David Gordon

In The Serialist, David Gordon's debut novel, Harry Bloch is a struggling writer who pumps out pulpy serial novels—from vampire books to detective stories—under various pseudonyms. But his life begins to imitate his fiction when he agrees to ghostwrite the memoir of Darian Clay, New York City’s infamous Photo Killer. Soon, three young women turn up dead, each one murdered in the Photo Killer’s gruesome signature style, and Harry must play detective in a real life murder plot as he struggles to avoid becoming the killer’s next victim.

From Gordon's Q & A with GQ's Christopher Swetala:

The protagonist, Harry, is an ex-porn writer. How did you come up with the idea?

I used to work at Hustler.

What was that like?

Most of the men there were bookish and nerdy, and our fan mail tended to come from guys in prison. That's when I first had the idea for a struggling writer who gets a letter from a famous criminal.

Did you have an advice column?

I was never actually the Slut Whisperer. We did have a column, "Dear Slut," that had advice from a porn star. We got outrageous letters from guys who were concerned about their semen production or wanted to talk their wives into threesomes. I had to sort through all these letters and photos.

What photos? People would submit their own candids?

There was an amateur section in Hustler. I had to...[read on]

The Page 69 Test: The Serialist.

--Marshal Zeringue