Novel picked for annual ‘Noir’ listing
Contact: Rene Abadie
Date: May 8, 2012
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HAMMOND – "Welcome to the Fallen Paradise," a novel by Southeastern Louisiana University author Dayne Sherman, has been listed in the 16th annual "Hard-Boiled Gazetteer to Country Noir" by the American Library Association's Booklist magazine.
Sherman is the only Louisiana writer on the list of 23 authors in the United States. County Noir is generally recognized as a style of fast paced crime fiction characterized by high intensity and emotion usually set in a rural environment.
The novel was previously named a Best Crime Novel Debut of the Year by Booklist and a Best Debut by the New Orleans Times Picayune.
"Welcome to the Fallen Paradise," published in 2004, is the story of a young man's return to his hometown in fictional Baxter Parish, Louisiana, after serving 12 years in the military. The move home leads to confrontations with a variety of shadowy figures.
"It's a true honor to be on this annual list, especially considering the other authors, such as Elmore Leonard, Bonnie Jo Campbell and Daniel Woodrell," said Sherman, who has recently completed his second novel.
A Ponchatoula resident, Sherman is an associate professor and coordinator of user education in Southeastern's Sims Memorial Library. A graduate of Southeastern and LSU, he has published numerous book reviews, essays, columns and short stories. He is a 2006 recipient of the President's Medal for Excellence in Artistic Activity, one of Southeastern's highest faculty-staff honors.
