"This visceral, gritty noir takes place on the seedy fringes of modern Hollywood. The dialogue is razor sharp, and the characters well developed—the good-hearted Nick is easy to root for. A robbery triggers a grisly showdown as this thriller hurtles toward its nail-biting conclusion." --Publishers Weekly

"Schulian is a former Chicago sports journalist who relocated to L.A....and his first novel tells the tales of a boxer haunted by the man he killed in the ring.... As a low-key look at L.A. lowlife, this has its strong passages." --Booklist

"A Better Goodbye ... [John Schulian's] noirish first novel, is thick with classic lowlifes, including down-on-his-luck boxer Nick Pafko, who has never recovered from killing an opponent in the ring; Schulian's ... stylish writing brings a fresh dimension to the genre." --The Chicago Tribune

"Schulian sketches mood, scene, and character with deft strokes. A Better Goodbye offers a seamy panorama of Los Angeles. Schulian knows its neighborhoods from top to bottom, and he surrounds Nick and Jenny with a large cast of characters who seem unique to L.A. in their collective miasma. You couldn't get a more authentic sense of the city today." --Arts Journal

"In his latest contribution to literature Schulian tackles a new genre--noir fiction--and battles it to a lively draw.... A hard punching page-turner." --Boxing.com

"It's a savvy book about boxing, but it's also a sweet little love story, and as you might expect from a sports writer, it's just really gritty and smart." --SCPR.org

"Unusual but fascinating narrative. Schulian's skills are impressive.... Schulian's debut will appeal to crime fiction readers who want a change from the standard mystery-to-be-solved formula, and to general readers curious about a side of life seldom depicted in fiction. Along with all this, it establishes John Schulian as a novelist well worth watching." --Bookgasm

"The recently released novel combines two of my favorites: L.A. Noir and Schulian.... It should make a great New Year's present for someone who appreciates great writing by a gifted former newspaper sports columnist." --The Daily Herald

"This gem of L.A. noir fiction builds to a deadly showdown between good guy Nick Pafko, a former boxer haunted by the man he killed in the ring, and sleek thug Onus DuPree Jr." --Sports Illustrated, Sports Book of the Year

"Readers looking for an Elmore Leonard-esque good time might prefer sports writer-turned-TV producer (and local kid) John Schulian's novel A Better Goodbye." --LA Magazine

"A Better Goodbye is a terrific book, a detailed and fast-paced trip to the dark sides of Los Angeles. His characters...exist in the shadows, flawed and desperate, dangerous and dreamy." --Rick Kogan, The Chicago Tribune

"A seething portrait of the dirty underbelly of that black magical dreamscape known as Los Angeles." --Broad Street Review