Jim Ruland

Jim Ruland is a frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Times and writes the weekly Substack Message from the Underworld. His new novel, Mightier Than the Sword, will be published by Rare Bird in October 2026.

connect:

Gary Phillips’s antihero returns in The Haul, a gripping new heist novel.

Jordan Harper’s grisly new neo-noir plumbs the depths of Hollywood depravity.

Nolan Knight’s new novel, The Gorgon of Los Feliz, explores the underbelly of contemporary L.A.

Barry Gifford’s No Daylight in That Face takes a broad view of the form.

Inherent Vice is the key to understanding Thomas Pynchon. Why do critics hate it?

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below