Tod Goldberg: "The Low Desert: Gangster Stories"

Crime novelist Tod Goldberg has made a career of writing about bad people behaving badly. A New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen books, including the popular “Burn Notice” series, his work has been published in a dozen languages all over the world. In addition to exploring the dark side of glitzy cities in his novels, he serves as director of UC Riverside’s low-residency MFA program where he is a professor of creative writing. He is also co-host of the popular podcast “Literary Disco” with writer Julia Pistell and actor Rider Strong. Goldberg’s latest book is “The Low Desert: Gangster Stories,” a collection of short stories expanding upon the universe of his acclaimed “Gangsterland” series. Set mostly in Goldberg’s own backyard of the Coachella Valley, his new book explores the noirish underbelly of California’s inland desert. UCR Magazine Associate Editor Jessica Weber caught up with Goldberg to talk about falling in love with crime fiction, the secret world behind the palm trees and fancy desert resorts of Southern California, and why we sometimes root for the bad guy. Listen in for the lowdown on “The Low Desert.”