Books by Ned Hickson
Hickson has done a magnificent job creating characters that fit the traditional archetypes of a crime novel and yet imbuing each with texture and nuance. These are people, not caricatures, and but for Hickson’s natural sense of humor, would seem completely comfortable within your favorite Film Noir. It takes little to envision the cast of characters being played by a less cynical Humphrey Bogart, a mature Lauren Bacall, and a greasier Sidney Greenstreet.
No Safe Harbor is a quick read because the characters are authentic and compelling, and the narrative reads like whitewater rafting feels. And yet, for the speed with which I read the story, I never felt short-changed. This is a very complete story and Hickson has done a great job making sure there are no loose threads, which can be so annoying in mystery novels. Everything makes sense. Everything is accounted for.
Hickson’s experience as a newspaper journalist may also explain why this is such an easy read, as each scene is compact. Chapters are short—for those who like to stretch the experience out—and moments are broken out and self-contained. This isn’t a novel of long-winded introspection and extensive prose descriptions. This is a novel filled with action, offering just enough self-examination and description to make sure everything makes sense.
This is a movie or TV series bound by hardcover.
‘Authentic and Compelling Characters'
Randy Willis
What a fun read. I savored it over a couple weeks, and each night I looked forward to my nightly humor fix. There are so many laugh-out-loud moments. From a note to a doctor to make sure the right body part is operated on and mobile restaurants to keep you trim, to catfish noodling and snoring dogs. But I think my biggest laugh-out-loud moment was when Hickson described how he still squeezes into his old tattered jeans just because he can, even if “...the contents of my pockets look like they’ve been vacuum packed.”
If you need a good dose of humor, I highly recommend this entertaining read.
‘Hilarious!'
Carrie Draber
Ned is full of helpful tips on writing that will inspire you to write that book.
Tom Cherrones
Emmy-winning director of 'Seinfeld'
No Safe Harbor
A Pacific Northwest Crime Novel
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In this debut novel that kicks off the Pacific Northwest-based Shane McPhearson, P.I. series, what begins as a simple attempt by McPhearson to find the guardians of an 8-year-old boy discovered hiding in Seattle's Lincoln Park reveals a wide-spread web of lies, cover-ups and deception woven throughout the city's Eighth Precinct, with ties to organized crime — and Jacob knowing the secret that threatens them all.
Harbinger of Truth
A Shane McPhearson, P.I. novel
The Shane McPhearson, P.I., series continues in this discovery-driven sequel to No Safe Harbor, as Shane learns the truth behind how massive corruption among Portland's lawmakers and police in the late 1950s is directly connected to his own abandonment as a child — creating a ripple effect tying his newly discovered past to the ongoing threat he has been trying to end.
Coming Soon
The Truth About Emily
A YA paranormal mystery
After starting life over again in Los Angeles with his mom, 16-year-old Clint Taylor's world is turned upside down again when, after the tragic death of his mother, he is sent back to Oregon to live with his alcoholic father. Angry and feeling utterly alone, Clint soon discovers someone even more alone — a teen named Emily who needs his help in revealing the truth behind her death 15 years earlier at a now abandoned Troubled Teen Institute.
Coming December 2024
Humor at the Speed of Life
A collection of humor columns
From the dangers of family forays in the kitchen (Flaming Pop Tarts), and the careful maneuvering of male-female relations (Women are From Venus, and Men Won't Ask for Directions), to the dangers of working as an under-appreciated JURNALIST, Ned takes us through day-to-day misadventures we can all relate to. "It is fascinating following the workings of Ned Hickson's clever mind as he deftly turns ordinary daily happenings into pure hilarity. Hickson reminds us that life can be very funny indeed, especially when viewed through his lens." — Gay Shook - Editor of The Weekly - Gwinette, Georgia
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From 16 shucking years as a columnist
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Pearls of Writing Wisdom:
If you are a writer, or fear you might be one, I wrote this book for you. It contains my pearls of writing wisdom: insights, tips, and encouragement shucked from my 16 years as a newspaper columnist and writer. Think of this book as a conversation we'd have about writing if we were sharing a cold beer. We'd talk about technique, style, personal experience and hopes. We'd encourage each other and share a few laughs. We might even get a little rowdy and start using air quotation marks. In the end, we'd feel inspired about our love of writing. So pull up a stool, turn the page and let's talk about writing...
This brisk new crime novel from the incomparable Ned Hickson does a thrilling job of transporting the reader into an analog Seattle at the dawn of gentrification, when you could still find a payphone on the corner to respond to your pager, and the worst drug on the street was heroin. Even as the pace accelerates and pirouettes in the way every good thriller should, at the center there is the admirable essence of pure “dad” — Shane, a big hearted, clever and experienced guy, doing his best to do right while drinking from the firehose of circumstances beyond his control.
Shane’s world is class conscious, with a through-line of disdain of those with money or power, and his guarded emotional landscape is like the book itself: never exceedingly cynical and kept under tight control, so as to not slow the story. Like a good carnival ride, No Safe Harbor is the all-American cheeseburger of this reader’s recent crime novel experiences. It was hard to stop consuming, deeply familiar in its themes, and over in a blink and a smile. I’ve never been to Sam’s Chowder Nook, but like the book itself, it is familiar and safe and will put a smile on your face — like a reader’s experience in this capable author’s hands.
‘Tasty Read'
Nick Henderson
This is what humor with heart is all about. In these stories, the author knows how to inject just enough comedy, just the right amount of skewed perspective, to fully realize the truth of the situation without getting so ridiculous that he loses the reader. And if you have your own family life that you can relate it to, so much the better.
I don’t think you can go wrong with Humor at the Speed of Life. It does what it sets out to do: Chronicle one man’s fight against being a normal guy whose journalism only presents the mundane facts of our everyday world. There may not even be any facts in this book, that’s how good of a journalist he is. I’m not sure, though.
I was too busy laughing.
‘This Book Will Brighten Your Day'
Review—MojoFiction
Whether you are a writer or simply know someone who is, I highly recommend this book as a way to bolster courage and encourage good writing practices — and even laugh a little in the process.
Randall Willis
Award-winning writer, screenwriter