An Evening at the Local Playhouse Archives

"I tried to write a story about honesty in Washington, but my typewriter jammed. Must’ve sensed the lie before I did. Around here, truth’s an endangered species—spotted once a decade, stuffed, mounted, and trotted out for campaign season."

Yours Truly,
Jack Hammer.

Gritty, black-and-white pulp noir illustration of a man with a smoking gun in a rainy alley and a woman looking over her shoulder.

Hammer Side Bets: Hard Copy – Text Form

Jack Hammer3 weeks ago3 weeks ago01 mins mins

These Hammer Side Bets are cases I take up on my time off. They are cases of me just helping out friends, cases I end up taking for free, and cases I solve

A man in a fedora sits at a smoky jazz club bar, his weary face reflected in a whiskey glass. Other patrons are shadowy figures in the background. The scene is high-contrast, gritty grayscale, and noir-style, with a single bare lightbulb. The mood is lonely and mysterious.

An Evening at the Local Playhouse

Jack Hammer4 months ago2 months ago03 mins mins

THE HAMMER FILES: A Seat at the Show This Jack Hammer Pulp-Noir, finds Jack stopping for a quick drink, and witnessing the con of the century. The theater

A graphic novel style, high-contrast, black-and-white image of a noir private eye seen at his desk sitting with his feet up on the desk as he stares at the twinkling city lights outside of his window.

THE HAMMER FILES: The Greatest Show on Earth

Jack Hammer4 months ago2 months ago02 mins mins

The Curtain Call I did a brisk two-block walk from the lounge to my office, to get the details down before even a single one could disappear in a fog. I

A graphic novel style, high-contrast, black-and-white image shows a brawny man with his back to the viewer, holding a revolver. He is pointing it at three noir gangsters who are facing the viewer. The scene is dominated by deep shadows.

THE HAMMER FILES: Count the Play Dough

Jack Hammer4 months ago2 months ago02 mins mins

The Count “Now we count,” said the big man, and Lenny opened his package wrapped in his signature brown paper. Anyone who knows Lenny knows he

Three noir gangsters stand in a smoky lounge. The man on the left holds a black satchel. The image has a stark, graphic novel feel, rendered in black and white with a focus on deep shadows.

THE HAMMER FILES: Lenny Bent’s Silvery Limo

Jack Hammer4 months ago2 months ago03 mins mins

Lenny Bent’s Silvery smile Lenny Bent came through the door. The sight of him was enough to tell you he was a man of power. He had two suited thugs with

A low-angle, black-and-white shot from the back of a smoky jazz club. In the foreground, a gaunt, tense man stands by a payphone, his back to the viewer, one hand on the receiver, the other clenched. He's looking over his shoulder toward a large, calm man sitting at a bar stool, a glass of beer in hand.

THE HAMMER FILES: Weasel and the Big Man

Jack Hammer4 months ago2 months ago02 mins mins

The Weasel’s Play Weasel and the big man talked for a while. Weasel was all smiles and easy conversation, but I could see the wheels turning behind those

Jack Hammer

The Broadcast

Jack Hammer’s Pulp Noir Audiobooks: W-HAM-ER

The Library

NewzHammer Publishing: Jack Hammer’s Memoir Noir Collection

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

The Case of the Missing First Lady

An Evening at the Local Playhouse

The Saga

Full Jack Hammer Saga: The Architecture of Awareness

Hammer Op-Eds

The Gaza Grinder: Where “Humanitarian Law” Goes to Die

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

An Evening at the Local Playhouse

Hammer Side Bets: Hard Copy – Text Form

An Evening at the Local Playhouse

THE HAMMER FILES: The Greatest Show on Earth

THE HAMMER FILES: Count the Play Dough

THE HAMMER FILES: Lenny Bent’s Silvery Limo

THE HAMMER FILES: Weasel and the Big Man