned by author John Ireland, this work presents the sixth and final dive into a dark, gritty collection of interconnected tales set in Los Angeles. It features a schoolteacher who is secretly a serial killer, an overweight cop struggling with self-image, a compulsive liar, a man with a skewed perception of reality, and an Australian lesbian singer. The stories blend jazz, sex, Shakespearean drama, and murder, creating a vivid tapestry of noir intrigue and complex characters, all in the City of Angels. Author John Ireland has a natural gift for atmosphere and tone in crafting a truly mesmerizing dive into the underbelly of Los Angeles, where each character's unique quirks and dark secrets painted a vivid, often disturbing picture of urban life. The juxtapositions in the characters are plentiful and suitably complex for the noir themes, offering sparkling commentary on the duality and hidden depths within seemingly ordinary people. The narrative is told with confidence, handling multiple plot strands with brilliant timing and a natural sense of when to switch the action to a new persona. The inclusion of jazz music references and Shakespearean elements added a rich, poetic texture to the narrative, making it feel timeless and showing the power that modern noir has to capture both then and now. The rawness and complexity of the characters build with great pacing and suspense, with underlying themes surfacing for a strong culmination of the multifaceted nature of human beings and the secrets we all carry. Overall, Bebop Noir was an enthralling, thought-provoking read that lingered in my mind long after I finished it, and I highly recommend it to modern noir fans everywhere.
Reviewed by: Mimie Odigwe
John Ireland’s Bebop Noir is the sixth and final anthology in The Los Angeles Stories series. In Bebop, a whirlwind affair ends when Stella Holland mysteriously disappears. Johnny leaves for San Francisco to find her. To his horror, he finds out that Stella has been murdered in her mansion. But it doesn’t add up because Stella had been with him in Los Angeles around that time. Johnny soon discovers he is merely a pawn in a dangerous game of passion, lies, and doublecrossing. A school teacher masquerading as a serial killer, an outbreak of animal violence, and a police officer on the chase, the second story, Noir, is the heart of crime and murder in Los Angeles City. John Ireland’s Bebop Noir offers a gritty, gory exploration of crime, jazz, and passion in 20th-century California. The novel includes graphic depictions of violence, which add to the noir aesthetic. A self-loathing cop, a jazz player caught in a web of greed and death, a serial killer who meticulously picks out his victims and weapons; the characters are distinct and compelling. Bebop Noir is a compelling read for fans of the genre, offering a raw, unflinching look at the dark side of Los Angeles, and it serves as a fitting conclusion to the anthology. Despite this, Bebop Noir remains a gripping must read for crime fiction enthusiasts. Its dark, slowly winding narrative and variety of morally grey characters make it a standout piece in the genre, providing a haunting depiction of Los Angeles’s underbelly. Bebop Noir captures the essence of noir fiction, making it a notable addition to any crime fiction collection.
