Listed as a feature title on LitBridge.com.

“Readers who enjoy their hard-boiled detective fiction seasoned with self-referential humor will welcome this collection, which includes two new short stories by Pascoe and Fassbender, cofounders of the publisher UglyTown . . . The title work, a novel first published in 1998, is the highpoint, as a murder in a bowling alley claims the life of Gentleman Joe Biggs, the city’s leading bowler. Along the way to a crafty solution, the authors wink at the readers (‘It was Suzi who made a passing joke about this being a detective story, and as it goes in all good detective stories, it was now time to stake out the widow’s house to see what might develop’)—a light touch that leavens a grim fictional universe.”
—Publishers Weekly (review)

“By The Balls . . . not only launched a series of Ben Drake stories and novels but also put UglyTown on the map as a quirky but serious indie house focused on handsomely designed trade paperback editions and hardboiled crime fiction with a strong sense of place.”
—Publishers Weekly (feature)

“With their tongues well placed in their pulpy cheeks, these stories could be read as fairly faithful homages to the classic mystery noirs of the 1930s (and ’40s, and ’50s) as well as wickedly playful satires . . . A definitive package of noir throwbacks that will tickle your fancy if you’re a fan of Hammet, Spillane and Chandler.”
—Shelf Awareness

“By the Balls is manna from heaven for aficionados of noir and lovers of the classics from older masters of the genre such as Hammett, Chandler, and Cain. The stories are fast with page-turning addictiveness, filled with gems of street-smart dialogue and characters to kill for. Numerous illustrations by Paul Pope adorn the inner pages, all of which are stark and beautifully rendered. And just when you think it can’t get any better, over 20 short essays by industry luminaries are thrown in for good measure. Noir collections don’t get much better than this.”
—New York Journal of Books

“By the Balls is classic hard-boiled detective fiction reminiscent of Mike Hammer, Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe. Highly recommended.”
—Midwest Book Review

“Their noir style narration throughout the collection pays homage to the crime fiction genre’s masters, Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, with crisp dialogue, a gritty tone, a story that grabs readers’ attentions, and a narrator with dry wit . . . this steam trunk of titillating tales is definitely worth checking out!”
—Criminal Class Press

“Cram-full of dime-novel derring-do, By the Balls bears proudly its ligatures to the hard-boiled genre. Its spotty dialogue and drunken plotting; its dubious heroics and jaundiced idealism; its ‘romantic realism,’ in Ellery Queen’s phrase, and fantastically cold-blooded denouement—By the Balls has it all.”
—APB Online

“By the Balls is retro at its best, in both story and packaging—more please!”
—Joe Lansdale, author of Rumble Tumble

“Every cup of coffee, sleazy witness, and see-through negligee is critiqued in hard-bitten style by detective Benjamin Drake in this doubly amusing book, which works as both straight whodunit fiction and a winking satire of all things Hammettesque. Not to be missed by fans of the genre, fans of genre, or any genre of fans.”
—Amazon.com

“By the Balls, written in a postmodern parodic and self-consciously funny fashion, contains these moments of metafictive brilliance that remind us of the parameters of the genre, and how we might understand those parameters in an age of disillusionment . . . By the Balls: The Complete Collection is worth reading for so many reasons—if not for the hardboiled crime fiction and all that the genre encompasses, then for the youthful punk rock idea that is at the heart of the text.”
—The Philadelphia Review of Books

“A recommended pick for short story fans who enjoy the classic Hammett and Raymond Chandler genres. Detective Ben Drake loves small cigars and big fights—and women in trouble. His adventures and puzzling cases involve many instances of criminal angst in this riveting account, perfect for fans of hardboiled detective reading.”
—The Midwest Bookwatch