Author picture

Arthur Lyons (1) (1946–2008)

Author of Death on the Cheap: The Lost B Movies of Film Noir

For other authors named Arthur Lyons, see the disambiguation page.

15+ Works 510 Members 5 Reviews

Series

Works by Arthur Lyons

Hard Trade (1981) 42 copies
The Killing Floor (1976) 39 copies
The dead are discreet (1974) 31 copies
The Blue Sense (1992) 26 copies
False Pretenses (1994) 26 copies
Fast Fade (1987) 26 copies
Three With a Bullet (1985) 23 copies
Other People's Money (1989) 21 copies
At the Hands of Another (1983) 16 copies

Associated Works

The Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories (1988) — Contributor — 162 copies

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Birthdate
1946
Date of death
2008-03-21
Gender
male
Occupations
novelist

Members

Reviews

investigation of murder, real estate, gay sex in L.A., thinly disguised Jerry Brown?
 
Flagged
ritaer | Apr 10, 2020 |
Not sure why the first reviewer (who admits he hasn't read the book in over two decades) gave this such a low rating. Satan Wants You is a fairly straightforward sociological and historical study of Satanism, written by a professional academic consultant. I studied this text as a part of a social problems course on high school cliques and found it quite informative and enjoyable to read. The prose is very accessible, yet the tone is scholarly and occasionally funny/sarcastic.

Beyond contemporary Satanism, Lyons explores the development of the occult since its inception and various related cultural phenomena (heavy metal music, social alienation), all with a healthy amount of skepticism.

There is no "sensationalism" presented in this book other than the accounts of the hysterical and mostly false reports of ritual abuse in the 1980s, which Lyons thoroughly debunks and lays bare. The author suggests that the 1980s ritual scares were a reaction (a "new kind of McCarthyism") inspired by evolving counter-cultural trends. Religious fanatics saw Satanist conspiracies everywhere, and the press ate it up.

This isn't a book written only for occultists or Christian fundamentalists, as so many are. It is a great text for someone interested in learning more about the concept of Satan and cults inspired by this supernatural figure.
… (more)
½
 
Flagged
andrewsd | 1 other review | Dec 6, 2013 |
Why do private investigator books so often use the formula where the woman with which the detective sleeps is the murderer. I have to say that this spoiled this volume for me, and I am not sure that I will continue with the series. This was series I wanted to like with the PI having been a reporter who did jail time for not revealing a source, and I liked his personality.
 
Flagged
Darrol | Mar 15, 2011 |
The cover of this one grabbed my attention, but the content kept me reading. I've always been a fan of film noir -- those black and white films of the 1940s and 1950s, featuring dark characters and plots, femmes fatale and down-on-their-luck gumshoes, that were cranked out factory-style, but occasionally turned out quite artistically. This book celebrates the second-rate films of this mystery/suspense genre. The first 66 pages of this book give background on the origins and history of Film Noir B movies, and the rest of the book is an encyclopedia of surprisingly detailed film descriptions, covering a ton of worthwhile Noirish films that you've probably never heard of. I think that the best compliment I can pay this book is that it makes me want to hang out on TCM or AMC watching late-night b&w film noir marathons.

Originally reviewed for my local library's website: http://www.lincolnlibraries.org/depts/bookguide/srec/staffrec10-07.htm
… (more)
½
 
Flagged
cannellfan | Jan 16, 2011 |

Awards

You May Also Like

Associated Authors

Statistics

Works
15
Also by
1
Members
510
Popularity
#48,631
Rating
½ 3.3
Reviews
5
ISBNs
96
Languages
6

Charts & Graphs