Black Lotus Kiss

The salaciously pulpy adventures of occult detective James Brimstone continue in the sequel to Hex-Rated.

Winter 1970. As rock stars die of excess and revolution fills the air, newly minted private investigator James Brimstone is spending his days wandering the streets of Los Angeles, looking for low rent cases as far as possible from his last work-for-hire, an unfortunate run-in with the occult on a pornographic film set. But fate has a funny way of slapping Brimstone with the dark hand of magic.

When a deadly attack on a veteran’s hall nearly kills his Korean War buddy Cactus, the only clue left behind is a leaf from the Black Lotus, a war drug used in ancient Babylonia . . . that’s supposedly been extinct since the pyramids were young.

Between bump-ins with rock star prophets and berserk professional wrestlers, Brimstone races to find out who’s behind the supernatural drug turning the City of Angel’s citizens into sex- and violence-crazed maniacs, as well as a mysterious creature of smoke and evil stalking the streets of L.A. On the boardwalk between our world and nightmares, Brimstone must face the darkness within himself to see if he, too, will fall victim . . . to the Black Lotus Kiss.

Jason S. Ridler is a writer, historian, and improv actor. He’s the author of Rise of the Luchador, Blood and Sawdust, and the Spar Battersea thrillers. Hex-Rated, the first book in the Brimstone Files, was published in 2017 by Night Shade Books. A former punk rock musician and cemetery groundskeeper, you can visit Jason online at ridlerville.wordpress.com.

Praise for Black Lotus Kiss

“Another hardboiled joyride through the weird side of 1970s Los Angeles. . . . Ridler’s plot takes one outrageous twist after another, and most of the novel’s pleasures derive from seeing the unlikeliest characters caught up in its byzantine shenanigans. Filled with smart-aleck banter and period pop culture references, this is a solid sophomore effort.” —Publishers Weekly

“Black Lotus Kiss feels retro and fresh all at once, gritty and real and more hilarious than expected.”—Manhattan Book Review, 4/5 Stars

“Jason Ridler wields his prose with the confidence of a veteran axe-thrower. That dead-eye precision makes Black Lotus Kissa fist-pumping good time for readers who want knuckle-cracking hardboiled fiction spiked liberally with black magic and adrenaline. Read this book or regret it until beyond the grave.” —Chad Dundas, author of Champion of the World

“There's no denying the care and loving detail that's been poured into this book. It's a celebratory mash-up of hard-boiled dicks and supernatural twists—all set in a delightfully greasy 1970s magic-porno-pulp reality.” —Chad Damiani, former World Championship Wrestling announcer and screenwriter

Praise for Hex-Rated

“Terrific fun, dripping with rich period detail and nods to Ed Wood movies and Jack Kirby comics. Smutty, profane, and unapologetically slathered in pulp, Hex-Rated is a loving homage to all the musty, dog-eared paperbacks stuffed in the used bookstore's spinner rack.” —Jason Heller, NPR

“Steeped in the style of 1970s pulp detective fiction . . . Brimstone is cut from the cloth of the classic wisecracking detective, and Ridler peppers the text with perfectly pitched hard-boiled vernacular. The novel’s wild mix of comedy and supernatural perils bodes well for its detective’s future adventures.”—Publishers Weekly

“Rollicking, exotic, and pulpy to the max.”—B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

“Take Shane Black’s The Nice Guys, throw in a double fistful of black magic, and shake until fiery combustion. Bring on more Brimstone Files, immediately.” —Andrew Post, author of Aftertaste

“Deliciously uncomfortable, wonderfully gritty,and a worthy successor to the occult detectives of old.”—Brian Keene, author of The Complex

“The book inside is even better than the cover. . . . This is the first of the Brimstone Files novels, and I can’t wait for the next one. Filthy, magical, and dangerous, Hex-Rated and Jason Ridler should both definitely be on your radar.”—Other Worlds Than These

“Fast paced, clever, and a great example of world-building. I loved the diverse and complicated supporting characters throughout and found the magic and lore to be consistent and handled deftly. . . . it has everything you should be looking for in a supernatural-drenched thriller. And that cover art is sweet.”—Bob Freeman, Occult Detective and author of Keepers of the Dead