Friday, September 4, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Skylight Books, Los Angeles
The world of print journalism may be waning, but the art of reporting is anything but dead. A former New York City taxi driver turned acclaimed chronicler of crime, corruption, and the American underworld, T. J. English has spent four decades practicing a form of literary journalism that is as vital as ever. The author of classic works such as The Westies, Havana Nocturne, and The Corporation, English has earned a place alongside legends like Jimmy Breslin, Pete Hamill, and Gay Talese. Blood in the Desert: The T. J. English Reader collects, for the first time, the finest of English's published essays and reporting alongside new work, including the haunting title piece, which has never before appeared in print. Spanning subjects as varied as jazz, boxing, police corruption, violence in the desert Southwest, and the comedy of George Carlin, this book showcases a scribe drawn toward the fault lines of American life. With a foreword by bestselling novelist Dennis Lehane, Blood in the Desert stands as both a celebration of a tireless truth-teller and a reminder that great writing never loses its power. T.J. English is a veteran journalist and author whose work has chronicled organized crime, boxing, race, music, politics, and American subcultures for more than forty years. Four of his books have been NY Times best-sellers, and four have been nominated for an Edgar Award in the category of Fact Crime. His books have been translated into multiple languages and praised for their combination of rigorous reporting and literary power. Dennis Lehane is a best-selling author of more than a dozen novels. Four of his books have been adapted into movies: Mystic River, directed by Clint Eastwood, Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese, and Gone Baby Gone and Live by Night, both directed by Ben Affleck. He also wrote for the highly acclaimed HBO television series The Wire.